Everything You Need to Know about iOS 7

 iOS 7 aimed to please with its massive redesign and fancy new features. It’s time to quench those rumors and check out what iOS 7 (beta still) has for iOS users.

While developers play with the beta version of iOS 7, which will be released for iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPad 2nd generation and above, iPad Mini, and the 5th generation iPod touch, let’s check out what made the cut, what got updated, and the juicy details behind this latest update to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system yet.

1. UI Redesign – Flat, Simplicity

iOS has been redesigned, from the app icons and colors to typography, buttons and the general outlook — everything is simple and clean. The homescreen wallpaper uses gyroscope hardware to give the background picture a parallax effect. As you move your device, you can clearly differentiate the homescreen layer from the app icon layers, and this works throughout the system.

Translucent design on the keyboard as well as system-wide (Mail, Messages, Calendar, Game Center) are present throughout the OS; you get a view of what is happening at the back. Swipes form the left edge of the device brings you to the previous menu or back to the previous webpage. Pages for app folders have also been implemented, perfect for your ton of gaming apps.

The Notification Center now works on the lockscreen and also has a new look. You can see today’s notifications, missed notifications or all notifications through the buttons at the top. Calendar events are accessible with a single swipe all the way to the top.

2. One-Swipe Access Control Center

Access settings and options in a heart beat with Control Center. Swipe from the bottom of the screen to access settings like WiFi, Bluetooth and also change brightness and control music playback.

Control Center also allows you quick access to a few apps like the camera and calculator. It also lets you turn on the flashlight, and since Control Center works on the lockscreen, you’ll be able to turn the light on to find things in the dark without the need of finding an app.

3. Smarter Multitasking

Orientation lock and volume slider are also on the Control Center. Multitasking now lets you peek at the apps which are opened. Slide through all the app previews and double tap on a preview to launch the app.

iOS 7 recognizes your app usage patterns, and will allocate more resources for your favorite apps even with other apps open helping you to improve battery life. It’s even intelligent enough to know that you’re going to use Instagram around lunch time and will allocate resources for that behavior.
There’s also Intelligent Scheduling that works with networks where it will only push updates for an app when you have a strong network connection.

4. Safari’s New user Interface

Browsing the Web on Safari now is better with its automatic full screen mode. As you scroll down through content, the address bar that you normally see will be minimized to only show the website name. The buttons at the bottom will also be hidden until you scroll up to reveal the controls.
The address bar doubles as a search bar with new features: typing in part of a word will show you the Top Hit and also shows other Google search suggestions.

You can now open unlimited tabs on Safari. Scrolling through multiple tabs looks like you’re scrolling through a file cabinet, where you can only see the top. Just tap on the website to open it, tap and hold to rearrange the tabs or swipe it to the right to close it.
iCloud Keychain that saves password throughout all your Apple products featured on the new OS X Maverick is also integrated to Safari for iOS. Shared links by your Twitter followers are also convieniently located next to the Reader tab which syncs throughout your other devices.

5. AirDrop Sharing Between iOS Devices

AirDrop is now available for transfers between iOS devices via peer-to-peer WiFI connection. Turning on the Share Sheet on an app, you can find users who are nearby and tap items to share. A notification will appear on their device and when they open it, it will open to the relevent app and show the content that you shared.

Since it uses new hardware, AirDrop only works on the iPhone 5, 4th-gen iPad, iPad mini, 5th-gen iPod Touch.

6. Quick Camera, Geo-sorted Albums

The camera app now comes with 4 features accessible by left or right swipes: Videos, Photos, Photos in a square frame (for instagram) and Panorama pictures. New filters have also been added to the camera app on top of the basic editing features that is already available.

The Photos app also auto organizes your photos into moments based on location and date. It shows the location name and date when you first enter the Photos app. You can then pinch to zoom out and view collections where it sorts by locations only.
Zooming out again then shows you the photos taken, sorted by year. It can roughly tell you highlights of each year like you visiting another country for holiday. You can then tap, hold and swipe your finger across the small pictures for a quick view.

