WhatsApp Is Now Available On The Desktop NO NEED TO BE DOWNLOAD

WhatApp has launched a desktop client service called WhatsApp Web.

 WhatsApp Web can be used by scanning a QR code with your phone to log in. WhatsApp Web mirrors the conversations and messages from your mobile device so your messages will still live on your phone.

There are several limitations with WhatsApp Web. The biggest limitation is that iOS devices are not supported. WhatsApp Web is accessible through Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry or Nokia S60 devices.

 You will need to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your phone and you have to run WhatsApp Web from the Google GOOGL +0.52% Chrome web browser. WhatsApp plans to launch WhatsApp Web for iOS users, but that timeframe is unknown. The reason why WhatsApp Web is not available for iOS now is due to “Apple AAPL +1.7% platform limitations.”

Why do you have to take a picture of a QR code to log into WhatsApp Web? WhatsApp uses phone numbers and SMS  to verify users instead of traditional usernames and passwords. This is why you do not see a normal login screen.

 TechCrunch also pointed out that it somehow uses your phone for more than just the initial login. If you phone dies, then your WhatsApp Web session also disconnects.

Earlier this week, a third party app built off of WhatsApp called WhatsApp+ shut down after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the messaging service. WhatsApp also temporarily banned users that downloaded and actively used the WhatsApp+ app.  WhatsApp+ allowed users to change the colors and background

images in chat conversations. It also allowed users to block people from seeing when you read their messages and offered the ability to increase the size limit of audio and video files. WhatsApp+ was 

downloaded over 35 million times since launching in 2012. “Our goal is always to keep WhatsApp fast and secure for the people 
who use it – it’s the most important thing we do,” said a WhatsApp spokesman in an interview with BBC. “Third-parties that have built unauthorized functionality on top of WhatsApp create issues for people including lost messages.”

WhatsApp was created by Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009.
 The two of them left Yahoo! in 2007 and applied for jobs at 

Facebook, but failed during the interview process. In February 2013, WhatsApp hit 200 million active users. One year later, Facebook announced that they acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion — which is the largest purchase of a company backed by venture capitalists. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the acquisition of WhatsApp was connected to his vision for Internet.org, an initiative to develop basic Internet services for developing countries around the world. Now WhatsApp has over 700 million active users sending over 30 billion messages per day. In the product development pipeline, WhatsApp also has plans to launch a voice-calling service.

Do you plan to use WhatsApp Web or have you tried it already? Let us know in the comments section below!

WATCH: Inside The Numbers Of The WhatsApp Acquistion
http://onforb.es/1ePjj7z

Read More

Windows 10 Will Log You In Using Your Biometric Data

 Are you looking forward to Windows 10? Many people are thanks to the resounding disappointment Windows 8 seemed to be with the masses. The last Windows version I used was 7, and I have to say I thought it ran smoothly and I don’t remember any problems with it. Windows 10 is making some big changes, however, starting with the way you login to the computer in the first place. Forget passwords – Windows 10 will apparently let you login with a scan of your face. In other words, it will use biometric data to unlock your computer. Apart from a scan of your whole face, it will also reportedly allow you to login with a retinal scan as well as a read of your fingerprint(s). This feature will be known as Windows Hello.

Windows 10 Will Log You In Using Your Biometric Data
Microsoft is doing this due to the ease with which passwords are hacked, and while no system is completely foolproof, this move certainly seems to be a step in the right direction.

I currently use a Macbook, and without the KeyChain feature, I’m not sure what I’d do about all of the passwords I have; it really is unfortunate we are now so dependent upon passwords that things could really get messed up if we forget one of them.

Apart from the biometric data feature, Cortana will also be available as a digital assistant.

The release date of Windows 10 is still unknown, but hopefully it’ll be sometime this year. Are you excited for the new operating system?

Read More

Touch Browser for Windows 8 with Chrome and Firefox tablet mode

Is Internet Explorer losing the advantage of its Windows 8 head-start? These days, Firefox and Chrome can also be used in a  Modern UI-mode. However, unlike on the desktop, they're still significantly behind IE.

Chrome in Windows 8 Mode

With Google Chrome version 32, the touch version of Internet Explorer gets its first official competitor. Instead of selecting a tile, you start tablet mode by selecting an option in the browser menu.

When you click the option, a selection window for your installed web browsers opens. After clicking again, Google Chrome opens in Windows 8 mode.

By doing this, you also make Chrome your default browser. A downside of doing this is that the tablet version of Internet Explorer disappears from the Start menu and can no longer be opened. Unfortunately Microsoft doesn't allow an alternative - this means that if you want to use Internet Explorer again, you'll need to set it as the default browser. Fortunately, Internet Explorer automatically queries this next time you start your program.

Chrome's Windows 8 mode isn't very different from the desktop version. There are no finger-friendly buttons, no multi-touch gestures for zoom and navigation and Chrome for Windows 8 can't cope with the practical snap mode either. The browser is really only suitable for computers with a keyboard and mouse.  You can still use the more versatile desktop version though.

Firefox in Windows 8 Mode

Firefox version 29 introduced a touch mode. To start Firefox in touch mode, you use the same principle as Google Chrome. A menu item allows you to set Firefox as the default browser. Then, when you start Firefox in future, it automatically loads the tablet-friendly interface.

