Author: Meenakshi Rawat

Android YouTube App Now Lets You Easily Trim Your Videos Before Uploading

Uploading videos on YouTube have always been super easy. Just make a selection, and the video-sharing service will do the rest. However, now you can even choose which part of the video you wish to crop and how much your subscribers can see. YouTube recently added a new feature for Android phones that allows you to trim videos before uploading them.

From now on, before you upload a new video to your channel, a timeline will appear at the bottom of the video. It will come with two control points that can be moved to fix the starting point and end point of any clip. Not only this, but also YouTube has given users the freedom of precision. One can crop the clip frame by frame and can exhibit exactly what they want.

Once the video is trimmed, the YouTube app offers a preview option where you can see the content before making it live. This is a pretty appreciable and long awaited feature, which has now landed on the Android platform. The company has started rolling out the same, but it may take some time for the feature to reach all the users across the globe. As earlier said, it has arrived for Android ecosystem only; iOS users can expect to receive it soon after.

The company recently launched YouTube Kids app where children can watch the entertainment as well as educational content for free. Along with that, Offline viewing service was also initiated a few weeks back that permits viewers to watch their favourite chips within 48 hours timeframe once they have downloaded it.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that YouTube has further plans to introduce Instagram-styled filters and licensed music to replace audio. The company is working on embedding it onto the app.

February 28, 2015
Researchers Discover 5G Zone That is 65,000 Times Faster Than Present 4G

The last discovered 4G internet is still to reach the far-flung areas of the globe and researchers have already found a new 5G zone. According to a report by PTI, researchers at the University of Surrey have successfully tested the 5G data connection that gives a record-breaking speed of 1Tbps (1 terabit per second).

The research was conducted in the university’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC), where they managed to reach a speed that is thousand times faster than the present data connection. It is 65,000 times faster than the average 4G speed that we presently fetch. Theoretically, at 1 Tbps, users will be able to download GBs of data in a matter of seconds. In simple words, 100 movies in just three seconds; though for that you’ll need to know the 100 movies you wish to download.

Rahim Tafazolli, the Director Professor of 5GIC, remarked about the technology –

We have developed 10 more breakthrough technologies and one of them means we can exceed 1Tbps wirelessly. This is the same capacity as fibreoptics but we are doing it wirelessly.

The first dig into the 5G segment was done by Samsung, who set the remarkable record of 7.5Gbps. The UK research team took an extensive leap and set a new record of 1Tbps, 1% greater than Samsung’s 5G speed.

The development is most welcome, and we hope that it will give the same rate as it intends to. It is still in testing mode, and the technology is expected to be made public by 2018.

February 28, 2015
TRAI Proposes to Bring Down National Roaming Rates by 80 Percent

There is some good piece of news for those who live away from home and are connected to their loved ones only through their smartphones. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed to trim down roaming rates by minimum 35 percent to maximum 80 percent on call and SMS.

A draft amendment was filed by TRAI on Friday to the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999, seeking comments and suggestions from the stakeholders. The organization aims to slash the high prices on incoming and outgoing calls while on roaming, along with SMS charges.

Home network is comparatively cheaper than the roaming connection. Whenever a person moves out of his/her home network, the network latches on to the visited connection. For now, the outgoing local call rate on roaming is at Re. 1 per minute, and as per TRAI’s proposal, it would cut down to 65 paise per minute.

The proposed draft amendment speaks of Re. 1 per minute charge on STD calls on roaming, which is presently static at Rs. 1.5 per minute. If the draft comes into effect, the roaming rates on incoming calls will fall down to 45 paise per minute from 75 paise, which is a straight 60% drop on the current charges.

Speaking of SMS rates, TRAI has proposed that on roaming, a local SMS should be charged 20 paise rather than Re. 1. An STD SMS should cost no more than 25 paise for which Rs. 1.50 is deducted.

Meanwhile, the proposal is under consideration from the stakeholders, who will give their final take on the same by 13th March. Later, after a discussion between the two parties, the final order will be passed.

