Friday, 7 March 2014

Nokia X Android smartphone India launch slated for March 10; price Rs 8,500



Nokia’s Android smartphone, the Nokia X will be available in India on 15 March and is priced at Rs 8,500. The smartphone is already listed online on The Mobile Store’s website . Currently the date and the price of the smartphone have been removed from the online site. The listing was first spotted by Maktechblog.com, which showed the date as 15 March and the price as Rs 8,500. While the phone will officially be available from 15 March, Nokia is hosting a media event to launch the device on 10 March where it will officially announce all the prices. 


Nokia had announced three Android smartphones as part of the X series at the Mobile World Congress last month. The devices will be known as the X, X+ and XL and Nokia had said at the time of the launch that the smartphones would be available ‘very soon’ in India. Nokia also said that the Nokia X would start retailing for 89 euros (approx Rs 7,600), the X+ for 99 euros (approx Rs 8,400) and would hit stores in Q2 this year. 


Nokia X and X+ have four-inch screens, while the Nokia XL has a 5-inch phone. The Nokia X and X+ feature 4-inch displays with a 800×480 pixel resolution. Nokia did not announce the chipsets on stage, but both phones have a Snapdragon S4 SoC with a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz. 


There’s 512MB of RAM on the Nokia X, while the X+ gets 768MB of RAM. Both have 4GB internal storage and the ability to take in micro SD cards up to 32GB in capacity. 


The camera however, is a disappointing 3-megapixel on the rear and there’s no front-facing camera. Both phones have a 1500 mAh battery, rated for around 13 hours of talk time on 2G and 17 days standby time. In terms of connectivity, the X and X+ have dual SIM slots, 3G cellular data, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.   The Nokia X is available in its Black, Green, Cyan, Yellow, Red, and White colour variants.

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Finally! You Can Now Hide 'Last Seen' on Whatsapp Messenger

It has been the bane of many and a universally cursed feature. The whatsapp 'last seen' option has been one of the most detested features. And despite many wishes, whatsapp did not do away with the feature. But looks like there's something good that will come of the Whatsapp-Facebook deal.

There have been many ways and tricks often employed to do away with the feature and everything from changing the phone time to setting the phone on Airplane mode/switching off the mobile net before every ping has been employed. But looks like the task will just get a lot more easy.

iOS users have been luckier than their Android counterparts as they had the option of hiding their last seen updates on the app. And finally, Whatsapp is all set to roll out the feature across platforms.

The feature is still in beta stage though it can already be downloaded and activated on Android devices. Whatsapp plans to roll out the upgrade soon toall Android devices. However, presently the feature is only available to devices running Android Jelly Bean version 2.1 and above. And it does not work on tablets.

The 'last seen' option can be disabled from your Whatsapp settings. Once you have the upgraded the app, you just need to go to your Settings in Whatsapp. Under Account Settings you will now see the option to hide your timestamp. You can choose to hide your ‘Last Seen’ only from a select few in your friend-list, from all or from no one. However, you choosing to hide your ‘Last seen’ means you will not be able to chck their time-stamps too!Apart from the ‘last seen’ option, Whatsapp is also working on letting users hide their profile pics and status from a select friends or from all. The privacy settings will soon be completely ramped up and the update rolled out.

If you cannot wait till the official roll-out, you can head directly to the Whatsapp site and download the official APK file. You first need to download the file to your computer and then transfer to your SD card. Take care that your 'Installation of Apps (APKs)' option from Unknown Sources is turned on in Settings. Once you have downloaded the file, go to your file manager and search for the APK file. Tap the file to begin installation. Your Whatsapp will be updated.

There’s no need to fear about the security as it is an official update provided by Whatsapp. There might be a few initial bugs but once the official update rolls out, the glitches will be ironed out.

Whatsapp faced their longest ever outage in years this Saturday and the social media sites were awash with jokes regarding the messenger. While Mark Zuckerberg probably became the most hated person on earth for the period of the outage, Whatsapp apologies using Twitter. Looks like Priscilla Chan will now have to hunt for new ways to keep tabs on her hubby dearest, eh?
 

Hands-on with Nokia Mobile In Android X and XL devices

If Android is the gateway to a Windows Phone, Nokia has made sure to keep the Android experience on its new X devices one that makes Windows Phone shine.


Announced today, Nokia's new line of Android-based handsets — the Nokia X, X+ and XL — are destined for the sub-$200 smartphone market, and at that price consumers can't be too dissatisfied with the low-end specs they come with: don't expect a top end camera or loads of memory, but there's a Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor under the hood.

