Yahoo has today outed a new version of the Flickr for iPhone app, which allows users to preview how each filter will look within their shooting environment before they take the photo.

The updated app introduces the live filter previews feature, once popular with Instagram users before the Facebook-owned company canned it in an update last year.

Beyond that, the major update also gives snappers the opportunity to express their creativity beyond the range of stock filters, with additional effects like vignettes, bursts and focus shifts.

iPhone photographers can now also access a pretty varied array of editing tools allowing for crops, tilts, rotation and flips, while also adjusting colour levels, brightness, sharpness, white balance and more.

iOS 7-inspired

All in all, the new app is a pretty comprehensive shooting and editing package, completely free of charge. It also arrives as one of the fist major apps to boast a new, iOS 7-inspired design and user interface.

The new features make it possible for more advanced photographers to fine tune their snaps, while 'point-shoot-filter' iPhone wielders won't find the depth of options too obtrusive.

So far the updates are only for Flickr's iPhone app and as yet there's no word on when the Android app will catch up, but it's unlikely to be too long.

The company has launched a big redesign to its website and given all users 1TB of free space earlier this year, so this latest iOS app update is a sure sign the company has its sights set on the top again.

Can the former king of photography on the web regain its throne under the stewardship of Melissa Mayer's refocussed Yahoo? Give the app a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source : techradar[dot]com

One of the more familiar faces at Google is leaving the company to join a Chinese phone maker.

Hugo Barra, vice president, Android Product Management at Google, is taking off to become Vice President at Xiaomi Global. Barra has become a fixture at Mountain View events, such as IO, and product unveilings, including introducing the new Nexus 7 and Android 4.3 last month.

"After nearly five and a half years at Google and almost three years as a member of the Android team...I have decided to start a new career chapter," Barra wrote on his Google+.

"In a few weeks, I'll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally...I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem."

Bye bye Barra

Google confirmed Barra's departure to AllThingsD before he took to Google+, with a company rep stating, "We'll miss him at Google and we're excited that he is staying within the Android ecosystem."

Google's attitude seems to be: Best of luck Barra, and thanks for staying in the family.

Barra is the most recent high-level Android exec to put in notice. Earlier this year, Andy Rubin, head of Android and developer of the system, stepped down to start "a new chapter" at Google.

As ATD postulated, Barra's exit so soon after Rubin could cause shakiness at Team Android. There's no word yet on a Barra replacement or how his responsibilities will be handled.

• BlackBerry is another company in flux, but it appears a new phone, the Z30, is in the offing.

Source : techradar[dot]com

The UK saw its first, belated, 4G network appear for use late last year thanks to EE, which managed to wangle approval from regulator Ofcom to launch an LTE service before the other main providers.

But soon, the likes of Three, Vodafone and O2 will also be ready to let us connect to new, high-speed 4G networks of their own, or, to put it another way, your mobile may soon give you quicker uploads, downloads and ping responses than your home broadband thanks to these new mobile networks.

The downside is that you're probably going to need a new phone to use this super-super-fast data connection, as many older mobiles don't have the necessary radios inside them to hook into the frequencies used by 4G systems.

Luckily for you, though, the mobile networks are falling over themselves to stock new 4G-ready phones and updated versions of popular current models, with some of the best handsets from the top makers supporting our new LTE bands.

And we've done the hard work for you, so sit back, relax and check out the best 4G phones compared.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4 review

This year's Galaxy S series update was not without controversy. Its launch event was a bizarre music hall experience that some said was rather sexist, the phone's full of so much bloatware and additional Samsung software it's been complained about on TV, but none of these whinges have stopped the Galaxy S4 shipping in record numbers and making it the most popular Android phone around today.

The only model sold in the UK comes with a 4G-friendly radio inside it, so once you've got it, you've got the 4G power -- if your SIM and network allows it.

Huawei Ascend P1 LTE

Huawei Ascend P1 review

The massive Android budget phone scene hasn't yet embraced LTE, so unless you're prepared to pay big money there's not a huge amount of choice when it comes to 4G models as yet.

One of the most affordable 4G-ready Android models is the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE, an updated version of 2012's excellent Ascend P1. It features a 4.3-inch display running at 960 x 540 resolution, backed by an 8MP camera and 1.3MP front-facing chat cam.

It's an impressive performer, with Huawei only slightly meddling with Google's code. Only available on EE, from £31 a month.

iPhone 5

iPhone 5 review

If you want the amazingly popular iPhone 5 with the coveted 4G logo on it right now, the only way to get it is go to EE.

Due to the frequencies used by EE to provide its 4G network in the UK, the version of the phone it's selling won't work on the forthcoming LTE services from Vodafone and the rest, so if you buy it through EE you'd better be prepared to stick with the network for the duration of your contract.

As for the phone itself, the iPhone 5 isn't an enormous update over the previous models, but Apple doesn't need to change things to appeal to its eager fans. It's still the mobile phenomenon it always has been.

BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry Z10 review

If you want something a little more avant garde, BlackBerry's new Z10 is also an early member of the UK's 4G phone club.

