Samsung has outed an official teaser of it’s upcoming Galaxy phone, most probably the S-III.

Whilst you may desire the convenience of a Facebook program for chatting, it’s not always desirable to install a software application on your computer. Particularly, when using older computers, installing additional software is likely to slow them down. Indeed, having an application that you rarely use installed on your computer running at start up may cause more grief than solution.

Alternatively, you could for example, find yourself at an internet cafe or be on a work computer where you are unable to install software applications.

Enter Athena IT Limited. Makers of Facebook chatting programs for Windows, Blackberry and iPhone, their latest manifestation of Facebook chat software is Chit Chat for Facebook (web).

Chit Chat for Facebook (web) is a portable Facebook chat program for your web-browser. Compatible with Safari, Opera, Firefox and Chrome – as well as a variety of other web-browsers. Chit Chat for Facebook can now be used on your Linux, Mac or Tablet computer – in addition to Windows – with this web based solution.

You will probably be aware that Facebook already allows Facebook chat instant messaging through Facebook.com. In fact, recently, Facebook integrated it’s Facebook chat and Facebook messaging system such that they are now the same – a message sent via Facebook chat can be received using Facebook messages and vice versa. As such, in order for Chit Chat (web) to be useful it needs to offer benefits over and above Facebook.com.

Why Use Chit Chat (Web) Over Facebook.com For Facebook Chat?

In short, Chit Chat provides a plethora of benefits over Facebook.com when using it for your Facebook messaging.

For example:

• Attractive Interface - Chit Chat provides a much more stylish interface with which you can engage in Facebook chatting, handy if you spend a long time instant messaging.
• Insert Emoticons – At a click of a button, you can select the emoticon(s) that you wish to insert into your online Facebook chat messages. No need to remember (or lookup) Facebook’s emoticon short codes!
• Text Formatting – Format your instant messages like you would in Microsoft Word, or your email. Select text to make it bold or italic.
• Speech Bubble Messaging – Your instant messages are easier to read with Chit Chat with the use of speech bubbles.
• Searchable Buddy List – Find your friends quickly and easily in the buddy list by searching for their names.
• Contacts Grouped – Your friends are automatically grouped by user groups.
• Status Alerts - Lets you know when your friends login or out, as well as when you’ve received messages from your Facebook buddies.

Check out the Chit Chat Facebook web messenger now.  I’m sure you’ll agree with me, it’s pretty darn good.

The  MoneySupermarket.com car insurance comparison app is finally here and while it is not available in the US for the time being, it is worth checking to see whether its merits will eventually be beneficial to the American market.

The app itself is available for iOS and Android devices, which include the iPhone, iPad and an array of Google-powered smartphones and tablets.

It will cost you nothing to download and will also be free to use, provided you either have a data plan built into your mobile tariff or access to a Wi-Fi hotspot for comparison purposes.

Those in the UK can save an average of £374.93 by using MoneySupermarket’s car insurance price comparison tools. The app gives full access to quotes from more than 100 different companies so that the best possible price rises to the surface.

Any app, no matter how useful it might potentially be, will live or die by the accessibility of its interface.

Thankfully, the MoneySupermarket app is well designed on any platform and has been specifically adapted to suit the style of interface typically found on Android and iOS smartphones.

First time users will be required to create an account via the application, which takes a few minutes and will require a decent dose of personal information to make sure that quotes are accurate.

However, once this registration has been completed once, there is no need to repeat the process as the app stores your data so that it can be used again and again to compare prices without the form filling.

If you have the app installed on a compatible smartphone, it will be able to give you a direct line of contact to the various insurance companies once the quotes have been sourced using MoneySupermarket’s powerful comparison engine.

This will let you quickly tap on quotes that suit your budget and cover requirements, subsequently giving you the option to call the insurer and discuss the opportunities that they are offering.

Each of the quotes listed will also note whether or not the deal includes bonus features like free windscreen cover and the option to drive a courtesy car while yours is being repaired.

This comprehensive yet entirely uncomplicated approach to app-based price comparison is certain to catch on amongst those who are tired of paying over the odds for their annual cover in the UK.

