After a slew of rumours regarding Google’s Nexus 9 tablet, we now have an image to see what we can expect from this new device built by HTC. Famous leakster @Upleaks, which has a track record for getting its hands on products ahead of launch dates, tweeted a picture of what appears to be the next generation Nexus tablet yesterday.
Leaked image of the new Nexus tablet, which the leakster referred as T1, features the same model number shown in earlier leaks in the past months. The new device is expected to launch this m0nth, however there is no credibility to this rumor.
While it’s uncertain whether or not the product is legitimate, the photo is in line with earlier rumors about Nexus 9’s design and built. The device, which appears to be more square than other Android tablets we’ve seen, has the HTC logo at the bottom of the back casing.
It is said that Google is dropping the Nexus 8 which was expected to come after Asus built Nexus 7 in favour of Nexus 9, more likely because of its 9-inch screen. It is believed that the Nexus 9 could be the first device to get Google’s new mobile operating system Android L. Other features include a rear-camera with LED flash, a microUSB port and a possible NVIDIA Tegra K1 chip.
Apple’s latest flagship iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are all set to launch on October 17th, right before Diwali. The launch, about a month after the phone arrived in the US, will go down as the fastest launch of a new iPhone model ever.
This time around, Apple has chosen e-commerce dealers for the new iPhones. Amazon.in and Ahmedabad-based Infibeam promise a firm dlivery date for iPhone 6 sales in India. Both website will take pre-order starting noon today. The online retail firm has promised to deliver iPhones 6 and iPhone 6 plus on October 17 in all urban areas, and in rural areas in a couple of more days.
The 16GB version of Apple iPhone 6 will be available for Rs. 53,500, while the 64GB version is priced at Rs. 62,500. The 128GB version of the phone will sell for Rs. 71,500. The 16GB version of Apple iPhone 6 Plus will be available at Rs. 62,500, while the 64GB version is priced at Rs. 71,500. The 128GB version of the phone will sell for Rs 80,500.
Offline retailers have repeatedly complained to phone brands about low prices being offered by online retailers. As a result, companies are increasingly going through ‘exclusive’ partners for online selling to retain control over prices. The prices announced by Infibeam are exactly the prices that Apple has stipulated, and not lower than that. The prices are what you can get in offline stores as well.
HTC has gathered a lot of appreciation for their line-up smartphones this year. HTC’s recent flagship HTC One (M8) has been touted as one of the best Android smartphone of the year. However, the HTC enthusiasts weren’t quite satisfied with the camera quality.
Anyhow, it seems the company is gearing up to fulfill what their fan’s want with a new device which is said to be HTC One (M8) Eye or HTC Desire Eye. HTC on Monday posted a teaser picture on its Twitter account that seemingly shows off its newest smartphone that will reportedly feature a 13-megapixel camera. A vast improvement over the camera found in its HTC One (M8) flagship phone.
The new device has a top camera lens that seems to look larger than the one we see on the HTC One (M8). According to recent leaks, the new HTC One (M8) Eye or the HTC Desire Eye will feature a 5.2-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.3GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a 2,400 mAh removable battery and a 13-megapixel camera.
With this in mind, HTC is all set to awe us with this new device that will address the criticism by combining a vastly improved camera with the widely appreciated hardware design that has earned the company much praise. HTC has scheduled a big media event on October 8th in New York. The invitation for the event teased that the event would have a focus on “double exposure,” which confirms camera improvement in the new device.
Skype has announced that it is withdrawing the Skype call service to Indian landlines and mobiles in India, starting from 10th November. The Microsoft-owned company has not given a concrete reason for the same.
The discontinuity of the service is said to be the result of law and regulation in the country. As per current laws, VoIP calls originating from within India cannot be terminated on mobiles or landlines in the country, however the companies have been routing calls internationally to avoid this regulation until now.
While Skype users in India will no longer be able call Indian landlines and mobiles, they will still be able to send SMS messages to mobiles within India.
