Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Alpha: 2014's Biggest Smartphone Fight

Welcome to the biggest smartphone battle of 2014. In the blue corner the Apple iPhone 6 and in the red corner the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.

This isn’t the head-to-head many were anticipating. The four month old Galaxy S5 was expected to be the natural challenger, but following disappointing sales Samsung has had a rethink and the newly announced Alpha is a like-for-like metal handset which throws down the gauntlet to the heavily leaked iPhone 6 in every area.

So let’s break down these rivals ahead of what promises to be two of the biggest advertising campaigns in smartphone history.

Display: iPhone 6 4.7-inches – Galaxy Alpha 4.7-inches

For Apple the new iPhone represents a big step up in screen size from the 4-inch display seen since the iPhone 5 and an even bigger 5.5-inch model is expected to launch soon after. For Samsung the Alpha actually represents a step down from the 5.2-inch display on the Galaxy S5 and demonstrates how determined it is to make a phone which directly trades blows with the new iPhone.

iPhone 6 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch dummy models

But the first blows here will go to Apple. It’s widely reported 1704 x 960 pixel display creates a pixel density of 416ppi (pixels per inch) compared to the Alpha whose screen surprisingly is just 1280 x 720 pixels for a 320ppi.

Given how close both pixel densities are to Apple’s claim that a ‘Retina Display’ (the point where your eyes cannot distinguish individual pixels) starts at 326ppi it remains to be seen how much difference there will be in reality, but it is odd that Samsung has stepped down from the Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel displays it has used in flagship phones for the last few years.

In turn Samsung will be hoping the head turning (though arguably garish) AMOLED technology it uses in the Alpha and S5 will be enough to catch the eye compared to Apple’s more subtle IPS screens.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Materials: iPhone 6 Metal and Sapphire – Galaxy Alpha Metal, Plastic And Gorilla Glass

The second blow Apple lands will be the materials of the iPhone 6. Samsung has taken direct cues from the HTC One M8 and the iPhone 6 in finally producing a phone which uses metal in its chassis, but this only extends to the edges while rear remains plastic and the screen is the familiar Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

By contrast the iPhone 6 will ditch its glass back in favour of an all metal chassis and the screen is heavily tipped to be sapphire-based. Doubts still remain after the ‘proof’ offered by several leaks was undermined, but if Apple does go with sapphire it is expected to be layered with glass. As such the durability may not be as indestructible as many hope but it should still represent a step up from Gorilla Glass 3.

Alleged iPhone 6 fascia with sapphire display

Size and Weight

Despite this being one of the few aspects of the iPhone 6 not to leak, here Samsung appears to hold all the aces. At 0.26-inchs (6.7mm) thick the Galaxy Alpha is the slimmest mass market smartphone ever made and with a footprint of 5.21 x 2.58 inches (132.4 x 65.5mm) and weight of just 4.06 oz (115g) it should remain usable with one hand.

By contrast dummy units of the iPhone 6 have shown it to be almost the same footprint as the Samsung Galaxy S5 – 5.59 x 2.85 inches (142 x 72.5 mm) – despite the S5 packing a 5.2 inch display. This is due to Apple retaining thicker top and bottom bezels which add to the height. Meanwhile the only other all metal 4.7 inch handset is the HTC One M7 which tips the scales at 5.04 oz (143g). Apple should beat that as the iPhone 6 is also expected to be very thin, but it does look like one handed use will be tough for most.

Power: iPhone 6 Apple A8 Chipset – Galaxy Alpha Exynos 5 Octa 5430

Here both handsets should be a real treat. The power of the A8 remains unknown, but Apple has doubled the power of its A series of ARM-based chips with each generation so the dual-core 1.3GHz CPU and quad-core GPU in the already fast iPhone 5S A7 chipset should see major gains and there is also talk of a step up to 2GB of RAM.

But the Galaxy Alpha should be able to match anything the iPhone 6 throws at it. The Alpha will come with 2GB of RAM and Samsung’s own Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chipset which the company claims will outpace the Snapdragon 805, ARM’s latest and greatest chip which is expected to appear in the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6.