MoneySupermarket is apparently in the process of not only porting the app to other mobile platforms, but also introducing similar features to customers who live in the US and further afield.

Hopefully the success of the app in the UK will encourage it to speed up the transatlantic translation process and put the app on the Android Market and App Store stateside as soon as possible.

The Prada III, being LG and Prada’s latest offering is their first attempt at an Android device. The device has a 4.3-inch NOVA Plus display, a dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera.  The Prada Phone 3.0 runs Android 2.3.7, with LG faithfully promising a jump to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future.  The WVGA (800 x 480) resolution display is a bit disappointing.

The device will set you back by £500 ($787).

Read the full review.

How about keeping the boring data and spreadsheet combination aside and doing something fun? I say let’s make a dice, cool? Don’t believe me? Check out this file. Keep pressing the F9 key once you’ve opened it. Magic!

Well it’s no magic, it’s fairly simple and is pure logic. I’m assuming you have some basic knowledge about Microsoft Excel and even if you don’t, no worries, I’ll teach you everything you need to know.

1. A die is a 3X3 square. Let’s begin by selecting cells C1 to I3. Cells C1 to E3 are for die 1, in between we leave a column and again cells G1 to I3 are for the second die. Next click on Format under the Home tab and select Row Height and enter 40. Again go to the Format option and click on Column Width and enter 8.

2. Now whilst the cells are still selected, choose ‘Wingdings’ as the font and set the font size to 28 and set the alignment to ‘Center’.

3. Once you’re done with the above steps, select cells D1 to E3 and choose any Fill Colour you desire. Do the same for cells G1 to I3.

4. To randomize the numbers of the dice, we’ll be using a function called RANDBETWEEN. The RANDBETWEEN function enables you to present random integers in a cell by pressing the F9 key. Select cell D5 and go to Formulas tab > Math & Trig and click on RANDBETWEEN. A box will pop up asking you to feed the values. Put ’1′ as the Bottom value and ’6″ as the Top value.
Select cell H5 and again use the RANDBETWEEN function and enter the same values as above.

5. Now comes the main part – using the IF function. Basically the IF function allows you to specify a condition. If the condition is true, a certain thing will happen and if false then something else will happen. For example, IF the random value in cell D5 is 3, then 3 dots will be shown on the die and if it’s 4, then 4 dots will be shown. Simple!

In cell C1 enter the following:
=IF(AND(D5>=2, D5<=6), “l”, ” “)

Now let me explain it to you how it works. The above IF condition states that if the value of the cell D5 (the random value cell) is greater than 2 but less than 6, then the outcome will be “l”, and if false, then it should be blank.
You must be wondering why the “l”? Well in the ‘Wingdings’ font the letter ‘l’ (lower case) is a dot. OMG that’s what we need, right?

In cells C2 and E2 enter the following:
=IF(D5=6,”l”, ” “)

Let’s fill up the last cell now, ie. D2:
=IF(OR(D5=1, D5=3, D5=5), “l”, ” “)

That’s it! Keep pressing the F9 key and you’ll get to know what a wonderful thing you’ve made.

As for the other die, you have to put the same formulae in the corresponding cells, the only change being ‘D5‘ replaced by ‘H5‘ in each formula.

I hope you like this stuff. It’s cool, isn’t it?

Tech Junky is holding a contest to reward our loyal readers with a very special prize.

Binverse, an all-in-one premium Usenet provider, has given us 2 free accounts to giveaway on our site.

These are special block accounts not normally offered. They come with 50 GB of high speed downloads and no expiration date.  So you have as long as you need to download the 50 GB.

So What is Usenet?

• Usenet was started in 1979 as a text based communication network. It was where the world first went to discuss topics online.  People posted topics and discussions in themed groups called newsgroups.
• It predates the World Wide Web and was the place where the Web was first announced to the public.
• Usenet today is a collection of massive amounts of stored data. You can discover and download virtually anything you want.
• Premium access to Usenet is now only offered by a handful of providers.