The first phone to run the company's new BB10 mobile OS, the Z10's software is a little quirky in places, but the powerful, feature-packed web browser and 4G connectivity makes it a decent contender for those after something fast and a little different.

Plus, with a relatively modest 4.2-inch display, it's one of the more pocketable modern smartphones and less of a slab than other big name models. Don't ignore it just because it's BlackBerry.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review

If you want the biggest AND fastest phone around, Samsung's high-end phone/tablet hybrid is the way to go. EE's offering the Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE on a range of contracts, while Vodafone's also selling the 4G-ready device on monthly contracts right now, which you'll be able to upgrade to an LTE speed connection later this year when Vodafone finally launches its 4G service.

The phone's a stunner, combining a 5.5-inch HD display with a quad-core processor running at 1.5GHz. And the S Pen stylus. And loads of Samsung software tools to play with. It's a portable activity centre for tech enthusiasts.

HTC One

HTC One review

This is HTC's best phone yet, and that's saying something. The HTC One is 4G-ready from the offset, so can be bought on any of the networks -- although only EE will let you use a 4G connection right now.

The HTC One earned rave reviews for its metallic chassis, superb low-light camera performance and the general smoothness of HTC's updated user interface, with the new HTC Sense social features also going down a storm. This phone and a 4G data connection would make most people very, very jealous indeed.

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

Samsung Galaxy S3 review

Samsung's 2012 flagship model has also been refreshed to feature 4G capabilities in the UK, with network EE offering last year's top-spec Android models on a range of 4G contracts -- starting at a very decent £36 a month.

For that you get a phone that's still extremely competitive, offering a quad-core processor, 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 display and a very capable 8MP camera, with the LTE version able to hit the theoretical 3G maximum download speed of 42Mbps and maxing out at a hard-to-comprehend (and unlikely to actually hit in the real world) 100Mbps on a clear 4G link.

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia Z review

Sony's current highest-end Android model is the Xperia Z, which stuffs a lovely 5-inch display into a slim chassis, into which it's also somehow managed to include a quad-core chipset, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera.

It's one of the most impressive Android models around today, and is also ready for your next-gen mobile data connection thanks to featuring the required miniature internal coat hanger needed to pick up an LTE radio signal.

It operates on all known 4G bands, so you'll be free to switch providers and juggle SIMs at will once all the networks have their 4G service up and running.

Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 920 review

Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 model has been doing some good work in convincing people to give Microsoft's mobile OS a fair go, with its nicely sized 4.5-inch 760 x 1280 display a good option for those not yet ready to accept something up nearer the 5-inch range.

The Lumia 920 also features dual cameras (8.7MP and 1.3MP), a whopping great 32GB of onboard storage space for your photos and media, plus support for all of the key UK 4G bands is in for future-proofed connectivity.

It's been beaten now by the Nokia Lumia 925 - so we'll be updating this list as and when we get to compare the two.

BlackBerry Q10

BlackBerry Q10 review

If you want traditional QWERTY BlackBerry hardware to accompany your futuristic 4G data speeds, there's only one choice -- the new Q10.

The phone looks like your usual old BB with its chunky keyboard and landscape display above, but comes with the updated BB10 OS for adding a bit more style to proceedings.

The phone also includes NFC support, for transferring mobile data rather more slowly over distances of a couple of centimetres, should that ever really become a thing people want to do.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Skype's users like it a lot, and when the Microsoft deal was announced in 2011 they had three key concerns.

One, that Microsoft would cut off support for non-Microsoft platforms; two, that Microsoft would shove it into every conceivable Microsoft product whether it fit or not; and three, that Microsoft would find some way to screw it up.

They needn't have worried. Rather than absorb Skype into its Borg-like embrace, Microsoft decided to keep Skype as a separate division - and that perhaps prevented Skype from doubling down on Windows to the exclusion of all other platforms.

In addition to Windows platforms there are clients for Macs and Linux, iOS, Android and BlackBerry, compatible home entertainment devices and phones and even the PlayStation Vita. Windows does appear to get the most attention, but other platforms are still being actively supported: the Mac client was updated in March and the Linux one in November, with the iOS app getting an update this month.

• Skype turns 10: how the video star changed communication forever

Skype's user numbers have grown from 170 million at the time of the acquisition to 300 million earlier this year. Windows Live Messenger, which Skype was bought to replace, had dropped from a peak of 300 million to around 100 million in 2011.

Did Microsoft pay too much?

Skype's users spend 2 billion minutes per day on the service, and according to research from market analysts TeleGeography, Skype usage is equivalent to one-third of all the world's telephone traffic. That research was prior to Skype's replacement of Windows Live Messenger earlier this year, so those numbers should be considerably higher now.

As for shoving it into Microsoft's own products, Skype was acquired to replace the aged and ailing Windows Live Messenger, and it's largely gone where you would expect: it connects with the Microsoft Lync enterprise messaging platform, is available in Outlook.com, is installed by default in Windows 8.1 and takes advantage of the Xbox One's Kinect camera - although you won't be able to Skype on the Xbox One unless you pay for an Xbox Live Gold account.

