Author: Parul Ritvik Sood

Top 5 Useful Apps Made For Android Wear Smartwatches

Android Wear is the darling of wearable technology these days. We can’t wait to put smartwatches around our wrists and find out all their capabilities. Android Wear smartwatches do a good job of delivering notifications and other alerts to your wrist, but the fun really starts when you start downloading apps that add additional functionality.

Although the selection of Android Wear apps is small for now, there are already some pretty useful options in the Google Play store.

We are listing 5 of the these amazing app that you will love to use on your Android smartwatch.

1. IFTTT

IFTTT, acronym for If This Then That, connects events into a simple statement that triggers an action. It performs a set action if an event happens, like firing off a text message to your phone if you receive an email or automatically uploading photos to Dropbox that you post to Instagram. On the wrist IFTTT gives users a big button that triggers some user configurable action. IFTTT is probably the most powerful app available yet on the smartwatch.

2. Binary Watch Face

The Binary Watch Face is a very clean and good looking binary clock for the smartwatch. One thing that does come up with regards to these custom watch faces is that whenever a notification pops up, they end up covering a part of the watch face design, which is something to look out for, especially if there is task with a persistent notification. The companion app installs on your smartphone with the Watch Face allowing you to configure the colors to your liking.

3. Evernote

With this you can dictate voice notes to your watch. The Android Wear extension of Evernote allows users to pull up recent notes on their smartwatch which is more useful than it sounds if you’re travelling and have to book references and other things on your wrist. Dictating new notes without having to pull out a smartphone does make life a lot simpler.

4. Bunting

Bunting is a simple Twitter client for Android Wear with a clean and sleek interface, that allows you to tweet messages directly from your Android Wear smartwatch. The set up is very easy. All you have to do is log into Bunting using your Twitter account, and once that’s done, you can start tweeting by dictating your message directly to the watch. If you tweet on a regular basis and own an Android Wear device, Bunting is a quick and easy way for microbloging on the go.

5. Flopsy Droid

Well you must be wondering how pathetic it would be to play games on your Android wear with its small screen. But Flopsy Droid will amaze you. Created by the makers of Blunting, the game is a clone of Flappy Bird with similar gameplay. The bird is gone and has been replaced with the green Bugdroid we all know and love. But the big difference is the fact that this game is now playable from your smart-watch. If you’re looking to while away some time, Flopsy Bird is great way to do so.

July 21, 2014
A New Round of Rumors Emerge About The iPhone 6

With the release drawing close, rumours about the iPhone 6 are on its peak these day. Recently, a report revealed iPhone 6 battery details, suggesting that Apple’s 2014 models may offer better battery performance than the last iPhone.

Image of the battery leaked by French publication Nowhereelse

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was expected to have a battery capacity of 1,800 mAh to 1,900 mAh, while the so-called 5.5-inch ‘iPhone Air’ was said to have a 2,500 mAh battery. Now, French publication Nowhereelse has disclosed an image of the purported 4.7-inch iPhone 6’s battery, which may confirm that the battery has a capacity in line with previous reports.

The image revealed by the publication shows a battery assembled in China by Huizhou Desay Battery, which has 1,810 mAh capacity. What’s interesting about the battery maker is that Desay was mentioned in a recent report as one of Apple’s iPhone 6 battery suppliers. The report mentioned the company that is able to meet the iPhone’s battery size requirements for this component.

The iPhone 6 which is said to be launched later this year is expected to be 7mm thin. It was also reported that Apple has placed orders to battery suppliers for 2mm-thick batteries, which are one-third thinner than the batteries found in the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. Another report illustrates that Apple suppliers encountered challenges mass-producing slimmed-down components for the iPhone 6, including batteries, which could affect their gross margins.

There were images which were previously leaked showing a batch of purported iPhone 6 batteries, although their capacities were not revealed in those leaks. This appears to be the first purported iPhone 6 battery picture that actually lists the capacity of the battery, an important hardware detail, especially considering this year’s models will have significantly bigger displays.

According to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will enter mass production starting next week, while the 5.5-inch model will go into mass production almost a month later, during the second week of August. Which means the rumored September release of the device may come true. The publication has also reported that Foxconn will hire 100,000 workers to meet Apple’s iPhone demands this year, which is in line with the unconfirmed reports which said that Apple placed a heavy order. Pegatron, the other iPhone 6 maker, has also hired more than 10,000 additional workers to manufacture the new iPhone, as Apple is rumored to sell up to 70 million iPhone 6 units this year.