Features of Binverse:

• Speed – Binverse Usenet access offers uncapped speeds. This means you can download files as fast as your internet connection will allow. Usenet is stored on a farm of commercial grade servers. Binverse provides its users a direct connection to these servers. No wasting precious bandwidth with other users.

• Security – Binverse offers a 256-bit SSL encrypted connection. This is the same security offered by online banking. Binverse respects your privacy. These levels of security insure ultimate privacy when accessing Usenet.

• Search and Preview – Unlike many other Usenet providers, Binverse offers an all-in-one solution to Usenet. To download from Usenet a newsreader, search engine, and Usenet access are all required. Binverse has combined all these functions into an easy to use platform where you can quickly search and download anything. With Binverse you can also preview audio and video files before downloading them to insure their quality.

• Newsgroup Free Trial – In case you are not one of the lucky winners. Binverse offers a 3 day free trial with complete, unfiltered access to all the newsgroups. While it is just a preview of what is out there, it is still a great way to experience what Usenet has to offer.

So How Do I Win a Free Account?
It’s Easy. Like Tech Junky on FaceBook from the sidebar and simply leave a comment below telling us how badly you want a free Usenet account and you will be entered into a random drawing. We will choose the winners at a later date. Check back here for contest updates.

Read more about the ReFS on the Windows 8 Blog.

The Galaxy Ace Plus is the follow up to the highly popular lower end Android phone that was launched by Samsung last year. The Galaxy Ace was the more affordable cousin to the Galaxy S2, but at the time of its launch it was claimed by Apple that the phone had copied design elements from the iPhone 4. It is in fact one of the main devices that Apple has a particular beef with, although the Galaxy S / S2 and Galaxy Tab have been gaining more attention in the press.

The curious thing about this latest accusation is that, while the original Galaxy Ace was accused of copying 2010′s iPhone 4, the new Galaxy Ace Plus is accused of copying the iPhone 3G launched in 2008. If Samsung truly has just looked to the iPhone 3G for ‘inspiration’ this would surely be a bit of a step backwards.

Looking at images of the Galaxy Ace Plus next to the iPhone 3G, it is easy to see a resemblance. But it is also easy to see a resemblance compared to other Samsung smartphones launched in recent years. The Ace Plus may not look much like the original Ace but it does have a lot of similarities with the original Galaxy S. Considering that the latter was one of the phones Apple had taken issue with, it is no surprise that they also can’t stomach this latest phone.

While it does have similarities with the older iPhone model the truth is that there are only so many ways that you can make a touchscreen phone. The rectangular shape is essential and many other features that Samsung are accused of copying, such as a central home button and icons arranged in a grid, predate the iPhone by many years.

Unless Samsung starts producing pink, triangular smartphones with their home buttons placed haphazardly in one corner they are constantly going to receive accusations of copying from Apple.

Although the Galaxy Ace Plus does look like the iPhone 3G, it outperforms it in most areas. It has superior 3G and Wi-Fi connections, including support for DLNA, and a much better 5 megapixel camera in use. The Android Gingerbread operating system is also miles ahead of the OS used on the iPhone 3G, and even with a software update the iPhone 3G does not really perform as well as the next generation iPhone 4 and 4S models.

The thing is that while people are comparing the Galaxy Ace Plus to the iPhone they may neglect to compare it to the original Galaxy Ace. Aside from a marginally larger screen and newer version of Android, the phone does not offer a great deal more than the original, with the lion’s share of changes being made to physical appearance only. If you are looking for a budget Android phone or a cheap mobile phone deal, it may be worth considering – but if you already own the original Ace there may not be much need to make an upgrade to this newer model.

On a plus side, Samsung has a habit of producing “Plus” models before it launches sequels, meaning that a Galaxy Ace 2 may be in the works. It will be more likely that such a model (if it exists) would feature the improved features that this Plus model lacks.

Wishing all the Tech Junky readers a very happy new year. I hope the year 2012 brings us all happiness, prosperity and wealth. Have fun, enjoy and keep reading Tech Junky!