For reference the Snapdragon 800 chipset was seen to be largely on a par with Apple’s A7 and since then the 801 has added more power and battery optimisation while the 805 is a major leap forward in both.

Sony Exmor IMX220 sensor

Camera: iPhone 6 13 Megapixels – Galaxy Alpha 12 Megapixels

Megapixels a poor guide to camera quality, but it is noticeable that Apple is set to step up from the 8 megapixel lens in the last three iPhones reportedly toSony ’s 13 megapixel Exmor IMX220 camera sensor. This makes sense given previous iPhones have all used previous generations of this Sony line and it brings a 1/2.3′ sensor which would be a notable jump from the 1/3.2” sensor in the iPhone 5S. Video recording will remain at 1080p while optical image stabilisation (OIS) is expected to be exclusive to the monstrous 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant.

As for the Galaxy Alpha, Samsung has curiously taken a step down to 12 megapixels from the 16 megapixel sensor in the Galaxy S5. The sensor has yet to be revealed and while it also lacks OIS it offers real-time HDR (High Dynamic Range) so you can see the light balancing on the screen before taking a photo. Samsung has also fitted the Alpha with a selfie-friendly 2.1 megapixel front facing camera, something Apple should match.

Memory: iPhone 6 Up to 64GB – Galaxy Alpha 32GB

Rumours once suggested the iPhone 6 would be the first 128GB smartphone, but having seen those dry up I will stick to what we know: up to 64GB of non-expandable storage is guaranteed. Consequently the Galaxy Alpha has two surprises in stock: neither of them good.

The first is that the handset does not have a 64GB version (at least not yet) and second is Samsung has ditched the microSD expansion slot that almost every Galaxy smartphone (and certainly every high end Galaxy smartphone) ships with. The logic may be to mimic Apple and keep storage options simple, but it could be a potential deal breaker for some.

Battery Life: iPhone 6 1800mAh – Galaxy Alpha 1860mAh

Like megapixels, battery capacities don’t tell the whole story but here the handsets appear to be very well matched. It has been suggested the iPhone 6 may see a last minute bump to a 2100mAh battery, but regardless Apple will be leaning heavily on the efficiency of the A8 chip and iOS 8 to compensate for the larger screen and its higher resolution. Apple will need to produce some magic here as the iPhone 5S has mediocre battery life at best and that sported a 1560mAh battery.

It is a similar story for Samsung. The 1860mAh battery in the Alpha is a big drop from the 2800mAh battery in the S5, but Samsung will also hope the greater efficiencies in its Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chip make a difference. Where it may hold an advantage, however, is the 720p screen as driving less pixels greatly lessens the workload and may explain Samsung’s decision to shy away from 1080p. If Samsung can significantly top the iPhone 6’s battery life few may care about the lost pixels.

Miscellaneous: Sensor overload

Both handsets will pack fingerprint sensors (though the iPhone 5S has shown slicker integration compared to the S5) while the Galaxy Alpha will carry over the heart rate sensor seen in the Galaxy S5. With fitness having played a major part in Samsung’s Galaxy S5 software, the same will again happen here and with Apple HealthKit formally launching with the iPhone 6 and iOS 8 this will be a major battle ground for these handsets.

That said the Galaxy Alpha loses the S5’s water resistant coating and no leaks have indicated the iPhone 6 will have it either so while both handsets have tough exteriors they won’t be happy being used in the rain.

iPhone 5S current pricing

Release Date And Price

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 on September 9th while Samsung has signalled its deliberate clash by confirming the Galaxy Alpha will go on sale in ‘early September’. Given the potential for a small gap between announcement and release this may give the Alpha a slight head start.

While the cost for the iPhone 6 remains unknown, Apple is famed for releasing each new iPhone at roughly the same price point as the last. That should mean from $199 on contract and $649 contract-free. Samsung has yet to reveal the cost of the Alpha, but it would be surprising if the company doesn’t try to marginally undercut this.

Sales projection

It is widely reported that the iPhone 6 launch will be the largest in Apple history with 50-60 million units expected to be sold before the end of the year. As such I’d expect the iPhone 6 to easily outsell the Galaxy Alpha, even though these figures will include the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6.

