Author: Meenakshi Rawat

Facebook’s New ‘Place Tips’ Feature Gives Location-Based Recommendations

Facebook has introduced a cool new feature to keep things exciting for its massive user base. Recently, the social networking site announced a new tool called Place Tips which will give location-based suggestions to the user posted by friends like Photos, Notes and Status Updates.

The feature designed for the mobile app uses the location of your phone. When you move around with your internet connection on, the Facebook Place Tips will draw on the posts by your friends and will keep them at the top of your homepage. So, when you enter a famous place next time, you will see the posted photos by your friends.

The best part is that it’s optional, and one can disable it anytime by denying Facebook access to your location. The feature is currently in testing mode and is only available for iPhone users as of now.

The company said that however it uses your location to provide information,but doesn’t share it publicly. The company wrote in its official blog post –

Place tips will show you fun, useful and relevant info about the place you’re at.

Nailing down the exact location of a person in a densely packed city is not easy, and Facebook has found out a solution to that problem as well. The company say that it is developing Facebook Bluetooth Beacons (a type of transmitter). These beacons will be deployed at seven places in the New York – Dominique Ansel Bakery, Strand Book Store, The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, Brooklyn Bowl, Pianos, the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, and Veselka. So, when any person using Facebook reaches any of these stores, the company will be able to identify the exact location.

The app works for restaurants as well. If you visit a restaurant, the new tool will eliminate the need of looking at the menu card and will showcase all the popular menu items and upcoming events, along with your friends’ posts. That’s something for which we can consider it a bit useful. Other than that, it will also give building recommendations, making Yelp and Foursquare less functional. It would be interesting to see how users respond to the new initiative.

January 30, 2015
Apple Grabs Top Spot from Samsung in the Largest Smartphone Vendor Race

Gone are those days when Apple used to console itself seeing Samsung receiving for world’s largest manufacturer achievement. Samsung has long enjoyed the reputation of being the biggest smartphone vendor in the world. But this time, Apple has snatched the accolade from its lap and is happily showing off the award as the world’s largest smartphone vendor.

According to an analysis by a trusted company, Creative Strategies, Apple has set a benchmark by selling 74.5 million iPhones. It is the biggest quarterly profit by any company in the history of smartphone trade. However, Samsung says that it has sold as much as 95 million handsets in total, out of which 71 million – 75 million are smartphones. Well, the South Korean producer is just putting ahead big numbers to cover its defeat.

The picture above clearly speaks of Apple’s win over the other vendors. The analyst for Creative Strategies, Ben Bajarin crowns Apple as the winner this time. However, another analysis firm Strategy Analytics claims that both Apple and Samsung shipped the same number of phones in the fourth quarter last year – 74.5 million smartphones.

Few days back, Apple saw record-breaking fiscal Q1 2015 earnings of $74.6 billion, out of which $18 billion was the net profit. This net gain figure put Apple in the topmost spot in terms of revenue. The soaring sales of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is the reason behind this success.

Though Apple has acquired the top position, Samsung will not sit back and let the Cupertino-based giant enjoy the prestige. It will surely work on a unique product to entice more customers. It would be exciting to see what Samsung comes up with next.

January 29, 2015
Samsung Expected to Extend Gear VR Support to Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6

Samsung’s recent innovation Gear VR, apart from latest smartphones and TVs, is far from reaching of masses. The reason was the fact that its compatibility with only one device, Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The company is putting effort to make the virtual reality headset a regular feature with smartphones, and is pushing support to more devices. According to SamMobile, the South Korean producer is adding two more devices to the compatibility list of Gear VR – Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6.

This doesn’t sound something really bizarre as the latest devices are likely to support the new invention. But it isn’t as simple as it seems.

The Gear VR, powered by Oculus, is a wearable put on the head that encloses Samsung Note 4. The gadget has been designed to fit a display of Note size, more that 5.3-inch, so that a viewer can get 96-degree viewing angle. According to the rumours, the Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6 will sport a 5.1-inch Quad HD display that cannot fit in to the big screen of the virtual reality headset. If the sources of SamMobile are to be believed, then the upcoming flagships may feature a display larger than 5.3 inches.

