Everyone Can Use Microsoft Free On iPhones,iPads and Androids

When you're mobile, you likely want robust, free software that works with a lot of apps and that can be accessed anywhere. So far, Microsoft has failed to embrace those concepts -- but it's working to change that.

The software giant on Thursday unveiled a handful of changes to its Office software on smartphones and tablets running Apple and Google's operating systems, refreshing its Word, PowerPoint and Excel apps to make them friendlier for the mobile age.

The most notable change is that users of Apple's iPhone and itsiPad tablet, or of devices running Google's Android operating system will be able to create and edit Office content for free. Before this, getting access to those capabilities required an Office 365 subscription, which starts at $6.99 a month.

Microsoft is the latest company to embrace the concept of "freemium," where many core aspects of a game or app are given away, but there's also an option to pay for additional bells and whistles. The shift represents Microsoft's revamped strategy of going after as broad a market as possible.

"We want more people to use our applications," Amanda Lefebvre, an Office product manager, said in an interview. "Usage is a primary goal for us. We want to give them more reasons to use our product."

As part of the changes, Microsoft also decided to blow up Office for the iPhone, which included basic versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel all in one app. Instead, it's now providing three standalone apps of Word, PowerPoint and Excel with more capabilities, just like the company did with its Office for iPad apps.These changes come just two days after Microsoft and cloud-storage company Dropbox unveiled a collaborationmobile to allow users to access Dropbox directly from Office apps and edit Office files from the Dropbox app.

While the Office suite of word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation software have dominated in the PC world, Microsoft has had little success utilizing that software to draw customers to its Windows Phone operating system on mobile devices. Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems control nearly all the smartphone and tablet market, with Microsoft's system powering just 2.5 percent of mobile devices, according to researcher IDC.

Under CEO Satya Nadella, who took over in February, Microsoft is taking a different tack, trying to make Office more open on other operating systems to increase its user base and hopefully convert more people to premium subscriptions, which include a handful of more powerful tools on the mobile apps. The changes may also help Microsoft draw some customers away from Google's productivity tools, which many users can access for free.

"We want to be where our customers are, and we want to make sure that we have a caveat-free commitment to phones and tablets," Lefebvre said.

With the premium versions of Office apps, customers get more editing tools in Word, such as custom color changes of text and more precise controls for editing charts and tablets. Also, paying Word users can see documents in both portrait and landscape, while free users can in most cases only see documents in portrait. For PowerPoint, the paid version comes with "Presenter View," which lets users see their notes and a thumbnail strip of the upcoming slides on one screen.

As part of the changes, the iPad apps were updated and will be available starting Thursday, along with the iPhone apps. The Office apps on the iPad tablet have seen some success, with over 40 million downloads so far. Microsoft didn't disclose the number of iPhone downloads.

Apps for Android tablets can be previewed by customers if they sign up starting Thursday, but general availability of the new software isn't expected until early 2015.

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Motorola is now officially part of Lenovo

Motorola has announced that it is now officially under control of Lenovo, closing the deal that was announced at the beginning of the year.

Lenovo isn't a well-known brand when it comes to smartphones, but the company is a major player in the laptop market, where it usually ranks #1 or #2 in worldwide sales for any given quarter. Lenovo hopes to combine Motorola's brand with its distribution network and the aggressive pricing that allows it to be number one in the low-margin, highly-competitive laptop business.

Under Google, Motorola has been one of the more exciting OEMs out there. It produced the first round Andorid Wear device, the Moto 360, and great flagships like the Moto X. It made best-in-class low-end phones with the Moto G and Moto E, and now with Google it produced the Nexus 6.

Motorola's software has been great, too. The company was the only large OEM to take the frequently-given advice to use stock Android, and it paid off for them with fast devices and a great user experience. Motorola outclassed everyone when it came time to update its devices, too—it beat all other OEMs in our update survey. While the OS was stock Android, Motorola still differentiated itself with great apps and hardware features. Always-on voice recognition used a combination of hardware and software to create one of the best smartphone features we've seen an OEM come up with. The feature was so good that Google integrated it into Android 5.0, bringing always-on voice commands to any Android OEM that wants to use it.

Now it's up to Lenovo to not screw things up. In the blog post, Motorola states that they will "continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades," so it sounds like Lenovo won't mess with a good thing. When Google took over Motorola, it said it "inherited 12 to 18 months of product pipeline." The Google/Motorola deal closed in May of 2012, and sure enough, 15 months later we saw the first Moto X. It's safe to assume Lenovo's Motorola takeover will follow a similar schedule, so expect to wait about a year before we see any real changes.

