Author: Meenakshi Rawat

OnePlus is Planning a Design-Driven Smartphone (Other Than OnePlus Two)

Seems like the recent allegations regarding Cyanogen haven’t deterred the Chinese manufacturing firm, OnePlus. Few days back, the Director of OnePlus Global, Carl Pei, revealed that they will soon be launching OnePlus Two and India will be one of the first countries to see the phone. Now, Carl has come up with yet another statement that confirms that the company will be releasing another phone, other than the Two, this year.

While in conversation with PC World, Pei revealed that another phone by the company will cater to the audience for whom design is more prior than the specifications.

I think it’s going to be a phone catering to a different type of audience. Perhaps for those who appreciate design over specs.

The news has come as a surprise and the device is still under wraps (and probably still under works). No statement has come about the specifications, price and availability of the yet untitled gadget, but through the statement, it can be estimated that the handset is in early stages. We will soon update you as soon as we dig out information about the same.

Meanwhile, rumours are still hot about the upcoming flagship OnePlus Two. It is said that the device will sport a 5.5-inch display powered by Snapdragon 805 processor. The internal storage capacity of the handset will be 32 GB and it will house a battery of 3,300mAh. On the camera front, it may have a 16MP shooter along with 5 MP snapper on the front.

Seems like OnePlus has done its research well. In a country like India, a stylish smartphone (even with low specs) will definitely work well. Let’s see where this move takes the company.

January 9, 2015
Check Out What Microsoft’s New Browser ‘Spartan’ Has to Offer

Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned in building its upcoming operating system Windows 10 and the company is presently working on overhauling the browser of its forthcoming Windows. According to a recent revelation, the new browser, tentatively titled ‘Spartan’, is said to have some exceptional features. These features are not contained in any other browser till date.

The first major feature of Spartan is the inking support through which Windows 10 users hold support to the web note service. Through this, users can add web pages and send notes to a friend with the help of a stylus. The personal notes written by you gets stored on a copy of the web page, which can later be seen at any browser. As all the browsers support this service, the messages can be easily be read by any of your friend or colleague using a different version or OS.

The second major advancement is the group tab feature in which users can categorize tabs as per their choice. One can split work tab from personal tab to declutter the messy screen. The company has also hinted at launching custom themes with Spartan, but they may arrive as future updates of Spartan.

COnsidering the initial presentation of Windows 10, it seems like Lumia phones are only going to get better

Another important feature of the up-and-coming web browser its assimilation with the company’s digital assistance, Cortana. Windows 10 users will be able to get information on flights, hotel bookings and other vital data in the browser. One can track a particular flight just by typing its name and all the data like departure time, arrival time and current status will appear before the user.

Unlike the previous OS by Microsoft, this time it is going to be a single browser for all platforms whether computer, handset or tablet. For the latter two devices, it will be available as an app on the Microsoft Store. It was earlier reported that Microsoft will be bringing back Internet Explorer with the Windows 10. Microsoft as well as the audience, has high hopes from the latest Windows as its preceding version. Windows 8, was a big blunder; we hope that the Windows 10, Spartan and Cortana stand up to their expectations.

January 9, 2015
Samsung Launches Yet Another Mid-Range Handset

The South Korean electronic giant, Samsung, seems to be on a launching spree. After launching a couple of devices in the Galaxy E series – E5 and E7, and Galaxy A series – A3, A5 and A7, it seems company is not done yet. The South Korean manufacturing giant has released a new mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy Grand Max, in their domestic South Korean market.

The handset boasts a 5.25-inch 720x1280p HD TFT display. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with an unspecified chipset. The Android-based phone packs 1.5 GB of RAM and has 16 GB of internal storage capacity, which can be extended using a MicroSD card slot. The device sports a 13MP rear snapper and a 5MP front shooter along with wide-angle lens. The smartphone is housed by a powerful 2,500mAh battery.