However, the company hasn’t confirmed its adaptability with both the devices and users have to wait for an official announcement.

January 29, 2015
Android Lollipop Now Available for Indian HTC One M8 Users

Few days ago, it was announced that HTC One M8 users of Europe had received the Lollipop update. Now, without any further delay, the company has started rolling out the same for Indian users as well.

The update will automatically pop up if you are connected to Wi-Fi. But if you’re not on a Wi-Fi connection, you can still do it manually. Go on to Settings > About Phone > System Update.

With the news of Android 5.0 Lollipop coming for European users, Indians were anticipating it to come out within a span of days. The users can now enjoy the added fluidity, improved natural touch screen interactions, Material Design and lot many other features.

January 29, 2015
HTC Rolls Out Lollipop for One M8 Users in Europe

Good news has arrived for HTC owners; the company has started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop for its M8 users. The confirmation has come from many reliable sources including HTC Senior Communications Manager Jeff Gordon and prominent ROM Developer LlabTooFer, who took to Twitter stating –

HTC One (M8) owners in Europe, have a sweet tooth this morning? Check your software updates!

— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) January 28, 2015

Users can check for the same on their devices. Finding the update is very easy. Just go to Settings > About Phone > System Update and download the update.

Lollipop is the latest operating system released by Google. It offers added fluidity through a new user interface (UI) and users will experience improved natural touch screen interactions. The Material Design adds bold colours to the screen. Along with that, the new Android update lets you have a look at the notifications on the lock screen itself and facilitates dismissing them without unlocking it. In all, it offers users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.

Lollipop was released in November last year. We hope that India, as well as other nations, get the soon.

January 29, 2015
Top 5 Smartphones Which Have Style, But No Substance

In this over-crowded smartphone market, there are many low and high-end phones that complement their price. Spending money on such phones is never an issue as they perform the tasks well. But some manufacturers believe in style, no matter if the phones have the required features or not.

Here’s a list of some handsets that do not stand up to the true definition of a smartphone and bear style with no or little features.

Vertu Signature Cobra

This extravagant device is a limited edition phone designed by French jeweller Boucheron. The Vertu Signature Cobra is adorned with two diamonds, two emeralds and 439 rubies and is priced at $310,000. The phone, unlike today’s smartphones, doesn’t pack top-notch features and provides only basic functionality of calling, texting, etc. Released in October 2011, only eight of these phones were produced.

Heart 401AB

Next in the list is the stylish heart-shaped mobile that was announced recently. This weird piece is made for women who want something really extraordinary. But we are a little dubious about its market value in India as it is more of a toy with no camera, a monochrome screen of 0.9-inch, 128x36p resolution and no messaging feature.

Ancord Diamond Crypto

Ancord Diamond Crypto is a massive bling accessory for tech lovers. Designed by Peter Aloisson, this luxury smartphone is one of the most expensive phones out there and is studded with 50 diamonds. The navigation key is made of 18k rose gold, and this piece of jewellery/phone comes at a whopping price of $1.3 million. The phone has a TFT display and features SMS, MMS, E-mail, Internet capability, WAP, JAVA support and a media player, which you can find on any phone of sub-Rs. 5000 range. However, we agree that it was released in 2006 when Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot and 4G capability were not common, but still, it is not worthy of spending $1.3 million on a phone/accessory.

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond

Sony Ericsson has earned a name for good but slightly expensive phones, but this smartphone has broken all price records by the company till date. Costing $300,000, the phone cannot stand next to the devices in sub-Rs. 8000 category. It has an unimpressive 2-inch OLED display, 4 MP camera, 128 MB internal memory and regular connectivity features. The phone was released in 2006 so nothing much to expect in terms of feature.

Buddha Phone 268

Another device that may be impressive through its concept, but will fail to dazzle tech geeks, is the Buddha Phone 268. It’s a gold luxury round mobile and is inspired by the Buddhist design. With a 2-inch LCD display, 1.3 MP camera, and other standard capacities, the phone is below basic.