However, unlike Google Chrome, Mozilla offers a browser that is genuinely optimized for tablets. Since our detailed analysis of the first test version, very little has been done to the interface. The design has been partially copied from Microsoft. As with IE11, you'll now find the address bar below and there are two large arrows to flip ahead and back, as well as new tabs.

Unlike Chrome, the controls are sufficiently large, there's a tab bar with thumbnails like in Internet Explorer, and Snap mode and touch gestures for the zoom work perfectly.

Further strengths of Internet Explorer vs. Chrome and Firefox for Windows 8

Firefox and Chrome on tablets are still no real alternative to Internet Explorer. In addition to the weaknesses already described, two practical functions of the Microsoft browser are missing.

In Touch mode, only Internet Explorer is able to offer simultaneous viewing of two pages with Windows Snap.

The handy Reading List App as a bookmark manager only works with Internet Explorer and a similar function is still missing from Chrome and Firefox Apps.

Anyone wishing to select and copy text will also be disappointed. There's no touch-friendly selection tool. Clearly, Google and Mozilla have more work to do if they want to give Microsoft on Windows Tablets a run for its money.

Related reading:

Read More

Facebook thinks putting stickers on your photos will get you to use Messenger

Lewis Leong |

December 19, 2014

• iOS
 
• Free
 
• Android
 
• Photo
 
• Social Networks
• Communication
 
• Releases
 
• Facebook

Facebook just announced a new app today called Stickered for Messenger. The app lets you stamp your photos with its hundreds of stickers, then share them usingFacebook Messenger. The app is extremely similar to LINE Camera, but lacks the humor of LINE’s stickers.

Stickered for Messenger is Facebook’s attempt at getting you to use its Messenger app. When Facebook removed Messenger from its main apps, users were up in arms about it. No one wanted to download yet another app to clutter up their home screen. However, Facebook has gone to lengths to make sure Messenger performs quickly.

If you do want to give Stickered for Messenger a try, you can look forward to such wonderful features as

- A festive frame for your New Year’s Eve selfies

- Snow globe chat heads

- Holiday inspired sticker packs

While stickers remain free in Facebook Messenger and Stickered, that could change in the future. Popular messaging apps like LINE, KakaoTalk, and Viber let you pay real money for stickers, which could give Facebook another source of revenue besides mobile advertising.

Stickered for Messenger will be available later today for Android users. iOS users will be getting the app  "soon."

Read More

Download a preview of Office for Android

Microsoft is bringing a preview of its Office productivity suite to Android tablets today. iPad users have had the office suite for a while now, but Microsoft is committed to bringing Office for free to as many platforms as possible. The software isn’t done yet, so expect some bugs, but any Android tablet user running KitKat or Lollipop can download and try the office suite before its official release later this year.

Downloading the Office for Android preview also requires your tablet to have an ARM-based processor, which won’t be a problem for most users. Intel-based processors for phones and tablets are still rare. Phablets, like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, aren’t supported at this time since you’ll need a tablet with a 7” to 10.1” screen.

You can download the Office for Android preview directly from the Google Play Store without requesting an invite. If you have a compatible tablet, you can download Word,PowerPoint, and Excel from the links below.

Read More

Facebook for Android now tells you what's trending

Lewis 

The Trending feature that's been on the Facebook website for ages finally makes it to the Facebook for Android and the mobile web. Now you'll be able to see a trending section when you tap on the search feature.

Tapping on a trending story will take you to its section where it will recommend more stories for you to read. It's a good way to see what's trending around the world for each topic. Each section reacts just like your News Feed where you can scroll quickly through headlines. Tapping on a story will take you to that page.

There's also a new Live Feed feature that will show you real-time reactions to an ongoing event around the world. You can also filter stories that are shared from your friends and groups.

Facebook has always aimed to curate news that's most relevant to you and the new Trending feature is the company's realization of that goal. It hopes you'll spend more time within Facebook instead of using news apps like BBC, CNN, or even Flipboard.

The Facebook update will begin rolling out to Android and mobile web users in the US today. Support for iOS and non-US countries is "coming soon."

Read More

Play over 100 PS3 games for $20 a month with PlayStation Now

Play over 100 PS3 games for $20 a month with

 PlayStation Now

Sony's PlayStation Now subscription service is about to roll out. The company has been experimenting with the service since July and is now ready to release it to the public. Starting January 13th, you'll be able to play hundreds of PS3 games for a flat rate of $20 per month or $45 for three months.

That subscription may seem steep but Sony hopes gamers will find its PS3 catalog enticing enough to pay for an extended subscription. For less than a price of a full retail PlayStation 4 game, you can play an unlimited number of PS3 games you never got around to. Titles will include popular games like BioShock Infinite, Uncharted, Batman: Arkham Cityand The Last of Us.

PlayStation 4 owners will get access to the PlayStation Now subscription first but support for other Sony devices will come at a later time. There's a good chance you'll be playing PS3 games on your Vita or Xperia phone in the future.

Not sure if you want a PlayStation Now subscription? Try it free for 7 days.

Read More