February 28, 2015
Apple Watch Will Have the Power to Replace Your Car Keys, Says Tim Cook

Just when we thought that we knew everything important about Apple’s much-awaited Watch, there was another significant disclosure by the company. The CEO of the organization, Tim Cook, took to the stage to enlighten the audience about the magnitude of the Apple Watch and informed that it has the power to replace your car keys.

Cook further stated in an interview given to The Telegraph that the Watch is designed in a way to replace car keys, so as to get rid of the clumsy, large fobs used for vehicles. Commenting on the battery of the wrist gadget, Tim elaborated its battery will go on for a full day and the charging time will be lesser than that of the iPhone.

Bearing another primary feature of the iPhone, the Watch will embed the company’s digital wallet service Apple Pay, which hoped to replace credit cards. This is not the first time Apple has dived into the automobile segment. Last March, it showcased CarPlay that lets drivers perform essential features like browse contacts, make calls and more without leaving the steering wheel.

Well, hearing all this, we are much more excited about the official launch than ever. The company has scheduled a special event for 9th March where the Watch will be finally unveiled.

February 28, 2015
Samsung’s Fanless ATIV Book 9 Goes Up for Sale on 1st March

Samsung’s newest addition ATIV Book 9, showcased at the CES platform this year, was a breakthrough in the ultrabook series. It was one strong contender by the South Korean giant that could be pitted against Apple’s MacBook Air. The same ATIV Book 9 is now rolling out for customers.

Samsung announced that it will release its lightest notebook tomorrow (i.e. March 1). The laptop has an all-aluminium body and measures just 0.46-inches thick. Compressed to a mere 2.09 pound, the new ATIV Book 9 can be carried anywhere hassle-free. The 2015 ATIV Book 9 will come at two price points – $1,199.99 for 4 GB RAM and 128 GB of SSD, and $1,399.99 for 8 GB RAM and a larger 256GB SSD.

However the 12.2-inch laptop might be sleek, it’s pretty solid from inside. It is powered by Intel’s Broadwell Core M processor and runs on Windows 8.1 for now. It can work for 12.5 hours on a single charge. The USP of the notebook is that it’s fanless, a feature Apple cannot claim about any of its laptops.

It’s not certain if it would be released globally or to some markets, but we’ll know more details tomorrow.

February 28, 2015
Google Collaborates With SolarCity To Make It Easier To Install Solar Panels In Residence

If we want a safe planet for the future, Solar energy is the way to go. Solar power has the potential to completely replace all of the contemporary fossil fuel based energy sources. There are many initiatives underway to make access to solar panels more affordable and accessible. Google has been known for its affection for renewable energy research and now the company is partnering with SolarCity to make it easier for people to install solar panels in their homes.

SolarCity is a company founded by Tesla chief Elon Musk. The company assists people in installing solar power in their residence or place of business. It designs, finances and installs solar energy systems, performs energy efficiency audits and retrofits and even builds charging stations for electric vehicles. SolarCity at present has over 1,90,000 customers and the facilities created by them have generated about one gigawatt of power.

Google will collaborate with SolarCity to make it easier for folks to install Solar panels.

Google will be setting up a fund worth $300 million for the residential side of SolarCity’s business. This coupled with SolarCity’s new financing structure will raise the company’s funds to $750 million. This fund will boost efforts to assist homeowners to install rooftop solar panels.

Homeowners can get in touch with SolarCity, who will create a customized design for the house. SolarCity then looks at the electricity bills paid by the owner and offers them a rate much lower than the power company. The user just has to pay a monthly solar rental along with the electricity charge as agreed. The maintenance costs of the solar panels will also be taken care by Google and SolarCity. The companies earn an income from the excess electricity sold to the grid by the house.

The arrangement between the consumer and the companies will be rent based. The rental term is usually set for 20 years after which the consumer would have the option to buy the system or give it back to the company. Presently the initial price tag for installation is $10,000, so it is still out of reach of an average consumer. But as more players come to the market, the rates are bound to drop down.

