While there have been numerous reports about double height live tiles in the recent past, we never got a real-world glimpse of the feature in action, but that was until now.

A Microsoft employee by the name of Vesku Paananen tweeted a picture (see above) showing a variety of systems running Windows 10. Apparently, he didn’t realize that the image also contained a phone with a double height live tile. Read more »

Instagram has updated its video feature, ensuring that video clips shared to the service now loop continuously, meaning they’ll start automatically and repeat continuously until you scroll past them.

Apparently, the feature is designed to please advertisers, who are always keen to get as many views for their ads as possible. As for the users, they probably won’t be happy given that the feature cannot be disabled altogether. For those who are fearing high data bills, the company has explicitly said that the feature won’t affect how much data the app uses. Read more »

When the Nokia N1 went on sale in China earlier last month, the initial batch of 20,000 units was sold out in just four minutes and two seconds. The second batch went on sale a week later, and it too sold out in minutes, although there was no information on the number of units that were up for grabs, the time the batch lasted, and the number of interested buyers.

But it is now being reported that the second batch saw 666,594 interested buyers against 32,000 units of the N1 that were sold out in just 7 minutes and 47 seconds. Read more »

In the past, Samsung has hosted its Unpacked events at Mobile World Congress (MWC) as well as in the US, but this time around, that won’t be the case, as the South Korean company has confirmed that there will be no US-based Unpacked event this year.

In a statement to Sammobile, the tech giant said, “Samsung has no plans to host an Unpacked event in the US,” adding that those who are not traveling to MWC, can watch the event via livestream at youtube.com/SamsungMobile. Read more »

Just a few hours after Uber announced that its has entered into a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to create a new tech center focused on developing autonomous driving vehicles, among other things, Bloomberg is reporting that Google is preparing to offer its own ride-hailing service, “most likely in conjunction with its long-in-development driverless car project.”

That’s particularly interesting given the fact that Google Ventures, the search giant’s venture capital arm, has already invested $258 million in Uber, and just last year the Mountain View, California-based company integrated Uber functionality in its Maps application. Read more »

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo has launched a new global mobile photography contest that gives participants a chance to share their stories with photographs. Dubbed It’s Your Turn, the three-week contest centers on three themes: “Selfie Showdown”, “Our World”, and “Inspiring Moments”, and will see winners getting the company’s N3 smartphone.

To take part in the contest, you can either directly visit the contest’s official page or share your photos on social media websites like Facebook. “The Facebook accounts of OPPO’s global and country sites will share photos uploaded by participants on a regular basis,” the company said. Read more »

If you are a Google Earth user, here is some good news: the Pro version of the service, which was previously priced at $399 per year, is now available for free. This means that you can now use detailed imagery of the service as well as its advanced tools – that help you measure 3D buildings, print high-resolution images for presentations or reports, and record HD movies of your virtual flights around the world – all without paying a penny.

“Starting today, even more people will be able to access Google Earth Pro: we’re making it available for free,” Google said in a blog post. “To see what Earth Pro can do for you – or to just have fun flying around the world – grab a free key and download Earth Pro today. If you’re an existing user, your key will continue to work with no changes required.” Read more »

Google has updated its Google app for Android with support for 40 new third-party apps, including Airbnb, Urbanspoon, eBay, Waze, Instacart, Pandora, and The Guardian. This means that you’ll now see lots of new Google Now cards, giving you information that’s helpful to you, right when you need it.

“In the morning, catch up on news of the day with cards from The Guardian. On your commute, Pandora can give you recommendations for music to play, based on what you like, or you can be reminded to complete your daily French lesson on Duolingo,” the search giant said in a blog post. Read more »

AT&T has launched a new limited-time offer that will net you a $100 bill credit on every purchase of a Samsung Galaxy Alpha. However, as with any offer, there are some caveats: the offer is limited only to online orders, and you need to purchase the device through the carrier’s Next program.

For those who aren’t aware, the AT&T Next program allows you to purchase a device with no down payment and then pay for it in monthly installments ranging from $15 to $50 per month depending on the device. Read more »

A few months after entering into a partnership with Montblanc, Samsung is running a new promotion that offers a complimentary pen manufactured by the premium writing instrument maker with every purchase of a Galaxy Note 4.

The deal is only available to UK customers, who will have to purchase the device from Samsung UK’s website by using the coupon code “NOTE4MB”. While the promotion is valid until 23:59 pm tomorrow, it is applicable only to the first 150 customers purchasing the device. Read more »

Just a few months after adding support for the larger displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Facebook has updated its Paper app for iOS to version 1.2.5, bringing improvements to Camera Roll and photo sharing, as well as faster performance.

Photos and videos are now organized by the date they were taken, making it easy for you to find what you’re looking for while selecting media to share. In addition, the updated app also introduces the ability to share photos from the new Favorites album introduced in iOS 8. Read more »

When Bill Gates stepped down as Microsoft chairman last year, he vowed to “substantially” increase the time he spends at the company, with a particular focus on “ambitious scenarios,” though he didn’t reveal what exactly he would be doing. However, in an Ask Me Anything question and answer session on Reddit yesterday, Gates revealed that he is currently working on a project dubbed Personal Agent.

“One project I am working on with Microsoft is the Personal Agent which will remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to,” he said. “The idea that you have to find applications and pick them and they each are trying to tell you what is new is just not the efficient model – the agent will help solve this.” Read more »

Apple has revealed that it sold its one billionth iOS device in Q4, 2014 – on November 22 to be precise. The revelation was made by CEO Tim Cook during an analysts’ call yesterday (after the company released its first-quarter earnings report), where he also said that it was a space-gray 64-gigabyte iPhone 6 Plus.

“One billion devices is an almost unfathomable milestone and we are all incredibly proud to be a part of it,” Cook said. Read more »

Online reviews service Yelp has updated its app for both Android and iOS with some small but useful features, including event RSVP and better media uploads.

The updated app now allows you to RSVP to events – you can check out your profile to see as well as comment on all the events that you’re attending. Read more »

Google is all set to offer its ultra-high speed Google Fiber broadband service in several new metro areas soon, according to a Wall Street Journal report. These areas include Atlanta, Nashville, the North Carolina cities of Raleigh-Durham, as well as Charlotte.

As per the report, the Mountain View, California-based company has already sent invitations to local media in the cities to attend events this week, details of which are still under wraps. While events in Atlanta and Nashville are scheduled for today, those in Raleigh and Charlotte are planned for tomorrow, and Durham the day after. Read more »