WhatsApp brings Android Wear support out of beta

It was less than a month ago that WhatsApp brought on support for Android Wear via a side-loaded beta update direct from the company’s website.

Now, the app, as it resides in Google Play, has been updated with the usual “bug fixes and improvements,” messaging reliability, and official Android Wear support.

WhatsApp’s functionality with Android Wear is not outside of what we have already experienced with other messaging features on Android Wear devices like the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. You can tap to view full message contents, navigate among stacked messages, and dismiss notifications with a simple swipe. There are ready-made responses you can choose to use too, and of course, you can voice reply or command the app to open in your phone.

If WhatsApp is your preferred messaging platform, and there is every reason to expect it is, but lack of native support for Android Wear has kept you from taking the plunge to pick up an Android wearable, or, you prefer not to side-load your apps, those obstacles have now been removed.

sources: Google Play via Android Police

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IDC Tablets sales will slow down in 2014

With laptop prices dropping, smartphone screens rising, and replacement cycles getting longer, tablet sales have been trending lower. The drop-off in sales is noticeable enough for IDC to cut its 2014 sales projections. The researcher now expects to see 233.1 million slates sold this year, down from a forecast made in May, which called for sales of 245.4 million tablets. And that estimate was lower from one made earlier in the year that called for 260.9 million tablets to be sold this year.

This is a trend that IDC spotted since the beginning of the year. The research firm expects tablet sales (including 2-in-1 devices) in North America and Western Europe to be flat this year, rising to 4% growth by 2018. Sales in the rest of the world will drop from 12% this year to just 5% in 2018. The average selling price of $373 for tablets in the mature market is holding steady, thanks to sales of larger screened slates and tablets with cellular capabilities. Tablet pricing in the rest of the world is expected to slump 10% this year to an average of $302.

"When we look at the global picture, it would be easy to say that the tablet market is slowing down. But, when we start digging into the regional dynamics, we realize that there is still a good appetite for this product category. While mature markets like North America and Western Europe will combine for flat unit growth in 2014, the remaining regional markets will generate 12% unit growth over the same period."-Jean Philippe Bouchard, Research Director for Tablets, IDC

Smartphone sales are going through a similar slump. Sales in mature markets are expected to rise less than 5% this year, while emerging market sales of intelligent handsets are expected by IDC to rise 32.5% in 2014. By 2018, those figures are expected to be down to 2.7% and 8.3%, respectively. Part of the problem for manufacturers is that the average selling price for emerging markets is under $250 compared to the greater than $400 average selling price for smartphones in mature regions. This obviously has a negative impact on margins.

Tablet sales are on the decline, says IDC

source: IDC via PCWorld

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Another teaser for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 shows the phablet in silhouette

For the last week, Samsung has been bombarding us with video teasers for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The next iteration of the manufacturer's phablet line is expected to be unveiled on September 3rd, which is this coming Wednesday. With the days before the unveiling dwindling down, Samsung has once again produced a video to tease the Galaxy Note 4. And once again, Samsung chose the S Pen as the focus of the teaser.

Similar to one of the first videos that we saw from Samsung for the Galaxy Note 4, this teaser talks about the history of the pen, and shows how the writing instrument is a tool of creation. The pen created art, touched our souls, enhanced our lives and now, says Samsung, it gets even better with the S Pen for the Galaxy Note 4.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (in silhouette) even makes an appearance in this clip. Check it out by clicking on the video below.

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IRL: A tablet holder for using your device in bed