Google and Elon have shared a rather friendly camaraderie. Google has recently placed a massive bet on Elon’s plan of setting up space internet. In fact, Google’s founder Larry Page has said that he’d rather give his billions to Elon than give it to charity. SolarCity is a unique initiative that will not just be beneficial to the buyers and companies but will also set-up a profitable business model that others can emulate and help create the solar revolution.

February 27, 2015
Exclusive: Snapdeal to Bring Part Activity Tracker, Part Smartwatch ‘Garmin Vivosmart’ to India

Remember Garmin’s Vivosmart that made a debut in September last year? It was one stylish accessory that had the qualities of an activity tracker and the smartness of a watch. The very fitness tracker is now coming to the e-commerce website Snapdeal next month.

The news has reached us from a reliable source, who confirms that Vivosmart is coming to India via Snapdeal. There is no information how much will it cost, but may be priced somewhere close to Rs. 15,000. The company has tapped into the tech enthusiasts together with the sporty audience who want a single, classy gizmo for a smartwatch, as well as a fitness band.

Recalling the features of Vivosmart, it’s the ultra-thin, rubberized tracking band that sits comfortably on your wrist. It sports an OLED display, which is completely invisible when not in use. But one can read the content when it’s on. It measures almost steps taken, number of steps remaining to reach the goal, distance covered, calories burnt, total inactive time in a day and a lot more. Besides displaying the date and time, the band allows you to control your iPhone music.

The Vivosmart ventures into the smartwatch territory with the vibration feature. The band alerts the user about the incoming calls, texts, calendar reminders, and emails by vibrating. The wristband connects to your phone through Bluetooth and throws all the notifications on the display of Vivosmart along with a short vibration. The Vivosmart is compatible with Android and iOS devices. Also, the tracker is resistant to water up to 164 feet.

Meanwhile, there is no notification of the arrival date, we will keep you updated as soon as something arrives.

February 27, 2015
LG G4 Might Sport an All Metal Design, Scheduled to Launch Post MWC 2015

The fourth instalment in the G series lineup, the G4, is the company’s flagship for 2015. It is expected to trump the present G3, which came quite close to being called flawless. Rumour mills are regularly pushing updates about the upcoming G4; they’re discussing an improved display, camera and other features. Now one more coveted feature has added been added to that list. We have learnt from reliable sources close to iGyaan that the forthcoming G4 may carry an all metal design.

Coming back to the design of the handset, the G4 is expected to come in a bold metallic casing. The overall appeal of the phone will get a boost, making it stand out from the G3 which has a metal-painted plastic body. The new metal design will protect the device from accidental drops, keeping the smartphone intact and at the same time, giving it a premium look and feel.

However, the phone will not make an appearance at the mega event in Barcelona. The flagship will be launched post the Mobile World Congress 2015. Seems like LG plans to disclose the cards after seeing what other big contenders have to offer.

The G4 is speculated to have a slightly smaller 5.3-inch screen, with display quality reaching up to 3K. You will find the screen much wider in the G4 as the phone is anticipated to have reduced bezel size. Powered by 64-bit Snapdragon 810, the G4 will sport 3 GB of RAM and will run on Android Lollipop.

All these facts point out to the direction that LG’s forthcoming phone will be one beast of a device, blending elegance and power. We’re looking forward to the day LG decides to take the curtains off the G4.

February 27, 2015
Motorola Reveals Pricing of 2nd Gen Moto E in an Official Video

The Moto E was the first device in the Indian market that followed the high-specs-low-pricing business approach. It was the cause of a lot of hullabaloos in the affordable segment of the market that was ruled by Indian smartphone brands. The second generation of this popular device is about to see the light of the day and Motorola has unveiled the pricing of the new handset.

