Toshiba Encore Windows 8 Tablet Review

Eight inch tablets are hot items right now as consumers are discovering the perfect balance they often present between portability and usability. Apple’s iPad mini is an especially popular choice among people looking for a well-polished device with a fantastic selection of apps, but there are plenty of other competitors to choose from.

Toshiba Encore - $280 - $350

• 8.0”, 1280x720 HFFS LCD (189 ppi)
• Intel Bay Trail Z3740 SoC
• 1.3 GHz quad-core CPU, HD Graphics GPU, 2GB RAM
• 32 or 64 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 8 MP camera, 1/3.2” sensor, f/2.2 lens
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 19.5 Wh battery
• Windows 8.1 + Microsoft Office
• 445 grams, 10.7mm thick

When it comes to 8-inch Windows tablets, the release of Windows 8.1 has seen many companies try their hands at crafting the perfect tablet. Acer was first with the mediocre Iconia W3 and shortly afterwards a ton of other devices came to the market from the likes of Dell, Asus, Lenovo and also Toshiba, whose 'Encore' tablet is the focus of today’s review.

Like a lot of small Windows tablets in the same price bracket as the Encore, specifications aren’t stellar especially in the display department: we’re looking at a 1280 x 800 panel, a resolution which Windows device manufacturers seem to love. There’s also the popular Intel Atom Z3740 SoC inside, as well as an 8-megapixel camera and 19.5 Wh battery, which makes its hardware package overall a little different to the Lenovo Miix 2 8, which we're also in the process of reviewing.

Design

Most eight inch tablets feature some form of the standard, slightly-rounded rectangular prism design. The Toshiba Encore is no exception, although its take on the slate design is rather uninspiring.

The Encore is a fairly chubby device, making no attempt to match the svelte nature of some of its competitors. Its 10.7mm thick and 445 grams heavy profile compares unfavorably to the Lenovo Miix 2 8 (at 350g and 8.35mm thick) and to the highly popular Apple iPad mini Retina (308g/7.5mm). The size doesn't just look bad on paper, the Encore feels portly in your hands and the design doesn’t try to hide it.

Compounding the issue is the sizable bezel around the display. To either side of the panel is 14mm of plastic and glass, which makes the tablet feel just slightly wider than what would normally be comfortable. Display coverage is just under 65%, although the device is still quite portable overall, significantly more so than a 10-inch device.

Apart from the glass protecting the display, the rest of the Encore is made from plastic that wraps right around the tablet, providing a rim around the front panel. The plastic in no way gives the tablet a premium feel, despite the square pattern that’s used on the back (also only available in silver).

Like most other eight inchers, everything is positioned so that portrait is the default orientation. Most aspects of the design are extremely minimalist: the front has a small piece of branding plus a Windows button and front facing camera to the far right; whereas the back features a Toshiba logo along the bottom, an Intel Inside sticker that looks somewhat out of place, and a rear facing camera in the top left.

On the bottom edge you’ll find the tablet’s dual speakers. In our tests these didn't perform well at high volumes but are certainly usable for casual listening. The right edge has the fairly weak-feeling power button and volume rocker, and the left side has an exposed microSD card slot. All the ports for the device are along the top edge, such as the 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB port and micro-HDMI port, the latter of which some may find especially useful if they want to frequently use external displays.

The design of the Toshiba Encore doesn’t stop you from enjoying the hardware in the device, but it definitely lacks a spark that would make it a more attractive offering. With an 8-inch display the tablet is portable, however it’s neither as slim nor as light as some of its competitors.

Display

Toshiba has gone for an 8.0-inch TFT HFFS LED-backlit LCD panel in the Encore, with a resolution of 1280 x 800. HFFS, which stands for high-transmittance fringe field switching, is an alternate display technology to IPS that offers less color shifting and similar viewing angles. It’s not a display type we often see, but Toshiba might have chosen it to keep manufacturing costs down.

I’m not particularly happy with the resolution of this 8-inch display when other sub-$300 tablets manage to include 1080p panels. Individual pixels are reasonably noticeable (189 PPI) especially along the edges of text, but also when looking at photos and videos.

The panel is capable of displaying 720p videos natively, while all 1080p content will be downscaled to 720p.

