BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 is now rolling out to compatible devices

Tags: BlackBerry, Firmware update

Today BlackBerry has announced that the rollout of its latest OS release has commenced. BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 is in the process of making it to seven of the company's devices, namely the Q5, Q10, Z10, Z30, Z3, Porsche Design P'9983, as well as the Passport. The BlackBerry Classic isn't on that list because it already ships with BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 preinstalled.
So now this iteration of the OS is finally on its way to the rest of the Canadian company's recent portfolio of mobile devices.

The update brings with it quite a few new things, as well as the usual bug fixes and enhancements. The Amazon Appstore now comes preinstalled, alongside the BlackBerry World. Amazon's storefront has so far been confined to the Passport, but from now on it will be found on all BlackBerry 10 devices.
Moving on, the update has BlackBerry Blend inside. This is a feature that brings messaging and content that's on your BlackBerry to your computer or tablet, and effortlessly so.
BlackBerry Assistant is this company's entrant into the increasingly crowded virtual assistant space. It can take voice and text commands. The BlackBerry Hub has gained Instant Actions, a feature which lets you quickly organize your inbox without having to go into each message.
Keyboard shortcuts are back for the Q5, Q10, Porsche Design P'9983, and the Passport. Your Power Saving Profile can now be customized, allowing a battery life boost of up to 15%. The Camera has new functions, among them some automatic recommendations. You now get 17 preset equalizer options for media, and you can favorite songs, photos, or videos, so you can easily access them.
The Calendar's new Meeting Mode will automatically set your phone to quiet mode for the duration of a meeting, and will then turn notifications back on when the meeting is over. There's also a new weekly agenda view. Finally, BBM Meetings is built into the latest BlackBerry OS release, which should be good news for businesses.
When BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 is ready to be downloaded and installed on your phone, you'll get a notification in the BlackBerry Hub. Of course carriers could slow down the rollout, so if you bought your device from one of them then you may be in for a longer wait.

Goldgenie creates 24k gold iPhone 6 Year of the Goat edition

Tags: Apple, iOS, Goldgenie

Goldgenie is up to its usual gold-covered antics once more. The company that brought you the £2.3 million iPhone 6 is now back with a limited edition for the same Apple device. And the price in this case is much more bearable (though still out of reach for most).
Goldgenie apparently felt that the fact that according to the Chinese zodiac 2015 is the Year of the Goat deserved celebration. So it's created the iPhone 6 Elite Year of the Goat Limited Edition, which you can see in the images below (click to expand).

iPhone 6 Elite Year of the Goat Limited Edition
It can be yours for £2,637 if you go for the 64GB version, or £2,837 if you prefer to have 128GB of storage. You can choose between white and black for the front fascia.
So what do you get for that insane amount of money? 24k gold, of course, but also a laser engraved hand-painted Chinese symbol of the Goat from the Chinese zodiac. This can apparently bring you "a gentle peaceful energy into the year ahead", whatever that may mean.
The gold iPhone 6 will be delivered to you in the special "Luxury Cherry Oak Finish" box you can see in the rightmost image above.
This is a limited edition, so only 99 units will be made in each finish. The phones are sold SIM-free and unlocked, so you can use them anywhere you want. Oh, and you also get free worldwide shipping, for what it's worth.
As you may have expected, underneath all that gold this will still be the exact same iPhone 6 that Apple sells for much less money. If you go for the Year of the Goat Limited Edition though you're obviously not paying for innards, but for bling.

Jay Z Sued -- I'm Your Son, Just Admit It ... Says Wannabe Rapper

by Wochit 0:40 mins

According to legal docs, Jay Z had a love child 21 years ago and is now blocking the guy's efforts to prove he's the son of the rap mogul. The guy's name is Rymir Satterthwaite and he claims his mother hooked up with Jay back in the early '90s -- before he was world famous, and long before Beyonce was in the picture. Rymir and Lillie Coley -- who calls herself his legal guardian -- say in a civil suit ... Jay Z submitted fraudulent information to the court ... to intentionally torpedo Rymir's paternity claim.

Jay Z Sued -- I'm Your Son, Just Admit It ... Says Wannabe Rapper

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7 incredible narco tanks built by Mexican cartels

By Jeremy Bender 

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Courtesy of pickuptrucks.com As violence in Mexico raged with intense competition between rival drug cartels and the Mexican government, the cartels came up with a radical solution for improving their capabilities in the street. Through ingenious engineering, and by taking a page out of "Mad Max," cartels created so-called narco tanks.
These home-made armored vehicles, also known in Spanish as "monstruo" for their hulking size, reached peak popularity in 2011 as the Mexican military seized a garage from the Los Zetas that was being used to construct the vehicles. Four narco tanks were seized in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas in addition to an additional 23 trucks that were awaiting modification.
The Mexican military's subsequent crack-down on the creation of monstrous forced the practice to go underground. Narco tanks are still produced, but today's versions have their armored paneling on the inside so as to not draw unwanted attention from rival cartels and the military.
Below are some of the most impressive narco tanks from the vehicles heyday.
The behemoth versions of narco tanks were created from modified semitrucks.

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Screenshot/www.youtube.com Dump trucks were also modified into massive steel-plated monsters.

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YouTube A narco-tank seized in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2011. Even smaller narco tanks were armored almost completely with steel plates that could be upwards of 2 inches thick.

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Screenshot/www.youtube.com As part of further defensive measures, the tanks were usually equipped with double wheels.

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Screenshot/www.youtube.com Offensively, narco tanks had armored turrets and weapon bays on the side, out of which cartel members could point assault rifles.

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Screenshot/www.youtube.com Some vehicles were equipped with battering rams to plow through traffic and any potential roadblocks.

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Boko Haram has released a total of 158 women and children after holding them captive for three weeks.

The women and children were abducted by the insurgents from Katarko village, Yobe state.
They are now reunited with their families in Damaturu, the state capital, The Cable reports.
This was disclosed on Thursday, February 19, by the state commissioner for justice and chairman of the state committee on rehabilitation of victims of insurgency, Ahmed Goniri while addressing journalists in Damaturu.
According to him, the abductees were freed three weeks ago but were kept in the custody of security agencies so that they can undergo screening to ensure that they were indeed captives.

Nigerian army kills 11 suspected members of Boko Haram

Eleven suspected members of the Islamist group Boko Haram were killed Thursday by the army in Nigeria's western-central Niger state, officials said.
A local resident told dpa large numbers of heavily armed men had entered the town of Aza, beginning on Monday.
"Then there were increased cases of robbery along the road at night, “he added.
Israel Ebije, a spokesman for the state governor, said four of the suspects were captured and were being questioned to determine whether they belonged to Boko Haram.

No PVC, No Communion, Rev. Ukpai Tells Congregation

No PVC, No Communion, Rev. Ukpai Tells Congregation

AGENCY REPORTS

Rev. Uma Ukpai of Victory Cathedral Fellowship Center, Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Thursday announced that the church would stop communion for members who had not collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Ukpai made the announcement during a church service in Uyo and said that it was unpatriotic for any Nigerian eligible voter not to participate in the electoral process.
He called on Nigerians to use the opportunity provided by the rescheduling of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collect their PVCs to enable them chose their leaders through the polls.
He said, “The 2015 general election is too important for a Nigerian of voting age not to participate in electing their political leaders for the next four years.
‘’If you are a true member of this fellowship and you have not collected your PVC, know that you will not partake in our communion service.
‘’We must take this election serious because we must rise up and protect our future.”
The clergyman urged politicians to eschew violence during electioneering. (NAN)