Motorola has already announced that the Moto E(2nd Gen) will offer 8 GB internal storage. There will also be an option to buy a 16 GB device. The company will be offering the device is 3G and 4G LTE variants.

The 3G variant will be priced at Rs. 6999. It will be powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 along with 1 GB RAM. The LTE variant, on the other hand, will get a 64 Bit, 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 processor. Both the new devices will run on Android Lollipop.

On the camera fronts, Motorola atoned for its sin of not adding a front camera in the first Moto E during the selfie age. This device includes a VGA camera, and the main camera too gets autofocus capabilities.

The price of the LTE variant hasn’t been specified yet, but it is expected to be somewhere near the Rs.8000 mark. Moto E now has several new challengers in the game that it began. Xiaomi Redmi 1S, the most prominent of all, has gathered massive recognition, and the Chinese company will also be launching the second generation of the device this year. With the amount of options available in the affordable segment, it will be interesting to see how the market reacts to this slightly updated version of the Moto E.

February 27, 2015
Google Spends a Whopping $25 Million to Seize .app Web Domain

Google, today, added one more domain to its list of top-level domains (TLDs). The internet search giant paid a hefty sum of $25 million to procure a whole web domain.

As per Business Insider, Google made the highest bid of $25 million for .app, a top-level domain. Following this, ICANN, an organisation that holds a control over world’s domain names, declared Google as the winner of the domain. Google applied for .docs, .android, .free, .fyi, .foo, and .app; only managing to acquire the last one. The company presently owns four more web domains namely .soy, .minna, .foo and .how.

This isn’t a first, there have been several companies throwing millions on web domains. In fall 2014, Amazon spent nearly $5 million to purchase ‘.buy’, and $2.2 million for ‘.spot’. For now, users can register for ‘.how,’ ‘.soy,’ and ‘.minna’ domains under Google’s own domain registry service licensed by ICANN, which is still in beta version.

The company hasn’t revealed what it expects from this purchase, but it is likely that it may use the domain to promote apps in its mobile division.

February 27, 2015
It’s Official, Apple to Launch its Watch on 9th March

The when and where questions about the Apple Watch have finally come to an end. Last night Apple announced that its much-anticipated smartwatch Apple Watch will launch in an event on March 9 titled as ‘Spring Forward’. The Cupertino-based firm has started sending out media invites for the show to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Well, we have a basic idea of how the Apple Watch functions, but there will be much more that the company would have kept undercover for the big day. As already stated, the Watch will cost $350 in the US for the aluminum Sport model and will start shipping in April. The prices of the Watch for other countries are expected to be announced on 9^th March. The other two superior variants of the Apple Watch are bound to be priced significantly higher. One of the two is a mid-level stainless-steel Watch and the other is a 18-karat-gold edition.

The Watch by Apple is fixed for the event, but the firm may throw other big surprises along with it. Rumours have been whirling about the 12-inch MacBook Air that is sleek, stylish and in line with other previous generation MacBooks. It is speculated to feature a Retina display with a refurbished design. Another notable rumour is that Apple is working on a larger 12.9-inch iPad Plus. Many more devices like Apple TV box and more may follow the Apple Watch.

It’s just a matter of a few days before Apple raises the curtains to reveal its newest offering for the year 2015.

February 27, 2015
WhatsApp Web Now Comes to Firefox and Opera Browsers

The social networking service WhatsApp gave users a reason to switch to desktop when they introduced WhatsApp Web. Unfortunately, it was limited to Google Chrome to date, but now WhatsApp has extended its reach to Firefox and Opera too.

Today, the company confirmed the same on Twitter –

WhatsApp Web: https://t.co/BPQLxqKDSj – Firefox and Opera browsers are now supported! pic.twitter.com/D4aQiy5IC6

— WhatsApp Inc. (@WhatsApp) February 25, 2015

To launch the same on your desktop, go to WhatsApp Web on your device and scan the QR code on web.whatsapp.com. For now, the desktop version is compatible with devices running on Android, Windows and BlackBerry. The iOS handsets are yet to join the league.