This is not to say the Encore’s panel is completely unusable. WXGA is fine for everyday tasks, as has been the case for many years, but over the past 12 months it has been quickly superseded by lower-cost high-density displays. When Asus can produce a 7-inch tablet with a 1080p display for a little over $200, and Amazon can do the same at 8.9-inches, the Toshiba Encore seems behind the times.

Aside from screen resolution the overall color quality is average, especially in terms of saturation, which is noticeably lacking compared to IPS LCDs. The panel’s contrast is good, although there is backlight bleed when viewing dark images, and a minor amount of color banding when viewing gradients.

One area the Encore’s display really excels is viewing angles. Like an IPS panel, the Encore’s LCD is viewable at nearly all angles, however there is noticeably less color shifting and distortion. This is actually surprising considering there is a decent gap between the protective glass and panel itself, which in TN panels would significantly affect viewing angles.

The gap does manage to affect the panel’s reflectivity, which can make the display a little tricky to view in bright settings. Maximum brightness from the LED backlighting is very good, which negates some of the reflectivity issues, and there’s a wide range of brightness levels to make use of. The well-hidden photodetector provides accurate automatic brightness, although it can be somewhat slow to adjust.

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Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop to lead Microsoft's devices and games team

With Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia expected to be finalized shortly, Stephen Elop will replace Julie Larson-Green as the person in charge of the company's Devices and Studios business. This means Elop will be in charge of Xbox, Surface, the handset division acquired through Nokia, plus game developer and publisher Microsoft Studios.

Larson-Green is taking on a new role as the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for Microsoft's Applications and Services group. Her main job will be to manage the user experience and design of major products such as Office, Bing and Skype, reporting to group leader Qi Lu.

In an internal memo, Larson-Green thanked the members of the Devices and Services team she's leaving. "We launched Xbox One, Surface 2 & Pro 2, blockbuster games like Forza and Ryse, a brand new Xbox Music and Video service, PPI, and some amazing unannounced innovations just to name a few - incredibly impressive!"

The division shift for Larson-Green is just one of many over the past few years. When Steven Sinofsky departed the company, Larson-Green was promoted to head of the division in control of Windows; however she was quickly shifted to run Devices and Studios during a major company reorganization, which saw Terry Myerson take her place.

Stephen Elop was reportedly a candidate for the CEO job at Microsoft, although ultimately Satya Nadella was promoted into the role. Previously, Elop has stated that Microsoft's Xbox division is a distraction for the company and that he would sell it off if he had the chance. Having made those statements, it will be interesting to see how he manages the Xbox division at his new position.

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New Gmail "Unsubscribe" option lets you stop receiving promotional emails

In an attempt to make it easier for users to find the "unsubscribe" link that's usually located at the bottom of promotional emails, Google is beginning to add an unsubscribe button to Gmail that appears in the header of marketers' emails. The search giant announced the rollout at the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group conference in San Francisco last week.

Email recipients are not required to make any extra effort, as the link will automatically appear at the top of the message, next to the name and email address of the sender.

If a recipient clicks the unsubscribe link, Google will send an automated email to the sender (or the company), requesting to exclude the recipient from future mailings -- but remember, it'd still be a request only. This will minimize the effort, as you don't need to go through marketers’ standard unsubscribe options.

Besides providing users with easy access to an unsubscribe link, the change will also lessen the chances of users reporting legitimate promotional emails as spam when they can't find the option to unsubscribe.

Companies looking to grow their business online might see this move from Google as a business killer. Especially after the company last year added a new tabbed style inbox, making it much less likely that users will even see these promotional emails in the first place.

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Sony launches the Xperia Z2 with "world's best mobile camera"

At Mobile World Congress 2014, Sony has announced their new flagship Android smartphone, the Xperia Z2, which is a small update to the Xperia Z1 but packs what the company claims is "the world's best mobile camera".

The design of the Xperia Z2 is similar to the Z1, although Sony has bumped the screen real-estate up to 5.2-inches (from 5.0-inches) through the inclusion of an all-new display. The company has ditched the eIPS LCD in favor of a traditional 1080p IPS panel, which reportedly fixes issues such as poor viewing angles and color accuracy that we alluded to in our Xperia Z1 review.

Internally the SoC used has seen a minor bump up to a Snapdragon 801, complete with a 2.45 GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU and a faster-clocked Adreno 330 GPU. There's also 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, a microSD card slot, LTE and a 12.16 Wh (3,200 mAh) battery inside.

