Private Transportation Startup Uber Drives Into UAE (Dubai), India (Bangalore) In Expansion Push

Although the world of start-ups tends primarily to appeal to the general consumer, there are still plenty of upcoming brands targeting the affluent, well -off end of the scale. Uber, a company focusing on transportation technology, has just made a couple of huge strides with an assault on the Asian market, launching in UAE (Dubai) and India (Bangalore) contemporaneously, and in spite of its limited target audience and inherently flawed business model, looks set for a big push onto the world stage.

Uber has just launched a luxury car service in Bangalore, and with the country home to some 164,000 millionaires, could be a very fruitful pursuit. Having said that, the lack of substantial smartphone adoption, coupled with the fact that few inhabitants have money to blow on Uber’s luxury goods, means that the company faces an uphill climb to establish any substantial market in one of the world’s up-and-coming nations for fledgling tech outfits.

But Uber is not one to be deterred by potential snags, and in addition to its business interests in India, has also made a move for Dubai, a particularly wealthy city within the United Arab Emirates. It’s the first time the company has headed towards the middle east, and those interested in the companies services can whet their appetites through the newly-released iPhone app, offering interested parties the opportunity to test-drive some of the auto industry’s most sought-after cars.

Many companies are looking to parts of Asia, a continent perceivably loaded with potential, for notable expansion, and it seems that Uber is no exception to the rule. Having made a name for itself in the U.S. for offering a better-than-the-rest service for those in search of luxury experiences, there’s no reason why the relative success cannot be emulated in the Eastern world.

Those with more disposable cash (small general percentage, but large numbers of individuals), will look to Uber as a real gap in the market. Foreign tourists may also make for a reliable target consumer, and while it remains to be seen whether Uber really can wrangle a sustainable market from the likes of UAE, India and also China, the company appears defiant and forthright in its intentions.

(Downloads: Uber for Android, Uber for iPhone)

iTunes Back To School Deal Kicks Off With Discounted Music Albums

As the tech world preoccupies itself with soon-to-be-announced iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, Apple has just begun rolling out its annual discounts to students preparing to go back to school. The promotion, which runs every year, sees some of the most popular charting albums reduced in price, and while it’s not exactly educational, it does enable those with presumably less disposable cash to indulge in some new music.

Included in the sale, which sees prices dropped to as low as seven bucks, are artists like Justin Timberlake, P!NK, Robin Thicke and Imagine Dragons, and while the promotion mainly focuses on the popular albums currently available, there’s an eclectic enough mix to suit even the more specific tastes.

The Back To School offer looks only to be applicable to those with a U.S. iTunes account, many of whom may already have received emails outlining the reduced prices. In total, there are around 80 titles currently available for $7-$8, with some older albums also in the offing, you don’t need to be in with the currently popular artists in order to grab a bargain.

The iTunes Store has been the cornerstone of Apple’s success over the past few years, and while now perhaps famed more for its apps than its audio content, the music arm of the iTunes Store still continues to thrive in spite of newer streaming services. For digital music downloads, it remains the undisputed king, and with plenty still stumping up the cash for iPods in a day that iOS devices rule the roost, the trend will no doubt continue.

If you’re looking for more Apple savings, or are simply not interested in downloading music from iTunes, there are other promotions also going on right now, including $50 or $100 gift cards with certain Mac, iPhone or iPad purchases. This particular offer only runs until 6th September, however, so if you’re looking to take advantage of what are infrequent money-saving opportunities where the fruit company is concerned, then you had better get in quickly.

So, Back To School is now on, and if you want to grab yourself some music on the cheap, check out the iTunes Store now for the full catalog.

GTA 5 Soundtrack Audio Files Leaked Online Following PlayStation Store Pre-Download Hack

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 5 is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the current generation of game consoles, and with time running out before the next round of consoles are released it’s unlikely we’ll see many more big releases hitting the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It’s not long until the latest GTA game arrives on the scene, and because of that Sony has been allowing PS3 owners to pre-download the title to their consoles, ready for playing on day one. It’s something Steam has done for years, and the aim is to try and avoid the download servers going into meltdown on release day, and it usually works.

