Dec 20, 2015

BlackBerry is giving away 20 free BlackBerry 10 apps for the holiday season


If you are using a BlackBerry 10 handset, the manufacturer has some holiday gifts for you. From now until December 26th, BlackBerry’s Festive Giveaway 2015 will allow you to snag up to 20 specific apps without paying a penny (Canadian or U.S.) for them. These apps cover a wide range of categories from a browser (Evolution Browser) to device locator (PhoneFinder). The latter is an app that every BlackBerry 10 owner should install.


The BlackBerry handsets eligible for the free apps include the BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Z3, BlackBerry Q5, BlackBerry Passport, … – Source



BlackBerry is giving away 20 free BlackBerry 10 apps for the holiday season

In a first, East Texas judge hits patent troll with attorneys’ fees


Federal court in Marshall, Texas. (credit: Joe Mullin)


The most litigious “patent troll” of 2014 has been effectively shut down, and will have to pay attorneys’ fees to several defendants.


US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, who hears more patent cases that any other federal judge, issued an order (PDF) on Thursday saying that the behavior of eDekka LLC qualified as “exceptional,” and that the company should pay the legal fees of various companies it sued.


Gilstrap’s courtroom is perhaps the surprising spot in the nation from which a patent troll slap-down might originate. The judge has been criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for making life unnecessarily difficult for patent defendants. He’s also invalidated relatively few patents under Supreme Court precedent set in last year’s Alice Corp. case, even as other federal judges have been tossing out software patents at a steady clip.


Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments


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In a first, East Texas judge hits patent troll with attorneys’ fees

How to make a chocolate bowl with a balloon



More about Bowl, Holiday, Chocolate, Lifestyle, and Home – Source



How to make a chocolate bowl with a balloon

The Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Android 6.0 Marshmallow via CyanogenMod 13 nightly build


As those rocking the latest and greatest Samsung Galaxy smartphones are still left waiting for a taste of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the 2012 Samsung Galaxy S3 is already able to run the most recent Android version.


Granted, Samsung’s most popular smartphone in history did not receive an official Android 6.0 Marshmallow release, which would be impossible given that Samsung stopped supporting the Galaxy S3 prior to Android 5.0 Lollipop. Instead, the handset has received its share of Marshmallow through CyanogenMod 13. The latest, Android 6.0-based version of the custom ROM was recently updated … – Source



The Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Android 6.0 Marshmallow via CyanogenMod 13 nightly build

Weekly poll results - BlackBerry Priv gets the nod from the fans


Business seems to be going well for BlackBerry over the last quarter (well, by the company’s recent standards) and it’s in no small part thanks to the Priv. A smartphone with its share of flaws as we established while doing our in-depth review, the BlackBerry Priv nonetheless manages to entice users, and our weekly poll results are in to attest that.


At 77% in favor, the general public opinion is pretty clear – the Priv has a lot to offer to offset whatever disadvantages it may have. Or at least a little something for anyone, be it the hardware keyboard, the BlackBerry-enhanced Android build, or the nifty sliding mechanism, which is a breath of fresh air in today’s realm of plain tile-like touchscreen phones.


But the non-believers were likely put off by the price tag, which is high, even as flagships go. Not strictly befitting a top-tier device, the BlackBerry Priv’s build is another area, where haters (or simply objective observers) can find grounds for complaint.


We can ponder all we want, but numbers are numbers, and 3 out of 4 people gave the BlackBerry Priv the thumbs-up. And even if our poll results don’t necessarily translate into unit sales, there may very well be a future to BlackBerry’s hardware division after…


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Weekly poll results - BlackBerry Priv gets the nod from the fans

Top 10 trending phones of week 51


In a curious turn of events this week, the iPhone 5s has entered our Top 10 trending chart. Two generations old, Apple’s aging 4-incher hasn’t enjoyed such interest in all of this year, which is as long as we’ve been keeping tabs.


Now, it’s all the way down in 8th, with less than half of the daily hits of the winner, but that’s still comfortably ahead of the current iPhone 6s, which is in 10th.


The newly announced YU Yutopia has managed to make room for itself in between the iPhones. The Indian flagship looks mighty fine on paper and with a price of about $375 it’s a tough offer to top.


Climbing up the chart, we see the Samsung Galaxy Note5 in 7th for a third week in a row with the Galaxy Grand Prime a spot ahead – the phone has been a near permanent fixture in the chart since its inception. The Galaxy J2 has lost its podium position and has dropped two spots into 5th, while the Galaxy S6 has placed 4th this week.