The Galaxy Grand Max goes on sale starting 9^th January at a price of 319,000 Won which translates to Rs. 21,200 approximately or USD $290,. However, the firm hasn’t revealed as to when it will be available in other markets, namely India

Additionally, the South Korean firm released another device in Malaysia, called the Galaxy A7. The Galaxy A7 is a comparatively better device than other phones in the A series. It has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16 GB internal memory. The device is rumoured to launch in South Korea on 14^th January.

January 8, 2015
CES 2015: LG’s Dual-Bending Display Steals the Show

The smartphone market is getting more and more competitive every passing day. Few months back, Samsung brought out the edgy new Galaxy Note Edge that was a class apart from the other handsets available in the market. Its unique feature was the sloping display on the right-hand side. However, LG seems to take over the Note Edge market with its 6-inch device with bending OLED display on both sides.

Well, LG moved a step ahead and presented an example of supreme leadership at the ongoing CES 2015. The smartphone stole the audience of the Note Edge and acquired a huge crowd gathering at the show. Although the futuristic device has a 6-inch display which is difficult to manage as the edge display presses accidently at times, but its extra peril on the side screen will help users navigate their way through the phone.

Another known feature about the device is its 1280x720p screen resolution, which could have been better. No other specifications about the phone have yet been disclosed, other than the fact that it’s 0.7 mm thick. The P-OLED technology was first used by LG itself on its G Flex smartphone, which was then carried by G Flex2 as well, showcased at the event.

The LG Director of Corporate Communications Ken Hong hinted at the successor of LG G3, tentatively titled G4. Hong commented about the same –

I think we will [experiment with our high-end phones]. I think we have to. If you look at the specs only, there are other competitors with similar-spec phones. How do you stand out in that pile if you’re not doing something different? I don’t think we are going to be able to sit back and expect people are just going to fawn over the G4, or whatever the name will be, just because they liked the G3. I don’t think it works that way anymore. I don’t think people are as loyal on the Android side as they are on the iOS side, so you really have to win every customer with your products.

It’s true that LG has disclosed a surprise which it was preserving for the big day, but if it would be able to hold a strong position in the market with contenders around, only time will tell!

January 8, 2015
BlackBerry’s Nostalgia-Inducing Classic Arrives in India on 15th January

The Canadian telecommunication giant BlackBerry was on the verge of disappearing, but its last year’s release BlackBerry Passport bought the company some time. The last month’s release BlackBerry Classic received a lukewarm response from the international audience and now, it is set to launch in the Indian subcontinent.

According to a recent disclosure, it is confirmed that the company will roll out the Classic in India on 15^th of this month. BlackBerry has sent out the media invites for the launch of the phone which reads, “Join us to witness the unveiling of the new BlackBerry 10.” The text is followed by another statement, “Serious Mobility for Serious Business.”

As far as its specifications are concerned, the Classic flaunts a 3.5-inch display with 720×720 pixels resolution. The device is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor and comes along with 2 GB of RAM. The handset runs on the company’s own software BB OS 10, but provides access to Google Play Store and Amazon app store. On the camera front, it sports an 8MP rear snapper along with a 2MP shooter upfront to capture selfies. The phone gets its juice from a 2,512mAh battery. However, there is no word about its price, it is expected to cost somewhere around Rs. 30,000.

The CEO of the company, John Chen, stated that the firm will focus on the business and will not come with a lot many devices. John commented:

BlackBerry will launch fewer devices and focus on profitability.

As it’s clearly evident from the picture itself, the company has moved back to its roots with the reintroduction of the QWERTY keypad. The firm earlier tried its hands in the touch screen arena with the BlackBerry Z3 announced in May 2014, but failed to make a mark in the crowded smartphone market.

As BlackBerry has restored its look with the new Classic, it’s likely to get a good response from its fans. Check out the video below to get an insite of the phone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR9mz12NdEY

January 7, 2015
CES 2015 : Razer Forge TV Will Bring PC Gaming to Your Living Room at an Unbelievable Price

Razer is a prominent name in the field of gaming consoles. The company has recently refreshed its list of consoles, which will bring PC games to the living room. Forge TV, an Android-powered console, has come as a surprise by Razer to hard-core gamers, which will give a new direction to gamers and gaming.

