How Remove Your iOS Stock Apps with PassHack

Ever wanted to remove the standard iOS apps that you never use on your iPhone? Now you can, thanks to a nifty little hack from RageMasta & macmixing called PassHack.

PassHack uses Passbook to remove stock iOS apps that many people never use on their iPhone, such as GameCenter and Stocks. To install the Passbook shortcut, users must simply visit www.cydiahacks.com via Safari on their iOS device (yes, apparently iPod touch and iPad are supported too), tap “Get PassHack,” then tap “Add to Passbook.” When the pass gets downloaded, tap “Add” to save it.

The video above details the process and shows you how you can get it done yourself on your own iPhone. Best of all, it doesn’t require a jailbreak, according to its developers. AppAdvice also has a nice tutorial on hand. If you ever wanted to eliminate that pesky Game Center icon from your iPhone’s home screen, now’s the time to do it.

Video credits to macmixing

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Windows Phone 8 Handsets to Arrive in Europe This Weekend

In addition to making more features of the Windows Phone 8 platform official, Microsoft also announced details regarding the availability of new devices around the world.

Windows Phone 8 handsets from Nokia, HTC and Samsung will become available for purchase in Europe starting with this weekend, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said on stage at the company’s event in San Francisco. He also announced that these devices will continue to roll out around the world in November, and that new devices will be made available in various markets.

In the United States, Windows Phone 8 devices will land on shelves at wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, Ballmer also said. "The global launch of Windows Phone 8 is just starting," Microsoft’s CEO also said at the aforementioned event.

Windows Phone 8 devices arrive in Europe this weekend
Image credits to Microsoft

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Samsung Galaxy S IV to be Packed with Exynos 5450 CPU

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to make the successor of its Galaxy S III smartphone official in the first half of the next year, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.

The company is also said to plan packing the upcoming handset with an Exynos 5450 processor inside, although no official announcement on the matter has been made so far. Galaxy S III, this year’s flagship device, has been launched with an Exynos 4412 SoC inside, a quad-core processor clocked in at 1.4GHz (based on Cortex – A9 architecture). Next year’s Android flagship should prove even faster than this device, and the aforementioned Exynos 5450 CPU would be the main reason for that, a recent article on DDaily reads. The SoC will arrive as a 2.0GHz quad-core processor (based on Cortex – A15 architecture), and should deliver better performance capabilities when compared to the Exynos 5250 chip that Samsung is said to have initially planned for the device. Apparently, the upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone will prove to be a real game changer, at least this is what initial reports on it suggest.

In addition to the fast processor inside, the smartphone is also expected to arrive on shelves with a large 5-inch touchscreen display, capable of delivering a full HD resolution. The latest flagship Android handsets from LG are expected to prove worthy rivals to Samsung’s own devices, which would determine the company to also increase the build quality of these smartphones, to strengthen its leading position on the market. Unfortunately, with no official confirmation on this, the news on Samsung’s plans for the next year are merely rumors and should be treated as such until a formal announcement is made. However, there is also the possibility that these details will pan out, and that the successor of Galaxy S III will indeed prove to be a highly appealing device, just as any enthusiasts is expecting.

Samsung Exynos 5250
Image credits to SamMobile

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Windows Phone 8 to Bring Live Wallpapers on the Lockscreen

One of the appealing features that Windows Phone 8 might arrive on shelves with is support for live wallpapers on the lockscreen.

Microsoft has already promised a wide range of new features inside Windows Phone 8, but it hasn’t detailed all of them as of now, though it might not be too long before it does that. In the meantime, a series of new photos with Windows Phone 8, available courtesy of Nokia Innovation, show that the platform will bring live wallpapers to the lockscreen.

Various notifications from applications will also be displayed on the screen when the device is locked, and there will also be Bing search changing wallpapers available for users to opt for, it seems. Hopefully, all there is to say on the matter will be unveiled during the event that Microsoft preps for tonight, so keep an eye on this space for more.

Live wallpapers on Windows Phone 8 lockscreen
Image credits to Nokia Innovation

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LG Nexus 4 in Hands-On Video, Uses Wireless Charging

LG’s first Nexus smartphone is expected to become available for purchase with a nice range of appealing features packed inside, including support for wireless charging, and a newly leaked manual for the device confirms that.