Then again that isn’t really the point. The point is for years now Apple rivals have been wasting their opportunity to meet the iPhone 6 head-on. So called ‘mini’ handsets have been of a similar size to the iPhone 6, but come in at midrange prices often with lower midrange components. A trend only bucked by Sony and its relatively unknown Xperia Compact series.

With Samsung finally stepping up to the plate, however, this depressing trend looks to be coming to an end. Apple knows the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will already face a tough fight and now it can expect one in the 4.7-inch bracket as well.

The smartphone war just got even tougher and that’s good news for all of us.

Also See :- Samsung GALAXY Tab S

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Check your phone or tablet battery level from your computer and other devices

The chances are that you have more than one Android device lying around the house. You may have a phone in your pocket, but you probably have a tablet or two lying around as well. A quick check of the screen will let you know how much battery life your Galaxy Note 4 has left, but what about the Nexus 7 that's sitting upstairs? Do you need to plug it in now, or will it be OK for a little longer? You could run upstairs to find out, but you could make life easier by using Potential, a handy mobile and desktop tool that lets you check the battery level of your phones and tablets without having to track them down. 

With Potential installed, you can use your phone, tablet or computer to check how long you have left before your Android devices need to be charged up. More than this, you can also check and control the status of wifi and Bluetooth connections.

The app is available free of charge and you can grab a copy from Google Play – in fact, you should install it on each of your Android devices. If you want to be able to keep an eye on your Android devices from your Window 8 machine, there is a separate app for you to install on your desktop, laptop, or tablet; you can download it from the Windows Store.

Launch the app on your Android phone or tablet, enter your email address and choose a password before clicking the Connect button – you'll receive a confirmation email. You'll then be prompted to enter a name for the device you're currently using so you'll be able to identify it later on. Repeat this process on each of the phones and tablets you want to remotely monitor.

The mobile app gives you a simple overview of all of the devices you have added to your account, and you can see at a glance how much battery life each has left. If you see that a particular device is running low and you want to try to maximize battery life, you can tap the wifi or Bluetooth icon to turn the connections off.

Should you ever get rid of one of your phones or tablets, tap the menu to the upper left, and select Settings. You can then tap the X next to a device to remove it. You'll notice from this screen that there is an in-app purchase available. This enables you to set up alerts for when battery levels reach a particular level.

The Windows 8 app works in much the same way. Fire it up, sign into your account and you'll see a list of all of your linked device to the left, Click each one in turn and you can check the details for individual phones and tablets.

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Convert .apk files to .jar files

Download .apk file from market

• Download any app from the Android Market [Go]
• Install Astro File Manager from Android Market [Go]  
• Open Astro > Tools > Application Manager/Backup and select the application to backup on SD card.
• Mount the phone as USB and access 'BACKUPAPPS' folder to find the apk of targetapp.(lets call this targetapp.apk).
• Copy it to your hard disk.

Decomiling apk to Dex format

• Download Dex2Jar [GO] 
• Android runs applications which are in Dalvik Executable (.dex) format.
• Run the following command to convert apk to jar.

dex2jar targetapp.apk file(./dex2jar targetapp.apk on terminal)

                                                 File 'targetapp.apk.dex2jar.jar' is created

[Click to Enlarge]

Viewing/Decompiling the Jar files to Java

Method 1 : Use JavaDecomiler (JD)

• Open 'targetapp.apk.dex2jar.jar' with jd-gui [Click to Download]  
• File > Save All Sources to save the class files in jar to java files.

Method 2 : JAD

• Extract contents of jar file on to a folder named src.  Use and unarchival utility like 7zip.
• Keep 'src' folder in the same directory where JAD and targetapp jar is present.
• Open JAD in cmd and execute the following command

jad -o -r -sjava -dsrc src/**/*.class (./jad on terminal)

Now src will contain decompiled Java files ready for manual code review.

Enjoy :)

Source : -blacksecurityup.blogspot.com

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How to Run Windows Apps on Android

Here’s how to run Windows apps on Android so that you have the best of both worlds at your fingertips: an Android device that’s powerful and mobile enough to be useful anywhere and the flexibility to get work done with the powerful apps that only Windows can offer.