In a support page, Skype said, “If you’ve bought a subscription to India specifically to call within the country, you can cancel your subscription to avoid being billed in the future. Keep in mind that before 10 November 2014, you can still use your subscription and Skype Credit to call within India, so be sure to use up any remaining minutes or credit you have before then.”
LG has launched a new variant of its flagship G3, LG G3 Stylus in India for Rs. 21,500. The LG G3 Stylus is a pen-enabled smartphone that offers a large display and many of the premium user experience features of the G3.
The Stylus version of the G3 comes with a 5.5-inch qHD IPS (960 x 540) display and mounts a 13 MP rear camera along with a 1.3 MP front camera. The LG G3 Stylus runs on a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM and Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system. It offers 8 GB of internal storage which is further expandable via microSD card slot and is powered by a 3000 mAh battery.
The G3 Stylus boasts the same Floating Arc design with gradually tapered edges, thin bezels and metallic skin back cover that was first introduced on the LG G3. According to LG, the proprietary Rubberdium stylus pen feels comfortable in any hand.
“We believe that the G3 Stylus is perfect for consumers looking for a powerful display and sophisticated design with a reasonable price tag. The G3 Stylus smartphone offers not just a stylus experience but also the same premium user experience and design heritage of the G3,” said Amit Gujral, Marketing Head, LG Mobiles.
This smartphone is equipped with G3’s key camera features such as Touch and Shoot, Gesture Shot and Front Camera Light. Additional UX features that have become standard offerings across LG’s newest smartphones include Dual Window, Smart Keyboard and Knock Code. Optimized for various 3G markets’ wireless networks, the G3 Stylus will be offered in Dual SIM with NFC capability in three colors: Black, White and Gold.
With Apple fans waiting for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to launch in India later this month, Samsung seems to be attempting to stay ahead of the game. The South Korean giant shared the worldwide roll-out schedule of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in a Facebook post. The phone maker prepares to cash in on buyer interest during the apt timing of Diwali.
According to the post, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will hit the Indian market on 10th October. Though there is no word about the price of the phablet, it is expected to cost more than Rs 50,000. Its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, was launched last year at Rs 49,990. According to earlier reports, Samsung is expecting overall sales to rise in the three month period beginning October to December, with new announcements and launches during the quarter.
The Galaxy Note 4’s roll-out thus far has not been ideal for Samsung, with some buyers in South Korea complaining of a manufacturing defect in the handset. Some users even posted images of the new phablet from Samsung showing the defect – a gap between the phone’s screen and the metal casing. However, Samsung was quick enough to respond and rejected the claims. It stressed that the gap was a natural part of design that “does not impact the functionality or quality” of the phone.
The Note 4 has a design similar to that of the Galaxy Alpha, which was launched a few days ago in India. It has a 5.7-inch screen size with QuadHD resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels). The Indian version of the Note 4 is likely to be powered by Exynos 5433, an octa-core processor that has fours Cortex A15 cores clocked at 1.9GHz and the four Cortex A7 cores clocked at 1.3GHz. The global version uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset clocked at 2.7GHz.
The Note 4 has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB of storage. It uses Android 4.4 along with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 fashions a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with Smart OIS, and a 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/1.9 lens. It comes with 32GB of built-in storage, and expandability via microSD card.
It also comes with additional software optimized to make use of the S Pen stylus. Compared to Note 3, users can multitask better in multi-window mode of Galaxy Note 4, which supports minimizing apps as floating widgets. It also has better text selection and crops selected areas on the screen for later viewing.
Everyone is gearing up for the most important event of Indian year, Diwali. With popular companies and electronic giants offering festive sales and deals, there is too much to choose from. One such big sale is going on on Flipkart, called The Big Billion Day sale.
The sale is to be held from 6-10 October and opened at 8 am today. Flipkart has gone big this time with big discounts on 70 categories, flash sales, deals of the hour, lucky draws every hour and unprecedented offers and discounts. We are listing our Top 5 smartphone deals on Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale.