That sounds all very well and good, but things aren’t always as simple as that as the folks behind the game have found out after hackers managed to get a hold of a whole 42 hours of audio content from the game. Not content with that, they’ve leaked it all online for everyone else to consume, or listen to, depends on how you plan on looking at the situation. Sony has since pulled the game from the PlayStation Store until it goes live for real, so let’s just hope that everything doesn’t go into meltdown on launch day.

The 42 hours of audio content includes the game’s opening theme music as well as the title’s in-game radio stations. Thanks to the leak, we now know that Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Elton John, Queen and Stevie Wonder amongst others are all included in the music lineup. That’s a pretty eclectic collection, and it’s just the start.

Sony is obviously feeling a little sorry for itself following the leak and said that they apologize “Rockstar and GTA fans across the world who were exposed to the spoiler content.”, and Rockstar seems less than impressed also, saying that the company is “deeply disappointed by leaks and spoilers being spread in advance of the game’s launch.”

Grand Theft Auto 5 launches on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17th, and is sure to be a strong seller across both consoles, as all previous titles have sold particularly well.

Rockstar will be hoping for no more surprises in the couple of weeks before the title is officially in gamers’ hands.

Until then, we’ll keep an eye out for you guys in case something interesting pops up for us to share with you guys.

How To Protect Your iPhone From A Potential DoS Attack

A while back, it was revealed that a vulnerability within OS X / iOS left users potentially susceptible to a DoS-like attack. Although Apple is usually fairly swift in clearing up any issues that could defame the relatively secure nature of its major ecosystems, renowned jailbreak developer Filippo Biga has come through with a tweak-based solution for those on jailbroken iOS devices.

Since, without a jailbreak, there’s no way to reach those system files deep within iOS’s make-up, you will need to be jailbroken in order to install GlyphPatch, the tweak patching the security hole.

The DoS attack could be triggered by a hacker through various mediums, including SMS, iMessage, or network SSID, so protecting yourself by downloading this free tweak is highly recommended.

It doesn’t appear, from the release notes, to be a foolproof solution, rather another line of defense against the problem.

The vulnerability causes apps to implode when attempting to render a malicious sequence of code, and with iMessage having come under scrutiny in the past for its lack of spam prevention features, it is, at least, good to know that steps are being taken to rectify the situation with iOS 7.

So, while some tweaks are simply there for enjoyment or to enhance the general usability of iOS, this one is more along the lines of housekeeping. Downloading and installing GlyphPatch is highly recommended, and comes absolutely free of charge from the BigBoss repository – default in your Cydia source list provided you haven’t opted to manually delete it.

You won’t notice it is even there, since it takes up only a few KBs of storage and has no configurable settings, but at least you’ll have a little added peace of mind knowing you’re less susceptible to attack as a result.

No matter how secure your device may feel, make sure you go ahead and download this tweak. The DoS attacks are not particularly widespread at this point in time, but if device security is near the top of your agenda, GlyphPatch will only take a couple of minutes to install, therefore it’s highly recommended that you do so.

PlayStation 4 Supports Voice Recognition Through PlayStation Camera, Confirms Sony

Voice recognition tech has been around for a number of years, but only did it really make its mark on the digital industry back in 2011, when Apple dropped Siri for the iPhone 4S. Since then, it has become a mainstay, and Sony has just confirmed that its upcoming PlayStation 4console will indeed feature voice recognition.

Although announced all the way back in February, Sony has been drip-feeding information regarding the next-gen console, and having just learned of a rather cool downloading feature, which allows smartphone users to wake up their machine remotely in order to download a game, this voice recognition implementation is certain to please the ardent geeks.

Rumors running back from Spring pointed to this kind of feature making the final cut of the PS4, but only now has the Japanese company given the official word. Apparently, it will work through the PlayStation Camera, although unlike the Xbox One, which comes with the Kinect sensor out of the box, you’ll have to pony up for this peripheral if you decide on the PlayStation 4; this is unless, of course, you decide to opt for one of the special bundles offering the PlayStation Camera as part of the deal.

Sony has revealed that it will divulge more information as to the extent of the voice recognition "shortly," so while now know the technology is to be there, we don’t, as yet, know exactly how Sony plans to use it.

Sony’s decision not to bundle the PlayStation Camera is an interesting one, particularly given that Microsoft’s Xbox One will bring Kinect to every single owner of the console. However, the omission does mean that the sequel to the PlayStation 3 can retail at a significantly lower price to its keenest rival, and with the initial high cost of the PS3 cited by many as the main reason for the Xbox 360′s eventual triumph in the console wars, perhaps Sony would rather try to get an edge this time around, rather than opt for the difficult task of pitting the PlayStation Camera directly against the rampantly successful Kinect.