The camera on the Z2 which Sony calls the "world's best" is physically identical to the Xperia Z1: a Sony-made 1/2.3" 20.7-megapixel sensor combined with an f/2.0 27mm-effective lens. There doesn't appear to be OIS, which may affect low-light images, although increased processing power now allows the sensor to capture 4K video at 30 frames per second.

Other features include full IP55 and IP58 water resistance, and digital noise cancelation built into the phone as well as the supplied earphones. The Xperia Z2 is 8.2mm thick, 158 grams heavy and will launch globally in March 2014.

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BlackBerry's BBM coming to Windows Phone and new Nokia X devices

BlackBerry has announced that its BBM text messenger will be making its way to two more platforms starting later this year. Already available on Android and iOS, BBM will now be coming to Windows smartphones and the now officially revealed Nokia X devices.

Today at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, BlackBerry said that BBM will be available as a free download on Windows Phone starting this summer and that the messenger would be available on Nokia X devices as the platform rolls out. The new forked Android handsets were officially revealed this morning at MWC 2014 where BlackBerry said the Nokia X would be launching immediately and the X+ and XL would be coming in Q2.

Since going multi-platform in October of last year on Android devices and iPhone, BlackBerry has introduced new features that some have suggested could open up mobile ad revenue opportunities for the company. A post on the BlackBerry blog regarding the announcement says the company is hard at work developing new features for the service along with development on the new Windows and Nokia X versions.

The company confirmed that its president of Global Enterprise Solutions John Sims would be taking over for Blackberry Messenger head Andrew Bocking about two weeks ago. “BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community,” said Sims in a press release from Barcelona.

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French company Wiko will have the first Tegra 4i smartphone on shelves "within weeks"

While it looked as though LG would be first to market with its G2 mini it showed off recently, a French handset maker called Wiko will have the first Tegra 4i smartphone on the shelves. NVIDIA has revealed that the WAX, a newly announced device from Wiko, should launch in Europe "within weeks."

The Wiko WAX boasts a 4.7-inch display at 720p with 1GB of RAM. It will have LTE and HSPA+ support across Europe by April and is currently scheduled to roll out in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK at a reported 200 Euros.

Expect to find an 8MP pixel rear facing camera on this thing, but judging by various hands on impressions it sounds as though the picture quality isn't overly impressive. Others suggested the color on the display seemed to have been a little muted compared to other comparable devices as well.

It is currently running Android 4.3, of which basic tasks like swiping through files and images, opening applications and various web related tasks all appear to be running well on the WAX, according to reports.

NVIDIA and Wiko, a fast growing smartphone company with about 2 million users, will provide a pre-installed version of TegraZone (a gaming optimization guide) on the WAX and are expected to bring more NVIDIA-specific features to the hardware.

Facebook to discontinue email service

Facebook will soon be discontinuing its troubled @facebook.com e-mail service and has already started notifying some users of the impending change. Existing users will soon have their @facebook.com messages forwarded to the primary e-mail address on file while those without a primary address simply won’t have messages forwarded to them.

Originally launched in late 2010, the social network hoped the e-mail service would eventually put established providers like AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo out to pasture. Facebook argued that traditional services were simply too slow and too cumbersome but their vision simply never came to pass.

Facebook said they are making the change because most people haven’t been using their Facebook e-mail address and they want to make it easier to view all messages in one place. Additionally, the change will allow them to focus on improving their mobile messaging experience.

It’s worth noting that message forwarding is enabled by default. Unfortunately, this means that someone can now reach your primary inbox simply by sending a message to your Facebook e-mail account. Such addresses are only visible to friends but as The Verge points out, it’s not difficult to figure out another person’s address by plugging in their profile page URL before the @ symbol.

The good news is that forwarding can be disabled completely, a move that will effectively shut down the service once and for all.

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Microsoft officially announces a 'spring' update to Windows 8.1

During Microsoft's press conference at Mobile World Congress today, the company officially announced that a new update is coming to Windows 8.1 this spring. Joe Belfiore, head of phones, PCs and tablets at Microsoft, said that while "we love touch", the update will focus mostly on improving the user experience for those with a keyboard and mouse.

Of course the update Belfiore is taking about is what has been discussed previously as "Update 1", an internal codename used at Microsoft. The company today confirmed that Update 1 will include a title bar at the top of modern apps, power and search buttons on the Start screen, new right-click mouse UIs and Metro-style apps in the desktop taskbar.