The Forge TV is a compact high-performance console powered by a Snapdragon 805 processor, quad-core Krait 450 CPU, and Adreno 420 GPU. It has 2 GB of RAM along with 16 GB of internal storage capacity. The device runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and features connectivity options like Bluetooth 4.1, Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi. It has three ports for USB 3.0, HDMI and DC Power.

With Forge TV, you can download unlimited games and can play them on a big screen. Its Full HD graphics makes the gaming experience more superior.

The Co-Founder and CEO of Razer Min-Liang Tan said-

No lag and no latency. It’s full HD resolution from your bedroom gaming system to your Forge TV. You’ll be able to stream your entire PC library right to your living room.

The console runs on Cortex: Stream, which enables users to enjoy their favourite games from PC to Android TV. The device offers multi-player gaming option that means four controllers can be connected simultaneously. The Google Cast with the new console allows users to duplicate the content of the Android device to TV. You can also play, pause, rewind, create playlist and control volume through your mobile device.

However, the gadget can be used for other purposes also apart from gaming. Launched at a price of $99 only, the device will be available in the first quarter of this year. Coming at this price range, it is probably the cheapest gaming console ever offered. It would be interesting to whether this console is capable of replacing the pricy Xbox and PlayStations. Check out the video to have a closer look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_A1gyYRTgc

January 7, 2015
CES 2015: The New Saygus Smartphone Packs a Mammoth Storage

Many smartphone manufacturers acquired the attention of media and audience alike, be it Samsung, HTC or Lenovo, but there is one unbeatable smartphone that has turned all the heads. The South Jordan-based company Saygus has unveiled V², a smartphone that has 320 GB of storage capacity.

Well, it’s hard to believe a phone embedding a storage capacity equivalent to an external hard drive, but it’s true. The 320 GB is fragmented as up to 64GB of internal storage, and two MicroSD card slots which can support up to 128 GB each. This is as high as it gets for a smartphone.

The Saygus V² is an Android-based handset with a 5-inch 1080p display. Diving into its specs, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz. It runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and packs 3 GB of RAM. Additionally, it sports a massive 21MP of rear shooter with dual LED flash and a 13MP selfie snapper upfront.

Clearly, Saygus has set a benchmark for other renowned brands in regards to its storage capacity. Together with this, it comes with Fingerprint scanner and Wireless Qi charging options. The Harmon Kardon speakers on the phone are sure to make you groove. The firm has also kept in mind the much-talked-about feature on phones these days, root access. The Saygus V² comes with built-in root access, which allows users to have complete rights over the system.

As of now, there is no news about its price although the device is likely to launch in the US the spring.

January 7, 2015
The Next MacBook Will Be Thinner and Sleeker

With almost all companies showing off their best innovations in the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show, the Cupertino-based giant Apple is geared to showcase its best product. The company is reportedly working on a prototype of the new MacBook Air, which will be launched in 2015. The upcoming 12-inch Air will be even thinner than its predecessors; believe it if you can!

An authentic source 9to5mac has unwrapped some external details of the forthcoming Mac. It said that the new offering from the company will be completely resigned and will feature full-sized USB ports, MagSafe connectors, and SD card slots.

Internally termed as “MacBook Stealth”, the 12-inch MacBook will be entirely revamped. The keypad is modified and the new keypad sits edge-to-edge to the width of the laptop. Each key is relatively closer and some keys are relocated in order to make the laptop narrow. Above the keyboard, there are four speaker grills that are redesigned to act as ventilation holes to help cool the fan-less model. Furthermore, there will be alternations in trackpad and speakers once it reaches the end-consumers.

The upcoming Air will house comparatively lesser number of ports than the previous versions. There is just one USB Type-C port at the left and a standard headphone jack along with dual microphones on the right-hand side. The USB Type-C port is said to be smaller, more capable and faster than the USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports embedded on the present models. If the latest specifications from the USB foundation are to be believed, then the USB Type-C port cannot only transfer data but can also charge the device, making the MagSafe plugs unnecessary on the new machine.

According to the source, the 12-inch MacBook Air will be approximately 0.25-inch narrower than the 11-inch model and of course, would be a bit taller. The thickness reduction is to a bare minimum, but it is a nice move to fascinate potential market.