First, you’ll need your Android device powered on. You’ll also need access to the Google Play Store. The Google Play Store is the marketplace where Android devices download apps from.

Pick up your Android device and unlock it by putting in your passcode or entering your lock pattern.

Once inside, find the app drawer and navigate to the Play Store. On the HTC One M7 this is done by tapping the button in the middle of the bottom shortcut bar. This is going to be particular to whatever version of Android your device is running and the maker of that device. Either way, you should be able to reach the Play Store from your device’s list of  installed applications. Access to the Google Play Store is almost universal.

Inside the Google Play Store you’ll be greeted by a showcase of apps. You’ll want to tap the search iconin the top right corner of your screen. It looks like a magnifying glass. Search for Parallels Access.

Select Parallels Access from the list of apps.

Tap Install.

Tap Accept to give Parallels Access permission to do things on your device. Then wait for it to finish downloading and installing on your device. This can take a long time if you have a slower internet connection.

Tap Open.

Now tap Register.

Now put in a username, email address and password that you’re comfortable with. You can also login with your Facebook Account as well, though if your Facebook Account is ever compromised you could give someone access to your data.

Parallels Access will have sent a registration email to the address you provided so that you can set up Parallels on your Windows device. Go to your computer and open the email. The email will have the subject Welcome to Parallels Access.

Click on the button in the email labeled Download Parallels Access Agent.

Type in the username and password that you just used to setup your Android device.

Once inside click or tap on the Downloads link in the navigation bar.

Click or tap on the Windows icon to download the access client to your Windows device. Tap or Click Runto begin installing the app. Your device will need to download the app before it begins installing. Again, depending on your internet connection this could take a bit.

Tap or click on Ok.

Tap or click on Next.

Click on the Agree then click Install.

Tap or click on Finish.

Parallels Access can overwrite your computer sleep settings so that it’s accessible whenever you need to access it from your Android device. Click on Allow Access to give Parallels permission to do so. Parallels Access will still work without enabling this setting, you’ll just need to make sure your device is always wake when you need to access it.

Click or tap on Yes to enable background updating for Parallels Access.

Now back to your Android device. Once you’ve logged in successfully you’ll notice that the name of your PC is now displayed on your device.

Tap on the name of your PC to connect to your device. Before it’ll let you connect, Parallels Access will show a very long video guiding you through the setup process. Don’t try to skip it. Take the time to learn about the features that Parallels Access has.

Zoom is a simple as pinching and zooming like you would on a picture. Double clicking on anything is as simple as tapping on that item twice. Tapping on the windows the two overlaid squares allows you to open apps you already have open. You can launch more apps by tapping on the App Launcher rocket ship.

Press the back button and open the menu to add more apps to your quick launch menu.

To be clear, accessing your Windows device directly through your Android device requires both devices to have an internet connection or be connected to a wired or wireless network. For the best performance, you’ll want to be on the same network as your Windows PC, but that’s not actually required. By setting this up you’ve agreed to a 14 day free trial on all of your devices. When that free trial is up you’ll need to purchase either the 1-year $19.99 subscription or the two-year $29.99 subscription.

Also See :- Convert exe files to android apps [apk files]

Source :- gottabemobile.

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5 steps to protect your smart phone from theft or loss

Also learn what to do when your phone goes missing and when you get it back

One day, someone you don't know may end up holding your phone. Maybe you'll forget it in a taxi, or it will be snatched out of your hand—smart phone thefts are on the rise. And you're going to be concerned because that phone holds a pocket-sized summary of your digital life. It has photos of the places you've been and people in your life. It also has a record of what you posted on Facebook or bought from Amazon, where you bank, and which restaurants you like.

Here's how you can keep strangers from accessing your personal information, safely back up and retrieve the photos and videos you've stored in the device, and, with a little luck, increase your chances of recovering your phone.  

Before your smart phone is gone

Step 1: Use a strong screen lock

This is your first and strongest line of defense. Skip the easy 4-digit PIN and instead create a strong password that contains a string of at least 8 characters that include some combination of letters, numbers, and special characters that don't form recognizable words or phrases—especially those that could be associated with you. For instance, Fred1969 is a weak password, but F!ed9691 could be much harder to crack. While typing a nontrivial password may feel cumbersome at first, it should get much easier with practice.