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Samsung's all-metal Galaxy A5 and A3 are its slimmest smartphones ever

A unibody metal body, 5-inch AMOLED display, 13-megapixel camera, a claim as Samsung's "thinnest smartphone to date" and yet, this isn't a flagship smartphone. Especially for Halloween - or not related at all - the Galaxy A5 and A3 yet more smartphones from Samsung, measuring at 6.7mm and 6.9mm thickness. (So, er, just as thin as the Galaxy Alpha?) They may not be close to the thinnest smartphone but with a metallic body, it's still quite an interesting proposition. They're both apparently geared at the youth, with Samsung's own press release praising its social network skills (extending to a GIF maker and 4G connectivity...) and the five-megapixel front-facing camera, because selfies, but given the notion of a metal-framed Galaxy phone, other crankier demographics might also be tempted.

The Galaxy A5 is the five-inch model, with a 720p Super AMOLED display and a 1.2GHz processor -- it's a relatively middleweight specification but it's probably what ensures Samsung were able to squeeze down the dimensions. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A3 has a 4.5-inch qHD Super AMOLED screen, and the same processor. The camera here dips down to a 8-megapixel model, but you'll still get the full 5MP whack of the front-facing camera. Both devices are set to launch in China next month, with other select markets to follow, although like many a Galaxy phone before them, we might not see a mainstream launch in the west.

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The Best Android Phones of 2014

It's coming to that time of the year when you might want to grab a new smartphone either for yourself, or as a gift for someone during the holiday season. Most of the phones that will be coming out this year have been announced or launched, so if you want to make up your mind about upgrading, this is as stable as it gets in the smartphone world.

Throughout the year I have reviewed and got hands-on time with plenty of devices, especially from the Android camp simply because there’s such a sheer volume of them on the market today. I’ve used all the flagships from HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Sony, and more -- some of those reviews are still in the pipeline -- and below I’ve compiled my thoughts on what's currently the best out there.

HTC One (M8)

HTC was one of the first to launch a flagship Android smartphone this year and the fact that the HTC One M8 is making it to this list is testament to the great job they did with it. Built on the principles HTC established with the original One in 2013, adding in new hardware such as the Duo Camera and refining the aluminum design.

What I Liked

There’s a lot to like about the One M8, but if I had to cut it down to just one thing, it’d probably be the design. The aluminum unibody looks great and feels awesome to hold. HTC improved the ergonomics considerably over the previous-generation One and managed to enhance the BoomSound speakers in the process. Of all the Android handsets released in 2014, the second-generation One definitely looks the best.

What I Didn’t Like

As much as the Duo Camera is an interesting feature that allows you to apply cool effects to your photos, the camera as a whole is underwhelming. Compared to the competition, the HTC One M8 simply can’t keep up in most conditions, especially in terms of resolution where the four megapixel sensor disappoints. It may have an advantage in low light scenarios, but the new One is far from a high quality flagship camera.

Samsung Galaxy S5

There were no surprises when Samsung announced their latest high-end device, the highly anticipated Galaxy S5. Packing a new fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor, Samsung made a big deal of the device being suited for fitness and activity, packing top notch hardware into a waterproof case for the first time.

What I Liked

It’s a tossup between the display and camera for what I like the most, with the latter just edging it out. It’s not the greatest in dark conditions with its f/2.2 lens and 1.12µm pixels, but at all other times it excels. The 16-megapixel sensor is simply fantastic in sunlight, delivering sharp, accurate and vibrant images loaded with detail. The provided HDR mode is also by far the best of any smartphone, and 4K recording is always a handy inclusion.

What I Didn’t Like

The aforementioned fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor are gimmicks, failing to make any meaningful improvement to the smartphone and not necessarily functioning perfectly. On top of that Samsung's design still feels behind the competition. Though there were improvements in this area, it still looks and feels cheap, which is less than ideal for an expensive flagship.

LG G3

The LG G3 was no minor revision to the well-regarded G2. The company packed in new and improved hardware, including a 5.5-inch Quad HD display and the laser autofocus assisted 13-megapixel camera with OIS, as well as a much better software offering.

What I Liked

The edge-to-edge 5.5-inch IPS LCD display is one of the standout features of the G3, and makes me want to come back and use it regardless of which smartphone I’m reviewing at the time. There isn’t a huge difference in clarity between the Quad HD resolution and similar 1080p panels, but the sharpness is definitely impressive. Paired with great color quality and a decent amount of real estate in a surprisingly compact body, the G3’s display is a definite favourite.

What I Didn’t Like

The new display comes with the downside of a having hit on performance and battery life. The G2 carried top of the line battery life but the same can’t be said of the G3. The performance hit isn’t as important, though in some taxing 3D games the GPU simply can’t render frames as frequently as it can on a 1080p handset.

Sony Xperia Z3

Sony has released two flagship smartphones this year thanks to their strange six month release cycle, the first being the quite decent Xperia Z2, and now the Z3. It’s a minor upgrade on what came before it, though the changes help refine the package and make for a very well-rounded device.