If you’ve been thinking about investing in a new smartphone, today’s the today.
1. Moto E
It’s no secret that Motorola and Flipkart have a long running and healthy relationship. Well, this healthy relationship has given us great offers and easy availability of Motorola blockbuster handsets. Moto E is one of the most Android friendly smartphone in its price bracket. Flipkart is offering flat Rs. 1500 off on Moto E which means you can buy the smartphone for Rs. 5,499 only. Check out our Moto E review here.
2. Moto G (Gen 2)
Another great offer for Motorola fans is on the new Moto G. You can exchange your old phone with the new gen Moto G and can get upto Rs. 4000 off. You can exchange your old Moto G or Moto E to get Rs. 3000 off and Moto X to get Rs. 4000 off.
3. Moto X (16 GB)
If you wanted to buy this smartphone but couldn’t because of the pocket constraints, this is the best deal you can get for the Moto X. Flipkart is offering the device at Rs. 17,999. The original price of the device is Rs. 23,999.
4. Asus Zenfone 4
Asus Zenfone 4 is a value-for money gadget which has been one of the best selling phones by Asus. The original retail price of the handset is around Rs. 6000, however, Flipkart is offering the device for Rs. 4999 under the Big Billion Day sale.
5. Nokia Lumia 520
Lumia 520 is one the best selling smartphones from Nokia’s Lumia series. The original market price of the device is Rs. 6,999. FlipKart is offering Lumia 520 at the price of Rs. 4,999.
All great travel apps have one thing in common: they all solve problems you don’t even realise you have. Whether they’re helping you in easy and quick navigation, pointing you in the direction of authentic local nosh or simply showing you how to ask after a toilet in Japanese, you need to pick and choose which one works for you best.
Here are our picks of apps and websites for the best travel experience you can have:
Do you travel often, reach your destination, unpack your things, and ask yourself, ‘Where is my toothbrush?’. It happens to the best of us because it’s far easier to create a mental list of things to pack in the week leading up to your departure than it is to actually remember them all when you’re packing. The logical thing to do would be to create a small travel pack or make a list of things to pack as you remember them. Ultimate Travel Packing List is a little web app that generates a list of things you should pack based on your gender, the length of your trip, the climate you’ll be experiencing, and the nature of your trip.
Which seats are the best seats on the plane? Since airlines began charging for everything from a checked bag to a bag of peanuts, the answer is, “Whichever ones I don’t have to pay extra for.” SeatGuru provides commercial cabin seat maps, advising travelers which seats in the cabin to select or not select when booking a flight. The free app lets you access over 700 seat maps from over 100 airlines. It features advice and insights drawn from over 45,000 passenger reviews, so you can always find the best seat before you fly. Plus, the new app now helps you compare and find great low airfares from low-cost carriers, big online travel agencies, and the airlines themselves. You can even set up real-time flight alerts that monitor your flight arrival time and other information.
The Bing Travel app lets you explore over 2,000 destinations from all over the world through beautiful photos and panoramas. Travel guides, booking tools, real time currency conversion, and weather provide everything you need to turn travel inspiration into your next great trip. Enable location services for Bing Travel Beta, so they can have more specific recommendations. For example, the destinations section recommends several places near New York. Each destination displays a summary syndicated from Frommer’s, traveler photos, attractions, restaurants, and hotels. Prices for hotel rooms are displayed by the app, grabbing rates from services like Booking, Kayak, Travelocity, Expedia, and more. Click on the rate you like and the web browser opens for you to continue the booking on that particular site.
Tripit
The iPhone app TripIt offers a unique service to travelers. It automatically connects to your email accounts, finds travel-confirmation emails, and turns them into a neat, complete itineraries. TripIt is familiar with purchases you make on all the major search and booking sites, such as Orbitz and Kayak, as well as airlines, car rental services, hotels, restaurant reservations, and much more. If TripIt misses an important travel email, you can forward it along, and the service will either figure out what to do with info or stick it to the side until you can review and type in the details manually.