Share pictures on iCloud photo stream of your family. You can also access shared photo streams and view comments on pictures and shared videos through the Share tab that looks like a social network feed.

7. Siri & iOS In The Car

Siri is now smarter with integrated Wikipedia and Bing support built in for your search queries. There’s also Twitter where Siri can check out what your friends are saying. Other than Siri’s new look with the soundwave, it now shows results in a cleaner way.
Siri now also has a male voice, and can speak to you in French or German (more languages coming soon). Voice commands are also available for actions like "play my last voicemail", "turn on Bluetooth" or "increase brightness".

Because of these voice commands that let you change settings on the system, Siri will be integrated into 12 car manufacturers in 2014, which leads to the new feature called iOS In The Car.
With the powerful voice commands, you can easily call someone, play music, get directions with Maps or have messages read to you without you having to look at the car’s center console or iOS device.

8. iTunes Radio & More Music Control

Apple now has its own Radio app similar to services like Pandora. It’s built into the new Music app where you can see featured stations or songs that are trending on Twitter. You can create your own stations based on music genre or your favorite artist and then share it with your friends.
While music is streamed to you, you can choose to "play more songs like this" or "don’t play this song" and it’ll intelligently tweak the playlists further.

It keeps track of all the songs that you listen to on the History tab so you can opt to purchase it later. iTunes Radio is also available on your Mac, PC or Apple TV and is free with ads unless you’re a iTunes Match subscriber.
With the Music app update, you can see all your purchased music, movies and TV shows over iCloud on your device. Landscape mode also shows you all your album covers where you can just tap on a cover to start listening to it.

9. More Features

Here are a few more interesting things that you might want to know about iOS 7.
The App Store has changed where you can look for apps based on age range and view popular apps around you. Apps now also auto-update.
FaceTime will also feature audio only calls together with the ability to block numbers so they can’t reach you over the phone, FaceTime or messages.

Find My iPhone has an update with Activation Lock. Even if someone disables Find My iPhone or wipes the entire device clean, they won’t be able to use it as your iCloud user ID is required to use your device.

Notification syncing is also a new feature where notifcations that you’ve cleared will be gone throughout all your devices.
Tencent Weibo will also see more integration on iPhone.
Also, 1500 new APIs will be released to developers to integrate all the cool new features and looks of iOS 7 to their apps, so expect more features to turn up when iOS 7 comes to your iDevices this fall.

7 Bollywood Celebs Who Went From Flab To Fab

Because not all actors have size zero handed to them on a plate.

Bollywood actors might look like they have it all, but some of them have fought their way there. While Sonakshi Sinha’s tale of drastic weight loss is commonplace, here are seven other celebrities who might just inspire you to go those five extra minutes on the treadmill:

Sonam Kapoor
Because no one, not even Anil Kapoor’s little princess, has everything handed to her on a platter. Before Bollywood’s favourite style icon signed her first movie, Sonam was made to cut out 30 kilos from her then weight of 86 kilos.

Alia Bhatt
Student of the Year’s dainty little Shanaya might paint a petite picture, but Alia went on a massive weight loss spree and cut down 16 kilos before she faced the camera.

Adnan Sami
A more inspiring story, we’ve yet to come across. The same singer who once required a wheelchair to move about because of his weight, shocked the world in 2007 by burning over 100 kilos.

Parineeti Chopra
Having a cousin who’s already an established player in the Boolywood game might always come handy, but the transition from chubby to svelte was one that Parineeti made on her own steam.

Kareena Kapoor
Critics slammed Kareena for her rounded figure in the item number, Yeh Mera Dil in 2006. Kareena responded by morphing into the much touted size zero figure. Radio silence from the former ever since.

Arjun Kapoor
Weight loss always has its own rewards, but for Arjun Kapoor the prize at the end of weight loss rainbow involved a foothold in the Bollywood industry and a permanent spot on the hottest actors list.