Thursday, 20 February 2014

Hike messenger reaches 15 million users mark globally





Hike messenger, India's very own free messaging app from BSB, has crossed the 15 Million user milestone, tripling its user base within just 9 months. hike is one of the fastest growing mobile applications to be born out of India.

Commenting on the feat, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Creator, Hike messenger, said, “We're super proud to announce our first 15 million. We are seeing great traction for hike amongst the youth and what's amazing is that over 80% of our user base is under 25. Despite the proliferation of instant messaging apps in India, hike is growing faster than ever. We’ve observed that the youth, today, want to move away from mass platforms to a place where they can express more, within a closer set of friends. Hike is that destination".

To cater to the youth market, hike offers a unique feature - Last Seen Privacy where one can choose to share their ‘Last Seen’ and ‘Status Updates’ with a chosen set of friends, while continuing to message others and even those that don’t have a smartphone or data connection.

The app also makes messaging a whole lot more expressive by adding localized sticker packs such as ‘Things Indians Say’ and a playful Bollywood pack. Hike Offline is another India-centric feature that lets users send free messages to their friends who’re offline. With a number of users in India hopping in and out of wi-fi and data networks; this feature is a boon to keep messaging seamless.

Speaking of the future plans, Kavin adds, “We're completely focused on the youth and we've got some really cool and innovative ideas we're working on in the pipeline for that segment”.

Why Facebook is buying WhatsApp for a whopping $19bn






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 on 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.
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 which 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."
The purchase includes $12 billion in Facebook shares and $4 billion 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.
Facebook reportedly sought to acquire another hot messaging firm, Snapchat, for $3 billion last year. In 2012 Facebook closed its deal for Instagram, worth some $1 billion at the time based on stock value.
'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."
In a blog post, Koum added: "Almost five years ago we started WhatsApp with a simple mission: building a cool product used globally by everybody. Nothing else mattered to us."
The tie-up gives WhatsApp "the flexibility to grow and expand," Koum said.
Zuckerberg and Koum, who both took part in the conference call, did not discuss details about WhatsApp revenue, saying the focus for the foreseeable future would be on growth, not making money.
WhatsApp software is available free, but after a year, users are asked to pay annual subscriptions of 99 cents each.
Bubble fears
The acquisition represents likely the biggest-ever price for a tech startup, trumping the $8.5 billion paid for Skype -- which allows users to make voice and video calls over the Internet -- byMicrosoft in 2011.
"The size of this deal is really massive and it will get people talking about a bubble," Greg Sterling at Opus Research told AFP.
Sterling said the deal is a risk for Facebook because "in social media you have a flavor of the month, and next year we might have another app with extremely rapid growth."
"I think (the high price tag) comes from the frustration of not being able to buy Snapchat, and then there is the youth factor," Sterling added.
"Facebook really needs to have vehicles to attract younger users, and Instagram is not going to do that by itself."
With this strategy, Sterling said Facebook "is becoming a kind of holding company for different social media properties that appeal to different groups."
Sterling said Facebook may have some ability to "monetize" WhatsApp by delivering ads over the messaging service.
Roger Kay at Endpoint Technologies said WhatsApp has become one of the most popular mobile applications worldwide "because it allows you to message anybody anywhere for free."
Kay said the deal makes sense on one level because of Facebook's record stock run-up.
"When you have a stock like that which has run up quickly and created a lot of paper value, it's good to trade that for other value," he told AFP.
"It's not obvious how they can get $12 billion out of this but it's been clear for a while that WhatsApp is very interesting. It reminds me a little bit of Skype."

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Google to put new Android versions in all upcoming phones

One of the big problems for Android is fragmentation, with some low-end smartphones hitting the market with the five-generation-old Android 4.0 installed. Apple has harped on this point quite a few times, the latest while unveiling the new iPads in October last year.

But things may be about to change, according to a new Google memo sent to a smartphone manufacturer. As per the memo leaked by technology website Mobile Bloom, the internet search titan will stop approving manufacturers' requests for Google Mobile Services (GMS) for older Android versions nine months after a new iteration of the platform is introduced.

Google Mobile Services include popular products like Gmail, Hangouts, Maps, Chrome, Now, Plus etc. Though a few manufacturers like Amazon do not use these services in their devices, most of the popular companies (Samsung, LG, HTC etc) put them in their products.

This practice will come into effect from February 2014, meaning that new smartphones will come preloaded with at least Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), which was rolled out in July 2013.