Internal specifications of the laptop are yet not revealed. There are possibilities that Apple may bring out this new version in gray colour as it has done with its recent offerings. However, there is no notification about when the new Air will roll out; although rumours reveal that it will be shipped in mid-2015.

January 7, 2015
Samsung Brings the Metallic Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 to India

Samsung has been doing well at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. While launching gadgets at the international platform, the South Korean multinational firm hasn’t forgotten the Indian subcontinent and announced their two latest models in the Indian subcontinent. Samsung today launched the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 in India. Both the smartphones were introduced by the company late last year.

The Galaxy A3 is priced at Rs. 20,500 and sports a mid-range specifications. The phone flaunts a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED qHD display and is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. It packs 1.5 GB of RAM and the internal storage capacity of 16 GB that can be expanded up to 64 GB. The device houses a battery of 1,900mAh and the rear snapper of 8 MP along with a 5 MP front shooter.

The Galaxy A5 costs Rs. 25,500 and packs relatively higher-end hardware. With a 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, the device is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. Stuffing 2 GB of RAM onto the device, the phone gets its juice from a 2,300mAh battery. It has a 13MP rear end camera along with a 5MP front end camera.

Both the models have front cameras with 120-degree wide range angle and features support for palm and voice gestures. The smartphones have full metallic body and are comparatively thinner. Other exclusive features include Wide Selfie, Palm Selfie, Rear Cam Selfie, Beauty Face, along with gif mode shooting option. The phones come in seven colour options – pearl white, midnight black, platinum silver, light blue, soft pink, and champagne gold.

January 6, 2015
CES 2015: HTC Announces the Selfie-Centric Desire 826 and Budget-Friendly Desire 320

The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC knows the right way to disclose cards in a game. Post the announcement to Desire 320 a day before, the company today refreshed its Desire lineup by adding two new devices. HTC, at the event, unveiled the selfie-friendly smartphone Desire 826 along with Desire 320, a device that will not be brutal on the buyer’s pocket.

HTC Desire 826 with a 5.5-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and 2 GB RAM

Talking about the specs of Desire 826, the handset sports a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution. The device is powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and packs 2GB of RAM along with 16 GB of internal memory storage. A 13MP rear camera and 4-UltraPixel upfront snapper are embedded onto the phone. Running on the latest OS from Google, Android 5.0 Lollipop, the company hasn’t forgotten to include its signature BoomSound speaker which supports Dolby audio enhancement.

The price of the same is still under wraps. The company declared that the handset will be available in limited stock and Asian countries will be the first to see the same.

HTC Desire 320 with 4.5-inch LCD display and 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek processor.

Another revelation by the company is the entry-level Desire 320. The device has a 4.5-inch LCD display and runs on 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor. The back of the phone boasts a good 5 MP rear camera, while the 0.3MP shooter at the front is just not appealing. The Desire 320 comes with two storage capacity options – 4 GB and 8 GB, which can be expanded up to 32 GB. Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, the phone is powered by a 2,100mAh battery.

However, nothing has been said about its price, the expected to be affordably priced. For now, it will be available in the U.K. and Germany, but other markets will get it soon.

Both the offerings are good, however not exceptional. Well, it will be good to see how these phones perform in the crowded and competitive smartphone market.

January 6, 2015
CES 2015: LG Launches the Curvy G Flex 2

The South Korean multinational company has put forward its best innovation early in the CES 2015. The trade show saw the unveiling of the curved and powerful LG G Flex2, which is the second offering in the series. The LG G Flex was launched in the same trade show last year.

The device like its predecessor can be bent, but the body retrieves its original position in 10 seconds as compared to the G-Flex that took around three minutes to heal.