Zarine Khan
Once chubby, the actress lost weight before she made an appearance on the Bollywood circuit - To the point that Salman Khan actually asked her to gain a few kilos for her debut!

Which celeb do you think made the most fantastic transformation? Let us know in the comments box below!

9 Best Celeb Baby Bumps Of 2013

Among the pregnant celebrities of 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge probably proved to be the most elegant mum-to-be of the year. Close on her heels was reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

We list down the best celebrity bumps of the year:

The Duchess of Cambridge:
She was always dressed to impress no matter the occasion, before giving birth to Prince George on July 22.

Kim Kardashian:
Kim, who is engaged to rapper Kanye West, made a splash at numerous events this year debuting her baby bump in designer fashions.

Halle Berry:
The Oscar-winning actress was seen flaunting her baby bump in plenty of flowy comfortable separates for easy effortless style.

Gwen Stefani:
The 44-year-old style icon has retained every ounce of her cool style while carrying her third child.

Rachel Zoe:
The fashion stylist never ceases to amaze with her incredible ensembles, especially when pregnant! Her second baby will surely be the most stylish tot in town.

Fergie:
The singer looked smoking hot while she showed off her adorable baby bump this year. She embraced bright colours and playful patterns during each trimester.

Kristen Bell:
The petite star looked adorable as ever on the red carpet at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards in an embellished gown.

Jenna Dewan Tatum:
Actress-dancer Jenna Dewan, who is married to actor Channing Tatum, turned heads everywhere she went while pregnant. She dropped the weight in record time after giving birth to baby Everly.

Malin Akerman:
Swedish-Canadian actress, model and singer, known for her role in “27 Dresses”, showed off her sweet baby bump in curve-hugging silhouettes throughout her pregnancy. Weeks after giving birth to baby Sebastian, the actress showed off a slim, statuesque figure.

Who do you think is the yummiest mummy of 2013? Tell us in the comments below.

7 Bollywood Wardrobe Malfunctions of 2013

While some of our leading ladies are in safe hands with their stylists, some Bollywood divas need makeovers, safety pins and an entourage to keep their elaborate outfits in place!
Here are 7 Bollywood actresses who need to fire their stylists asap:

1. Sonakshi Sinha
This young lady isn't known for her great style but she definitely needs a style guru who will introduce her to t-shirt bras and the theory behind sheer fabric.

2. Kangana Ranaut
While Kangana was busy burning up the ramp for a fashion designer, he was obviously too busy to complete the outfit! Horrible fashion to add to the malfunction.

3. Alia Bhatt
Young Alia thought sans innerwear is the way to go but dear ol' girl, it isn't the best choice when there are about ten floodlight pointed right at you!

4. Sunny Leone
With this LBD, we got a little more than we bargained for. Cross your legs, ladies!

5. Parineeti Chopra
Bollywood definitely needs a new seamstress. What's with all the dresses splitting on the red carpet!

6. Katrina Kaif
There's no denying the fact that Katrina's outfit was super cute but it was also super short! Not a great dress for those planning on taking a seat.Cheeky, cheeky Aamir!

7. Rakhi Sawant
Rakhi needs a new career, a new wardrobe and a new stylist! What in the world was she thinking when she put on those horrid pants? Oh mother of all camel toes!

Which actress do you think needs a makeover asap? Tell us in the comments below.