January 29, 2015
New ZTE Blade S6 Comes With Snapdragon 615 Processor and Android Lollipop

Today ZTE unveiled the Blade S6 4G LTE smartphone. The device falls under the budget category and is targeted at the young online generation. It will cost $249.99 (translating to something above Rs. 15,000). The Blade S6 will be available on global online retail stores like AliExpress, Amazon and eBay, with the latter two offering phone services in selected markets only.

The device packs some interesting specifications and features. The most amazing of them is ZTE’s Smart Sense gesture motion control which, the company says, allows users to shine the Blade S6’s flashlight, activate its built-in mirror application, take rapid succession of photographs, play music, and do much more.

The Blade S6 boasts a 5-inch display made from In-Cell technology and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipset paired with 2 GB of RAM. With company’s MiFavor 3.0 UI on top, the phone runs on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop. It has 16 GB of internal memory that can be expanded via a MicroSD card.

Talking about the camera quality, then 13MP rear snapper with auto focus and the 5MP front shooter captures pictures of good quality. The phone is dual SIM and gets its juice from 2,400 mAh battery. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.

The device will be available in two colour options – silver or pink matte finish. There is no announcements about its India launch, but buyers should expect it to be available soon.

January 28, 2015

HTC Brings Out Two Affordable Variants of Desire 526G+ in India

At a time when major smartphone companies are showing off new devices every day, HTC had been missing from the picture. Getting back in the game, Taiwanese manufacturer has today introduced a budget device called Desire 526G+ in India. The phone is available in two variants – 8 GB and 16 GB.

Both the variants hold a similar set of specs and differ only in internal memory storage. The 8 GB variant is available on the e-commerce website Snapdeal and comes at a price of Rs. 10,400. The 16 GB, on the other hand, is available offline at a price of Rs. 11,400.

With a 4.7-inch QHD 960×540p display, the Desire 526G+ is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core processor paired with 1 GB RAM. The device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense UI skin on top. The 8MP rear camera and 2MP secondary snapper click quite good pictures.

The HTC Desire 526G+ will lock horns with other high-end phones like Yu Yureka and Redmi Note. Check out the specs battle below:

Specs	HTC Desire 526G+	Yu Yureka	Xiaomi Redmi Note
Display	4.7-inch qHD	5.5-inch HD	5.5-inch IPS LCD
Processor	1.7 GHz octa-core	64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core	1.7 GHz MediaTek octa-core processor
RAM	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Storage	8 GB/16 GB expandable	16 GB expandable	8 GB expandable
Camera	8 MP rear /2 MP front	13 MP rear/5 MP front	13 MP rear/5 MP front
Battery	2,000mAh	2,500mAh	3,100mAh
OS	4.4 KitKat	Cyanogen OS 11	4.2 Jelly Bean
Price	Rs. 10,400/11,400	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 9,999

With budget phones flooding the market, it would be unfair to say that HTC will knock down other devices. But you never know.

January 28, 2015

Tim Cook Confirms Apple Watch to Debut in April

The smartwatch by Apple is the next big awaited announcement from the Cupertino-based giant. The Apple Watch will make a debut in April this year, confirmed the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook.

Tim stated that the Apple Watch is under development, and that he has high expectations from its upcoming debut-

My expectations are very high on it. I use it every day. I love it and can’t live without it.

This statement condemns the earlier rumours which assured that the Apple Watch would launch in the first quarter of 2015.

The revelation has come at the time when Apple is riding high on success. Recently, Apple witnessed a record-breaking sale of over 74 million iPhones.

Users will see three variants of the Apple Watch: first is the regular Apple Watch that would have a case of stainless steel, second variant is the Apple Watch Sport that will hold a fluoroelastomer band and anodised aluminium case, and the last one is the Apple Watch Edition with an 18-karat gold case. The device will be compatible with the latest iPhone models – iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

Apple Watch has a personalised interface and a Digital Crown that sits at the right side of the watch to help navigate better. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs with interchangeable straps. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls.