Apart from its curvy body, the device boasts a 5.5-inch full HD Curved P-OLED display, with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It is powered by a Snapdragon 810 Octa-core processor with 64-bit capability, becoming the first device to pack the latest and powerful processing system. The G Flex 2 sports 2 GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Coming onto the camera front, then G Flex2 has a 13MP rear shooter along with OIS+ and laser auto focus capacity and a 2.1MP front snapper for your selfie needs. Furthermore the phone features 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage and has a microSD card support. Above all these, the common glitch is resolved in this handset with the Fast Charge feature. Within 40 minutes of charging, the device can, quite impressively, be charged up to 50 percent.

The connectivity options of the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Smart Ready 4.1, LTE support, USB 2.0 and NFC. The handset will be available in two colour variants – Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red. The sale of the same will first start in the South Korean market after which they will be expanding their reach to other markets. The price and date of availability as of now remains unknown.

January 6, 2015
Get an Organised Facebook Page With These 7 Tips And Tricks

Social platform Facebook is widely used by people of all groups. Though, it’s an amazing means to share updates, pictures and more with your friends and family, it sometimes pesters users through advertisements, invitations popping up to play games, posts sharing on your behalf and many more.

Have you ever been in such circumstances where your mum scolded you on Facebook and likes of that post multiplied in minutes with people having a good laugh at it? Well, we all must have come across one or the other issues in the gigantic service, but fret not as the below-listed tips and tricks will keep awkward situations at bay.

1. Remove Facebook Advertisements

Advertisements are the most annoying part of any web page and same is the case with Facebook. Whenever we login to our account, a plethora of ads force us to leave the page. However, you would no longer be frustrated opening up your Facebook account as ‘Cleaner’ will keep your page tidy. Download Facebook Cleaner and avoid ads and updates on your account.

2. Keep parents off Facebook

Many a times it is seen that mums are interested in the activities of their grown-up kids. In spite of your mums’ continuous threats to join Facebook, you can sit back and relax as she would no longer complain. Now show her the pictures of your choice and be at the best of your behaviour. All you need to do is open the desired album, tap settings and copy the link. You can send this album as an email or via ‘Send in Message’ option, as per your liking.

3. Discontinue auto-playing Facebook videos

‘This video is completely ridiculous. Why the hell people update such stuff.’ You must have said similar lines for disgusting videos auto-playing on your Facebook page as you scroll down the recent activities of your friends. Many a times we don’t bother and pause the videos individually, but seldom when we’re in a hurry to sneak onto our account for a few minutes, the videos automatically start playing. Well, this can be avoided by making some slight changes. Click on Settings -> App settings and choose Off on the Video AutoPlay option on the Android phone. iOS users can turn it off by choosing Settings on the phone and then clicking Facebook>Settings>Off under Video Auto-play option.

4. Restrict apps’ requests and notifications

With advancements in technology, games are no more the same as they used to be. You can now connect to Facebook and can ask your friends for help in case you’re stuck in the middle of some game and a lot more. Usually, these games send notifications to your friends or ask you to join it, which is quite pestering. However, you can easily get rid of the irritating updates by clicking the downward triangle icon. Then in your Setting options; click to customise your blocking options. Then enter the name of the apps you no longer want to get notifications of.

5. Stop apps posting on your behalf

Some of us involve ourselves in Candy Crush or Subway Surfer to beat the boredom, but at the same time we don’t want our boss or teachers get record of our gaming achievements. Many apps insist on posting the recent record break or achievements on the wall, but preventing them is much easier than one would have thought. Go to downward triangle and choose Settings and then Apps. Edit the list of offending apps and set ‘Visibility of app field to ‘Only me’. Your achievements will be updated on the wall but only you will be able to see them.

6. Unfollow People

You may be friends with some people, but you no longer desire to receive or share News Feeds with them. It can be your ex-boyfriend or an irritating friend. Removing them from your friends’ list may hurt them but there’s a way to ignore them without even letting them know.

The easiest way to hide the activities is by going to the status of the unwanted person and choose ‘Unfollow [friend’s name]’. You can also remove a particular uninteresting post from appearing on your page. Also, confine status updates to your close friends by choosing a list in the Friends drop-down option before hitting post.