The iPhone 5S's Touch ID fingerprint reader, built into its Home button, is designed to do away with this drudgery. We found it faster than typing a PIN. (Even with Touch ID enabled, you should still use a strong passcode.) We were able to go from a sleeping screen to the desktop in about a second. Password protection comes with another safeguard: After several unsuccessful tries to enter a passcode, typically 10, some phones will automatically erase all of your personal data. If your phone provides this option, activate it.

Step 2: Use a 'find my phone' app

The same GPS and network connections that help your phone find the best nearby restaurants and the fastest way home can help you find and protect that phone should it go missing. To take advantage of this, you need to install a special free app that we’ll describe below, which works together with a free service that you can use to locate or erase the phone once it’s gone.

For the app to be useful, the phone must be turned on and have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Location tracking (GPS) also must be enabled in order to find the phone on a map, but probably isn’t required to erase the phone’s contents. Since thieves will probably turn off the phone fairly quickly, yank out its SIM card, or put it in a room or box shielded from wireless connections, it’s imperative that as soon you learn that your phone is missing, you send it any commands you think appropriate.

• On an Android phone. To set up this app on a phone running Android 2.2 or later, find the Android Device Manager in Google Settings, which is typically an icon on your desktop with the letter "g" and a gear-like symbol next to it. If necessary, use the phone's search function to search for "Google Settings." To track down a missing phone, use a computer to access Android Device Manager in the browser's address bar.
• On an iPhone. Download and install Find My iPhone from the iTunes App Store, then sign in with your iTunes account. To track down a missing phone, use a computer to access Find My iPhone.
• On a Windows phone. Find the Find My Phone app in the main settings menu. To track down a missing phone, use a computer to go to Microsoft's account sign-in screen.

Apple took smart phone protection a step further on its iPhone models that run iOS 7, with a powerful feature that prevents anyone from using the phone—even after it's wiped clean—unless they type in your iTunes ID and Password. The feature, called Activation Lock, is built into iOS 7 and automatically enabled when you set up the Find My iPhone feature. Activation Lock has been available for only a few months, so it’s too soon to tell if it has had a noticeable impact on iPhone thefts.

As powerful as Activation Lock is, there’s evidence that it may be less than perfect. A security firm, SRLabs, recently demonstrated how a determined thief with the proper equipment can defeat Activation Lock in some cases.

Step 3: Attach a note

You may not love the idea of marring your phone’s great looks, but doing so may increase your chances of getting it back if it's found by an honest person. Tape a tiny note on the back of your phone with your e-mail address or a work number (You don't want to give a potential burglar your home number). In my informal tests, printing my e-mail address in a small font and taping it on with a small strip of shipping tape worked well on phones with smooth metal or plastic surfaces. On phones with rubbery or rough surfaces, neatly write that info, using a fine-point permanent marker, on a small strip of duct or electrical tape, which cling better to such surfaces. Choose a spot on the phone that's least likely to receive constant rubbing from your palm or fingers.

On Android phones, you can also type such a message in the Owner Info section of the Security submenu in Settings. But if you erase the contents of your phone, that message will disappear.

Step 4: Back up your photos and videos

Phone carriers, phone makers, and operating systems typically offer free over-the-air backup for phone camera content, settings, and more. These options often appear when you set up the phone for the first time, though you can always activate them later. Selecting a carrier-neutral source, such as Apple's iCloud, Android's Google +, or Microsoft's OneDrive will make it easier to retrieve your precious memories should your next phone be from a different carrier.

Check this detailed price and feature information about each of these services and some competing cloud services.

Step 5: Record your phone's unique ID number

Smart phones have a unique serial number known as an IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier). Unlike other identifying information stored on the phone’s removable SIM card, these numbers are etched into its circuits and difficult to alter. Your cell carrier already has this 15-digit number on file, and may be able to use it to put the phone on a missing phone list. Some police departments ask for either of these numbers when you report a stolen phone, so that they'll be able to return it to you if it's recovered. You can typically find either number on the phone box or in your phone's settings menu. It is also often found printed on or under the phone’s battery.You can find your phone's IMEI by dialing *#06#. The number should pop up on your screen.