February 26, 2015
Xiaomi Drops the Flash Sale Model, 16GB Mi 4 Now Available Without Registration

Yesterday, Xiaomi made a declaration that Mi4 devices with 16GB inbuilt memory space will go on sale in India through the e-commerce website Flipkart. The sale will be registration-free and a person interest doesn’t need to make a prior booking to buy the device. On the other hand, the 64GB variant will still be available via flash sale only and registrations for the same commenced on Tuesday.

The Chinese producer made an official statement on Facebook and Twitter saying –

Registration has started! You can register now to buy your Mi 4 64GB at 2pm IST, March 3rd. Tell everyone!! Also, Mi 4 16GB will be available on Flipkart from Feb 26th – No registration required!

Throwing some light on its specification, the Mi4 features a 5-inch full-HD display and a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, the handset has company’s MIUI 6 on top. A 13MP rear shooter and a massive 8MP snapper comes paired with the device.

The gizmo is laudable at a price of Rs. 19,999 for 16GB. It got an excellent response in the first and the second flash sales. For those who are going for the 64GB model, it is priced a bit higher at Rs. 23,999.

Click here to buy now:

February 26, 2015
Samsung Electronics to Freeze Salaries of its Employees

It doesn’t matter how aggressively Samsung retorts to challenge reports by analysis firms reporting it losing its stronghold in the market; reality cannot be concealed for long. Unfortunately, the company is currently in hot waters and is suffering a financial setback.

As per a developing report by Reuters, Samsung Electronics will freeze the salaries of their employees this year, as per a statement by the spokeswoman of Samsung. It is the first time the South Korean organisation has taken such a step since 2009. The company representative didn’t throw light on what made the company take such a drastic step.

Samsung is undergoing a rough patch as its profits declined substantially in 2014. It was the first time in three years that its earnings took a downward turn. Well, we have high hopes from the upcoming Galaxy S6 to be launched at the Mobile World Conference. If that turns out to be a hit, it might help Samsung regain its position as one of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world.

February 26, 2015
With ‘Android for Work’, Google Wants to Make Android Devices Office-Friendly

Google’s Android OS is the only operating system that has touched almost every part of the globe. It has topped over all the other major softwares such as BlackBerry OS, Windows, and iOS. The search giant now intends to strengthen its stand in the enterprise environment by introducing a initiative called “Android for Work”.

Today, Google introduced “Android for Work” that focuses on making Android devices more office-friendly. Through this, users can manage their content and can keep their professional data separate in silos, without merging it up with personal content.

Android OS lags in the business segment. However, smartphones and tablets running on Android sell like hot cakes, but they are underutilized in the workplace. Google’s mobile ecosystem was missing out on apps and features that users can bank upon for the security of their business content. The company might be able to bridge that gap with the introduction of new business centric features.

‘Android for Work’, works on four primary components. The gadgets running on Android Lollipop will be able to make the most of this service. IT team of a company can create profiles of the individual and can install apps to isolate their work data from the personal content. Next in the list is the Android for Work app which is built for devices running on Android 4.0 and above. The app delivers secure mail, calendar, contacts, documents, browsing and access to deployed work apps.

The third component, Google Play for Work, allows IT professionals to install and manage recommended apps on the handsets of the users running Android for Work. The company has created a suite of business apps for email, contacts and calendar, which offers both Exchange and Notes and provides document editing capabilities.

The internet search giant has partnered with well-known names like Box Citrix, VMware, HTC, LG and Sony, who are helping them in bringing out a more secure, manageable and innovative Android platform. BlackBerry has extended support through providing a cross-platform EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) solution to manage devices.

Google has an extensive user base, which can be used to reach out to more audience through their software. The company announced the project eight months back and has launched it now after testing it thoroughly. Google is trying to make Android devices simple and essential for people to use at work and there will definitely be more updates coming to this initiative as enterprises are a profitable market for any tech company.

February 26, 2015