Author: Nitya Uppal

Here’s an Important WhatsApp Update for iOS That Everyone Missed Out On

Most iPhone users have trouble admitting it, but iOS comes with several limitations. One of the major restrictions has been the absence of easy inter-app sharing; more specifically, sending images from the Photos app to WhatsApp directly.

The new WhatsApp update, Version 2.12.1, other than adding the much-awaited voice calling feature, finally gives iPhone users the right to directly share an image from the Photos app with a WhatsApp contact.

The WhatsApp icon has been added to the list of ‘Share’ options.

A feature that Android users have always enjoyed, was a tiresome detail missing from iOS. Earlier if an iPhone user was scrolling through old pictures on his/her smartphone and decided he/she wanted to share one that was clicked in 2013 with a friend via WhatsApp. They would have to open the WhatsApp app, find the friend, and then scroll back in time to retrieve the picture. The new WhatsApp update now cuts back on the long procedure and makes it super easy to share images.

To enable the setup, you would first need to install the update. Then open the Photos App, choose an image and click on the Share button. Scroll through the end of the list and click on ‘More’. From the list of apps, you now have WhatsApp added as one of the sharing options. Enable it, and you’re good to go.

For more details on the new update, click here.

April 22, 2015
OnePlus Finally Ends the Invite System for the One

Last week, OnePlus revealed that they were planning to make a big announcement on 20th April. All signs pointed towards the OnePlus Two, new gaming hardware or a power bank. Nobody had anticipated that the Chinese company would announce that they’ve finally decided to do away with the infuriating invite system. So, starting today the 64GB Sandstone Black and the 16GB Silk White variants will be available without an invite forever, on Amazon.in

With this announcement OnePlus also confirmed that OnePlus Two is in fact, on its way. Though they said that the second flagship will only be available through the invite system.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Carl Pei ” author_title=”Co-founder and Head of Global, OnePlus”]

By rigorously testing and improving our logistical structure over the last one year, we are far more confident that our processes have matured enough for us to handle the increased production and after-sales support that comes along with opening up sales. It’s what we’ve been working towards, and now we’re ready. This current shift from an invite system to a non-invite system is a big step, one from which we will learn a great deal before the OnePlus 2 launch, with invites, in the third quarter of this year.

[/quote]

It’s great to hear that the company has managed to catch up the production to the smartphone’s demand. This also sends a strong message to OnePlus’ arch rival, Xiaomi. Xiaomi continues its tedious flash sale system, which has made it quite a task for interested buyers to purchase the smartphone. Although Xiaomi had also recently opened up the sales of the Xiaomi Mi 4, which is currently available to buy on Flipkart.

For interested OnePlus customers, no more scouring for invites – the flagship killer is finally available to buy whenever, you want it!

Check out our hands on review of the device here:

<br />

April 20, 2015
WhatsApp Hits 800 Million Monthly Active Users

WhatsApp is one of the biggest success stories in the tech industry; the app is miles ahead of its competition. To announce another major accomplishment, CEO and Founder of WhatsApp, Jan Koum took to his official Facebook page and stated that the popular messaging app now has 800 Million Active users. He also stressed upon the fact that there is a major difference between registered users and active users.

On the other hand, Facebook announced last month that its Messenger app had managed to acquire 600 million active users within the short span of four months. Facebook, which owns both its Messenger as well as WhatsApp, has decidedly kept the two apps separate.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Jan Kuom” author_title=”CEO and Founder of WhatsApp”]

WhatsApp – now serving 800,000,000 monthly active users. Reminder for the press out there: active and registered users are not the same thing :)

[/quote]

In the past couple of months we’ve been hearing about WhatsApp’s slow takeover in the voice calling segment. Android users have been the first ones to receive the voice calling update, while iOS and Windows users wait in line.

April 18, 2015
Airtel Finally Speaks Up About Net Neutrality

In the past few weeks, Airtel has managed to unite the online world against it. It did so, by launching the infamous Airtel Zero plan, which is a clear violation of net neutrality. Earlier today, Flipkart, paying heed to the online negativity gathered, announced that it had made the wise decision of backing out of the Airtel Zero plan.

Read what Airtel has to say below:

Airtel fully supports the concept of Net Neutrality. There have been some misconceptions about our toll free data platform – Airtel Zero. It is a not a tariff proposition but is an open marketing platform that

1. Allows any application or content provider to offer their service on a toll free basis to their customers who are on our network.

