Apple’s investments in the hundreds of megawatts of solar projects for powering its server farms and offices is apparently generating more electricity than the company can use. Apple has set up a new business called Apple Energy with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to sell power on wholesale markets.
Apple has announced its plans for significant investments in solar projects throughout the US, and this will only help generate more electricity for the energy company.
Apple claims that they generate enough electricity to recover 93% of its usage worldwide. The company also has investments in hydroelectric, biogas, and geothermal power, will buy green energy from the grid when and if needed.
Apple may not be looking to convert this into its main business and call it iPower, however, it seems that they can sell back to the grid and get rid of any surplus they may not need. Apple had earlier this year shown $ 1.5 Billion in green investments, and major initiatives to improve recycling and impact on the planet.
Modular is the new, now that Lenovo sub-brand Moto has launched the new and highly leaked Moto Z and Moto Z Force.
The Moto Z has a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. You get 32 or 64GB of storage with SD card expansion, 13-megapixel camera with f/1.8 lens and optical image stabilization and the new fingerprint scanner that we saw in the G4 Plus. The Moto Z also gets a 2600mAh battery. The phone is super slim at just 5.2mm and light at just 136g.
The Moto Z Force upgrades the camera to a 21-megapixel, the display gets a shatterproof panel like the one on the Moto Force, and the battery gets a bump to 3,500mAh.The phone is also thicker at 7mm.
The best part about the Moto Z phones is the Mods, which can be had in a variety of materials or finishes, such as nylon, wood, or leather. The SoundBoost Mod, built in partnership with JBL, is a speaker with upgraded two three-watt drivers and adds an extra 1,000mAh of battery capacity. The Power Pack Mod adds a 2,220mAh cell to the back of the phone and is made by either Incipio, Kate Spade, or Tumi. The Insta-Share Mod adds a pico projector to the phone and lets you broadcast your phone’s display up to 70 inches wide at 480p resolution.
The Mods are plug and play and unlike the LG G5, you will not need to reboot your phone, the software comes preloaded on the Moto Z, and Moto Z force and the phone recognizes the pair instantly.
Both the Moto Z and Moto Z Force come with USB Type-C ports and without a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which now seems to be the industry standard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2Tr5i41rQ
Motorola will bring these phone to global markets including our market later this year in september; presently they have been launched in the US with Cellular carrier Verizon under the branding of Droid. You will also be able to add style shells in your favorite design and material.
Winners : We have already Announced Winners for most of the Giveaways, simply click on the link to each giveaway and view the results.
Update Three : 07/22/2016 : We Are still evaluating results, and have barely gone through half. There are just a lot of entries to sort. We will soon update the results. Please bear patience with us.
Update Two :07/19/2016: The Part 1 of the Giveaway is over. We have millions of entries to look and ensure everyone was playing fairly and by the rules. We will sort out all the entries and try to get winner results for the Round one by the end of this week. Stay Tuned!
P.S Round Two of the Giveaway is Still Live Right Now : Includes Big Box, Speakers and Power-banks Click the links below.
Update : Part Two begins today, Speakers, Powerbanks and Big Box. Also Due to Large number of requests we are extending all giveaways by 10 days and will finish together. Soon after which we will announce winners. There are some changes to the big box, and we are working on a big giveaway for august, so stay tuned.
June 7th, 2016 marked the 6th year anniversary of what started as a bedroom project for me and today sees an exciting future in the global media industry. We have a lot of people to thank for this achievement. In a time where startups are born and killed by the hour, we proudly stand firm, and will soon have even more exciting news to share.
The biggest and most important aspect of iGyaan has been the support and love of all you guys, the viewers, the fans and the people who get inspired by iGyaan to begin something new. When iGyaan started we were the only Youtube channel in India focusing on technology, we spent countless months and even years to convince the industry of the strengths of online media. Today technology is one of Youtube India’s largest categories. The support and love we have gotten from our viewers have been incredible and today it’s time to repay, some of it at least.