7. Select Display Pictures Only on Facebook Profile Page

On the left-hand corner of the page, there is a Friends box with tiny pictures of your friends. However, you don’t get in touch with them often and they still appear shamelessly on your page (not your friends, but Facebook is to be blamed for this). But there’s a way you can decide what all friends you want to see on your page. Go to the Edit option on your Friends box and list the names of your friends. The chosen friends will now appear in your Friends box.

January 5, 2015
CES 2015: Lenovo Unveils Robust and Compact ThinkPad Stack Accessory System

Accessories are meant to make life easier. If you are a normal computer user and don’t require add-ons together with your system then this might not sound interesting to you. But for frequent commuters, it’s quite tedious task to pack and unpack different accessories like external hard drives, battery pack, Bluetooth speaker, wireless hotspot and others along with cables to connect them. For them, laptop bags are more of a heavy, stuffed pack without an option to lighten it.

The Chinese multinational computer technology giant Lenovo remains on the forefront in taking initiatives for bringing out comforting technology for users. This time again, the company has come up with ThinkPad Stack keeping in mind regular travellers. Just pile the modules on top of each other, and share power and data. The list of peripherals includes a 10,000mAh battery pack, which is of $50, a 1TB USB 3.0 hard drive of $200, a Bluetooth speaker of worth $90 and an LTE data hotspot costing $200.

The pricing might open your eyes wide for a second, but it’s hardly a big deal for a cable-free and compact accessories’ pile at this price. The company has spotted the nerve of its potential consumers and said that people will be willing to pay extra to save space and time. The modular system will be up for grabs in mid-April.

Along with this, Lenovo rolled out one more surprise. The company has built up a programme called WriteIt, which is an app through with you can write down anything on your tab with a pen. The app taps into the accessibility layer of Windows 8, allowing users to write in any text field. The feature is, for now, restricted to Lenovo tabs only. You can get an idea of the app from the below picture:

January 5, 2015
OnePlus Works Out a New Variant for the Cynogen
The Chinese electronics manufacturer OnePlus was granted some time by the Delhi High Court to think of some alternative to Cyanogen embedded on its devices and the firm has made the best use of this liberty. OnePlus has announced the development of an alpha version of its non-Cyanogen ROM called ‘Android Lollipop Alpha’. It is said to be in the early stages and an official roll out is yet awaited.

The Android Lollipop Alpha is a result of the allegations put by the homegrown smartphone maker Micromax on OnePlus, which was in an exclusive agreement with Cynogen. According to the statement by Micromax, OnePlus devices cannot run on CyanogenMod as the exclusive rights to use the same are with Micromax. The flagship phone was banned by the Delhi High Court and even its promotion and import was restricted in India. Later, the court lifted the ban temporarily and granted the Shenzhen-based electronics giant a few weeks time to come up with an alternative to Cyanogen.

The company said that the new ROM has nothing extra to offer and comes with the stock features of AOSP Lollipop. It also added that users will come across a lot of bugs as the ROM is in early stages.

As per the statement on the OnePlus forum –

This is the first step in what will become our own custom ROM. It’s so early, in fact, that this build contains no extras beyond the stock features of AOSP Lollipop. It’s the base that we will continue to build upon, improve, and customize as we stabilize core functionalities on the latest firmware updates.

As we look towards the official ROM release in the near future, we will keep to our promise and deliver an experience that is customizable, yet bloat-free with stock-Android-like simplicity by default; we wouldn’t ask you to settle for anything less.

Willing users can download the new ROM here, but the company will not cover any damages caused by the Android Lollipop Alpha.

A few bugs known to be occurring in the new ROM are:
1. Data roaming turns on by default
2. The ROM is likely to cause bricking. It’s advisable to take the backup of your data.
3. Unstable camera and video.
4. Capacitive keys do not turn off when you enable software keys.
5. Periodical clock crash.
6. Startup time will be a bit slow on first boot.
7. Unstable Wi-Fi.
8. Build not eligible for OTA updates.
With the deadline on this Chinese smartphone company from the Delhi High Court, it seems that OnePlus has done all it could to work on a variant of the Cynogen. However, this new ROM seems to have a few bugs and it will be interesting to observe whether this will hinder the sales of OnePlus in India.
January 2, 2015
10 Tech Resolutions You Should Keep This New Year

All of us make several resolutions every year. And why not, the beginning of a year is the best time to adopt new habits. But have you ever considered keeping a few tech-related promises?

