Author: Rosheena Zehra

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Screen Size Confirmed in Zauba Listing

Post some hardware news about the new Samsung devices, Galaxy S7 ad Galaxy S7 Edge, now we have some more confirmed information to get to you. Latest Zauba listings, a website which records the imports and exports to and from India, have confirmed the screen-size of two Samsung smartphones that have been imported to the country.

These Samsung smartphones have model numbers indicating they are Galaxy S7 (SM-G930R4) and S7 Edge (SM-G935R4). While the S7 has a screen size of 5.1 inches, the S7 Edge is marked at 5.5 inches. Both screens will be QHD with 1440 x 2560 resolution.

The curved screen Edge is expected to sport a Snapdragon processor along with 4 GB of RAM. The Galaxy S7 (SM-G930F), apart from sporting the new Exynos 8890, will come with 12 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal storage.

The devices are expected to be unveiled next month at the Samsung Unpacked event on the 21st, a day before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. Watch this space for latest developments.

January 22, 2016
New Moto X Force Teasers Take On Samsung Note 5 and HTC One M9

Motorola clearly cannot stop teasing us about the ‘shatterproof’ tech of its new Moto X Force. In yet another series of teasers, the company now mocks Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and HTC One M9; both fairly decent devices if you ask us. But Motorola is quite bent on making you think otherwise.

So this is what happens when HTC One M9 is dropped from a height.

It was a little painful to have One M9’s little particles flying around in all directions. But Motorola is truly having fun mocking the device in this video. And it obviously is not done yet. Because a jab a day is not enough, Motorola came out with yet another teaser. This time the device in question was Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

https://youtu.be/Mcj-ITG44d0

Motorola is asserting the uniqueness of its device at the expense of other flagship devices. A lot of feathers have been ruffled all over in the promotion of Moto X Force. Let’s see if it eventually turns out to be worth all the hype when the phone finally arrives in India in the first week of February. Would you be willing to place your stakes on Motorola or do you think the device is going to be bit of a downer? Let us know in the comments below.

January 21, 2016

Google Nexus 5X Undergoes Huge Price Cut on Amazon

For those of you who loved the Google Nexus 5X but held back because of its price; we have good news for you.The phone that was originally priced at Rs. 31,990 for its 16GB version is now priced at Rs. 20,990. However, we need to first take note, that this price change is available not on the official store but on Amazon.in and only until the 24th of January.

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This is the second major price-cut Nexus 5X has undergone. Just a couple of weeks ago, close after its launch, the price had fallen down to about Rs. 25,000, and now it has dipped again. This definitely doesn’t sound like good news for the Google device which failed to fare well with customers.

Check out our hands-on video of the device below.

Here are the specs :

Specification	LG Nexus 5X
Display	5.2-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080 / 423ppi)
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
CPU	Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU	Adreno 418
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Front Camera	5 MP with F/2.0 Aperture
Rear Camera	Up to 12.3 MP with F/2.0 Aperture
Storage	16 or 32 GB eMMC ROM
Expandability	NA
Battery	2,700 mAh (embedded)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / Type-C USB
Operating System	Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Price	Rs. 31,990/ Rs. 35,990

January 21, 2016

After TRAI, Google Too Makes Life Difficult for Facebook

Looks like it’s not the best of times for Facebook. There is another potential blow headed towards the company now, thanks to Google.

Google is allowing some Android users to download apps directly from search results without the need to visit the App Store. Though these downloads are available only through organic searches and not ads yet, but we can hope to see this extension soon as well.

Now these downloads mean some not-so-good-news for Facebook which had begun advertising apps on its website a few years ago. Since then users have been able to download apps from these ads. However, since Google is allowing for direct downloads of its apps from search results, app developers are likely to pay less and less to Facebook to promote themselves.

This, in turn, means a cut in revenue for Facebook. Also, it should be noted that one of Facebook’s main arguments in support of its app ads is that it can direct app-developers to their target audience -with the help of the information Facebook has of its users. Not creepy at all, Facebook.The new development in Google’s add-download might be quite a setback for the networking website since mobile app ads has been a significant source of its revenue.

Google, on the other hand, is making app-downloads more and more inviting for users by introducing features like “trial run ads” which lets users use an app for 60 seconds before deciding whether or not they want to download it. Additionally, the users can now also stream app content from search without actually downloading the app.

January 21, 2016
New Moto X Force Teaser Takes a Dig at Samsung This Time

Motorola has come out with yet another teaser for its latest device, the ‘shatter-proof’ Moto X Force. Following suit with the previous teaser which mocked iPhone 6s for its delicate body, the new one takes a dig at Samsung Galaxy S6.

https://youtu.be/BDRGaGvFekI

Though the new teaser isn’t as witty as its predecessor, the message is just as clear. Moving away from Cupertino, Motorola has now taken the challenge to the Korean tech-giant.