These features were already known to be part of Windows 8.1 Update 1 thanks to a series of leaks, including the release of any early build around three weeks ago. Several other changes seen in leaked builds, including booting to the desktop by default on non-touch systems, weren't confirmed during the press conference.

Belifore says that some of the changes were in response to user feedback surrounding Windows 8.1. "Some of those touch affordances weren’t really tuned as well as we could do for those mouse and keyboard users... We found people weren’t aware of where they should look in the UI. Those are the things we’ve really started to improve for this update coming this spring."

As well as a range of new features and changes, the spring Windows 8.1 update will allow device manufacturers to produce lower-cost products through lower hardware requirements. OEMs now have the flexibility to include just 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, and licenses for Windows itself are now reportedly cheaper.

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While Microsoft didn't specify at their press conference when Windows 8.1's spring update will arrive, rumors put the release date around April 8th. More details about the update are expected at the company's BUILD developer event in early April.

Microsoft details Windows Phone 8.1 at MWC

Alongside announcements surrounding a spring update to Windows 8.1, Microsoft has detailed Windows Phone 8.1 at their Mobile World Congress press conference today. Most of the information revealed revolves around Windows Phone hardware, although Microsoft's Joe Belfiore did state that the update will be coming in spring and all Windows Phone 8 devices will be "technically" supported.

Hardware-wise, Windows Phone 8.1 will now support the current range of mid-tier Qualcomm SoCs, including the Snapdragon 200 (MSM8x10 and 8x12), Snapdragon 400 (MSM8x26 and 8x28) and the Snapdragon 400 LTE (MSM8926 and 8928). TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA and SGLTE communication technologies will also be supported, as well as on-screen softkeys, installing apps on the microSD card, and dual-SIM functionality.

Nokia's Lumia devices have been dominant in the Windows Phone space for quite some time, but Microsoft is still committed to working with other OEMs. Today the company announced new hardware partners, including LG, Lenovo, ZTE, Foxconn and several Indian companies (Xolo, Karbonn, and Lava). Additionally, Qualcomm's Reference Design (QRD) is now supported, giving OEMs the option to recycle Android hardware if they so desire.

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Microsoft also took the time to announce the latest addition to the Windows Phone app catalog: Facebook Messenger. The often-requested app will be a collaboration between Microsoft and Facebook, and will launch in the coming weeks, although no specific features were revealed.

More about Windows Phone 8.1 will be unveiled during Microsoft's BUILD developer conference in April, shortly before the company releases the updated OS to the masses.

Intel details mobile Atom 'Merrifield' and 'Moorefield' SoCs

It's not just Qualcomm detailing their latest efforts in the mobile SoC space today: Intel has also taken the time to talk about their new chips, 'Merrifield' and 'Moorefield', as well as their latest LTE modem. Intel isn't targeting the high-end with their new SoCs, instead looking to tackle the mid-range with silicon they're claiming is as powerful as some top ARM SoCs.

Merrifield is Intel's SoC for the first half of the year, packed with a dual-core 'Silvermont' CPU sharing 1 MB of L2 cache and a PowerVR G6400 GPU clocked at 533 MHz. There will be two Merrifield SoCs, the Atom Z3460 and Z3480, with a max CPU clock of 1.60 GHz and 2.13 GHz respectively.

Moorefield will be coming in the second half of 2014, and packs four Silvermont cores also sharing 1 MB of L2 cache, plus a beefier PowerVR G6430 GPU at 533 MHz. Again, Intel will push out two Moorefield chips, with max CPU clocks of 1.80 GHz and 2.33 GHz for the Atom Z3560 and Z3580 respectively.

Merrifield and Moorefield are very similar in other aspects too. Both SoCs are built on a 22nm process, are 64-bit capable, and support up to 4 GB of LPDDR3 at 533 MHz, 256 GB of internal storage, 13-megapixel rear cameras, 1080p60 video recording, and low-power sensor data monitoring. The chips currently support Android 4.4.2, and Intel says they will also support the upcoming L-release.

If priced correctly, Intel's new mobile SoCs will be quite competitive, especially if you go by Intel's included performance data. They claim the Merrifield Z3480 is faster than the Apple A7 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 in web applications, and close when it comes to OpenGL gaming. Intel also expects to be a leader when it comes to battery life and energy efficiency.