Technology has become an integral part of our lives and largely, it has made it simpler. In spite of numerous benefits, its evil effects shouldn’t be ignored. Take a pledge to make these tech resolutions this New Year:

1. Avoid e-Readers before bedtime

Definitely, e-Readers have ended the need for hard copies but a recent study has revealed that reading through electronic devices at bedtime could adversely affect sleep habits. Research says that the light emitted by the device can have a bad impact on the overall health, alertness, and circadian clock. This in turn results in sleeping disorders. So, to get a good night’s sleep, vow to avoid gadgets before bedtime.

2. Go Paperless

Papers cannot be avoided entirely. You need to have a hard copy of the digital document just as a backup, but we also confess that it’s not required always. Many a times, we take a printout of the non-required text and pay no heed to the fact that paper wastage is a direct cause for deforestation. Vow to switch to emails, PDFs, Google Docs and other digital mediums and use paper only when it’s unavoidable.

3. Keep the TV off bedroom

We know that in this ever busy life, we get less time for ourselves. No time to sleep, eat, watch Television and sometimes even eat. You may be entertaining yourself watching late night daily soaps, but seriously, that is not the right decision to amuse yourself. A research organisation American Academy of Sleep Medicine has revealed that watching TV at night may lead to disrupted sleep patterns.

The organisation said that a minimum of seven hours of sleep is mandatory and the person resting less than that may suffer from increased obesity, morbidity and the worst scenario may lead to death as well. It would be advisable to keep the Television set in the family room rather than the bedroom.

4. Install an Anti-theft app

Phone theft has become a daily affair. You need to take precautions before you become one of the victims. Pledge that this new year you will install an anti-theft app for the safety of your own phone. Just a few taps and text, and you are done. You can also check out some of these apps to make your phone theft-proof and download one that suits your needs.

5. Build a Smarter Home

Smart home automation is one thing you need to invest in this new year. Start with lighting and audio-visual and then switch on to shading, sensors, actuators and more. The automation will not only make your life super easy, but also aid in conserving electricity. You can switch off the lights, fans and other electrical appliances from anywhere just through a tab on your phone. Also, the technology senses the presence of a person and adjusts wisely.

6. Use Tech to Stay fit

Apart from making the best use of technology at work, it’s time to utilize it for you. Well, we are talking about the fitness apps which are profuse in quantity on the app store, but remain neglected for one or the other reasons. Kickstart 2015 by installing some fitness apps and notice your health stats. Record your walking, running and other activities and also get suggestions based on your performance. The fitness apps will keep many health issues at bay. A few of them to consider are RunKeeper, Google Fit, and Fitocracy.

7. Download a Password Manager

Managing passwords for all the websites you are signed up in is a tough task. Certainly, keeping one password for all sites is a solution to your forgetful nature, but that would make your accounts an easy target for hackers. The best way to beat this password management dilemma is downloading apps like 1Password and LastPass. These apps, by default, create strong and different passwords for diverse networks. Just log in and it will do the rest for you.

8. Unplug gadgets once charged

Research concludes that devices may burn due to overcharging of the batteries. These cases point out to one direction – negligence.

The devices should be unplugged from charging once the phone shows the full battery notification. Overcharging reduces the life of the device and may even lead to accidental hazards.

9. Say No to Texting and Driving

We agree, smartphones are an inseparable part of our lives, however it is important to remember that the world’s major accidents happen because of careless driving. If you are one amongst them who don’t care about the road safety rules and drive while keeping your eyes on your smartphone, then this is resolution is for you. Stay alert while driving, keep your eyes on the road and put your phone aside till you hit the next break.

10. De-clutter Your Desktop

Open a laptop and a countless number of icons appear on home screen instead of wallpaper. If that sounds like your desktop, then there is a need to keep your system organised. Delete the irrelevant stuff and arrange the required items logically in folders. Avoid storing it on the desktop as this slows down your system.

January 1, 2015