Spotted in a wide range of leaked photos and marketing materials lately, the device can be seen once again in a hands-on video that offers a quick look at its outer design and main features. From what can be seen there, the device is moving quite fast, most probably due not only to the new flavor of Android it is expected to arrive on shelves with, but also courtesy of its high-end hardware specifications.

The phone was expected to become official today, but Google postponed the event, and we should sit tight and wait for it to be rescheduled.

LG Nexus 4
Images credits to Youtube

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LG Nexus 4 Official to Arrive on November 13

Although today’s Android event set for New York City has been cancelled, Google has still made the new Nexus devices official, and the LG Nexus 4 was one of them.

The handset was built as a collaboration between Google and LG, and comes with a host of top-of-the-line capabilities, just as previously speculated. For starters, we should note that the new device hits shelves with a large 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, as well as with a powerful 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor packed inside. The feature list of the new device also includes an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with support for full HD video recording, as well as a 1.3MP camera on the front for making video calls. “LG is proud and excited to play this role in helping build the latest Nexus smart-phone,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Users will be delighted by the perfectly balanced combination of form and function with the latest generation of Android.”

Nexus 4 is the first Google phone to have been built courtesy of a collaboration between Google and LG, yet it should provide users with all the features and capabilities that they were looking for in a device included in the popular Nexus series. “This is the first time we collaborated with LG to build a Nexus device,” said Andy Ru-bin, senior vice president of mobile and digital content at Google. “They brought an extraordinary amount of talent to the project, and the result is a feature-packed device that feels great in your hand, and blazingly fast under the hood.” Some of the main features of the new device include scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2 coating on top of the 320ppi screen, to offer extra protection, along with support for 3D graphics and gameplay, and the latest Google apps packed inside.

The new device also features 2GB of RAM for increased performance capabilities, 8GB / 16GB of internal memory, a 2,100mAh Li-Polymer battery inside, and the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top. LG also packed Nexus 4 with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GSM/HSPA+ compatibility, Wireless charging, NFC capabilities, and the like. The new smartphone is expected to become available for purchase starting with November 13 in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Australia. It will be sold unlocked through Google Play and will reach other markets in Europe, Central/South Americas, Asia, CIS and the Middle East.

The smartphone will feature a price tag of $299 for the 8GB flavor, or $349 for the 16GB model. T-Mobile USA will carry an unlocked flavor for $199 on a two-year contract.

LG Nexus 4
Image credits to AndroidGuys

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Samsung Readying Smaller Galaxy Note GT-N5100

It looks like Samsung is not fully content on how well the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet fares on the market and plans to release a smaller version of its S-Pen-featured slate.

AndroidSlash reports a certain Samsung GT-N5100 recently appeared in DLNA certification filings. These documents indicate Samsung filed this device on October 16, which means we could expect the next Galaxy Note tablet in early 2013. Given the fact that Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is also known as GT-N8000 and the Galaxy Note II’s codename is GT-N7100, it stands to reason the GT-N5100 would be the next devices in the Note series.

No further details on the Samsung GT-N5100 are available for the moment, but there’s clear indication the South Korean company plans to launch a 7-inch, 7.7-inch or a slightly larger Galaxy Note tablet in the following months. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Samsung GT-N5100 DLNA filings
Image credits to AndroidSlash

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ECS HDC-I2/E-350D2 Mini-ITX Motherboard

The number of AMD-powered and compatible motherboards has really been on the rise lately. While ASRock is the greatest contributor, ECS is doing its part as well.

What Elitegroup Computer Systems did was release the HDC-I2/E-350D2. A mini-ITX motherboard, it runs the AMD E-350D APU (accelerated processing unit) and boasts two memory slots (DDR3-1066 MHz), a legacy PCI slot, some video outputs (DVI and HDMI), 6-channel HD audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and two SATA II ports (SATA 3.0 Gbps). The whole thing gets energy from a 24-bit power connector, so the power supply needn't be all that strong.

ECS expects the HDC-I2/E-350D2 to be employed as the basis for nettops (low-end desktop PCs) and HTPCs (home-theater personal computers). Sales should start soon, for under $100 / 77-100 Euro. Included in the price are coupons to Cyberlink MediaExpresso 5.1 LE and MediaShow 5.1 LE.

ECS HDC-I2/E-350D2 mini-ITX motherboard
Image credits to ECS

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