There are times when I just want to lie in bed and surf random YouTube channels on my phone or tablet, but it's impossible to hold the device above my head for a prolonged period (we've all been there, right?).
Luckily, I stumbled upon this neat kit in Shenzhen one day: a swing-arm tablet holder by some random brand called Usiabu, and it only cost me CN¥80 or $13, as it was from a wholesale dealer (retail price is around $25 in Hong Kong, and Amazon's start from around $30). As you can tell from the price, this product doesn't involve any groundbreaking technology: you've probably already come across desk lamps that use this type of spring-loaded mechanism.
Installation is simple: secure the c-clamp mounting base onto the edge of a desk, insert the steel arm via its rotation pin and mount the plastic tablet bracket onto the dual-axis pivot for 180-degree vertical and 360-degree rotation. The arm stretches to about 90cm -- which is sufficient -- and the tablet bracket can handle screen sizes from 7 inches up to 12 inches; you adjust it by sliding one half of the bracket, and lock its position with a latch on the back. The tablet can also be lightly tilted within its bracket courtesy of sliding padded feet.
I've been using this tablet holder for over a year now (though not every single night, of course) and find it to be very handy, more so than the bendy versions that require more effort to position one's tablet or phone. The hinges are still surprisingly tight, so thankfully, my tablet hasn't yet dropped onto my face. If anything, I'm just disappointed by how some of the metallic fixtures have gone slightly rusty. The tablet bracket's release mechanism can be a bit fiddly when I'm lying on my bed, as the loosened latch drops down due to gravity, which then still locks the bracket's sliding part. Still, given how little I paid for it, these issues are relatively minor.

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Bezel busting Huawei Ascend Mate 7 poses once again

On September 4th, the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is expected to be introduced at IFA in Berlin. We've already had the pleasure of seeing the razor thin bezels on the phablet, which carries a 6 inch screen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920.  On back of the device is a fingerprint sensor that quickly calls to mind the scanner on the back of the HTC One max.

A 6 inch FHD screen requires plenty of power to light up, which probably goes a long way in explaining the inclusion of a massive 4000mAh cell inside the device. 2GB or 3GB of RAM is included, depending on the version. The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 will be powered by Huawei's own Kirin 920 processor. A quad-core 1.8GHz version of the chip is under the hood. There is 16GB of native storage packed into the handset, and the back and front-facing cameras weigh in at 13MP and 5MP, respectively.

The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 will be facing some competition from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which will be introduced the very day before Huawei's high-end tablet sees the light of day.

source: Weibo, cnBeta (translated) via GSMDome

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Moto X+1 with leather back leaks

We found out recently that one of the new options coming to the Moto Maker customizations is a leather backing for the Moto X+1. It is possible that denim is in the works as well, but that has not yet been confirmed. Now, we're getting our first look at what looks like an X+1 with a leather backing.

You can see the texture of the leather in the image, and it also looks like it has been scuffed a bit, which could mean you would eventually have a worn leather look, which would be quite cool. Obviously, the leather back is more something you get for the feel, but it still looks pretty good. According to past leaks, the leather backings could come in a choice of colors, including black, brown, blue, and red. 

Another interesting to note about the image is the Motorola logo on the back. The press renders we saw had a black on black logo and a white on gray. Now, this leather one has a black on gray logo. Could the logo itself be customizable?

We also just got some info about the price, release, and Moto Maker availability for the X+1, if you missed it. We're less than one week away from the official announcement. So, we should be getting answers soon enough. How do you guys like the leather? Would it be worth it?

source: TKTechNews

 

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How the rise of mobile apps is making everything easier

There was a time when Googling for “how to erase background in Photoshop” meant something. Budding graphical wizards understood that software existed to accomplish fantastical things such as removing a background and coloring it with something else, but the process was complicated. It required supremely expensive software, plenty of time for research, and the patience of Job. But it was easier than doing it by hand, so we were grateful.
I also recall quite vividly the first time I set out to slice a segment of an MP3 I had in order to create a ringtone. I wasn’t keen on paying $0.99 for the convenience of having some store deliver the clip in question directly to my phone, so I did what everyone else did: I searched for a how-to guide. The results were many, and the tactics varied considerably. Eventually, I discovered a successful mixture of freeware, filename changing, and syncing luck that generated a sizable grin. Now, there are not only apps that’ll do this in a fraction of a second, but there are websites that tell you what apps are similar to ones that you download and aren’t perfectly fond of.
In a sense, software has continually evolved to make our lives easier. The latest iteration of Photoshop is arguably easier to wield than the first one. What were once manual processes in Microsoft Excel can now be batched and automated without relying on third-party plug-ins or coding knowledge. But the creation of mobile app ecosystems has taken this concept to an entirely different level. In fact, I’m confident that part of the smartphone’s rise to success is due to the commoditization and simplification of software. Computer programs used to scare all but the technologically inclined; now, they’re as approachable as a phone dialer.