2. Such customers whether on a data pack or not will therefore be able to access these toll free services free of charge.

3. No site whether on the toll free platform or not under any circumstances is blocked, throttled or provided any form of preferential access.

4. The toll free platform is open to all content providers on a completely non discriminatory basis and operates on the same principle as 1-800 toll free voice services.

The statement made by Flipkart regarding their decision not to offer toll free data service to their customers is consistent with our stand that Airtel Zero is not a tariff proposition. It is merely an open platform for content providers to provide toll free data services. The platform remains open to all companies who want to offer these toll free data services to their customers on a completely non discriminatory basis.

April 14, 2015
Flagship-Killer OnePlus One to Go Invite-Free for a Day in India

OnePlus One is going on open sale on the 24th of March on Amazon India. The handset will be available without an invite. The sale will kick off at 10am IST and both the 64GB Sandstone Black, as well as the 16GB Silk White OnePlus One will be available.

There is no announcement about the number of units going up for sale, however, the company has stated that they’re coming with limited stock.

OnePlus makes sure to keep one-day open sales every now and then; the last one was on the 10th of February (not including the Happy Hour sales). Although they may say they’re coming with limited stock, the last time the smartphone was available on Amazon for quite a few hours – unlike Xiaomi’s notorious 5-second flash sales.

Know anyone who has been trying to score an invite? Go ahead, spread the word.

Before you make the purchase, don’t forget to check out our full review of the device:

March 20, 2015
Mitashi Launches New Smartphone, Says it is For Young Girls With “Vibrant Moods”

Mitashi today unveiled a new smartphone for the Indian market which is targeted at young women. It is an affordable device with some decent features but Mitashi’s marketing pitch for the phone can only be described as mildly offensive.

The company begins its press release by saying that its new phone, the “WattaGirl” is designed especially for young girls and their vibrant moods. It goes on to say that WattaGirl can hold 2 sim cards, so that all of a girl’s world can come neatly packed in one awesome phone. The press release ends by saying that a girl’s phone is an extension of a girl’s “colourful personality” referring to the brightly colored back flaps, that come along with the device. The WattaGirl offers 1.2GHz Dual Core processor along with 512 MB RAM and comes with a 5-inch display. The device is priced at Rs.4,999.

Now dear Mitashi, we understand you have to dial up the sales pitch in your press release but you don’t have to sound so condesending. How about using a language in the future that doesn’t undermine your potential consumers? It’s not that hard, let us show you how it’s done.

How we would’ve written it:

“Mitashi launches ‘WattaGirl’, the coolest new phone in town, designed for young girls as well as ladies young at heart.

WattaGirl comes with 5 MP Dual Camera is always ready to capture the best moments of a girl’s life. A sturdy 512 MB RAM and a 1.2GHz Dual Core processor that let’s her take on the challenges of a fast paced world. The large 5-inch screen makes viewing photos, videos and all other forms of media, a pleasure. It comes with a powerful battery so that you can talk for hours, listen to songs, watch videos and browse your social networking pages without worrying about your phone battery running out. ‘WattaGirl’ can hold 2 SIM cards so that the lady is always connected with the world.

What’s more, every phone comes with 3 flaps in bright colours. Just pop in the back flap of your choice and get ready to take on the world with the new WattaGirl. “

See? so easy.

March 13, 2015
New Apple MacBook Marks the Beginning of the Next-Gen Reversible USB-C

There were several major announcements today at Apple’s Mega Event held in San Francisco. We found out the Apple Watch’s pricing, availability, and battery life. The company also announced its new ResearchKit. And then, there was the arrival of the Apple MacBook.

Apple’s new notebook sounds like an amazing product. It’s the thinnest and lightest MacBook ever. It is their first fanless notebook and also the first to include Force Touch in its keypad. Most importantly, it is the first one to incorporate the coveted USB Type C.

We’re certain that this marks the beginning of a new era; the next line of products are sure to add-on this feature. iPhone 6 leaks had indicated that Apple was working on its own USB-C, but we weren’t quite expecting it to arrive today.

Apple’s USB-C supports higher wattage charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) data transfer and DisplayPort 1.2 all in a single connector that’s one-third the size of a traditional USB port. Since the MacBook is the thinnest notebook ever (24% thinner than the Air,)slimmed down ports were also necessary to bring in.

Not only that, this new connectivity standard gives you five ports in one – power, USB data transfer, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA capabilities.