Presenting the Most Mega iGyaan 6 Year Anniversary Giveaway, yes just as the name suggests this will be a giveaway of epic proportions.
So what all do we have for the Giveaway.
Click on the (Click here) button to go to giveaway.
LeEco has launched the new Le 2 in India at prices as expected by us in India. The company has launched the Le 2 at a price of Rs. 11999 in India, but, what is more interesting is the Le max 2 which has been launched for Rs 22999 in India. The company also claims to sell 300 units to lucky buyers for as low as Re.1.
The Le 2 has a 5.5-inch HD display, a 2.3GHz deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 SoC and 3GB of RAM. A 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera complete the optics and has 32GB of flash storage. The Le 2 also has a 3000mAh battery, and supports LTE connectivity. The phone will be available for registrations on 20th of June on E-Commerce Website Flipkart. The phone misses out on a 3.5 mm headphone jack as the company wants to have the one up on Apple when it launches the iPhone 7 sans- headphone jack later this year.
The surprisingly low priced LeMax 2 is the one to watch out for, with its 5.7-inch quad HD display, Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM with 32GB storage which will sell for Rs. 22,999 while as predicted the 6GB RAM with 64GB storage (UFS 2.0) model which will sell for Rs. 29,999. The LeMax 2 has a 21-megapixel rear camera, am 8-megapixel front camera, world’s first ultrasonic fingerprint sensor using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sense ID, USB Type-C and 3100mAh battery with fast charging and also comes without a 3.5 m headphone jack and has audio-out only through the USB Type-C connector and uses LeEco’s CDLA or Continual Digital Lossless Audio technology.
The Le Max2 will also come bundled with the company’s content membership program that it announced with the launch of Le 1s Eco. Priced at Rs 490 per month and Rs 4,900 per year
The OnePlus 3 launch for India has been confirmed for the 15th of June. The company is not only ready to launch the next iteration of its smartphone sans-invite, it will also attempt to tie in with pricing as best it can with the global launch.
The OnePlus 3 will be available in several options, two RAM variants of either 4 GB or 6 GB each with three storage options of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. While in India the strategy may be just to launch the 4GB variant at first.
Insiders tell us that the OnePlus 3 should begin registrations on the 15th of June on Amazon.in and the phone will go on sale for Rs. 23999 for the 4GB + 32 GB variant. With other options available later .
Unlike the past, the OnePlus 3 is expected to have a full metal construction, and OnePlus cases designed specifically for the OnePlus 3 will give the user the ability to bring the Sandstone finish among many other materials like bamboo and other wood finishes to their phone and will be sold for Rs 1699 each.
For OnePlus this is the coldest launch yet, with the fans not showing much excitement for the handset. The company also decided against any sort of a Hype campaign this year making sure they get the fundamentals right with the phone. The CEO of the company also showed off some images which he claims to have captured from the OnePlus 3’s main 16MP camera.
A couple of the more popular words for the young, tech-loving, connected generation today are “Gorilla Glass”. But what is the story behind Corning Gorilla Glass?
Situated in the city of Corning in the state of New York are the headquarters and research facilities of the world famous glass-maker, where Corning engineers are immersed in the future of glass. And while for most of us Gorilla Glass in itself is a magical creation, the team at Corning has a lot more up their sleeves.
Visiting the Corning lab and test centers is no joke. As one would expect, the high-security areas hold years of research worth billions of dollars and countless man hours.
Corning’s journey in the glass industry spans much more than a century. In the year 1879, Corning worked with Edison to make the bulb-shaped glass for the incandescent light bulb. Fast forward to 2016 and you will find Corning Gorilla Glass specifically in many modern portable devices..
Gorilla Glass is made from a fusion draw process which was developed by Corning for the automotive industry. However, at that time, the glass technology designed by Corning and the fusion draw process turned out to be too expensive for an industry looking for a cheap solution, putting fusion draw on hold.