A major trend in the simplification of software is unbundling. While Microsoft has long hawked its entire Office Suite, app ecosystems have made it possible for curious consumers to search for (and find) programs that do precious little. Need an app that just views PDFs? How’s about one that lets you digitally sign a real estate document? What if you need a mapping application only for those times when you’re overseas and offline, and a different one for your connected journeys across domestic soil?

While there are certainly suites that encompass each of these tasks, the app has made it possible for devs to serve extremely specific needs. Those comfortable wading around in menus and navigational mazes wouldn’t mind a routing program that combined online and offline modes, but for those just dipping their toes into this universe, having specific apps for specific purposes is just so much less daunting.

The top 25 apps in the United States are all fairly predictable, and it gets really disassociated after that. In my view, the struggle for an app to reach critical mass is part of why apps (and phones in general) are surging in popularity across regions, income levels, and everything else. The ease and ability to download yet another app to address yet another immediate concern is allowing devs to create one-off programs that answer simple questions. That solve simple problems.
In fact, one has to wonder how much longer we’ll be leaning on the Photoshop we know and love. At some point, the mobile version is going become the dominant one, with more “traditional” software being reserved only for universities, institutes, and sector professionals. My gut tells me “some point” is far closer than anyone would’ve guessed just a couple of years ago.

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How to find out which apps are killing your iPhone’s battery life

 



Relatively poor battery life is one of the biggest complaints people have about Apple’s iPhone lineup, and the iPhone 6 isn’t really expected to make any huge advancements in this area. The next-generation iPhones are indeed expected to have bigger batteries than current models, but they’ll also have larger displays and other new power-gulping features.
As much as people complain about battery life, few actually make an effort to adjust their usage patterns in an effort to extend each charge as long as possible. For those interested in getting more out of their batteries, there’s a nifty new iPhone app that will be a huge help.

A new app by Kuro Labs called Normal has been making waves among iPhone users and if you haven’t yet checked it out, now might be the time. Normal sits quietly in the background and monitors all of the other apps on your iPhone in order to make you aware of which apps are killing your handset’s battery life.
From the app’s description:

Normal is a battery diagnosis service that suggests personalized actions you can take to extend your battery life. By aggregating data from hundreds of thousands of users, Normal is able to accurately and precisely pinpoint the battery hogs on your device, tell you whether or not this is also happening to other people, and project by how much time you will extend the battery by killing each hog.
Using Normal is simple: Install and run the app, perform any actions it suggests (at your discretion), and watch as your battery life increases!
Normal works by collecting generic usage data on your device over time—including what apps are running, what type of device you have, and the battery level—and aggregates it on our cloud platform. Normal then analyzes this data, along with data from all our other users, with proprietary statistical algorithms designed at UC Berkeley’s AMP Lab. The results, in the form of suggested actions and statistics about the battery impact of your apps, are then sent back to you.

Normal costs just $0.99 and it’s available in the App Store right now.
Download Normal

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Apple has figured out a brilliant way to wirelessly charge iPhones, iPads and iWatches