July 19, 2014
Google To Unleash Android One in India This October

Google’s plans that were announced this year at Google I/O are finally unfolding and creating a stir. Recently, Google came up with new Chromecast 1.7 update which now allows users to display their Android homescreens on a Chromecast-connected TV and lets you use any application on your television. And now, Google is set to launch the first Android One smartphone in October this year in India.

They’ve planned a strategic launch around the Diwali season, and it has also been said that the company is planning a 100 Crore investment on marketing and advertising.

Google is aiming big with these Android One devices, estimating a reach up to 5 billion people in emerging markets. They said that the handsets will be updated directly by Google. The all rounder technology giant will also provide hardware and software reference points, while manufacturers will be able to put in their own apps in the devices.

Back in June at the I/O 2014, Google announced Micromax will be the first one to release an Android One device which will be priced at $100. The reports are also saying that the much talked about Micromax Android One device will be available exclusively on Flipkart.

Google added that the device will have a 4.5 inch display screen, expandable memory, dual sim capabilities and integrated FM Radio. The Android One devices will come with Play Auto Installs, that tells users which apps are recommended for his smartphone.

The Economic Times reported that Google has also roped in Indian low-cost smartphone maker Celkon Mobiles and Intex Technologies is also in talks with Google for a similar partnership.

July 19, 2014
Google Partners With Novartis To Create World’s First Smart Contact Lens

Google and Novartis join hands to set new boundaries of wearable technology. Google’s smart contact lens technology is one step closer to reality with the company announcing its partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis .

The press release stated that Novartis’s Alcon unit will work with Google’s secretive Google X division on lenses with non-invasive sensors, microchips and embedded miniaturized electronics to monitor insulin levels for people with diabetes, or to restore the eye’s natural focus in people who can no longer read without glasses. No terms of the deal are yet disclosed.

Google said it hoped the technology would help diabetics around the world by removing the need to perform regular, painful blood tests. Novartis has said that in addition to helping diabetics manage their disease, it is hoped that the technology can also be modified to help those suffering from vision loss that occurs with age.

Novartis’ CEO Joe Jimenez identified eye care as one of three key divisions, along with branded and generic drugs, in announcing a $28.5 billion restructure of the company in April that involved selling off the vaccines and animal-health units and buying GlaxoSmithKline PLC’s cancer business.

“The promise here is the Holy Grail of vision care, to be able to replicate the natural functioning of the eye,” Jimenez said. “Think about a contact lens that could help the eye autofocus on that newspaper and then when you look up it would autofocus in the distance.This is a key step for us to go beyond the confines of traditional disease management, starting with the eye.”

The smart contact lens technology were originally developed by Google X, the “audacious” research and development lab that is responsible for the company’s self-driving cars, internet weather-balloons and Google Glass.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said: “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people. We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true.”

July 17, 2014
After Airtel, Aircel Joins The 4G Race With its Launch In 4 Circles

Aircel India has recently launched its 4G services which will be offered across four circles, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Odisha. Aircel already provides 2G and 3G services and it is now become the second Indian telecom operator after Airtel to launch its 4G services in the country.

Aircel holds 20MHz of spectrum in the 4G LTE 2300 MHz band across eight circles – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

Aircel’s enterprise customers will experience a 4G LTE high-speed network to receive dedicated internet and secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) services whereas its Home customers will experience various infotainment services on high-speed broadband that will help connect any Wi-Fi device to support services such as faster internet access, Smart TVs, Virtual Home Solutions, Home Security, online gaming and much more.

Aircel hopes that existing technological leadership position further lends to providing a promising and reliable 4G LTE service to our customers. They also promise that the wireless broadband services offered will help customers transform their workplaces and homes into ‘smarter’ entities.

The parameters that will differentiate Aircel’s 4G LTE services include customized offerings with a quick turnaround time for deployment of services to Enterprise and Home customer, beating existing industry standards; high speed and low latency, which are critical to any enterprise service experience, will be Aircel’s key focus deliverable building on Reliable MPLS (Multiple Protocol Label Switching) core network.