Corning decided to revisit fusion draw technology when a big manufacturer wanted to launch a smartphone in 2007 and needed a glass solution for a capacitive screen display. The fusion draw process was utilized along with an ion exchange process, which added compressive strength to the glass, helping it become resilient and resistant to breaks.
Corning develops various forms of glass even today, and Gorilla Glass is specifically meant for portable electronics. But it does not really stop there, as many applications for a light-yet-tough glass solution exist in our modern developed world. The technology is being used by architects for interior design, can be used by appliance manufactures and is even being designed into automobiles as part of interior touch panels, and windshields.
Corning also has improved the composition with each generation of Gorilla Glass. As the number increases, Corning is focusing on a specific customer need. Gorilla Glass 3 was designed to be more scratch resistant along with usual impact resistance and Gorilla Glass 4 was designed more to resist impacts from drops on rough surfaces.
Why Glass Breaks
One of the main reasons for glass breaking is the introduction of flaws on the surface of the glass. A tough single sheet of glass becomes vulnerable to cracking and breaking with the introduction of a single scratch.
Bend Test Gorilla Glass 4
Corning conducts tests on a daily basis to understand scenarios that could introduce flaws on the surface of the glass. Tests include tumble tests, scratch and bend tests along with concentrated tests like a steel ball drop test or a simple scratch test.
Today the smartphone industry is fighting to create slimmer phones, and the glass-maker is constantly under pressure to make its glass slimmer and slimmer. Reaching a 0.4mm thickness already with Gorilla Glass 4, Corning is expecting the market to be even more aggressive in demanding a thinner front glass solution.
While most of the components on the spec list of the best new smartphone tend to be from one manufacturer or another, it seems that the real innovation may lie more with component manufacturers like Corning rather than smartphone manufacturers who seem to just be putting it all together.
Under the UV light
While we are not sure how long it will take for a form of glass which will “never break” to be made, it is very interesting to see car companies take an interest in Gorilla Glass for their windshields. The technology has not only come full circle and achieved its original purpose, but it has found a better implementation in our daily lives. The Gorilla Glass name has become well-known in the glass industry and with smartphone and tablet owners globally
Oppomart listing of the OnePlus 3 is out before the official launch of the phone next week and it confirms earlier rumours that the OnePlus 3 will be available in two RAM variants of either 4 GB or 6 GB. You will also get a choice of three storage options between 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.
Other leaked specs include a Snapdragon 820 SOC, 16+8MP camera combination. A 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080p display and dash charge (quick charge alternative). Leaked images including the one above have shown a full metal construction leaving out the sandstone and other material finishes for mostly cases.
We have already heard that Apple is planning to launch the iPhone 7 at the same time in India as major markets like the US and UK. According to a new tip Apple is working on launching the iPhone 7 at a price lower than before and also with attractive payment plans.
According to our insider working closely with the launch of the Apple iPhone in India, he claims that pricing for the next-gen iPhone 7 will start at Rs. 49990 for the base model of the iPhone 7 (which could be a 32GB model), Apple is also working closely with Citibank and Bajaj Finserv to deliver 0% interest EMI options for customers looking to buy the iPhone 7 at launch. The plans will range upto a period of two years and will have no processing fees or surcharge.
This will give the sales of the iPhone a big push in India, with consumers getting the ability to own the otherwise difficult to afford smartphone.
Apple globally works with Network carriers to make the iPhone easily available to customers. In India, however, network carrier monthly device plans have not been a success and after the Reliance “Dhirubhai Ambani ” device offer fiasco, India network providers have generally stayed away from such plans.
Apple has however worked with Airtel and Vodafone in the past to offer up the iPhone at attractive monthly payments. This time it seems Apple is ready to go all out.
Amazon Prime is one of the best subscription services offered by the company and there are many benefits of becoming a Prime member. Some of which include free two day shipping, Amazon Prime Video library which works like Netflix, unlimited music streaming via Amazon Prime Music and Prime Photos give you unlimited Photo storage. You will also get a 30 minute heads up to Amazon instant deals and almost a million e-books.