Apple is constantly trying to improve the battery performance of its devices, including iPhone, iPad and MacBook, working on various ways to either increase efficiency or provide alternative charging methods. For example, the company has a patent describing ways of intelligently adapting iPhone power consumption to cater to a user’s daily needs, but also at least one patent on charging a device’s battery using solar power.
Now, Patently Apple has discovered a new Apple patent application related to battery charging that describes a brilliant way of wirelessly charging a device without compromising its design.
Published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on Thursday and titled “Wirelessly Charged Electronic Device With Shared Inductor Circuitry,” the application explains that future Apple devices may include multi-purpose electrical components that may be used for different things including powering a speaker element in the device, enabling NFC-related features, or wirelessly charging a device.
By recycling components, Apple would be able to add wireless charging abilities to its devices without having to increase their overall sizes. The system would smartly deliver current to enable certain functions or wirelessly charge a device, although the patent also says that ways of simultaneously charging the device and using some of the other functions are possible.
“Electronic devices often include batteries,” Apple writes. “A battery in an electronic device can often be charged by using a cable to couple the electronic device to a source of power. It is not always convenient to rely on wired charging arrangements such as these. In compact and portable devices, for example, the use of a charging cable may be unwieldy. Charging cables can be avoided by using wireless charging, but wireless charging circuitry can be bulky.”
“It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved wireless charging capabilities,” the company adds.
The device used in one of the images from the patent looks like a square-shaped wrist-watch, but Apple’s patent doesn’t specifically restrict the use of the described technology to a smartwatch like the rumored iWatch the company is getting ready to unveil.
Instead, Apple says the technology may also be used by a wide variety of devices, including cellular telephones, tablet computers, notebook computers.
Interestingly, the patent mentions near field technology (NFC) features quite a few times, saying that a device packing such circuitry could be used for wireless payments and security applications (such as opening secured doors). Apple also happens to have a variety of patents on wireless payments technology, a product it’s expected to soon launch, maybe as soon as the iPhone 6 becomes official.
Just like with other patents, there’s no guarantee the tech described in this particular document will actually be available to users in the very near future – for what it’s worth, the patent was filed in late February 2013.
Images from the patent follow below, with the full patent available at the source link.

View the full Apple has figured out a brilliant way to wirelessly charge iPhones, iPads and iWatches gallery

Via:

Patently Apple

Source:

USPTO

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Rumor: HTC Preparing To Launch Two Wearables Devices Next Month

By the time we hit the holidays, we’ll be swimming in so many wearables that we won’t know what to do with ourselves. As the first two Android Wear smartwatches launched earlier this summer, we’re due for a following from Motorola with the Moto 360 here soon as it’s believed to be getting shown off next week. Samsung launched the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo earlier this year in the Spring, and they just unveiled their new smartwatch the Gear S, which was supposed to be shown off at IFA next week as well. LG is also set to launch their new Android Wear smartwatch the G Watch R, which they unveiled recently, and ASUS as well as many others are set to lift the curtain on their wearables.
HTC is included in this grouping of OEMs attempting to get their wearables to market, and the most recent rumor is that HTC is not going to be launching just one wearable next month, but two wearable devices for us to ponder throwing our money at. Smartwatches and wearables are still trying to find their footing in the eye of mass consumers, and perhaps something we see from HTC will be one of the devices to accomplish the task of grabbing the attention of the mainstream market. The news of the rumor comes from Upleaks, a lesser known tipster who leaks tidbits about our favorite electronics via Twitter.
There aren’t a whole lot of details in Upleaks Tweets, but he does seem to mention a few pieces of information that are worth paying attention to. He mentions the alleged names(model numbers?)of the two HTC smartwatches, referring to the HTC CWZ smartwatch, powered by none other than Android Wear according to Upleaks, which he states is coming to multiple regions including the U.S. sometime in September. He also mentions in another tweet, the HTC WWY smartwatch coming in September, which he later follows up with a tweet stating that it might actually be more of a fitness tracker like Samsung did with the Gear Fit. Whether or not any of this information turns out to be true or not remains to be confirmed, but we won’t have to wait long to figure any of that out as IFA is just around the corner and only days away.

This entry was posted in Android Smartwatch News.

SOURCE: Upleaks

VIA: Techno Buffalo

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ZTE Announces ‘The Next Hot Thing’ To Be Unveiled September 16th In New York