The memo states, "Starting February 2014, Google will no longer approve GMS distribution on new Android products that ship older platform releases. Each platform release will have a 'GMS approval window' that typically closes nine months after the next Android platform release is publicly available. (In other words, we all have nine months to get new products on the latest platform after its public release.) The policy could only mean good things, especially for the smartphone user."

This policy would put a stop to manufacturers pushing low-end smartphones with older Android versions in the market just because of the high hardware requirements of newer operating systems.

The latest version of Android, named KitKat, has been optimized by Google to ensure devices with low configuration (mainly 512MB RAM) run smoothly.

According to data by Google, all three versions of Android Jelly Bean combined (4.1, 4.2 and 4.3) currently power 60.7% of all devices running on the OS. Gingerbread, launched in December 2010, has the second biggest share at 20%. Third comes Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with 16.1%, while KitKat is on just 1.8% of the devices. The May 2010 version of Google's operating system, Android 2.2 (Froyo), still powers 1.3% of the devices currently in use.

A software to track how far emails have 'travelled'


LONDON: A new system that uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to calculate the number of miles an email has 'travelled' before reaching an inbox has been developed. 

The system known as Email Miles, uses GPS and internet tracking to determine where a message was sent and where it was received.  

It then calculates the total distance between the two and displays it on the screen alongside a map.

Inventor Jonah Brucker-Cohen, a design lecturer, said he hoped that it would remind people how quickly they can communicate in a digital world, The Times reported.  

The system also shows how indirect the route of many emails can be.

An email sent from New York to Dakar, in Senegal demonstrates how the system works. It first travelled 790 miles (1,271 km) to a server in Chicago, Illinois, and then went 2,163 miles (3,481 km) to Mountain View, California; 1,699 miles (2,734 km) to Dallas, Texas; 4,745 miles (7,636 km) to London; and finally 2,718 miles (4,374 km) to its destination -- some 12,115 miles (19,497 km) in all.  

Brucker-Cohen said the system does all of its time and distance calculations using the internet and a coordinate mapping system.  

"When all of the mileage amounts are tallied, it adds them all and provides the user with a map, the countries, continents and miles the email travelled," Brucker-Cohen said.


Monday, 17 February 2014

Pomegranate-Inspired Batteries Could Power Future





Batteries with pomegranate-like silicon nanoparticle anodes could be used in lithium-ion batteries of the future, researchers said.
Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory found that using electrodes with silicon nanoparticles clustered in a carbon shell are a better way to employ silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The latest design is inspired by seeds in a pomegranate. 


Silicon has been widely regarded as the most promising substance for anodes in next generation batteries


"While a couple of challenges remain, this design brings us closer to using silicon anodes in smaller, lighter and more powerful batteries for products like cell phones, tablets and electric cars," said Yi Cui, an associate professor at Stanford and SLAC, lead author of the study.
"Experiments showed our pomegranate-inspired anode operates at 97 percent capacity even after 1,000 cycles of charging and discharging, which puts it well within the desired range for commercial operation," Cui said in a news release.


Lithium-ion batteries work by moving electrons between cathode (positive electrode) and anode (negative electrode). Charging a battery causes electrons to shift towards the anode. Once the charge gets over, the electrons go back to the cathode.
Replacing graphite with silicon in batteries could increase their storage capacity. However, a major flaw with silicon anodes is that they tend to swell and break during charging. Also, they react with the electrolyte in the battery to form a slimy substance (gunk).


In a previous research paper, Cui and team demonstrated that using silicon nanoparticles can solve the breakage problem. They showed that keeping these nanoparticles in carbon yolk shells gives them enough space to expand during charging.
In the present study, researchers tweaked battery design by encasing the carbon yolk shells in a tough carbon rind. The second layer of carbon holds the clusters together and provides a path for electrical currents.


The pomegranate-like design also solves the problem with gunk; clusters are tightly packed, which reduces the surface area of the anode exposed to the electrolyte.
There are two more problems that Cui and team need to solve to make silicon anodes viable; they need to simplify process and find a good source of silicon nanoparticles.


According to the researchers, rice husks might be a good source for silicon nanoparticles. Rice husks are 20 percent silicon dioxide by weight. Researchers recently described how the husk could be used to source nanoparticles.


The study is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.











Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo goes on sale in India for INR 17,901

As we reported, Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo is now on sale in the Indian market. The phone can be grabbed from online retailers like Infibeam and The Mobile Store as well as brick and mortar retailers. Samsung is yet to officially announce the launch of Grand Neo in the country but we expecting it on February 18 during Samsung Forum 2014.
To remind you, Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo features 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 5.01-inch WVGA display, and 5MP rear camera. The phone also comes with VGA front camera, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In addition, Grand Neo packs 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 2100 mAh battery.
The phone is being sold at price-tag of INR 17,901 with an MRP of INR 19,010.

My thoughts on Grand Neo:



Clearly, the phone has been priced very badly. With Moto G in the market, apart from probably microSD card slot, there is nothing in Grand Neo that could make a consumer choose the phone over Moto G.
Samsung Grand Neo could probably have made sense at INR 11,000 (even INR 12K) but at the current price-tag, it is a strict no from my side.
If you really want to grab a Samsung Android smartphone around INR 18K, spend a little more and get Grand 2, which still makes sense.

Saturday, 15 February 2014

Google working on offering 10 gigabits per second Internet speed

Currently, Google Fiber service offers data speeds of 1 gigabit per second, and the search giant is working on technology to provide faster data transfer speeds.

 Google is reportedly working on offering data transfer speeds of 10 gigabits per second as part of its project to develop ‘next generation’ of the Internet.

Currently, Google Fiber service offers data speeds of 1 gigabit per second, and the search giant is working on technology to provide faster data transfer speeds.

Google’s Chief Financial Officer, Patrick Pichette, said that the project was part of the search giant’s broader, long-term obsession with speed, USA Today reports.

According to the report, faster speeds would increase the use of software as a service because users would be able to trust that critical applications that are data intensive would run smoothly over the Internet.

Mr. Pichette said that Google is trying to make the technology available in three years.

The report said that Google is not the only one working on this technology as last year, researchers in the UK announced that they achieved data transmission speeds of 10 gigabits per second using “li-fi“ — a wireless Internet connectivity technology that uses light.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

10 Types of Funny People on Facebook

Facebook’s popularity is as great as ever, but as with anything that people use a lot, there is always something that irritates people, and in this case it’s the users! Regardless of whether you consider the people who dominate your news feed to be close friends or not, there are always the odd few that are quite simply very annoying.
Why does your best friend who tells you the truth in real life suddenly feel that on Facebook, they have to lie about and exaggerate everything? You have to just sit back and think “What are you doing? You know that’s just not true.” Why do your favorite couple who rarely touch each other in public, suddenly have to have a gushy display of affection between them when they are online – and no doubt in the same room at separate computers? There always seems to be someone who does nothing but take pictures of food, generally dishes they have cooked themselves that they want to show off about – and generally dishes that look awful and you wouldn’t eat them if you were paid to. We can all recognize the parents that make us suffer those baby pictures again and again. We’re sure that they think their kids are the cutest things ever, but they just won’t get the message – nobody else is interested!
 
   
 
                                                    All these familiar types of Facebook users have been identified in a recent fun study conducted by www.LoveMyVouchers.co.uk, and the top ten most annoying users have been ranked in reverse order in this infographic. It comes as no surprise that top of the list is the person that updates their status every minute of the day, no matter what they are doing. You don’t want to know that they are now drinking a nice cup of tea, or a glass of wine, or they are now getting in the bath – so what? These most boring and irritating user types are being blocked from news feeds aroun

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Nokia Said to Add Lower-Priced Phones Running Android This Month

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V), whose mobile-phone business is set to become part of Microsoft (MSFT:US) Corp., plans to introduce handsets that run on the Android operating system made by the software maker’s rival Google (GOOG:US) Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.
The Finnish manufacturer is preparing to present more than one lower-end Android smartphones this month to tap into growth in countries such as India, said one of the people, asking not to be named because the devices haven’t been made public. The phones, which will have access to a Nokia application store rather than that of Google’s, are set to be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which starts Feb. 24.
Nokia has struggled to win back users from Android devices and Apple Inc.’s iPhone with its Lumia smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows software. Cheaper Android devices from manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) have gained customers at Nokia’s expense in regions such as Asia.
Doug Dawson, a spokesman for Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, declined to comment on the company’s Android plan.
The move means Microsoft is set to own a business that makes phones using software from one of its fiercest competitors. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is aiming to complete its purchase of Nokia’s handset unit this quarter.