So far, Airtel has launched 4G services in a few circles, while a pan-India availability is still awaited. Though, there is no information as of now about their 4G data charges as of now. Aircel’s entry will finally bring some competition in the segment, perhaps encourage other players to launch their services. From customers’ point of view, competition gives possibility of lower tariffs and even more affordable devices.

July 16, 2014
Top 5 Gadgets Every Tech Geek Should Have

A man’s greatness can be measured by the number of cool gadgets in his home, or at least, the number of cool gadgets he’d like to have at home. We’re talking about the kind that are so cool that you’ve just gotta own them. So in the spirit of all things awesome, we bring you this list of gadgets every tech geek should have, or at the very least, want to have.

1. Star Trek Style Glasses

If you don’t mind looking like Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge, this pair of virtual television glasses are for you. With these glasses, you can watch movies and even play console games. There are several manufacturers including China-based Teleplus Electronics with an offer price of around $120. It also offers an 80-inch screen model which will set you back an additional $100. Brookstone’s iDesign Digital Video Glasses serve up a 50-inch screen for use with the iPhone or iPod and will cost you back about $150.

2. Print Your Toaster

Designed by Othmar Muehlebach, this toaster thinks that it’s a printer. The idea is to lay a stack of bread on the top and it runs through the toaster, and each slice comes out with a print. It could be modified to burn any kind of graphics on the bread and run ussing USB. While it’s still just a concept product, the big question is — would you like to spend all morning wrangling with jammed pieces of toast?

3. Roomba

Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners sold by iRobot. Roomba can change direction on encountering obstacles, auto-detect dirty spots on the floor and detect steep drops to keep it from falling down stairs. It is the perfect solution for Post-Star Wars Marathon cleaning.

4. Nvidia Shield

This Android Console is portable enough to play on a bus. As well as having access to hundereds of games via Google Play, the shield can stream full PC titles from your PC. Pretty damn cool.

5. Trikke Tribred Pon-E

Possibly the most exciting three-wheeler we have ever seen, this electric scooter runs for a good 40 KM on a single charge and hits a top speed of 25 kmph. To top it all, you don’t even need a license to ride one of these on the road.

July 16, 2014
Microsoft Is Pulling Up Its Sleeves To Tackle The Chromebook Frenzy

Yesterday, at WPC 2014, Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner revealed company’s plan to take over Google Chromebook. Turner said that HP is planning to release a $199 laptop running Windows this holiday season. He didn’t provide any specs for HP’s “Stream” device, but he did show detailed $249 laptop options from Acer and Toshiba.

Acer’s low-cost laptop will ship with a 15.6-inch screen and a 2.16GHz Intel Celeron processor, and Toshiba’s includes a 11.6-inch display. It appears that Intel’s Celeron chips will help Microsoft’s PC partners push out cheaper devices in the race to the bottom.

Microsoft explains why Windows is better!

It is also revealed that HP will release its 7- and 8-inch versions of new “Stream” PCs for $99 along with the main variant, and both running versions of Windows. Microsoft has been gradually cutting Windows license costs to help PC makers to reduce their device prices, and it’s clear the company is taking the Chromebook threat seriously now that its popularity is rising day by day.

As Microsoft points out, there are some things you can do on a Windows machine that you cannot on a Chromebook. You can run the full version of Microsoft Office, be sure that most printers and other peripherals will support your device, and run native Windows apps. You can also install the Chrome web browser and do nearly anything you would be able to do on a Chromebook.

Google sold 2.1 million Chromebooks in 2013

But some of Microsoft’s allegation on Chromebook are not entirely true. You can use some Chrome web apps even without an internet connection, use Google Cloud Print to send print jobs to supported devices, Google Drive (or Microsoft Office Web Apps) for some document editing, or even load Ubuntu, Debian, or another Linux distribution if you want desktop apps.

Furthermore, Chromebooks boot quickly, offer a secure platform since apps run in a sandboxed security mechanism, and the ease that comes with knowing that almost all of your data is backed up in the cloud so you can pick up where you left off just by logging into any other machine connected to internet.

Google has been praised for how clean and user-friendly its Chrome OS has been, while Microsoft’s Windows 8 has struggled to catch on since it launched in 2012. Google sold 2.1 million Chromebooks in 2013. Meanwhile, the ultraportable Windows 8 laptop-tablet hybrids declined by 7.4% last year. While Microsoft is now competing on price, only time will tell if the underpowered devices can match the smooth performance of a Chromebook.