September may mean the end of summer but in the tech world this is normally when the fun begins and this year is looking to be more eventful than ever with a host of new devices, press releases and events in the pipeline. The season kicks off on September 3rd with a special Samsung event in which we expect the unveiling of the Samsung Note 4, the Gear VR (virtual reality) headset and Gear Glass (Samsung’s take on Google’s glass). Not to mention we should also get a taste of the Gear S (Samsung’s third generation smartwatch) as well. Before we have time to recover from the Samsung flooding of newbies, on September 4th Motorola will launch their event bringing with it two new devices (Moto G and X) and the much anticipated Moto 360 smartwatch. If all of that was not enough then on September 5th Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) will ‘officially’ commence. IFA is a global trade exhibition for consumer electronics where we are expecting even more announcements and releases from Sony, LG and Asus among many others.
By the end of IFA we will be full to the brim with new devices and releases and won’t be able to digest anymore electronics. Well, ZTE disagree and have decided to announce today they will hold their own event in New York on September 16th. ZTE is largely unknown in the US (compared to the other big names) although this year has seen a number of their devices starting to enter the US market with the ZTE Warp Sync and Nubia 5S Mini LTE which are budget smartphones, but equipped with reasonable specs. For the Android purists out there ZTE also released the ZTE Blade Vec 4G this year which came equipped with Android and powered by the Google Now Launcher.
So what is happening on September 16th? Well, in short we just don’t know yet. The announcement was made this morning and strangely over the video-sharing social network, Vine. The short video did not reveal any specifics or detailed information but instead consisted of a very quick animated invite which when opened prompts its audience to prepare for “the next hot thing”! What this will be will remain a mystery for now but certainly has sparked our interest. It’s one thing to launch a device after IFA but to also launch it via Vine suggests ZTE do have a game-plan in motion. For now, all eyes will be on IFA and the big releases but it might be worth holding out to see what ZTE have to offer on the 16th.

This entry was posted in Android Manufacturer News.

SOURCE: Vine

VIA: Android Authority

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Apple iPhone 5 battery replacement program expands worldwide

Last week, we told you that Apple was willing to replace the battery on certain Apple iPhone 5 models. Units sold between September 2012 and January 2013 are involved. If the purchase of your iPhone 5 falls in that range, click on the sourcelink and you will find yourself at Apple's official iPhone 5 battery replacement page. Punch in your phone's serial number, and you will see whether or not you are entitled to a free cell replacement from Apple.

If you live in the U.S. or China, Apple started the replacement process last week. Yesterday, Apple expanded it to other countries including Canada. If you qualify for a free replacement, you can return the phone to an Apple Authorized Service Provider, make an appointment with an Apple Store to bring it in, or contact Apple Technical Support online.

To get your iPhone 5 ready for the battery replacement, you need to back up your data to iTunes or iCloud, disable Find My iPhone, and erase data and settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings. Lastly, if your device has cracked glass or any other damage that affects battery replacement, these problems need to be repaired before Apple will accept the phone and replace the battery. In some cases, Apple says it might have to charge for the repair.

source: Apple

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Did you know?: How to Download and Use Google Maps OFFLINE (ios & android)

Lost in Nowhereland with no Internet connection as far as you can see? As always, Google Maps can help you find your way back, as long as you have an iOS or an Android device, even if you are offline. Google recently added a feature to Google Maps, which lets you save maps to your phone.
Yes, you can now check maps even when there is no Internet connection. The downside is that you will not have access to route information, addresses, navigation, traffic, and a host of other data that require an Internet connection. However, having map data for reference might just save you a lot of time. Here's how to use this nifty feature on iOS and Android. The steps are identical for both platforms.
 
What you need to use this feature

You're going to need an Android or iOS device. Unfortunately, this feature isn't available on other platforms. Google Maps version 3, which was released last week on iOS, added support for offline maps. Android users, be sure to update to Google Maps version 8 before following the steps listed below.

(Also see: Google Maps Apps Updated With Lane Guidance, New Offline Maps, and More)

How to save maps offline?

1. To use this feature, first sign in to your Google account to use this feature.

2. Type "OK Maps" in the search bar and hit the search button. A dialog at the top of the map asks "Save this map?" with a Save button at the bottom of the screen.

3. At this point, you can zoom in or out, and move the map, to select the area you want to save. Everything that is on-screen gets downloaded, so if you zoom out to save the entire Delhi area, for example, then you can later zoom in to see the individual localities and streets.

4. Once you've selected the area, tap the Save button at the bottom of the screen. A dialogue box pops up and you are asked to enter a name for the map. Just enter a name and tap on Save.