What I Liked

The entire handset feels like a top-notch, premium product that delivers both on a design and hardware perspective. We’re talking about a waterproof aluminum body, Snapdragon 801 SoC inside, 20-megapixel rear camera, and great battery life. That last point is especially crucial, with Sony clearly understanding how important it is to have a long-lasting smartphone.

What I Didn’t Like

It would appear the Xperia Z3 is lacking a "killer feature" but there are no obvious omissions either. Also, Sony’s smartphone strategy at the moment is somewhat unclear: releasing a new flagship every six months make buyers of the Z2 feel like their handset is outdated quite quickly. Will this happen again with the Xperia Z3? I sure hope not.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

Alongside the Z3, Sony released the Z3 Compact catering to folks who don’t want such a large handset. With a 4.6” display and essentially the same internal hardware as the Z3, the Z3 Compact is a great choice if size (and battery life) are major considerations.

What I Liked

The Z3 Compact is one of the few Android smartphones on the market that combine flagship hardware with a smaller-than-usual form factor, and does so successfully. Not everyone wants a 5.2-inch or 5.5-inch phone, so the 4.6-inch Z3 Compact is very attractive in this respect. Let’s not forget it also has a powerful Snapdragon 801 inside, waterproof body, and the same 20-megapixel camera from the Z3, plus astonishing battery life.

What I Didn’t Like

For the market this smartphone is occupying, there’s not much to dislike. However, as with the Z3, I’m not a huge fan of Sony’s software skin that fails to add any interesting, standout features, and it does look a bit antiquated in comparison to stock Android and recent skins from HTC or LG.

Motorola Moto X (2014)

The original Moto X was a crowd favorite even though it skipped on high-end specs, it made up with phenomenal ergonomics and customization options. This year Motorola has released a new version, including better hardware, a refined design with a larger AMOLED display, and improved software.

What I Liked

There are two aspects to the Moto X working in tandem that make it such an attractive device. First is the new and improved hardware which includes a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, similarly attractive ergonomics, an excellent 5.2-inch 1080p display and much-needed camera upgrade. Combined with excellent contextual software and always-on voice controls, the new Moto X is a great mix of solid hardware and software.

What I Didn’t Like

Some aspects are still slightly behind the competition, notably the camera and battery. The 2014 Moto X may be far ahead when software is concerned with a very clean Android experience, but some of the always-on features hamper battery life, which doesn’t appear to be as good as its competitors. The camera, while improved, also fails to stand up to the flagship powerhouses in this area.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung has been perfecting the large-screen Note formula for a few years now, and with a refined design and cutting-edge hardware, this is best Android phablet yet.

What I Liked

The use of metal around the edges of the Galaxy Note 4 finally makes this handset feel premium. Samsung has listened to the past criticism and noticeably improved the design, and I welcome it. Top notch performance is a given (Snadragon 805 or Exynos 5433 inside), and OIS adds to an already great camera sensor. If you don't mind the size, it's the best Samsung device in the market.

What I Didn’t Like

TouchWiz still seems bloated and visually mediocre, as Samsung hasn’t put a huge amount of emphasis on changing what they delivered in the Galaxy S5.

What About The Mid-Range?

Understandably you might not want to fork out $500+ for any one of the flagships I’ve mentioned above. So what smartphone would I recommend for those out there who are looking to save a bit of cash?

The second-generation Moto G. For just $179, you get a high quality 5-inch display, a very good camera for the price point, and decent performance. On top of that, Motorola gives you stock Android with a few first-party and genuinely useful applications, making it my affordable smartphone of choice. The one main downside is that the handset doesn’t come with LTE, which is definitely disappointing, though for the price it's hard to complain.

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Apple's entry-level iPad Air 2 costs $275 to build, retails for $499

Apple’s second generation iPad Air costs exactly $1 more to build than its predecessor, a teardown of the new tablet revealed. Even still, the company’s profit margins at the top end aren’t quite as nice as they were a year ago.

Research firm IHS iSuppli conducted a detailed analysis on the iPad Air 2 as they often do when new iDevices hit the market and determined that a 16GB Wi-Fi only model – which retails for $499 – carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $275.

The top-end model with 128GB of storage and an LTE radio, meanwhile, costs Apple roughly $358 to make and sells for $829.

As you can see, Apple’s profit margin widens at the upper end of the product line. The implied profit margin ranges from 45 percent on the lower end to 57 percent for the top-of-the-line iPad. That’s actually down slightly from the 45 percent to 61 percent that the company earned on the original iPad Air due to the fact that they eliminated the 32GB storage option from this year’s lineup.

Apple doesn’t disclose its profit margins on individual products but they do report a total gross margin which was 38 percent at last check.