The big question is whether Microsoft overpaid, and the answer is simple: of course it did. $8.5 billion - 32 times Skype's operating profit - was much, much more than Skype was worth, with Steve Ballmer betting that Skype's long-term growth would justify paying what most analysts agreed was four times Skype's value. The numbers are improving - the Skype division's revenues (not profits) are up to $2 billion compared to Skype's $800 million in 2011, although the newer numbers also include Lync - but it'll be a while before Microsoft gets its money back.

However, the acquisition wasn't just about monetising Skype's users. Buying Skype was also a defensive move, designed to fend off competition from Google and Cisco in the enterprise markets, and to give Microsoft a key player in the mobile Voice over IP market - a market that's still very much in its infancy, and one where Microsoft has been taking baby steps.

The long term vision is for Microsoft to be the hub of your voice and video communications, no matter what device you happen to be using, and Skype is a crucial part of that.

What's next for Skype?

There may be a cloud on the horizon, however. In July, Steve Ballmer announced a major reorganisation: "we are rallying behind a single strategy as one company - not a collection of divisional strategies," he wrote.

Skype will become part of a new Applications Group alongside Office and Bing, and Skype president Tony Bates is off to take charge of developer relationships and evangelism. If Skype owes its current success to its arms-length relationship with Microsoft, then the One Microsoft policy could prove to be its undoing.

• Now read Skype turns 10: how the video star changed communication forever

Source : techradar[dot]com

IFA 2013 is less than a week away, so it's no surprise that talk of the now-confirmed Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch is heating up.

A new report from AmongTech, quoting sources at the Samsung Warehouse in Texas, brings us a load of new specs we might be seeing in a few days.

To start off, the 2.5-inch OLED display we'd heard about is reiterated here, apparently with a 320x320 resolution.

The watch will reportedly pack 10 hours of battery life, a dual core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.

Android Jelly Bean is said to be on board, although the exact version is not specified and we'd imagine it'll be fairly stripped-back, while an accelerometer and Bluetooth 4.0 are also set to feature.

One big thing that differs on these specs is the camera, which is now said to be 4 megapixels and capable of 720p capture - much better than the 2MP affair we've been hearing about.

Lee Young-hee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, recently confirmed that Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Gear on September 4 at its Unpacked event in Berlin.

Note the date

We're also hearing that Samsung may be releasing the Galaxy Note 3 in Taiwan on September 27, three weeks after the big reveal.

This isn't hugely surprising as Samsung tends to release its devices soon after their announcement. Pre-orders are supposedly set to begin on September 16.

Young-hee also confirmed that we'll see the Note 3 on September 4. The device will touch down with a 5.9-inch OLED display, as revealed by Samsung's head of mobile, J.K. Shin.

• Everything we already know about the Samsung Galaxy Gear

Source : techradar[dot]com

Experiencing some weird iOS 7 behaviour today? You're not alone - a number of users of the iOS 7 beta are reporting that their phones have bricked completely, forcing them to step back to iOS 6.

Apple is currently refusing to say what's happening outright, but it seems to be a case of cracking down on non-developers who have installed iOS 7 via a developer friend's account.

A lot of people reporting the problem had beta 3 installed at the time and others with later versions don't seem to be experiencing the same problem, so it could just be the third iteration that's programmed to lock phones down.

Beta woes

However some developers have also come across the same outage. If you're a developer, you can fix the problem by logging onto your devaccount and upgrading to the iOS 7 beta 6.

The full version of iOS 7 is expected to live alongside the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C on September 10.

Experiencing iOS 7 woes yourself? Let us know by sounding off in the comments below. We'll let you know as soon as we hear more.

• Everything you need to know about iOS 7

Source : techradar[dot]com

It's the day we've all been waiting for - August 29. The day O2 and Vodafone launch their 4G services in the UK to finally give some form of competition to EE, which has been going it alone since October last year.

It's not all good news though, as O2 is initially launching its LTE service in just three cities to start with - London, Leeds and Bradford - while Vodafone is being even more conservative by starting its service off in the capital only.

Both Vodafone and O2 have committed to bringing their 4G service to a total of 13 cities each before the year is out, but they are still going to be some way off EE which hit the 100 cities and towns milestone - and thus 60% population coverage - yesterday.

• Find out who has the best 4G offering in the UK

More speed, more money

As with EE anyone looking to jump onto O2's or Vodafone's 4G networks will have to stomach the premium cost the networks are attaching to the service, which claims to offer speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G.

Of course we're still waiting for one more network to join the 4G brigade, and Three confirmed that it would be arriving even later to the party with its service launching in December this year.

Crucially however, Three won't be charging customers any extra for 4G which could well give it an advantage over the trio already peddling it.

If you're not lucky enough to be in one of the cities currently benefiting from 4G then just hold tight, as all four networks will continue to roll out the super fast network to more regions next year, with 98% of the country covered by the end of 2015 - although EE reckons it'll have this done by the end of 2014.

• Fancy a bit of 4G action? Here are our best 4G phones 2013

Source : techradar[dot]com