As well as Merrifield and Moorefield, Intel announced their second-generation multi-mode LTE modem, known as the XMM 7260. The modem supports Category 6 LTE (300 Mbps) and carrier aggregation, plus up to 22 simultaneous bands. With the XMM 7260, Intel hopes to be the number two player in the LTE space (behind Qualcomm) in 2014.

Towards the end of the year we can also look forward to Cherry Trail, the SoC successor to Bay Trail that we've seen in many Windows tablets as of late. SoFIA will also be coming in late 2014 as Intel's entry-level SoC with Silvermont cores.

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Samsung Confirm Fingerprint Scanner In Galaxy S5

Previous announcements had asserted that the fingerprint scanner in the Samsung Galaxy S5 would be located behind the screen. It was proposed that customers would be able to unlock phones by putting their registered finger (or thumb) on any location on the screen.  However, the Samsung Galaxy S5’s fingerprint scanner will be located in its home button, not behind the screen.

Those familiar with the phone have said that the scanner will work by running a finger flat across the home button at a medium speed.  This is a similar approach used by Apple with its fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S.  However, Apple uses a stationary read.  It is unsure why Samsung would use a moving scan as it increases the chances of it misreading a fingerprint.

The report also suggests users will also be enabled to register up to seven other fingers (imagine that!). The benefits? Users will be able to quickly use certain applications and functions.  However, Samsung will not be getting rid of pin codes; they will still be an option for those who do not want to take advantage of the fingerprint scanner.  Originally, there were rumours that Samsung were going to adopt iris scanning technology (which would have been really cool) in their smartphone but it was thought that it would be too difficult to scan eyes in darkened rooms and thus, dumped this idea.

The increase in smartphone makers using fingerprint scanners is thought to be because of the increase in mobile phone thieves.   Fingerprint scanners will, in theory, put off potential pick-pockets and robbers (though I am sure they are unable to see through pockets and usually have a no-returns policy even if the phone is not desirable).  US senators have recently put forward a bill that will make it obligatory for phone creators to incorporate a ‘kill switch’ in their phones after it came to light that in some cities, the greater number of robberies included a mobile phone, this is sometimes dubbed ‘apple picking’.

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Amazon's Android set-top streaming box reportedly scheduled to launch in March

Amazon's set top streaming box did not make its release window last year, but reports are suggesting the online retail giant is still moving forward with the device. A Recode report citing various sources said that Amazon is preparing to launch the device in March of this year.

Amazon has been investing in its web content catalogue for quite some time now, not to mention original programming. A web TV box would obviously be an easy way for users to watch said content on the big screen, as well as possibly giving Roku boxes and Apple TV a run for their money.

When news initially broke regarding Amazon's new box, we learned that it could be running a forked version of Android similar to the company's Kindle tablets. Sources cited in today's report corroborate that information, saying the box will more than likely be running a customized Android OS.

Previously, there was also talk that Amazon was developing its own sub $300 game console, later pushed by the fact that it acquired Killer Instinct and Strider reboot developer Double Helix. More recently, an Amazon Game Studio job listing for experienced triple A developers with iOS and Android experience was spotted.

While there has been no reports connecting both the gaming console rumor and the upcoming Amazon set-top streamer, it appears as though there could be a chance they are one in the same. The Amazon gaming console is said to be an Android system similar to OUYA, but it sounds like the company's gaming division is preparing for more than just that. Amazon has declined to comment on the report.

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LinkedIn grants members the ability to block others

LinkedIn on Friday announced a new feature that members have been requesting for quite some time: the ability to block other members. It’s a feature that will no doubt be incredibly useful, especially on a social network where many can be relentless in their pursuit of making a professional connection.

In a post on the matter, Paul Rockwell, LinkedIn’s head of Trust & Safety, said they built the feature not only because it was requested but simply because it’s the right thing to do. The feature is being made active as of today to all members, Rockwell noted.

To enable member blocking, simply head over to your LinkedIn profile and navigate to the profile of the person you wish to block. Select “Block or report” in the drop-down menu located next to the Connect and Send InMail buttons.

Pro tip – if you want to avoid an awkward moment, enable anonymous profile viewing before doing so. That way, you can visit and block the person’s profile without them knowing about it.