July 15, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Launched in India for Rs 13,999

As a pleasant surprise, Xiaomi announced the Mi3 in India at a price tag of Rs. 13,999, which is less than the initial price revealed by the company earlier this month. Along with Mi 3, Redmi 1S and Redmi Note have also been launched at the price of Rs 6,999 and Rs 9,999, respectively. The Xiaomi Mi3 is up for pre-registration today and will be available via FlipKart on July 22.

At the offered price and with its set of features, the Mi 3 is here to trouble other Indian smartphone makers. It will compete with the Nexus 5 and the HTC One M7 with it’s mighty Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 SoC. Moreover, Xiaomi has also put in some thought when it comes to the pressure sensitivity of the display.

The touch feature on the Mi3 allows users to operate the phone even with wet and gloved hands. In addition to launching the phones, the company has released a new India theme in the MiUI themes store. It features refreshed iconography and UI elements, with a very India design aesthetic that features henna patterns, elephants and a wallpaper that shows the Taj Mahal.

As per the recent phablet trend, the Mi 3 comes with a large 5-inch display featuring a 1920 x 1080p resolution. The full HD display ensures that the pixel density goes all the way up to 441ppi. The company says that ‘Mi 3’s backlit display is fused directly to the touch screen’, ensuring deeper colors which pop up for a great visual experience.

The RedMi 1S is Xiaomi’s budget smartphone. It has a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. The phone comes with a microSD card slot and a 2,000mAh battery. It also has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.6-megapixel rear camera. It runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean underneath the MiUI user interface.

Xiaomi Redmi Note phablet sports a 5.5-inch 720p IPS display. It is powered by a 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor and 1.7GB RAM. It holds 8GB of internal storage and is expandable to 32GB through the microSD. The phone has a 3100mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Xiaomi’s MiUi layer on top. It sports a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera.

For those who were skeptical about the customer service, Xiaomi has also set up a network of service centers in 20 big cites in India. There will be 2 exclusive Mi centers in New Delhi and Mumbai, which will have two hour turn around times. Additionally there will be 34 partner operated service centers that will have one day turn around times.

During its launch in Singapore, 5,000 units of Redmi Note, priced at S$199 (Rs 9,600 approximately), were sold out in just 42 seconds. Judging by the pricing of Mi 3 in India, we expect the company to unveil the other phones at an equally competitive prices.

July 15, 2014
5 Things You Should But Don’t Know About Xiaomi Smartphones

The entry of Xiaomi in the Indian market has already created a stir amongst the domestic smartphone players. It may be difficult to imagine that any smartphone firm other than Apple and Samsung can cause such a commotion, let alone a Chinese one. But what is Xiaomi? At first, we couldn’t even pronounce its name properly (it’s Shiao-Me). Well tell you what, we give you 5 reasons to consider Xiaomi as a strong contender in Smartphone market.

1. Lockscreen

The MiUi (Xiaomi operating system) lockscreen has multiple functions. To lock the screen, press the home button till you see a LED light being activated. Double tap the lock screen to control the music menu. Got an unread SMS? Just tap the center of the screen to directly answer the text.

2. Interface

All apps in MiUi are gathered at the main interface along with the widgets as MiUi does not have an app drawer. While Android can quit all applications that run in the background with a long press on the menu button, MiUi users can choose the applications they want in the background, while exiting the rest of them. Also, MiUi’s call interface looks similar to that of Android but it offers additional functions. When making a call, users can opt to write a note and record the conversation in an MP3 format.

3. Messaging

MiUi’s messaging application seems normal but it has an ability to ensure important messages are always on the top by using the pin. Most importantly, MiUi has a Private Messaging function, which allows users to hide sensitive messages with the use of password. You can even select your private messaging contacts and save them in a password protected format. The function can be accessed by dragging down the Messaging interface several times.

4. Intelligent Front Camera

The front camera of Mi 3 has special functions. It comes with an ability to detect gender and age, and subsequently chooses the right filter to enhance pictures. Good news for selfie lovers as no editing is needed before posting pictures in social network. The Mi3 which is going to enter Indian market soon, flaunts a 13 MP rear and 2 MP front camera.