Still, by the sounds of things, both consoles will have their fair share of trump cards, and if voice recognition enables considerable feature control with very little effort on the part of the user, one suspects it could become very popular.

Thoughts?

(via: Polygon)

Galaxy Note 12.2 Press Render Leaks Ahead Of Announcement

Samsung has never been afraid to push the boundaries in the mobile industry, particularly when it comes to display size, and with the Galaxy Note 3 set to pack a panel in excess of 5.5 inches, a leaked render of the alleged Galaxy Note 12.2 – which was originally thought of as a12-inch tablet PC – has just been spotted in the wild. With numerous vendors said to be preparing larger tablets as we get to what can be very much described as the "hardware end" of the tech calendar, we expect the Korean company to be in amongst the announcements, and although the Galaxy Note 12.2 is still very much at the rumor stage, the shots present a very elegant, naturally large device.

The Note 3, along with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, will no doubt be two of Samsung’s biggest exports as we close in on this year’s IFA trade show in Berlin. Having said that, we’re not accustomed to seeing one or two products manifest from Samsung at a time, and with Windows 8.1 also on the horizon, we expect a plethora of new hardware from the industry’s power releaser.

Last year, the trend was very much in bringing smaller, circa 7-inch slates to the consumer market, and while plenty of prospective tablet owners still seek this compact form factor, the popularity of so-called "phablet" smartphones suggest there will also be a market for the super-sized slab.

The Galaxy Note 12.2 will apparently carry the model number SM-P900, although aside from that and the new render, precious little else is currently known of the device. With the "Note" moniker, we can presume it will probably rock an S Pen, and with such a large display, some reports have suggested a resolution of 2560×1600, which would certainly be sharp.

IFA, which will be the centerpiece of the early fall announcements, commences this week, and will hopefully put to bed at least some of the many rumors currently doing the rounds. Although it may seem rather far-fetched given the lack of information we have at this moment, it may well be that Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy Note 12.2 at some point this week.

Whatever the case, we’ll keep you informed on all of IFA’s major stories and announcements, more specifically Samsung Unpacked 2013, so stay tuned!

(Source: AndroidCommunity)

First Video Of Powered-On iPhone 5C Hits The Web

Apple is set to announce the low-cost iPhone 5C alongside the new flagship on September 10th, and with very little time between now and then, we’re seeing a lot more by way of seemingly legitimate leaks. Yesterday, we caught a glimpse of the manual to be bundled in the iPhone 5C packaging, and now, more images, as well as a video, offer even more insight into the handset as well as the casing it will be shipped in when it makes retail.

The device, as we already know, will arrive in a plethora of colors, something the Cupertino company has only previously afforded with the iPod range. A new leak offers a couple of snaps of the device in blue, yellow and white, and close-up, we’d say the handset looks very much like an iPhone 5 with a bright protective case.

But while the photos do allow us to scrutinize the device properly, a video from Chinese site C Technology shows a fully-working, iOS 7-ready device in use. It looks legitimate enough, but then again, does offer or two signs of fakery. Like any well-prepared fake leak, the vlogger uses a low-res camera, so any indication of a put-on would be harder to spot, and the fact that we don’t get a full, 360-degree look at the device must once again rouse some suspicion.

The device is set to be announced next week, and after such a long process of leaks and speculation, it will be great to finally be able to put the rumors to rest and look ahead to the actual release. The iPhone 5C is, along with the iPhone 5S, expected to me made available from September 20th in select markets, and with the flagship expected to be getting a fairly healthy upgrade from the possibly outgoing iPhone 5, consumers will have a bit of a task on their hands in coming to a decision.

Now we know, or at least, we think we know most of the iPhone 5C’s important information, it will be very intriguing to see what kind of price tag Apple attaches to its colorful creation. The iPad mini, while considerably cheaper than the full-size offering, was still a bit too pricey for the budgets of the mid-market shoppers, but with the iPhone 5C very much a target for markets in the likes of China and India, the price point will be pivotal to the device’s success or failure.

(Source: C Technology [Google Translate] | iApps.im [Google Translate])