Amazon also delivers better customer support to Prime members, with express exchanges and returns. The company has stayed away from a membership model in India, due to several government restrictions and also due to it being a grey area with respect to success expected from said model in India. Flipkart tried and failed with a similar model offering next day shipping for a yearly fees for Rs 500 and later discontinued the service without informing the consumers.Flipkart has now brought back the Flipkart First service and claims a lot of people have subscribed to it.
The Amazon fulfilled service works in the same way however does not offer up free shipping typically charging a couple hundred rupees for overnight delivery.
Amazon is working hard to bring its prime service to what is now a large online community that is ready to consume content online, on there phones, tablets, computers and smart TVs.
Someone close to the Amazon Prime launch in India claims that the challenges are immense in bringing about the kind of awareness that is required to launch and monetise a feature like this. Netflix’s recent launch has seen great appreciation from Indian consumers and Amazon is taking that data to understand subscription trends in India.
With Amazon racing fast to reach the number one E-Commerce spot in India, services like these will possibly help the company reach new consumers. Amazon offers prime in the US for $99 for a year which roughly translates to Rs. 6700. Our source exclaims that the price may turn out to be too high for the India region, and Amazon is known to offer differential pricing based on region.
Amazon is planning to launch Prime services, most of them, in 2016, with a yearly subscription as low as Rs 3999.
While we are not sure if Amazon will be able to launch the whole suite of Prime services in the coming months, it will however, be a great add-on to what seems to be a growing appreciation for customer support and service in India.
Lenovo owned Zuk will get its due share of notice with the launch of the Zuk Z2. The phone sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and has been launched for a mere 1,799 Yuan or about Rs 18500. The phone is presently available only in China, but if we follow the recent trend, it will make its way to India soon.
Other features of the Lenovo Zuk Z2 include 4GB RAM and 64GB built-in storage, a 13MP primary camera f/2.2 aperture and phase detection autofocus and an 8MP front shooter.
The Z2 is availble in a black as well as a white color, is 8.45mm thick and has a 3500mAh battery. The Zuk Z2 is the next in line to support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and uses USB Type-C port for charging.
Specs
Zuk Z2
Display
5-inch screen Full HD LTPS 2.5D curved glass
Resolution
1920 x 1080p
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor
GPU
Adreno 530
RAM
4GB LPDDR4
Storage
64GB emmc 5.1
Rear Camera
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/ 2.2, 5P lens, ISOCELL sensor, PDAF, CAF dual-mode focus, EIS
Front Camera
8MP front-facing camera with 1.4?m pixel size, f/2.0 aperture, 78.9-degree wide viewing angle
Expandability
Up to 200GB via MicroSD
Battery
3500mAh battery Quick Charge 3.0
Connectivity
4G LTE with VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB 2.0 Type-C
OnePlus CEO Carl Pei has announced on the OnePlus forums that the OnePlus 3 will finally drop the invite system for free sale from day one of the OnePlus 3 launch.
We’re releasing the OnePlus 3 invite-free, right from launch day. In addition, invites are gone forever from future OnePlus product launches.
The invite system has a special place in our history. When we first started out, our team was incredibly small. We had no idea what the demand of the OnePlus One would look like. We also weren’t fans of flash sales, where there’s a risk of everything selling out immediately, forcing fans to wait indefinitely. To address this, we designed the invite system to give customers a chance to purchase a phone as soon as we had inventory ready.
The invite system has taken a lot of flak in the past and it seems that OnePlus may either move to a flash sale model like Xiaomi or simply sell outright like bigger manufacturers.
You can read the full post in the link below. Would you like the invite system to continue or are you happy about its end let us know below.
Launch schedule for the OnePlus 3 all time zones on June 14:
Tim Cook’s recent India visit may have paid off more than people were expecting. Apple will launch the next iPhone 7 in India at the same time as most major markets like the US and the UK, according to our source, who is in proximity to the launch planning.