5. Backup

MiUi has its own Backup application. Users can create a backup and save it somewhere else, such as a laptop. This backup can be used if the gadget faces problems in the future. Each function can be reinstalled with Backup. It comes with it’s own local backup system, inclusive of 3rd party applications and data. You can also activate automatic backup timing, which will execute data backup at your specific intervals.

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July 15, 2014
New Leaked Images Reveal Google Play’s Makeover

We have been introduced to Android L and Google’s new Material Design UI, which is expected to infiltrate most of Google’s own apps, at this year Google I/O. We will have to wait until Android L’s public launch this fall before we get a good look at these updated apps, but the rumor flying high these days aren’t going to make us wait that long for a peek at Google Play Store makeover.

Android Police reports that Google will be redesigning their interface and aesthetics of the Play Store for Android devices and added that the content listings focus on the new design. Screenshots also shared by Android Police purportedly reveal the Material Design version of the Play Store for both phones and tablets. When compared to the current iteration of the Play Store, the refreshed version uses larger images and album art in the background of a listing.

There is more white space between the content and the review sections are bit more colorful with the addition of color review bars. The new layout and design of the Play Store will be primarily focused on content, with the video or trailer for the item and the app icon or movie/album/magazine cover being more prominent. The content and the text describing the item is lower and you will not be able to view it upon immediate entry.

The whole store listing page has changed, to one that uses artistic layout on a largely white canvas with the new Roboto font highlighted during the Google I/O conference. However, this design is still under wraps and could change entirely by the time it is launched.

Recently Samsung has also showed off its app store with a focus on Galaxy devices. The new Samsung Galaxy Apps store will feature “hundreds of apps” exclusively for Samsung Galaxy mobile users, the company stated in a blog post. The new app store offers higher customization and includes a variety of promotions and discounts for users of Samsung Galaxy mobile devices.

July 14, 2014
5 Ridiculous Apps That You Won’t Believe Exist

App stores offers the plethora of programs that can do everything from turning your iPhone into a gaming console and a TV remote to software that helps you scout out the best restaurants. But for every useful app, there are ten fairly pointless ones. Let’s face it, stupid apps are becoming commonplace on the smartphones. So which are the worst of the worst? Narrowing them down was tough, but we’ve dug up 5 of the most painfully pointless apps:

1. Hair Clinic for Man and Woman

Your iPhone holds the power to make sure your hair looks good. Seriously? Hair Clinic For Man and Woman claims to be the “World’s First Mobile Hair Clinic System”. Its makers say the app generates inaudible frequencies that “promote blood circulation around hair root..” All you have to do is move the handset around your scalp while the app sends the frequencies. Um, hopefully nobody is stupid enough to believe that.

2. Pocket Girlfriend

Who needs a real girlfriend when you can have a pocket girlfriend. Customize her with hundreds of different options so that she’ll respond and converse with you, fulfilling your every need. The only person who would find comfort in a ‘Pocket Girlfriend’ would be Dr Rajesh Koothrappali from the TV show Big Bang Theory.

3. Yo!

Twitter with 140 words is so cliche, Yo! is the the new scene. This app doesn’t do anything apart from sending the message ‘Yo!’ to your friends. The way it works is: You choose a username. You “add friends” by typing in their usernames. Then, when you want to message them, you hit their name. It sends a “Yo”. If they hit your name, they send a Yo back. That’s all you can do with this app, it has no other use. The fact that this app has around 800,000 users makes it even more bizarre.

4. Drunk Dialer

This one was made in hoped of avoiding the embarrassment that comes with drunk dialing. Drunk Dialer is like a sobriety test: If you can type the numbers that keep jumping around on your screen, hit the Call button and you’re good to go. But if you’re not quick enough, the harder it is to hit the right key. Do we really need an app that protects us from drunk dialing?

5. Beer Opener

I can best describe the problem with Beer Opener by quoting its App Store description: “Experience the joy of opening a cold refreshing beer bottle without the inconvenience of actually consuming beer!”. Beer Opener lets you pretend to open a real-world bottle. You hold your iPhone over the bottle, grab the virtual cap that pops up on the screen, and open away – without the terrible hassle of having to drink the thing. Are we missing something?