You'll find an IMEI number on all phones from GSM carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and so-called world phones from CDMA carriers such as Verizon and Sprint. Less-common nonworld phones from Verizon and Sprint have a different ID number called a mobile equipment identifier, or MEID. The MEID is comparable; you can find it the same way you find an IMEI.

After the phone is gone

Whatever your goal, the sooner you act, the better your chances of achieving it. Here are key actions to take.

Step 1: Seek and destroy

As soon as possible, log on to your "find my phone" service from a secure device. Try to locate the phone on a map. If it's nearby, have the phone ring. If it's not close enough for you to reach within the next few minutes, push the erase button. Hopefully an honest person will come across your device and notify you via the contact info you taped to your phone.

Step 2: Change your important passwords

As soon as you realize your phone is no longer in your possession and not quickly recoverable, go to the nearest secure computer, log into every account you had on your phone (banking, shopping, e-mail, etc.) and change your passwords. Start with the financial and shopping accounts that have your credit card on file, such as Amazon.com or your bank, and quickly move on to e-mail and social networks.

Step 3: Call your institutions

Inform your bank and credit card companies that you've lost your phone to alert them to possible fraudulent charges. The sooner they know, the easier it will be to dispute unauthorized account activities.

Step 4: Report the loss to the police

Notifying the police not only launches an official recovery attempt, but is also required for a credit freeze. The three major reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—require a copy of the police report before they'll freeze it. You may also need the police report to dispute fraudulent charges made on your credit cards.

Learn how to put a freeze on your credit file.

If you recover your phone

Wipe it anyway. You never know what malicious app or spyware someone may have installed while the phone was out of your hands. To be on the safe side, reset the phone to factory settings. If you see an option to "erase everthing," make sure you select it. (Before doing that, though, check the backups on your computer or cloud service to make sure that you have copies of all the irreplaceable photos and videos on your phone.) Some phones give you the option of resetting their settings without erasing everything. Make sure you check the Reset Everything option.

To reset an iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then Reset. You’ll see a warning that the next step will erase all your media and data, followed by a red Erase button. Hit this and after a few minutes, your iPhone is ready to restore. Finding Factory Reset on Android phones is trickier because device makers tweak Android to their own liking. In Settings, look for a submenu named Backup Options, Privacy, Accounts, or something similar. On Windows phones, the factory reset option is in Settings under About Windows Phone.

Using cloud services to back up your smart phone

For iPhones. These offer two pre-installed photo or video backup options: My Photo Stream and iCloud Backup, both of which are part of the iCloud constellation of services. My Photo Stream, a free service designed for sharing photos with other Apple device owners, stores up to 1,000 photos (not videos). But after 30 days, Apple deletes them. iCloud Backup has no expiration date and also automatically backs up your videos. The first 5 gigabytes are free, but you can buy more for an annual fee: 15GB for $20; 25GB for $40; and 50GB for 100.

For iPhones, Android, or Windows phones. For Android phones (and iPhones if you download the Google+ app, or Windows phones if you get the Google Station app), Google Drive gives you 15GB of free storage for photos and videos (full size photos can be no larger than 100 MB and videos no longer than 15 minutes or saved at a resolution higher than 1080p). Upping storage to 100GB will cost you $2 a month, and data hogs can up storage to a terabyte for $10 a month. On Android phones, you'll find the Auto Backup option in Google+ settings, after tapping the Google icon under Accounts in the phone's Settings menu. On iPhones and Windows phones, you can access settings after launching the Google+ app.

Microsoft OneDrive (formerly Sky Drive) provides 7GB of free storage for photos, videos and more. Upping storage to 50GB costs $50 a year. But each file can't be larger than 2GB. Pre-installed on Windows phones, the app is a free download from Google Play on Android phones or the App Store on iPhones. On Androids and iPhones, you may have to fiddle with additional phone settings to make the backups automatic.

Also See :- How to Type Faster on Android: 5 Tips & Tricks

                    How to reduce your data usage on Android or iOS

Source :- consumerreports

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