Uber hit 100 cities recently, and what many call the fastest growing cab company in the world is adding more cities fast. When you open the app in any of the 100-plus Uber cities and order a car, the app will estimate the arrival time and send a text saying your driver is on the way. A small photo with the driver’s name and phone number pops up on the app, while a car icon on the map shows you in real time where the car is located. Cash isn’t an issue, Uber bills your credit card at the end of the ride. Both users and drivers can rate each other at the end of the ride using the app for other users to view. Rather than a cheap taxi app with prices similar to local cabs, in Asia Uber provides a luxury experience, with much higher prices and limo chauffeurs.
The festive season is the time to show love to your family. From Dussehra till the beginning of the new year, Indians have a lot of reasons to celebrate and no celebration is complete without gifts. However, it is always a task to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Don’t worry, iGyaan is here. We are listing 10 gadgets to gift your high-tech mother this season.
1. iPad Mini
Whether your mom is a computer genius or not, iPad Mini would make for an amazing gift for her. Once she gets a hold of the small and handy device, you will see her make full use of it. You can pair it up with an iPad kitchen stand, making it a useful gift for everyone in the family. The iPad’s 7.9 inch backlit display gives great viewing angles. The device is also super thin and unbelievably light, so she can even stash it in her bag easily when on the go.
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2. Garmin Car Navigation System
Navigation systems in the car are not only convenient but help avoid traffic, finding better roads, speed limit notifications and much more. So, if your mother complains about the traffic a lot you need to gift her this gadget. Garmin Nuvi car navigation series is one of the best navigation system available in the market. Our pick for your mom will be Garmin Nuvi 2568LM Car Navigation System. It is very user friendly, comes with lifetime updates, bluetooth compatibility and preloaded with Travel Guide.
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3. Coffee Machines
We’re telling you by our personal experience, having a coffee machine around is such a relief. Gifting your mom one will cheer her mood up, we can promise you that. There are loads of coffee machines available in market. Our pick for you mother will be Philips Saeco Poemia HD8325 1-Litre Manual Espresso Machine and Oster BVSTEM6601S-073 1050-Watt Prima Expresso and Latte Maker and if you are ready spend little bit more then Delonghi EC850M 1450-Watt Pump Espresso Coffee Maker is perfect all in one solution for coffee lovers, it comes with thermo block heating system and 15 bar professional pressure and an amazing stainless steel body.
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4. Camera
The Festive season means n number of family pictures being taken. Smartphones come with excellent cameras these days, however they’re unable to compete with the many feature packed cameras available in market. From point to shoot to new mirrorless cameras, there are wide variety of products to choose from. We would recommend Panasonic DMC-ZS40K or Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II for your mom.
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5. FitBit Ultra
If your mom is a fitness freak, gift her FitBit Ultra. With this fitness tracker, she can set her fitness goals, plan workouts and monitor performance. It features Foursquare-esque badges and an altimeter for counting how many steps you’ve climbed. It is very easy to use and FitBit analysis is amazingly helpful too.
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6. Tata Sky HD
Every mom has a favourite soap opera she is addicted to. Gift your mother TATA Sky HD set top box with Metro subscription so that she can record stuff in HD. It would make for a unusual gift, however improve her daily life.
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7. iPhone 5S
This is a best time to gift your mother an iPhone 5S. Recently, prices went down since the new new gen iPhone 6 has been released.
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8. Skullcandy Knockout
Skullcandy has this amazing headset range called Knockout specifically designed for women. They come in amazingly beautiful floral design and leather finish. It will be your moms favourite accessory apart from her expensive jewelry.
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9. RoboVacuum
Festive season means a lot of cleaning in the house. We recommend you to gift her a RoboVacuum. Trust us, it will make you your mother’s favorite amongst your siblings.
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10. Amazon Gift Voucher
If you still can’t decide what you want to gift your mother, here is the one last option. You can gift your mom an Amazon Gift voucher worth from Rs. 10 to 10,000. She can choose whatever she wants from the website.