Once blocked, neither you nor the person you blocked will be able to view each other’s profile. In the event that you are already connected with said person, that connection will automatically be severed. What’s more, you will no longer be able to communication with said person (not that you’d want to anyway) and all recommendations and endorsements will be removed.

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Samsung USA rolling out Android 4.4 'KitKat' to 14 devices

Samsung USA has today announced that the rollout of Android 4.4 'KitKat' has begun for a wide range of devices. The full list of devices to be upgraded, included below, features all of Samsung's most popular devices from the past two years - including the Galaxy S III - so it's clear the software development team has been hard at work over the past months.

• Galaxy Note 3
• Galaxy Note II
• Galaxy S4
• Galaxy S4 mini
• Galaxy S4 Active
• Galaxy S4 zoom
• Galaxy S III
• Galaxy S III mini
• Galaxy Mega
• Galaxy Light
• Galaxy Note 8.0
• Galaxy Tab 3
• Galaxy Note 10.1
• Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition

While all of these devices will see an over-the-air update to KitKat appear in the coming weeks, those who are using a Galaxy Note 3 or Galaxy S4 on Sprint or US Cellular should see update notifications today. It should be noted that list above only applies to United States carrier variants of the devices; people with international models will have to wait for information from the Samsung team in their locale.

Android 4.4 was first seen on the Google Nexus 5, and includes features such as an immersive application mode, the ability to select a default SMS app, a whole heap of new APIs and performance improvements, as well as visual changes. Most visual changes will likely be hidden by Samsung's TouchWiz skin, but users will be able to benefit from KitKat's other improvements.

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HTC to showcase wearable prototype at Mobile World Congress

HTC is reportedly preparing to showcase the first of a trio of new wearable devices at next week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Specifically, the Taiwanese manufacturer will show a smartwatch prototype based onQualcomm’s Toq device according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans as reported by Bloomberg.

Said device will use a Mirasol display and will feature a music player with Bluetooth connectivity. Unfortunately, it’s likely that we won’t get a glimpse of the device anytime soon as the source said it would be shown to wireless carriers behind closed doors only.

Elsewhere, HTC is said to be working on another watch that will use Google’s Now service and an AMOLED screen as well as a bracelet that can play music. It’s likely that neither of these devices will be showcased at the show, we’re told.

Earlier this month, HTC chairman Cher Wang said the company is planning to release its first wearable device in time for the holidays. They’re currently working to rectify issues with the display and battery life.

It’s these devices that could help the struggling handset maker get back in the mobile race. Once the leading smartphone provider in the US, the company has since suffered through two straight annual revenue declines. That’s thanks largely in part to Chinese competitors like Xiaomi Corp. who are able to sell handsets for just $100.

A year ago, HTC CEO Peter Chou said wearables were critical for the company but they had to figure out how to make one that wasn’t gimmicky and met a need.

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Office Web Apps get rebranded as Office Online, now easier to find

Microsoft has rebranded its online Office Web Apps to Office Online in an effort to make the product less confusing to consumers. The Redmond-based company has also made it easier for newcomers to discover Office Online as many people aren’t aware that online versions of Microsoft’s Office products even exist.

In a blog post on the matter, Office Online product marketing manager Amanda Lefebvre said they’ve heard from customers that the inclusion of Apps in the name was confusing. Some wondered if they had to install something or if they needed to go to an app store to retrieve them - both are valid questions for someone not in the know.

With the new name, consumer confusion should be a thing of the past.

Additionally, Microsoft has made Office Online easier to access. Previously, users had to log into their OneDrive(formerly SkyDrive) account to get started. Now, simply head over to the new dedicated Office Online landing page and hop right in to Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote. Users can also quickly access Outlook.com e-mail and OneDrive via the included app switcher without having to navigate in and out of various services.

The new location should help consumers figure out exactly where to find Office Online.

Microsoft has also added in hundreds of templates for Word, PowerPoint and Excel that can help you go from nothing to something with just a click. These include budgets, resumes, calendars and more, all free of charge.

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Google's 'Project Tango' smartphone is loaded with 3D sensors to map your surroundings

Google just released a new 5-inch Android-based smartphone prototype called Project Tango. Unlike other handsets already on the market, Project Tango is equipped with multiple Kinect-style 3D sensors that, with the help of some other components, can track motion and even map your surroundings.