Facebook buys Whatsapp for a whopping 19 billion dollars

San Francisco: Facebook is betting huge on mobile with an eye-popping cash-and-stock deal worth up to $19 billion for Internet Age smartphone messaging service WhatsApp.
The surprise mega-deal announced Wednesday bolsters the world's biggest social network - which has more than 1.2 billion members - with the 450-million-strong WhatsApp, which will be operated independently with its own board.
It fits with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's focus on being at the center of lifestyles in which billions of people around the world share whatever they wish over the Internet using smartphones or tablets.
"Facebook works harder than any other social site to keep people coming back," said Forrester analyst Nate Elliott. "In the past year, they've focused much of that effort on mobile -- introducing Home and Paper, and upgrading both their Facebook and Messenger apps -- and this is another step towards keeping people engaged no matter where they are."
Facebook promised that WhatsApp would remain independent and said it served a real-time communication need, while Messenger was used more in the style of email between members of the social network.
WhatsApp is ideally suited to young people who increasingly prefer rapid-fire smartphone messaging to making calls or churning out email. Facebook has been eager to keep the devotion of young users who set trends and carry tech habits into the future.
It is Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after the California-based Internet star raised $16 billion in the richest tech sector public stock offering. Zuckerberg said that WhatsApp -- a cross-platform mobile app that allows users to exchange messages without having to pay telecom charges -- was worth the steep price because its blistering growth around the globe has it on a clear path to hit a billion users and beyond.
"Services with a billion people using them are all incredibly valuable," Zuckerberg said while discussing the purchase price during a conference call with analysts. The deal came from a chat Zuckerberg had with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, whom he described as a "valuable thought partner" and friend of many years. "Last Sunday evening, about 11 days ago, I proposed if we joined together that would help us really connect the rest of the world," Zuckerberg said.
"He thought about it over the course of the week, came back and said he was interested." Silicon Valley-based WhatsApp started the year with 50 employees, most of them engineers, and the startup said that all of its stakeholders have approved the take-over. The purchase includes $12 billion in Facebook shares and $4 billion in cash. It calls for an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp founders and employees that will vest over four years.
'Powerful capabilities' Koum, who joins Facebook's board under the deal, said: "WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide." The tie-up gives WhatsApp "the flexibility to grow and expand," he added.

Google may have already revealed the Oscar winners!

Whether you are a film buff, movie critic or a fashion fan, everyone is awaiting the Oscars with bated breath. Each year, as the Academy Awards inches closer, there is a major spike in search traffic related to the event

Viewers and users search for their favourite celebrities, most stylish look etc.

Google has analysed the top category nominees and trends, based on the top searches on the search engine.

Following is the worldwide Google search trends on Oscars as released by the search engine in a statement:

Best movie
Directed by Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street" released a few weeks ahead of the New Year has gained much interest from viewers across the world and has topped the search charts in this category.

Best actor
Winner of the Golden Globe Award for best actor and Academy Award nominee American actor-producer Leonardo DiCaprio is the most popular nominee in the race for best actor.

Best actress
Academy Award Winner Sandra Bullock is leading the race in the best actress category, although Meryl Streep could well be a dark horse for this year's Academy Award.

Actor in supporting role
Jared Leto from the "Dallas Buyers Club", directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, is the most searched Oscar nominee.

Actress in supporting role
If Google search trends are something to go by, Jennifer Lawrence for "American Hustle" could well be honoured with the Academy Award for actress in supporting role.

Foreign language film
 Winner of the Golden Globe Award, 2013 Italian film "The Great Beauty" (Italian: "La Grande Bellezza"), directed by Paolo Sorrentino, seems to be the favourite nominee for best foreign language film.

What are your Oscar predictions? Tell us in the comments below.

Find Out How Selena Gomez Really Feels About Niall Horan!

After Niall Horan and Selena Gomez were spotted hanging out, everyone wanted to know what was going on between the two pop stars. With all the Siall rumors floating around, Selenators and Directioners definitely didn't mind seeing these two celebs paired up, but will they ever take their relationship to the next level?
According to HollywoodLife, Selena does have a thing for Niall, but her relationship with Justin Bieber could be the reason things can't work out between the two.
"Selena likes Niall, but it's a case of Selena knowing that he likes her a lot and she wants a guy who plays hard to get or unattainable, which is basically not Niall and is Justin," the source said. "Her friends want her to give Niall a better chance and since she never ultimately listens to them, it just makes the seriousness of the relationship a major work in progress."
We definitely hope Selena is over bad boys so she will actually give the One Direction cutie a shot, especially since it's pretty clear they would make the cutest couple ever.
Do you think Selena should give Niall a shot? Let us know in the comments!