They are difficult people to buy gifts for. Even if you get them what they wanted all along; they’ll pretend to dislike it just to tease you. Well, we want you to gear up to buy gifts that your brothers cannot even pretend to dislike!
Here is a list of 5 gadgets that you can gift your brother:
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5. Logitech PowerShell Controller
One of the first Apple approved gamepads for iPhone, Logitech PowerShell Controller is built to easily slot the iPhone directly inside, without having the need to pull the controller apart to fit it in. Its rubbery surface and solid deign is comfortable to hold and carry as well. You can keep gaming non-stop using its 1500 mAh battery. It supports iOS 7 controller games and is sure to be a winner!
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4. Pebble Steel SmartWatch
Pebble Steel SmartWatch is any man’s cup of tea. With a long battery life, the watch can go upto 7 days between charging. It can connect wirelessly with iOS and Android devices and will let you read texts, mails, change the music, take calls and operate various apps and games while your phone sits comfortably in your pocket. It is not just classy, it is tough as well. With waterproofing up to 5 ATM, this may be exactly what your brother needs!
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3. Beats Solo 2.0
Far better than the previous products of the Beats Solo range, Beats Solo 2.0 are sturdy and provide a comfortable fit. Available in 6 colours including black, blue and green, these headphones have a rubber-topped headband which is lightweight and firm. This means you can wear the Beats Solo 2 when you run without having to worry that they might fall off. Comfortable and with amazing sound quality, these headphones are totally worth the price.
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2. Iron Man LED Pendrive
This festive season, think geeky. The Iron Man LED Pendrive is funky, stylish and useful. With an 8 GB capacity and eyes that glow, this pendrive transfers data up to speed of 12 Mb/s. Why settle for something boring, when you can gift your brother a superhero style customized pendrive?
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1. Sony PlayStation 4
With more graphical force than the Xbox One, 32 times more framework memory than the Ps3 and a firm concentrate on immaculate gaming encounters as opposed to media mojo, the Ps4 has made itself as the cutting edge support to beat. The new Dualshock Controller, the PS4 framework is based on a capable custom chip that contains eight x86-64 cores and a state of the workmanship 1.84 TFLOPS representation processor with 8 GB of ultra-quick Gddr5 bound together framework memory. Yes, your brother wants it.
Microsoft seems to be gearing up to get in the celebration mood. The company has launched three new Lumia phones – the 730, 830 and 930, in India. The double-SIM Lumia 730 has been priced at Rs. 15,299, while the Lumia 830 and 930 are estimated to have a tag of Rs. 28,799 and Rs. 38,649, respectively.
The Nokia Lumia 730, also being called the company’s first selfie smartphone, features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel Super Sensitive Touch HD OLED display. Microsoft says the 5 megapixel wide-edge front camera on the Lumia 730 double SIM will help buyers click and share better quality selfies. This phone has been updated remembering the Skype application as they let users switch from voice to Skype feature calls with one single tap. It comes powered by a 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon quad-center processor. The Lumia 730 has a 6.7 megapixel back camera, 2220mAh battery, 8GB of interior stockpiling and 15 GB of free OneDrive stockpiling. It can back a microSD card of up to 128GB.
The Lumia 830 is the most slender and lightest Lumia yet. Microsoft calls the metal-encircled Nokia Lumia 830 “the reasonable lead” of the Nokia Lumia range. It has a 10 megapixel back camera alongside a 1 megapixel front camera and is fuelled by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon quad-core processor. The affordable smartphone has a 5-inch screen with 1280×720 pixels resolution protected with Corning Gorilla 3.0 glass.
The battery in the Lumia 830 is 2200 mAh and storage option includes 16GB of internal memory and an extra 15GB space accessible on Microsoft’s OneDrive. It can also back microSD cards of up to 128gb. The Lumia 830 will accompany the Lumia Denim update that presents gimmicks, for example, Live Folders, Apps Corner and an refurbished Glance screen.