At the heart of Project Tango is the Myriad 1 vision processor from a company by the name of Movidius. This chip has been designed to handle advanced motion and depth tracking without consuming a massive amount of power – key in a mobile device.

The prototype comes from Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group. In a statement on the matter, ATAP chief Johnny Lee said the project strives to give mobile devices a human-like understanding of space and motion – capabilities that could enable new and enhanced types of user experiences.

Lee knows a thing or two about motion as he previously worked on the Kinect team with Microsoft.

In what types of scenarios could Project Tango prove useful? For starters, navigation assistance could be incredibly useful for the visually impaired. And who knows what sort of unique and creative games that developers will come up with using the technology.

The handset is being made available initially to a limited number of developers. Only 200 dev kits are available and some have already been allocated for specific projects. Google also set aside some kits for applications they haven’t thought of yet so if you’re interested, shoot them a line and tell ‘em what you’d build.

All available units will be sent out by mid-March so you better act fast.

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Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion, in desperate attempt to stave off stagnation

Late yesterday, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for the princely (and ludicrous) sum of $19 billion in cash and stock. This is one of the largest acquisitions in Silicon Valley history — and yet, if you’re American, you probably don’t even know what WhatsApp is, let alone why it’s worth $19 billion. In a sentence, WhatsApp replaces text messaging (SMS) — and it has grown to 450 million monthly users in under five years. While a purchase price of $19 billion might seem like insanity, especially when compared to its $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, it’s actually a savvy (or desperate, depending on your point of view) move to ensure that Facebook remains the world’s predominant messaging platform.

What is WhatsApp?

WhatsApp chat interface

The short answer is that WhatsApp is a replacement for SMS (texting) for every major mobile platform (iOS, Android, Symbian, Windows Phone, BlackBerry) — but it also allows you to send photos, videos, and audio clips as well. Because it uses the internet, and thus your data package, it avoids the crazy fees that some carriers charge for SMS. WhatsApp has done for instant messaging what Skype did for international calling, basically.

Why haven’t you heard of WhatsApp? Because, for whatever reason, it hasn’t yet become popular in the US. It is incredibly popular in the rest of the world, though — most notably in Europe, but also in the all-important developing economies of Africa and Asia. The growth rate of WhatsApp has been utterly insane: In November 2013 it had 190 million monthly active users; today, it has 450 million active users and 320 million daily active users, with 1 million new users joining every day. Upwards of 50 billion text messages are sent and received by WhatsApp every 24 hours (more than doubling Facebook’s usage), along with hundreds of millions of photos and video messages. WhatsApp is huge.

In terms of monetization, WhatsApp is free for the first year, and then $1 per year after that. There is no advertising. The entire service is developed and maintained by less than 50 employees. The company has never spent a penny on marketing. WhatsApp is a classic example of identifying a gap in the market, and then producing a very simple app that perfectly fulfils that need. (The back-end — which is probably one of the busiest databases in the world — is programmed in Erlang, incidentally.)

Why did Facebook pay $19 billion for WhatsApp?

Depending on how cynical you are, there are a few answers to this question. The most likely answer is, Facebook is terrified of losing its position as the world’s primary social network and messaging platform. Instagram threatened Facebook’s role as the best place to share photos, and Facebook scooped it up. WhatsApp, which already dwarfs Twitter, Skype, and Facebook Messenger in terms of users and usage, was probably keeping Zuckerberg up at night — thus the acquisition. ”WhatsApp is the only app we’ve ever seen with higher engagement than Facebook itself,” Zuckerberg said during a conference call yesterday.

Another possibility is that Facebook simply sees WhatsApp as an easy way to pick up its “next billion” users. Facebook, which sits at around 1.23 billion monthly active users, has previously stated that the only way it will keep growing is if it taps developing markets in Asia and Africa. WhatsApp is already huge in both those areas. It’s also worth pointing out that Facebook now has access to a lot of mobile phone numbers, and a lot of new advertising eyeballs — though, for now, Facebook says WhatsApp will remain as-is, just like Instagram. (Read: Facebook, ARM, x86, and the future of the data center.)

At the end of the day, though, spending $19 billion — more than 10% of Facebook’s total market valuation — without a clear purpose in mind is a big pill to swallow for Facebook’s share holders. (Incidentally, Google reportedly offered $10 billion for WhatsApp, but was turned down.) Having said that, considering carriers squeeze billions of dollars per year from SMS, maybe $19 billion is actually a small price to pay for a big slice of that pie — maybe this is actually a sign that Facebook is diversifying, in case the bottom falls out of the advertising market.