July 14, 2014
5 Ways Music Woven With Technology Sounds Incredible

The power of technology has been shaping our lives for generations. It touches everything we do, experience or listen, YES LISTEN! With the push of technology we now have a recent trend of innovative interactive music videos, apps and so much more.

We are listing 5 of our favorite music videos and albums that are inspired by mighty technology:

1. Reflektor- Arcade Fire (Interactive Geo-tagging Video)

Indie-Rock chart toppers, Arcade Fire put their video skills of HTML5 on use with the The Wilderness Downtown, directed by Chris Milk. An interactive music video which takes you to a run in your hometown. Type in the address of the place you grew up, and the stabbing piano of Arcade Fire’s We Used to Wait starts. A hooded figure begins to run down the streets you knew so well, taking you almost literally for a trip down memory lane. Sinister birds swoop over the Google Map showing your home, and dive-bomb to the ground in climax as trees explode from the familiar road.

2. House of Cards- Radiohead (Lidar Technology)

Radiohead is one of the most prolific band in the music industry.They have been known for their creativity and innovation in music. Staying true to their part, they created a video of a song ‘House of Cards’ using Lidar Technology. Without using any camera, this video was made by building data maps of Thom Yorke and lasers rotating 360 degrees to capture the scene. Beautiful blues, greens and yellows slip away as lines and pixels sketch waveforms into human shapes.

3. Biophilia- Bjork (Interactive App/Album)

Some call Bjork’s app a promotional tool, which of course it is. You have to buy the damn thing though, to use it. But it’s also a thing of beauty that it could return us to the days of heady listening sessions spent thumbing and re-thumbing through liner notes, without threat of Wikipedia, Twitter, or any of the other million new points of focus that make music an easy background character these days. This one of a kind app, first in business and a creative use of one of the most popular technology in the world right now: Smartphones.

4. Double Bubble Trouble- MIA (3-D printing and Drones)

You won’t find this video, a tech-savvy one in the first look. The lyrics of “Double Bubble Trouble” reference immigrant struggles and the outsider status of refugees; the high-rise apartments seen in the video could very well be the modest homes of refugees, now filled with technology unimaginable generations ago. Usually, talk about technological revolutions tends to emphasize the tech itself. In the video for “Double Bubble Trouble,” M.I.A. sets her sights firmly on the revolution. Some of the highly political items that appear in the video includes Quadcopters, 3-D printed guns and Anti-surveillance masks and scarves.

5. Somebody I Use To Know : Gotye (Old School Computer Remix)

Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know – Old School Computer Remix” was created by a person in Canada who knows a thing or two about technology. A HP Scanjet 3C somehow sits in for the vocals. Two hard drives pull off drums and a cymbal and a xylophone is controlled by a PIC16F84A microcontroller. This tech wizard has hand full of videos in his youtube channel and altogether has more than 6 million views for them.

July 14, 2014
The 5 Things You Should Expect From The Upcoming iPhone 6

Everyone is certain we’re going to see the new iPhone in 2014. It’s also looking pretty certain that Apple might follow its own footsteps by releasing two iPhone handset, instead of just one. Rumours suggest there will be two versions available with two different sized screens: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch. And the rumors are, it’s likely to be called the iPhone Air. Though we have to wait till it releases to see what Apple planning to do with next instalment of iPhone. Until then, we are listing 5 things about iPhone 6 that you should expect from the next iPhone:

1. Improved Camera

Its the feature everyone looks for the most, and Apple’s always put huge resources behind improving its cameras. More importantly, Apple’s filed a patent for a particular kind of image stabilization in a smart phone; it will reportedly increase the size of the pixels in its 8-megapixel sensor; and apparently there’s a “Super Resolution Mode” in the next version of the camera app. We have something something remarkable heading our way.

2. Online Payments Using TouchID

Apple has almost 800 million iTunes accounts and hundreds of millions of credit cards on file, and all working towards larger option for users to buy things on their phone. It would take on PayPal and Google Wallet, and could launch alongside the new iPhone. TouchID would be Apple’s ultimate weapon, paying for everything online with your fingerprint is both secure and simple, and a “Pay with iTunes” of sorts could be a huge revenue magnet for Apple.