What makes the Type-C a revolutionary technology is that it is going to replace all the form factors and unlike the other standards which target different classes of device, Type-C form factor will be a universal USB standard. The reversible Type-C connector is roughly the same size as the existing Micro-USB connector at the bottom of your smartphone, but it’s reversible.

To understand the reversible USB Type-C better, click here for an in-depth explanation.

March 10, 2015
24th April Onwards Apple Watch Will be Available in Nine Countries

While we have known most details about the Apple Watch since Apple’s last major event, the company officially announced the smartwatch today. It is one of the newest entrants in Apple’s ecosystem. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, had earlier announced that we would be able to buy the device sometime in April, we have now been given an exact date for the same.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Tim Cook” author_title=”Apple’s CEO”]

Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,

[/quote]

It will be available on 24th April to customers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US. While 10th April onwards, in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US, Apple Watch will be available for preview, try-on by appointment at Apple’s retail stores, and available for pre-order through the Apple Online Store. Customers who purchase online or in-store from Apple will be offered Personal Setup to customise and pair Apple Watch with their iPhone.

Want to know more about the Apple Watch? Click here.

March 10, 2015
Pricing of the New Apple MacBook Revealed for India

Apple today unveiled the all-new MacBook, a new line of notebooks. At just two pounds and 13.1 mm thin – they are their thinnest and lightest Macs ever. The new MacBook features a 12-inch Retina display that is the thinnest ever on a Mac, an Apple-designed full-size keyboard which is dramatically thinner and highly responsive. With this launch, for the first time, MacBook is available in three finishes—gold, silver and space grey.

For India, the MacBook will begin shipping on Friday, 10th April through select Apple Authorised Resellers. The new notebook comes in two variants – one with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.4 GHz, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300. It is priced starting Rs. 99,900.

The second, and the more powerful variant, comes with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6GHz, 8GB of memory, 512GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 is priced starting Rs. 119,900.

Stay tuned, more details coming up soon.

March 10, 2015
Apple Outs its Lightest, Thinnest Notebook Ever; Meet the ‘MacBook’

Apple’s Spring Forward event, recently dubbed as the ‘Apple Event’, will soon be renamed the ‘MacBook Event.’ We were looking forward to a slew of major announcements about the Apple Watch, but instead we were introduced to the new MacBook. Yes, that’s the name. It has been simply named ‘MacBook.’

The new notebook, weighs a mere 2 pounds (lightest ever.) It comes with the beautiful retina with edge-to-edge glass covered 12-inch display with a 2304 x 1440 resolution. It’s as thin as 13.1mm thin, compared to 17.3mm of the MacBook Air. It’s 24 percent thinner than the Air, the company mentioned at the event.

The new MacBook has an all-new, full-size keyboard that’s been reengineered from the ground up. One of the most interesting aspects about the newly unveiled device is the fact that it comes with a Force Touch trackpad. Force Touch was introduced with the Apple Watch, it is the mechanism which senses pressure. The Force Touch trackpad has force sensors that detect how much pressure you apply on its surface. So basically, it can tell the difference between a light tap and a deep press.

The keyboard comes with a brand new backlighting system, with every key having its own LED light. It helps the entire keyboard get a uniform glow. Not only does this save space, but it also allows the new MacBook to run in silence. The company claims to have added a new, custom-shaped battery maximizes every millimeter of space, helping the MacBook achieve an all-day battery life.

Another first from the company, it has used USB-C a third the size of a standard USB cable (more on that later.) The Macbook comes in two variants, 256GB (1.2GHz Intel Core M) priced at $1299 and the second configuration for $1599 features the 12-inch Retina display, 1.2GHz Intel Core M, Intel HD Graphics 5300, 8GB memory, and 512GB of flash storage.

The MacBook starts shipping on 10th April 2015.

March 9, 2015
Apple Online Store Temporarily Down; New Devices on the Horizon

We’ve already discussed what we’re expecting to see at Apple’s Spring Forward event, in detail. It’s scheduled for tonight and will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. We’re mostly expecting to see Tim Cook on stage reveal more details about the Apple Watch, and maybe a refreshed MacBook. But is an event by the Cupertino-based company ever complete without a few surprises?

Apple’s online store is currently down, they’ve left a message which reads, “We’ll be Back.” From our experience, Apple shutting shop means one thing – it’s going to reopen with a bang!