Ultimately, Facebook is paying a lot of money to make sure that the bulk of the world’s communications continue to flow through its network. What the company’s end game is, though, no one really knows. Putting so much information in the hands of a commercial company makes me a little bit nervous.

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Apple opens its first South American store in Brazil

Apple on Saturday inaugurated its first Latin American store in Brazil. Located in the shopping Village Mall in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, the store witnessed a grand inauguration with more than 1,700 shoppers standing in a queue for hours on its opening day.

This is a pivotal move by Apple as Brazil has the world’s seventh largest GDP and is one of the world's fastest-growing smartphone markets. With the country set to host the World Cup this summer and the Olympics in 2016, the timing couldn't have been better.

In Brazil, one of the biggest problems that the Cupertino-based company faces is the high cost of its products. There is no denying that Apple's products are already pricey, but this coupled with Brazil's steep import tariffs, makes them even more costly. Apple's iPhone 5s price in Brazil is $1,174 but the same phone sells for $649 in the US. Similarly, the iPad 2 is available in Brazil for $566, which is a hefty premium over the US price of $399.

In an effort to be more cost competitive, the company has already lowered the prices of some of its phones in Brazil. It has also worked with Foxconn to begin manufacturing some of its products in the country starting last year. Despite of all the efforts, Apple products in Brazil continue to be much more expensive than in the US. In fact, Apple iPhones in Brazil are the highest priced in the world.

According to 2012 statistics, Apple in Brazil is far behind Samsung and LG in smartphone sales, but if this move turns out to be successful, the iPhone maker may look forward to open more stores in South America.

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BlackBerry Z3 smartphone leaks ahead of likely Mobile World Congress debut

A render for a new BlackBerry smartphone recently hit the web. The handset, dubbed the BlackBerry Z3 and codenamed Jakarta, could be one of several handsets built in collaboration with Foxconn.

The Z3 is rumored to consist of a lower-end 5-inch display operating at 950 x 540 pixels. It’ll be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz chip alongside 1.5GB of system memory and 8GB of internal flash storage. A rear camera will snap images at 5-megapixels while a front-facing shooter is rated for just 1.1-megapixels.

The smartphone appears with a textured backside, a trend that’s been made popular as of late thanks to Samsung’s recent Galaxy releases. It’ll draw power from a reasonably-sized 2,650mAh battery but otherwise, not much else is known about the mystery handset at this hour.

Based on these specifications, it’s clear that the Z3 won’t be a direct sequel to the Z30 handset that’s already on the market. Instead, it will be seen as a cheaper alternative – that is, if BlackBerry decides to market it in that manner. It could just as easily be pushed as a standalone device with no ties to the Z30.

The Z3 is expected to be one of several new BlackBerry phones on display at Mobile World Congress in less than a week. Foxconn chairman Terry Gou revealed as much during an interview late last month after it was revealed in December that the two companies had signed a five-year partnership to develop and manufacture smartphones.

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Office for iPad still in development, might arrive in first half of 2014

Late last year former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed that a version of Office for the iPad was in the works. While there was some speculation recently that the company might be dragging its feet as it prioritized a touch-first version of Office for its own Windows 8 platform, word from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley is that development on Office for iPad has both continued and been sped up to launch during the first half of 2014.

Office for iPad was originally meant to arrive by Fall 2014 (at least according to Foley’s sources) but the change of plans means a version for Apple’s popular tablet would likely arrive before the Windows 8 build. Although that would seem counter-intuitive perhaps Microsoft wants to make sure its lucrative Office franchise is able to gain a foothold in the leading tablet platform before it’s too late. After all, iWorks is now free for new iDevice users.

There aren't any details available regarding what to expect in terms of functionality at this point. If Office for iPhone and Android are anything to go by, it will be a fairly stripped down version compared to the full blown desktop client, and it will require an Office 365 subscription to even function at all on an iPad. Foley also ventures to guess that OneDrive integration is a given, along with options to save files locally.

Microsoft launched Office for iPhone back in June 2013. The suite includes access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents while on the go, but only to those with an Office 365 subscription, which starts at $5 per month. At the time, Microsoft suggested iPad users could use Office Web Apps via their web browser.

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