Keep up with One Direction in the pages of J-14 by subscribing now!

15 facts about google you probably didn't know

Originally known as BackRub, Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a friend's garage while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. It has since grown to become the world's biggest search engine, and the name Google has become synonymous with search.

With the help of digital agencies TH_NK and Mindshare, The Telegraph has compiled a list of 15 weird and wonderful facts about the technology giant:

1. Google was named thanks to the misspelling of the word googol, which means a one followed by one-hundred zeros.

2. Google's first ever Tweet in February 2009 read: "I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010." For anyone not fluent in binary, it reads: "I'm feeling lucky."

3. The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which bypasses the results page and takes users directly to the first result of their search, is nearly never used. However, in trials it was found that removing it would somehow reduce the Google experience. It has been estimated to cost Google around $100 million in lost advertising revenue every year.
4. Google rents out goats from a company called California Grazing to help cut down the amount of weeds and brush at Google HQ. The operation of 200 goats (plus herder and a border collie) is kind to the environment, and as Google puts it: "A lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers.
5. Google loves food. Brin and Page have said that no Googler should ever be more than 100 feet from a micro-kitchen with snacks and food. The first chef that Google employed earned $26 million from his stock options.
6. The first Google doodle was a Burning Man symbol. Page Brin went to the Burning Man festival in 1998 and added the doodle to let users know they were away from the office that weekend.

 

7. The main reason the Google home page is so bare is due to the fact that the founders didn’t know HTML and just wanted a quick interface. In fact it was noted that the submit button was a long time coming and hitting the return key was the only way kick-start the search function.
8. At Google HQ there are a number of peculiar sights including a gigantic T-Rex skeleton – nicknamed "Stan" after a "real" dino found nearby – that looms menacingly at Googlers in Mountain View. There is also a scale replica of the SpaceShipOne, enormous Android-themed models, pink flamingos, a large LEGO man, Google-coloured phone boxes and grown-up size ball pits.
9. Google advocates bringing dogs to work and there is even a “company dog” called Yoshka. Yoshka accompanies Urs Holzle, senior VP operations and Google Fellow to the Googleplex.

10. Some core Google services went down recently for 5 mins, causing worldwide internet traffic to drop off by a pretty huge 40 per cent.
11. New employees, called Noogles, are initiated by having to wear a propeller beanie cap on their first Friday.
12. Until recently, Google employees were encouraged to use 20 per cent of their time working on their own projects. However, the innovative management technique – which gave rise to some of Google's biggest projects including AdSense, Gmail, Google Transit, Google News and Google Talk – has now been sidelined, according to sources.
13. Two searches on Google produces about 14g of CO2, or the same amount as boiling a kettle, according to a Harvard University academic. However, Google disputes this and say it’s closer to 0.2g (or 0.003kWh) per search.
14. If you go to www.google.co.uk/settings/ads you can see all the interest categories that Google have put you in based on your search history and browsing behaviours.
15. Company corporate philosophies include "you can make money without doing evil," "you can be serious without a suit," and "work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun."
“Google's contribution to the world is truly awesome. Not in the popularised version of the word, but in the etymological definition of 'that which inspires awe or terror'. They're living proof and inspiration that a single business can have a transformative impact on, not just a business sector but, how billions of people fundamentally live their lives… and still find time to add charming touches like the Google Doodle," said Ramzi Yakob, strategist at digital agency TH_NK.
"Its early days of setting the golden standard for searching for stuff online never even hinted at what it may, one day, become. With fingers in, what seems like, every conceivable pie, it has changed the shape of the mobile industry, led the charge on a proposed 'renewable energy tariff' and is pretty close to innovating and lobbying driverless cars into reality.
"With 45,000 people in their employ, there's no one person or small set of people that could take credit for this, and this is where a lesson for our industry, perhaps, lies. Should we look to icons, like Steve Jobs, for leadership inspiration to expertly craft a product? Or would we be better served by studying, and fostering a business culture that gives us license to creatively, and intelligently solve any problem that we feel passionate about?”