The Galaxy J-series occupation of the podium from last week has been disturbed, but the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was only good for third place. The Galaxy J7 rules yet again, and its customary runner-up J5 is where you’ve come to expect it to be.


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Samsung Galaxy J7

RANK: 1WAS: 1


specs review


Samsung Galaxy J5

RANK: 2WAS: 2


specs review


Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

RANK: 3WAS: 5


specs gallery


Samsung Galaxy S6

RANK: 4WAS: 6


specs review


Samsung Galaxy J2

RANK: 5WAS: 3


specs review


Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

RANK: 6WAS: 4


specs review


Samsung Galaxy Note5

RANK: 7WAS: 7


specs review


Apple iPhone 5s

RANK: 8NEW IN


specs review


YU Yutopia

RANK: 9NEW IN


specs…


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Top 10 trending phones of week 51

25% of new smartphones launched next year will feature a Force Touch type display


Next year, we should see more and more smartphones come to market with a fingerprint scanner. And pressure-sensitive screens are beginning to become a regular feature, too. According to IHS, 25% of all new intelligent handsets launched in 2016 will come with a Force Touch style display. This feature allows the screen to distinguish between a light touch, a regular touch, and a heavy touch on the glass.


Each different touch can launch something different. Apple’s 3D Touch uses a light touch to “peek” into an application, while a heavy tap will “pop” the user into that feature. For example, … – Source



25% of new smartphones launched next year will feature a Force Touch type display

Update to Surface Pro 4 makes it more stable with the Type Cover accessory


An update sent out to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 enhances the stability of the tablet when it is hooked up to the Type Cover. The accessory not only protects the tablet, it also is a physical QWERTY keyboard which turns the device into a laptop. The firmware update disseminated is version 1.1.420.0, and is being sent out OTA in phases by Microsoft. This means that the update won’t be received by all Surface Pro 4 owners at the same time.


The Surface Pro 4 Type Cover is available from the Microsoft Store for $129.99. It is available in Black, Blue, Bright Blue, Red, Teal and Onyx. For $30 … – Source



Update to Surface Pro 4 makes it more stable with the Type Cover accessory

10 vegan beers even skeptics will love


Believe it or not, your beer is not vegan friendly.


Most beer is made simply from barley malt, water, hops and yeast — all vegan approved. But, some breweries use animal products like gelatin and isinglass — a substance made from fish bladders — in their filtration process, thus making their product non-vegan


With Guinness’ move towards becoming a vegan-friendly stout, we decided to delve into the world of vegan beer to find the very best on the market.


Note: We used Barnivore, the vegan guide to all things alcohol-related, to verify that the products were truly vegan


See also: …


More about Beer, Drinks, Lifestyle, Work Play, and Happy Hour – Source



10 vegan beers even skeptics will love

Bernie Sanders Apologizes to Hillary Clinton About Data Breach 


It didn’t take long for the moderators at tonight’s Democratic primary debate to get into…


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Bernie Sanders Apologizes to Hillary Clinton About Data Breach 

Intelligence Should Recruit Like Google


An interesting story made the rounds back in August. While conducting a search for “python lambda function list comprehension,” programmer Max Rosett was suddenly invited to attempt a cryptic coding challenge. After completing it, he was contacted by Google — where he now works. The challenge was part of Google’s novel recruiting strategy, which allowed the company… Read More


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Intelligence Should Recruit Like Google

How to watch the ABC News Democratic debate online - CNET


Here’s what you need to know to watch the free live stream of the clash between Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley.


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How to watch the ABC News Democratic debate online - CNET

A Quick Guide to the Bernie Sanders/Hillary Clinton Campaign Data Drama 


A data security glitch led to a Democratic party squabble this week, complete with a lawsuit, and accusations of spying and sabotage hurled between campaigns. I didn’t know it was possible to make Bernie Sanders more ornery, but here we are!



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A Quick Guide to the Bernie Sanders/Hillary Clinton Campaign Data Drama 

From Half-Baked To Overcooked — The “Revolutionary” Evolution Of Crowdfunding


The ratio of overcooked concepts to ideas that might genuinely be called ‘revolutionary’ has long been skewed on crowdfunding platforms, but when a “founder” is pitching a “revolutionary” sponge holder with a straight face a line has surely been crossed. Read More


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From Half-Baked To Overcooked — The “Revolutionary” Evolution Of Crowdfunding