The Lumia 930 has a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display. Powered by a 2.2 Ghz quad-center Snapdragon chipset with 2GB of RAM and 32GB inside capacity, the phone is extremely stylish and stands out from the other phones in the entire range. The Lumia 930 smartphone also offers a 20MP primary camera with Pureview tech and a 1.2MP secondary camera with ZEISS optics and updated Rich Recording. The Nokia Lumia 930 is stimulated with a Li-Ion 2420mAh battery.
Xolo has just launched the Q2100 smartphone for Rs. 13,499. The USP of the new smartphone is the built-in fingerprint scanner, and an IR blaster that is capable of functioning as a universal remote along with the preloaded Peel Smart Remote app. The fingerprint scanner is at the back of the Q2100 and it lets you securely access and unlock your smartphone in just a swipe over the the sensor.
Maximum 3 fingers can be enrolled and successfully decoded as a part of this authentication process. The Last Pass app comes pre-loaded in the device which is secured by a fingerprint sensor to safeguard all passwords.
It has a 5.5-inch HD display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with Exmor R sensor, 1080p full HD video recording, dual LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and packs a 2800 mAh battery.
Other connectivity options on the Xolo Q2100 include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB OTG, A-GPS, and FM radio. The smartphone comes with an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. The Xolo Q2100 comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 13,499.
Specifications
Xolo Q2100
Display
5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Processor
1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT65882
Storage
8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
Microsoft launched its new Window OS operating system at a small event yesterday in California. What came as surprise was the name that the company decided to give it. It is not Windows One, not Windows 9, but Windows 10, which combines the reborn Start Menu with Windows 8’s colorful live tiles and adjusts its behavior depending on how you’re using your device. Microsoft wants us to think of the latest version as a fundamental change to how Windows works, and the company skipped a version number to show it.
Return of the Start Menu
Originally codenamed Windows Threshold, the new operating system essentially drops the tiled “Metro” user interface that Microsoft had attempted to implement across its entire device line, from desktop PCs to Surface tablets and Windows Phone devices. Replacing it is a combination of the so-called live tiles, squeezed comfortably in the new Start Menu. It is a more retro Windows experience that will, according to the company, suite both touch and keyboard-and-mouse users.
Windows 10 is such a substantial leap, according to Microsoft, that the company decided it would be best to skip Windows 9, the widely expected name for the next version.
“Windows 10 will run on the broadest amount of devices. A tailored experience for each device,” Myerson said at a press event here Tuesday. “There will be one way to write a universal application, one store, one way for apps to be discovered purchased and updated across all of these devices.” “We believe that, together with the feedback you provide us, we can build a product that all of our customers will love,” Myerson added. “It will be our most open collaborative OS projects ever.”
The New Continuum Mode
Microsoft is also working on a tweaked UI that isn’t in Windows 10, yet. For two-in-on devices, a “Continuum” mode will adjust the UI depending on whether or not the mouse and keyboard is present. When a keyboard is disconnected, the Windows 8-style Start Menu appears and a back button is available so that users can easily back out to a prior command. Menus grow larger. But when a mouse and keyboard is connected, the desktop mode reappears, Windows apps return to desktop windows, and the Start page disappears.
That means your software will know when you’re using the OneDrive cloud service or Microsoft Word on a Surface device or a Lenovo laptop and adjust accordingly in a way that will unlock that productivity that Microsoft feels has been eluding its family of devices with Windows 8.
Windows 10 will work across devices.
The goal with Windows 10, the company stressed, is to find UI approaches that use the same mouse and keyboard experience evolving from Windows 7 so the touch users get something natural. During the event, Microsoft also offered insight into what went wrong with Windows 8. The goal of that OS was based on the effect that two-in-one’s can have for the productivity of Windows to help people get things done. Two-in-one devices can shape-shift from laptop to tablet, and Microsoft hopes that Windows can dominate that dual form factor in a way that their competitor Apple cannot, with its separate iPad and laptop lines.