January 28, 2015
Next-Gen ASUS ZenWatch’s Battery Might Last One Whole Week on a Single Charge

Smartwatch battery is a big issue that has taken centre stage and it seems like ASUS is taking this matter gravely. The Taiwanese multinational company is working on its ASUS ZenWatch successor, which is said to be have a battery life which would last an entire week. Smartwatches are judged on the basis of their battery life; no one wants another device that needs constant recharge.

The ASUS Chairman has hinted of the extended lifespan of the next smartwatch saying that the forthcoming ZenWatch will have a more simplified central processing unit (CPU) and operating system (OS). The lighter version will lead to a battery support that can go for up to seven days on a full charge. If the company stands true to its words then the ZenWatch 2 can hold the limelight this year as usually all smartwatches have a battery support of maximum two days. Recently Apple faced the heat when rumours emerged about Apple Watch’s terrible battery life.

The electronics giant also stated that the upcoming smartwatch will be independent and one will be able to make voice calls without being tethered to a smartphone. The original ASUS ZenWatch touts a 1.63-inch AMOLED touch display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 4 GB of internal storage capacity.

ASUS is geared to launch two low-price wristbands this year. These wristbands will combine health tracking features like keeping a record of footsteps, heartbeat, pulse and blood sugar.

The ZenWatch 2 (temporarily titled) will only be available by the third quarter of 2015. It is expected to launch at a price tag of $199.

January 27, 2015
Facebook’s Oculus Forms a Dedicated In-House Studio for Virtual Reality Movies

The independent cinema fair of 2015, Sundance Film Festival, showcased some top-notch films. The one that left the world awestruck was the first virtual-reality film by Facebook-acquired Oculus. Facebook premiered its first short piece titled ‘Lost’. It is the first of five short animated flicks the company will be making this year.

Oculus has built in-house studio called Story Studio, where the company will be creating virtual reality films and research on the story telling.

By developing content for virtual reality, Oculus aims to attract more filmmakers to invest in the new technology. To start with, the company has tapped the highest talents from both the film industry and video gaming world. Veteran of Pixar Animation Studios and Lucasfilm Ltd., who were responsible for films like Toy Story and Monsters Inc., will be attached to the upcoming five-film project.

The premiered movie Lost is helmed by former Pixar artist Saschka Unseld, who is now the creative director of Story Studios. The film takes the viewers to the middle of the forest where a mechanical creature bounds into the scene. The Chief Executive of Oculus Brendan Iribe described the flick as ‘a real-time version of a Pixar experience that you’re inside of.’

Iribe further added to his statement –

This is really tuning into what a lot of people who are extending 360-degree film into VR cannot do yet. It’s getting into the heart and soul and magic of VR.

Virtual Reality films are the real-time cinema where you can not only see, but also feel your presence in the space. However, the concept of experiencing 360-degree panoramic view using a gadget that fixes at the head has not reached the masses as of yet. In spite, Samsung and Google have developed products like Galaxy Gear VR headset and Google’s Cardboard VR device, the journey of it to be available mainstream will take some time.

January 27, 2015
Xiaomi is All Set to Launch the Mi4 in India Tomorrow

The Mi4 has been the next most awaited flagship by Xiaomi and without testing more patience of its fan base in India, the company is geared to launch the Mi4 tomorrow. The world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer has sent out media invites for the same.

The press invite adds a photo that depicts three similar devices in a row. On the top of them is a quote “Mi hits a 4 and 6.” Xiaomi has tapped on the right nerve to entice Indian customers by talking the language of cricket. It can be said that the Chinese smartphone maker might have special plans for Mi4 and a collaboration with sports can be expected.

Xiaomi unveiled the Mi4 in July last year. The phone flaunts a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display. The device is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor paired with 3 GB of RAM. Packing a massive battery of 3,080mAh, the handset comes with 16 GB or 64 GB of nonexpendable internal storage capacity.

On the camera front, the Mi4 has a power packed 13MP rear snapper with LED Flash, Sony IMX214 BSI sensor and 4K video recording, along with a whopping 8MP front shooter with Sony Exmor R sensor. The phone runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat and includes connectivity options like 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi Direct. The handset is likely to be priced under Rs. 20,000.