We had reported that the Apple Watch would only be available for purchase by April 2015, but it seems like the company might’ve managed to move the date up. Earlier today, reports had also surfaced about Apple’s own music streaming service. The company had acquired Beats by Dr Dre for a whopping $3.2 Billion dollars early last year. We’ve been waiting to see what it has decided to make of the same; our questions may be answered tonight.

Luckily, we don’t have to wait too long. Make sure to log in tonight as iGyaan will be reporting the events as they unfold.

March 9, 2015
Samsung Kicks off its 2015 Forum in Thailand

Only a few weeks after CES, and a few before MWC, Samsung is hosting its Samsung Forum 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. Last year, at the same event which was held in Bali, Indonesia, Samsung had introduced to the world the Neo Series.

To kick off the event, Mr HC Hong, the President and CEO, took the stage to talk about the company – its past, present and most importantly – its future.

“By 2017, All Samsung Devices Will be a Part of the Internet of Things”

He explained that South-East Asia is a big part of Samsung’s future plans with India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as the key holders. The company currently employees 45,000 people in South Asia. He also claimed that by 2017, all Samsung devices will be a part of the Internet of Things.

Meanwhile, Asim Warsi, Samsung Mobile India Head got on stage to announce that Samsung will be focusing on 4G and that 4g internet in India is expected at the same price bands as of 3G today.

Seems like this is just the beginning, watch this space space for more details. We’ll keep you updated.

February 16, 2015
Ban Imposed on Mobiles with Duplicate IMEI Numbers

The Indian Government has enforced a ban on the import of mobile handsets in India which don’t carry a unique identity number. This measure is taken citing security concerns as such handsets can be untraceable.

GSM phones carry an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number while CDMA handsets carry a ESN (Electronic Serial Number)/MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier) which gives them a unique identity. This unique identity helps to keep a track of the device and can be used to retrieve the device following a theft.

Mobile handsets with duplicate or fake IMEI numbers can be used for nefarious activities. There are already instructions to ban import of handsets with fake numbers or have no numbers or with ’00…00’ IMEIs. With this new order the government intends to add handsets with duplicate IMEI on that list too.

Duplicate handsets are a menace for the security agencies who find it hard to keep track of the devices. It also creates issues for the consumers who use them as well as the service providers. This ban would help the government to crack down on the importers.

January 20, 2015
Winner | Best All-in-One Premium Desktop | iGyaan Tech Awards 2014

With the all-in-one desktop you can now get the sleekness of a laptop with the power of a traditional tower desktop. An all-in-one desktop should have a brilliant display, high resolution, latest configuration and most performance efficient processor.

Voting is now Closed! The Winner for the Best All-in-One Premium Desktop in the iGyaan Tech Awards 2014 is Apple iMac Retina Display.

The winner of the giveaway is announced HERE.

[button link=”https://www.igyaan.in/awards/” size=”large” text_size=”beta” newtab=”on”]Back To Awards Categories[/button]

December 27, 2014
#GOSF2014 : The Best Tablet Deals in One Place
The Great Online Shopping Festival started today! The season for mega sales is always the best time to invest in new gadgets. With over 400 participating brands, we help you scour through the deals and highlight the top ones.

Lenovo A7-50 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera and 2MP front facing camera
- 7-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2 Jelly Bean operating system with MTK 8382 Quad core processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and 16GB internal memory
- 3450mAh battery providing standby time of two weeks and usage time of 8 hours
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 3MP primary camera with 720 x 1280 HD video recording, auto focus, geo-tagging and 1.3MP front facing camera
- 7-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution and 16M color support
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system with 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB
- Weighs 304gm with only 9.9mm thick, 4000mAH battery with upto 20 hours of talk time
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Lenovo Yoga 8 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with HD video recording and 2MP front facing camera
- 7-inch IPS LCD multi-touch capacitive touchscreen 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system with 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB and dual SIM (GSM+HSPA+)
- 4100mAh battery providing talk-time of 14 hours and video playback time of 8 hours
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Lenovo S5000 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with auto focus rear camera and 1.6MP HD front facing camera
- 7-inch HD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2 operating system upgradable to Android v4.4 with 1.2GHz MediaTek 8389 quad core processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and 16GB internal memory
- 3450 mAh Li-Ion Polymer with upto 8+ hours of non-stop WiFi web browsing and upto 6+ hours of HD video
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]
December 11, 2014