Windows Mobile 10
For the Windows smartphones, the Windows Mobile OS will share the UI and the name. The company also said that the it will not have a desktop. However, it did not elaborate on what the next version Microsoft’s mobile OS may look like.
How Much will it Cost?
The company didn’t talk about the business model for the new OS either. The earlier reports suggested that the new Windows 10 may come for free as Apple does with its OS X upgrades or for nominal fee of $20. However, nothing is official yet.
When it Will be Available?
Microsoft expects to release the OS sometime in 2015, after the company’s Build Developer Conference in April. Microsoft also announced its Windows Insider Program, a developer’s program to allow enterprise people to evaluate it early, and will be available starting Thursday. Members of the program will have access to the ‘tech preview build.’
The Parrot Zik 2.0, a follow up to the Bluetooth and noise cancelling Zik, have some new features and a slightly different shape. The aptly named Zik 2.0 weigh 270g, which is 17 per cent (or 55g) lighter than its predecessor.
It recovers all the original features, especially the large trackpad which this time is made of a soft-touch leather exterior. The right earcup has gesture controls for playback and volume, with NFC and the removable battery on the left side.
The headphones have no exposed metal, but still retain their touch and gesture ability. It retains the dual, near-ear sensors; one of which recognizes when the headphones are on your head (to pause and play music when you take them on and off) and the other, a bone-conduction sensor, picks up voice vibrations so it knows when you’re speaking, which helps with noise canceling during phone calls.
Parrot said the headphone has been redesigned from the ground up to address user feedback, and the most immediate difference you’ll notice is a weight loss. Parrot also tweaked the headphones’ overall battery life, which was addressed by giving users the ability to choose how they want to use them. Each mode comes with its own battery life rating. There’s Flight Mode, which gives listeners up to 18 hours when plugged in via wire. There’s Eco Mode, which gives seven hours of the noise-cancelling effects. And for those who want to go all out on features over Bluetooth, you’ll get up to six hours.
There’s a ‘Street Mode’ which is quite interesting. The headphones, using some of the built-in microphones, reinserts some of the surrounding ambient sound back into the headphones. This could be beneficial if you’re walking on a busy street, so you can still hear the traffic, or as Parrot points out, you can hear your own voice in your ears while talking on the phone.
With Zik 2.0, Parrot has leveled up the internal tech with a higher-grade DAC (digital-to-analog converter), which it says creates cleaner sound, as well as better noise cancelling and a new app that allows you to customize the way you want your music to sound with advanced EQ settings, in addition to adjusting how much noise-cancelling you want.
Zik 2.0 comes in six colors and is set to be available in November on the Parrot website and at Apple and Brookstone retail stores at $399.
Hewlett-Packard promised fall would be the season of new, affordable Windows laptops. Keeping their word, the company announced the HP Stream 14-inch Notebook. The Stream series is HP’s version of the low cost Windows laptop, meant to compete head to head with Chromebooks on price, but still offer the powerful operating system.
This Intel Celeron-powered Stream will have an 11.6-inch HD non-touch display and 32GB of eMMC flash memory for storage. The company also unveiled a 13.3-inch touch-optional SKU that goes for $230, and 7 and 8-inch Stream tablets priced at $100 and $150, respectively.
The 11.6- and 13.3-inch notebooks are both fan-less designs with HD displays. The 11.6-inch Stream and the 14-inch model announced earlier this month have non-touch displays. Touch is optional on the 13.3-inch model, but HP did not reveal how much that feature would add to its cost.
The 13.3 inch model also is available with optional 4G connectivity, and as a value add, HP is including 200 MB of free data every month for the life of the device. As another value add, HP is offering one year of free Office 365 personal, which includes 1 TB of online storage and 60 Skype minutes per month.
Battery life is listed from HP at 8:15 for the 11.6 inch model, and 7:45 for the 13.3 inch model. The HP Stream laptops are available in several colors, and will be priced at $199.99 for the 11.6 inch model and $229.99 as the starting price for the 13.3 inch model.