5. Accessing offline maps is easy. Just tap the 'person' icon, which is next to the directions icon on the search bar. This will take you to your profile. Scroll to the bottom to see your saved maps. You can rename saved maps in case you plan to save more than one.

There are certain limitations to saving offline maps. Zoom out too far and you will see an error saying that the map area can't be saved because it is too large. We were able to save almost all of Delhi, but Google Maps deemed the area "too large" when we tried to save National Capital Region (NCR).
There's nothing stopping you from saving multiple maps to cover a large area, in case you're worried about that. Another limitation is that map data is available only for 30 days. You'll have to download maps again after this.
The good thing is that the saved map of Delhi occupied just 9.9 MB of space on our phones. That's good news for those who are running low on storage space.

Have you ever saved Google Maps and used them offline? Ever been knocked offline, lost and wished you had access to offline maps? Tell us about it in the comments section below

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Google Search Results Will No Longer Show Authorship

Over three years after Google decided to link to authors' Google+ profiles in search results, the search giant has scrapped the feature. Referred to as authorship markup, the feature had been used by nearly all of the world's top news websites - most of which rely on traffic from Google search results for revenue.
Google's official support page for Authorship in web-search has a succinct description of the move. It reads, "Authorship markup is no longer supported in web search." It points readers to the support page for rich snippets and structured data, suggesting that it be used instead to improve search results.
The search giant had earlier removed Google+ profile pictures of authors from search results, and has now also removed links to author profiles. John Mueller from Google's webmaster tools said in a Google+ post that the company found "the information isn't as useful to its users as it hoped, and in some cases even distracts from the overall search results".
Mueller says Authorship markup didn't reduce traffic to sites and also didn't increase clicks on ads. He adds that this change was made to "improve our users' experience".
An important point is that Google hasn't completely removed Google+ from search results. Mueller says Google search users will still see Google+ posts from pages and their friends "both in the main results, and on the right-hand side".
When this feature was first unveiled in June 2011, Google had called it an "experiment" to help people "find content from great authors". The original blog post (http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.ca/2011/06/authorship-markup-and-web-search.html) reads, "We know that great content comes from great authors, and we're looking closely at ways this markup could help us highlight authors and rank search results."
Looking back at the post, one thing is certain - the experiment didn't proceed as planned.

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WhatsApp - How to Stop Auto Downloading and Saving of Photos