‘Too Expensive’

Microsoft agreed to buy the phone business for 5.44 billion euros ($7.4 billion) in September, seeking to gain ground from Google and Apple, whose operating systems dominate in mobile devices. While Nokia has made Windows phones since 2011, the operating system’s growth rate has failed to match that of Android, which can be used in devices costing $100 or less. Nokia’s top Windows models cost several times more.
“Microsoft needs products for the low-end market and current Windows-based phones are not suitable for that because they are too expensive,” said Hannu Rauhala, an analyst at Pohjola Bank in Helsinki.
Microsoft isn’t planning to build a long-term strategy around Android devices, one of the people said. Rather it may be planning to use the Nokia Android phones to bolster its sales in the lower end until it can produce Windows phones for that market segment, the person said. A Microsoft representative in London declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday Nokia’s plan to add an Android device.

India Market

Stephen Elop, head of the unprofitable phone unit, abandoned Nokia’s own smartphone software and adopted Windows after he joined in 2010. Nokia’s sales have plunged since as nascent demand for Windows smartphones has failed to make up for falling demand for older models. Elop is rejoining Microsoft along with his division.
Once the world’s largest smartphone maker with a market share topping 50 percent, Nokia now ranks outside the top five with about 3 percent share. Android devices made up 78 percent of smartphone shipments last quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Smartphone shipments in India rose 170 percent to 44 million units last year, according to research firm IDC.
Lumia sales reached 8.25 million units in the final quarter of 2013, compared with 8.8 million smartphones during the previous period, according to IDC. The line of smartphones remains far behind Samsung and Apple, which sold more than 130 million smartphones during the quarter combined.

iPhone 5c 16 GB gets price cut, now available on Amazon at Rs 37,289

In a move indicative of future price war among handset makers in India Apple iPhone 5c which was launched in India in November has got a price cut and now available at discount.

On Wednesday its 16 GB version which carried a price tag of Rs. 41,900 at the lime of launch can be had at Rs 37,289 in Blue on e-commerce portal site Amazon.in.
The portal is showing 8 offers for Apple iPhone 5c (Pink, 16GB) at Rs 39,250.00 and Apple iPhone 5c (Pink, 16GB) at 39,500.00 with one handset left in each category.
The iPhone 5c is made from the 'incredible technology' of the iPhone 5. The phone runs on A6 processor, the same as iPhone 5. The phone has a slightly larger battery than iPhone 5. The iPhone 5c has a 4-inch Retina display.

The device sports an 8-megapixel rear camera. It has a new HD Face Time feature on the front, which according to Apple supports larger pixels.

Apple said that it supports more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world. It has Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0.

Saturday, 25 January 2014

Burglars targeting schools' technology

Schools are increasing security as digital age demands make them greater targets for burglaries.
Break-ins and theft of equipment like school laptops, desktop computers and tablets are becoming more frequent, and police say schools need to make devices less attractive to steal.
Security cameras are in higher demand, but hiding technology from prying eyes is considered the best preventive measure.
Principals' Federation president Phil Harding said school burglaries were "absolutely" a problem.
While he was principal of Paparoa Street School in Christchurch two years ago, the school was burgled of computers and other devices twice within weeks.
He was told the technology was likely stolen to order, then exported. "They're in and out in minutes. It's a huge cost, and it's a huge frustration."
All schools ran security monitoring through contractors, but "you don't leave things out on display", and he recommended securing technology with steel security ties.
"Don't leave computers where they can be snatched and grabbed," Harding said.
Schools often had policies about taking technology home, or locking them away in cabinets out of sight. "That's the only answer we've got at the moment. None of those things are foolproof for true professionals."
Canterbury Primary Principals' Association president Rob Callaghan said schools were targets as technology became an integral part of modern learning.
"When bad people know you've got good stuff they will target you."
He had seen a school raided on the day new computers were delivered.
"[Thieves] saw them go in and they were gone in a flash."
Leaving laptops and portable devices on desks was not advised, especially if they were all charging in one spot.
Insurance did not always cover the cost of replacing them, he said.
Christchurch Detective Sergeant Ross Tarawhiti saw school burglary files "coming over my desk all the time".
"It's become more prevalent as schools get more technological. That's like everything."
Police were "trying to get to grips with" who was creating the demand that drove it, and work with schools to make devices less attractive to steal.
School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said schools had always required alarm systems because they were "targets for louts over the weekends".
Cameras were becoming "top of the list" for boards, while being resourceful with funding that was not enough to cover top of the range security. "As usual it always comes back to, can we afford it?"

Ministry of Education head of education infrastructure Kim Shannon said schools received capital funding allocations which could be used to install security systems, and received funding to cover insurance premiums.