January 27, 2015
ASUS Introduces 19.5-inch All-in-One PC with Hand Gesture Control

ASUS India has added one more laptop to its range of next-gen computers. The new addition called All-in-one PC ET2040INK is priced at Rs. 25,999 and will be available online through Amazon and ASUS exclusive stores.

It sports a widescreen 19.5-inch HD LED display which is an excellent size to enjoy movies. Running on Windows 8.1, the device houses an Intel Pentium J2900 2.41GHz quad-core CPU along with 2 GB of RAM, which should give users a fine computing speed. Along with that, it has a 500GB hard drive and comes bundled with 100 GB of cloud storage capacity on ASUS WebStorage and smart backup power to prevent data loss.

The highlight of the computer, other than its 19.5-inch HD widescreen, is the innovative Hand-Gesture Recognition Software (HGRS) that allows you to navigate within the interface through hand movements. The technology uses the in-built webcam of 1M to interpret hand movements. The company claims that the software makes hands-free entertainment possible. Users can play songs, adjust player settings, zoom or rotate photos through hand gestures.

The ASUS laptop is quite a good option for those who wish to replace their old PCs with something which is not too heavy on the pocket.

 

January 27, 2015
List of the Best Republic Day Tech Deals on Amazon
Festive season offers are a great time to make purchases. Amazon has organised a special clearance parade on the occasion of Republic day where you will get electronic devices at discounted rates. You can get from memory carda to phones to tablets and lots more.

Here’s a collection of top 5 deals you can go for this Republic day:

1. Nokia Lumia 625 (White)
- 4.7-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor, 512MB RAM
- Windows 8 (Windows 8.1)
- 8 GB internal memory, 64 GB expandable
- 2000mAH battery (23 hours talk-time on 2G)
- 1-year manufacturer warranty for the device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories
- 5 MP primary camera with LED flash, full HD video recording and 0.3 MP front facing camera
 

2. Lenovo Yoga 8 Tablet
- 8-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen
- 1.2GHz Mediatek 8389 quad-core processor, 1 GB RAM
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- 6000mAH battery
- 16 GB internal memory, 64 GB expandable
- 5MP primary camera with auto focus and 1.6MP front facing camera
- 1-year manufacturer warranty for the device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories
 

3. iPhone 5c (White, 8 GB)
- 4-inch multi-touch Retina display
- iOS 7 OS with 8 GB internal memory
- 8 MP primary camera with LED flash, auto focus, 1.2 MP front-facing camera for HD video recording
- Rechargeable battery with 10 hours of talk time on 3G network
- 1-year manufacturer warranty for the device and six months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories
 

4. Nikon Coolpix L830
- 3.0-inch and 921,000 dot TILT LCD display
- Comes with 16.0 MP CMOS sensor
- Comes with f/3 – f/5.9 aperture
- 34x zoom-NIKKOR glass ED lens and 1080p full HD video with stereo sound
- 4 GB memory card and camera case
- 2 years Nikon India warranty
 

5. Sony MDR XB-450 Extra Bass Foldable Headphones
- 30 mm driver unit for powerful sound
- Portable with folding design
- Pressure-relieving ear pads for extensive comfort
- Tangle-free flat cord
 
January 25, 2015
Lollipop Out for Moto G (1st and 2nd Gen) Users in India

Earlier today, Motorola announced that it has started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop for Moto G and Moto G (Gen 2) devices in India. The update is also out for the Moto G (2^nd Gen) users in the US.

The company stated that the OTA update is releasing in phases and users can look for it on their devices. Meanwhile, some of you may not find it instantly, and it may take a day or two.

With added fluidity through UI of the new Lollipop, users will now experience improved natural touch screen interactions. Besides that, the new Android update lets you have a look at the notifications on the lock screen itself and facilitates dismissing them without unlocking it. In all, it offers users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.

To check for an update on your device, go to Settings > About Phone > System Updates. Download the same, and once it’s done, you’ll feel like you’re holding a completely different device in your hand.

Motorola is one of the best companies out there in terms of timely updates. The devices launched by the company get proactive support from the enterprise. So, if you are a Motorola owner, the wait for your Lollipop will shortly come to an end.

January 23, 2015