WhatsApp is the world's most popular messaging app, with over 600 million active users. One of the most common annoyances with the app is that it automatically downloads media files (photos and audio) by default. WhatsApp says this is optimised for best performance, but when friends decide to send a dozen pictures of their dinner to everyone they know, it is optimised for maximum annoyance instead. Here's how you can stop WhatsApp from automatically saving photos and audio on your phone.
(Also see: How to Block a Contact on WhatsApp)
Android
WhatsApp for Android has a switch that lets you stop images and videos from downloading. Here's how you can do it: 1. Open WhatsApp, make sure you are seeing the main window - where all your chats are displayed. Tap the three vertical dots on the top right > Settings.
2. Now tap Chat settings > Media auto-download. You'll see three options: When using cellular data, When connected on Wi-Fi and When roaming. Tap each one and disable auto-downloads by unchecking all three options - Images, Audio and Video.
To view photos, you will have to download them. When you do, WhatsApp saves them in a folder, and you can get inundated with stupid memes and other unwanted content, which is visible to anyone who open's your phone's Gallery App. However, it is possible to stop these photos from appearing in the Gallery app. Here's how:
1. Download Quickpic and open the app.
2. Navigate to the WhatsApp media folders. The location of the WhatsApp folder varies across devices but it should typically be the following: Internal Storage (sometimes labelled sdcard0) > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Images, > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Audio, and WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Videos.
3. Long-press the WhatsApp Images folder and make sure that it is selected. Do the same with the WhatsApp Video and WhatsApp Audio folders.
4. After selecting the three folders, tap the three dots icon on the top-right > Hide. This will ensure that the Gallery app doesn't show them. You can still view these images and videos within WhatsApp and through any apps that let you view hidden folders. But if you pass your phone to someone, you no longer need worry about them seeing the WhatsApp photos and videos through the Gallery app.
(Also see: How to Hide Last Seen on WhatsApp)
iPhone
WhatsApp for iPhone has an easy way to stop automatically saving photos to the Camera Roll. Here's what you can do:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap the Settings button at the bottom-right.
2. Go to Chat settings > Save incoming media > Off.
This stops the pictures people are sending from showing up in the camera roll, and taking over your synced Photo Stream. Unfortunately, there's no way to stop WhatsApp from auto-downloading photos on your iPhone. It will ask you whether you want to download videos, but photos are saved automatically.
BlackBerry
Whether you are using BlackBerry 7 or BlackBerry 10, disabling auto-downloads needs to be done through the Settings app. Follow these steps if you are using WhatsApp on any BlackBerry device:
1. Head to Settings > Media settings > Media auto-download.
2. Now select When using cellular data and uncheck all three options - Images, Audio and Video. Go back and follow the same steps with "When connected on Wi-Fi" and "When roaming".
3. In Media Settings, you can also tap "Save media on" to decide if the media is saved on your phone's internal memory, or on your microSD card (if present).
Windows Phone
Windows Phone users need to follow these steps:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap the three horizontal dots at the bottom of the main window (recent chats). Now tap settings > chat settings > media auto-download.
2. Now tap Images and select Never. Do the same for Video and Audio. Other options include auto-download on WiFi, cellular and roaming. But if you select Never, you will be able to download media only when you want to.
Nokia S40 and S60
If you use WhatsApp on Nokia S40 feature phones, you can enable or disable media downloads through this setting:
1. Open Options > Settings > Network > Auto-download images. Here you can disable auto-downloads.
It is almost exactly the same on Nokia S60 phones as well:
1. Open Options > Settings > Network > Media auto-download. Now select Cellular and disable auto-downloads for media. Do the same with WiFi and Roaming.
Not saving images automatically has its advantages, but it also means that you will have to download each photo manually. If you end up downloading each and every image anyway, then it's probably best to leave this feature active. Let us know if this tutorial helped you via the comments. For more such useful articles, visit our How to section.

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Home  »  App Updates • Apps • Windows Phone   »   FreeCharge, India’s leading online recharge portal gets an official native app for Windows Phone

FreeCharge, India’s leading online recharge portal gets an official native app for Windows Phone

By Fakhre On August 29, 2014 Posted in App Updates, Apps, Windows Phone No comments

FreeCharge, India’s popular online recharge portal for prepaid mobile recharges, postpaid bill payments, DTH recharges and datacard recharges, has released a major update for their official Windows Phone app. The update v2.0 brings native windows phone experience to app, previously the app was just a web wrapper.

Features:

• Prepaid Mobile recharge for all operators such as Airtel , Vodafone, Reliance, Tata Docomo, Idea, Aircel, BSNL, etc.
• Postpaid mobile bill payments for all operators such as Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Tata Docomo, Idea, Loop, BSNL, etc.
• DTH (Television or TV) recharge for all operators such as Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Dish TV, Sun Direct, Videocon d2h, etc.
• Data Card recharge for all operators (Tata Photon, Reliance Netconnect, MTS Mblaze, Vodafone, Airtel, etc.)
• View tariff plans of full talktime, top up, 3G and 2G usage for all major operators for prepaid mobile recharge
• Pay using debit card, credit card or net banking for all leading banks such as State bank of India (SBI), ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank etc.
• FreeCharge credits for super quick mobile recharge experience. Your money is always in safe hands.

• Use saved cards to make even faster recharges
• View your older recharges and payments to recharge faster
• 100% Secure: all your transactions are 128 bit SSL secured with trust seal from industry leaders such as VeriSign and PCI-DSS.
• Great customer support to handle any kind of unexpected issues.

FreeCharge is a free download from the Windows Phone Store. Grab it below!

Download @
WP8 Store

FreeCharge: Recharge mobile, DTH, Data card

Developer: Accelyst Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Price: Free

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