3. Lightning Port Headphone Jack

There is a possibility of Apple killing classic 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of the company’s propriety Lightning Port. The company has introduced a new design for manufacturers in its made-for-iPhone (MFi) program that will let them to produce headphones with Lightning connectors. The new type of headphones will be able to make the change between analogue to digital audio with an elevated lossless stereo 48 kHz digital output, it would in addition convert the traditional headphones into a smart device.

4. Placement of Buttons

With the flood of iPhone 6 mockups there is a good idea of what the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 might look like. Expect a thinner iPhone between 6-7mm and more metal with curved edges that make it look more like an iPad Air or mini. The new volume buttons are slimmer to fit on this new edge and the power button is now on the right side. This new power button placement is crucial as it allows users to reach the button more easily.

5. Hiked Price

There’s one thing we can be sure about when it comes to the iPhone 6 – it won’t be cheap. Apple’s legacy is a long line of premium devices sporting premium price tags and you can expect that trend to continue with the iPhone 6. One analyst even goes as far as predicting that Apple will hike up the price of the iPhone 6, possibly by as much as $100. With a larger screen, new glass covering the front and possibly even a new, more impressive, material used in construction, we can already foresee the price being hiked.

July 14, 2014
What to Expect From Xiaomi’s Entry Into The Indian Market

Xiaomi, ‘Apple of China’ as it is often called, has now become a hot topic with its entry in the smartphone business in India. Chinese manufacturer has launched its first smartphone in the Indian market, the Xiaomi Mi 3. The phone is priced at Rs.14,999 ($250) and will officially go on sale on July 15. The Xiaomi (pronounced as ‘shao-mee‘) Mi 3 is the company’s flagship device is a pleasant surprise if you take its price into consideration.

The Mi 3 has already won hearts in the east, and predictably Xioami seems to be expecting a huge turn over in India. They have an advantage since the specs they’re offering at this price, are quite good. The budget segment in our country is currently super crowded with low spec mobile phones. One of the biggest competitor Xioami has to face is the Moto G.

The Xiaomi is packed with a 5.0-inch, 1920×1080 resolution IPS panel from LG or Sharp, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with quad-core 2.3GHz CPU and Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage (non-expandable), 3050mAh battery and MIUI 5 on Android 4.3.

The phone has got a 13MP rear camera with dual-LED flash. Equipped with ultra large Exmor sensor and f/2.2 aperture, you can expect the camera to perform well in various light conditions. For your video conferencing needs, Mi 3 offers a decent 2MP camera on the front. The 3050 mAh battery, will give you about 500 hours of standby time; or about 50 hours of music playback, or 25 hours of talk-time or 21 hours of 3G Internet use.

Another important feature is that while the Xiaomi phones don’t come with the Play Store and Google Apps in China, the company has decided to provide support for them India. You’ll also get about 10 GB of free online storage, which you can use to store your phones contact list, photos, videos, documents and texts.

So far, no official word on retail availability is out but it is said that Xiaomi has signed a deal with Flipkart to sell this phone exclusively through them. However, this is not the only device that Xiaomi will be launching in India this year. Along with the Mi 3 smartphone, Xiaomi has also launched the Mi Power Bank in 10400mAh and 5200mAh capacities but without pricing and availability details.

Also, a recent teaser posted by the company on its official Facebook account suggests that few more devices will be launched very soon.

Although there is no word out about the phones that are going to be launched in India after this one, but there are speculations that Xiaomi could launch the Redmi series, which comprises of Redmi Note and the Redmi 1S, on 15th July as well. If the devices get launched in India sooner than expected, the other players in the market like Micromax, Karboon and Lava will have to match to the competition sent by our neighbour.

July 12, 2014
National Geographic Shows Us The Future of Farming

In a new animation series by National Geographic show called ‘Food By the Numbers’, they point out that by 2050 we’ll need to feed two billion more people. The special eight-month series explores the possibility of how we can do that—without overwhelming our planet.

The episode called ‘Precision in the Fields‘ provides info about how farmers are increasingly using GPS-equipped machinery supported by computers that organize sophisticated data on plants, soil, and weather. Termed “precision agriculture,” same as the episode, this system helps them identify and manage variability within fields. David Schimmelpfennig of the USDA Economic Research Service says that farmers have always made informed choices but that access to more data expands their decision-making toolbox.

The video talks about the effective use of weather forecasting apps, agriculture drones, soil mapping, GPS guidance and many other technology as a critical tool for modern farming.

July 12, 2014