Deemed by many as an evolutionary upgrade, the iPad Air 2 was unveiled on October 16 and went on sale a little over a week later. It includes a faster A8X chip with an additional processing core and 2GB of RAM (another first in an iOS device) inside a chassis that is 18 percent thinner than before.

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Windows 10 will come with a command line package manager, much to the lament of Linux users

Sorry, penguin lovers — if you thought that 2015, in the heinous wake of Windows 8, would finally bethe year of desktop Linux, you were sadly mistaken. Microsoft is trying its best to make Windows 10 the dream OS for the billions of people around the world who use a desktop PC with a mouse and keyboard — and, as a result, this means Windows 10 will actually come with a package manager. Yes, in Windows 10 you can open up a command line shell and install VLC or Firefox or thousands of other packages by typing in a single command.

If you’ve ever ventured into the dark and mysterious land of Linutopia, where Ubutologists and Debianites reign, you will have noticed that one of the things that Linux users are most proud of is package management. While Windows and Mac users have to run graphical installers — you know, where you hit Next a few times and try to avoid installing bundled crapware — Linux users can just open up a command line and type sudo apt-get install vlc. I’m a Windows user through and through, but I have to admit that installing apps and keeping a system updated is much more pleasant in Linux.

With Windows 10, however, we are finally getting an official package manager: OneGet. In the current build of Windows 10 Technical Preview, you can open up PowerShell and use OneGet to install thousands of applications with commands such as Find-Package VLCand Install-Package Firefox. OneGet seems to implement all of the usual functions that you’d expect from a package manager. You can search for packages, add new sources/repos, uninstall packages, install packages, and so on. OneGet uses the same package format as Chocolatey, one of the most popular third-party package managers for Windows (and indeed, you can add the Chocolatey repo to OneGet if you so wish).

OneGet was originally rolled out as part of the Windows Management Framework 5.0 preview for Windows 8.1, and it’s being actively worked on to try and ship it as a standard tool in Windows 10. As far as we’re aware, it will only be available through PowerShell — a command-line utility that’s mostly used by power users and IT admins. If you don’t know your way around PowerShell (and indeed, it’s a much more complex beast than cmd or most Linux shells), you can still theoretically use OneGet through the standard cmd command line with @PowerShell. HowToGeek has some more details on OneGet and its implementation in Windows 10, if you’re interested.

The Store in Windows 10 is still pretty bad

What remains to be seen is just how far Microsoft will take OneGet. Will it be just be an obscure tool for nerdy admin types? The eventual plan is to expose a set of OneGet APIs, which means other apps will be able to tie into it — and who knows, that might just trigger some kind of revolution in Windows app management. OneGet would certainly be one way for Microsoft to offer desktop apps through the Windows Store (at the moment it can only install Metro apps). This time next year, maybe you’ll be able to open up PowerShell and type Install-Package Photoshop, or Update-Package Windows 10.

Last week, Windows 10 Technical Preview received its first update — and indeed, Microsoft plans to roll out a new, major update every few weeks. We will continue to closely track OneGet and Windows 10′s other desktop-oriented features as and when they appear in new builds.

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Apple iPhone 6 Price in India

Apple has launched the highly anticipated newer version of iPhone – the Apple iPhone 6 .  It now sports a larger display size of 4.7-inch with higher clarity Retina HD display technology . The phone design has been totally changed from its predecessor (iPhone 5s) and now comes in rounded metallic sides and edges . Now it looks more like the iPhone 5c but with unibody metallic alloy built . The thickness has decreased to 6.9 mm and it is now the slimmest iPhone .

The major changes in comparison to the previous version (iPhone 5s) are the increase in display size from 4-inch to 4.7-inch , higher clarity Retina HD display , better performance with Apple A8 and Apple M8 processor , addition of NFC connectivity , OIS in rear camera , and longer battery backup . Along with the iPhone 6 , Apple has also launched the largest iPhone with 5.5-inch Full HD Retina HD display – iPhone 6 Plus .

Apple iPhone 6 key features/specs :

• 4.7-inch display , Retina HD display technology , 326 ppi
• iOS 8 and later OS support , Siri , iTunes store access
• Slimmest iPhone (6.9mm) , premium aluminium built , new design
• New Apple A8 64-bit processor and Apple M8 motion coprocessor
• Fingerprint sensor , Barometer
• 8MP rear camera, Autofocus with Focus Pixels , Optical image stabilization , True Tone flash , 1.2MP front FaceTime camera
• 4G LTE (with Indian 4G TD band 40 support), Wi-Fi ac , 3G HSPA+ , NFC, Voice over LTE (VoLTE)

 Apple iPhone 6 Price in India : Rs.53,449 for 16GB , Rs.62,500 for 64 GB and Rs.71,500 for 128 GB version . Pre-book now here . They will be available from 17-10-2014 .

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