In India, Apple loses major of its initial sales push to the Grey market imports, or to people purchasing the iPhone overseas. Apple wants to cut this down by launching at the same time as the major markets.
India is one of the strongest growing smartphone markets in the world and Apple sees the large potential in the market.
Our source (who explicitly wished to remain anonymous due to his dealings with Apple) also mentioned that Apple is working hard on bringing not only the official Apple Stores experience to the main cities, but also to the online Apple Store which does not exist in India.
The company (Apple) is not only in the process of setting up Apple Retail stores that everyone is talking about, but also the official online Apple Store, which will allow people to customise their purchases.
While this information is not far from what Apple has officially announced, and the company is in talks with the Indian government to allow licensing for the retail stores. We still have to see if Apple will bring the full Apple experience to India. Something which many users complain has been lacking, especially the Apple Care experience which is possibly the best anywhere an official Apple store exists.
If Apple does launch the “full experience” online Apple Store, people may finally be able to customise their MacBooks and iMac as per required specs, have them shipped directly to their houses and also finally be able to get “I’m Batman” laser engraved on their iPad or iPhone.
Apple will finally let go of the lowest possible configuration and the most popular configuration of the iPhones in the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 will let go of the 16GB storage capacity and replace it with a 32GB storage option.
We had reported about this earlier this year, with Apple phasing out 16 GB we might see 32Gb or 64GB as the lowest spec iPhone 7 with the highest going all the way up to 256 GB.
The 16GB model is the most popular, due to its low price. However with iOS updates getting bigger and bigger, it may become impossible for Apple to push updates. With the large size of retina Apps and high res music rumored in the iPhone 7, Along with Apple’s possible launch of a streaming Video service, we see the 16 GB and maybe even the 32Gb variant become redundant.
Several Apple Analysts have also predicted this change in the iPhone 7 lineup . Apple is rumored to launch two sizes of iPhone 7 this year, just like the previous two models. However according to rumors the “plus” moniker might be replaced with a “pro” moniker like iPhone 7 Pro.
The iPhone 7 is rumored to have the same design as current gen iPhones, however, may sport larger than usual camera sensor and lenses, with the “pro” model boasting dual lens setup.
Apple will refresh the iPhone at their usual September event, and may also launch newer iPod models including those of the iPod Touch.
Meanwhile, you can watch our the iPhone SE go heads up with a Shotgun :
YU has finally launched the YUnicorn in India for a price of Rs. 12999. The company has been teasing its handset for many a weeks and the leaks had already suggested an upcoming model from the company YU Televentures. You can pre-order the phone here.
The Yu Yunicorn is made much like the Redmi Note 3 or the LeEco 1s out of a metal shell and has a fingerprint scanner that sits under the main display. The display which is a 5.5 inch LCD appears to have great viewing angles and great color saturation indoors and out.
The dual sim handset features a hybrid tray and will accept either two 4G SIM cards or One SIM card and one microSD.
The rear camera has a 13 MP sensor and the front houses a 5 MP sensor. The Cyanogen layer has been removed for a more stock feel with three non stock-Android Apps on the handset. The Yunicorn also comes preloaded with YU’s Around software which like HTC’s blinkfeed, sits on the left of the home screen. The new wallet functionality allows you to have a wallet on the phone and pay for many of the YU’s services with one tap.
The fingerprint sensor is fast and responsive and sits on a tactile home button. The Yunicorn is 8.1mm in terms of thickness and feels great to hold in the hand thanks to rounded edges. You can pre-order the phone here.
Our review will be out shortly, in the meanwhile you can watch the hands-on video below:
Sony has today launched the Sony Xperia X and Xperia XA along with the announcement of the Xperia XA Ultra. We check out the Sony Xperia X, the 2016 flagship that costs Rs. 48990. Sony is bundling Rs. 6990 worth SBH70 for those who pre-order the phone prior to 6th June. The phone will go on sale on the 7th of June.