The highlight of the device is its super-hardy screen. Motorola claims to have integrated a ‘Moto Shattershield’ technology in the display of Moto Force which, it says, is the first shatterproof screen in a phone ever. The company feels confident enough to affirm the screen would stay intact for up to four years, owing to the multiple layers of different materials used in making it capable of absorbing shock and providing protection against cracking. The phone also boasts of two touchscreen layers, which make sure that the smartphone can be used even if one of the layers is cracked.

Needless to say, Motorola cannot stop talking about its first ever shatter-proof phone in the world. Let’s see if Moto X Force manages to live up to all the expectations. Watch this space for all the updates

January 20, 2016
Apple Wins Lawsuit Against Samsung, 9 Samsung Devices Banned from Sale

Say hello to yet another courtroom drama between Samsung and Apple. As always, the bone of contention was patent infringement where Apple accused Samsung of having stolen features like word recommendations and unlock gestures.

Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern California District San Jose court agreed with Apple leading to banning of Samsung’s flagship devices from 2012. The list of devices now banned from sale in the US includes Samsung Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S III and Samsung Stratosphere.

The lawsuit had been stretched over a period of three years before the final verdict was passed. This means there has been three new generations of smartphones since the first violation of patents. Other than many sellers making some extra dough by selling these banned Samsung devices for a higher-than-normal price on eBay, one wonders what else this verdict could lead to. While Samsung may not feel too amused at this point, this is a blow it will definitely recover from without much effort.

Besides, it wouldn’t be too long before Samsung’s gets a chance to even out the two scores once the two companies find themselves pitted against each other again in another courtroom scenario. Hold your breath until then.

January 20, 2016

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Dual-SIM Variant Launches in India

The dual-SIM variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has arrived in India today. The phone is priced at Rs. 51,400 and is available on the official Samsung India’s e-store.

Additionally, the previous single-SIM versions have undergone a price-cut. Though the devices were originally priced at Rs. 53,900 for the 32 GB variant and Rs. 59,990 for the 64 GB variant, they are now priced at Rs. 47,900 and Rs. 53,900 respectively. For a better look at Note 5, check out our hands-on video below.

The Note 5 runs on the Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) with an Exynos 7420 chipset, a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU and a Mali-T760MP8 GPU. As far as storage capacity is concerned, this handset comes in two variants – 32 and 64 GB along with 4GB of RAM. However, it does not have an expandable microSD card slot.

Find below the complete specs of the device.

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Display	5.7 inches, Gorilla Glass 4 Super Amoled
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels , 518 ppi
Chipset	Samsung Exynos 7420
Processor	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process
GPU	Mali-T760MP8
RAM	4 GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage	32/64 GB
Expandability	N/A
Rear Camera	16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus
Rear Camera Video	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps,
Front Camera	5 MP
Front Camera Video	1080p at 30fps
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery
Operating System	Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity	SIM: Nano-SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, NFC Type-C reversible connector
Miscellaneous	Fingerprint sensor, S- PEN stylus, Dual-SIM
Price	Rs.47,900 for the 32GB variant; Rs 53,900 for the 64GB variant, Rs. 51,400 for the 32GB dual-SIM variant

January 18, 2016

This App Blocks Third Parties From Tracking Your Location

There is no denying the omnipresent existence of the Internet in our lives. The virtual trail left behind by a user online has ensured that pretty much all their personal information has been documented in some form or the other in a deep, dark pocket of the Internet.

Checking-ins on social media platforms, booking cabs and taxis, looking for train or plane tickets or simply the nearest cafe to grab a cuppa -all these activities have ensured that that details about our location and day to day activities are on public display all the time, leaving us vulnerable and unprotected.

However, not all is lost. A university in the US has developed an app which ensures that third-parties have no access to your location. Developed by a team of researchers at Binghamton University, the app makes sure third-parties are blocked from tracking down your location depending on what you search online.

“When we release personal information to the internet, it is out of our control, and can be easily searched and used for malicious purposes. We are trying to provide a more efficient and feasible solution to make sure that kind of information is secure,” says Linke Guo, team leader of the research.

Once developed successfully and put to use, the app would make the virtual space safer for the average user. Let’s see if this attempt manages to cure privacy issues online.

[poll id=”38″]

January 18, 2016
Swedish University Develops Power Paper That Stores Energy

Linköping University’s Laboratory of Organic Electronics in Sweden has developed a type of power paper that is capable of storing as much as 1 F of electricity in a single sheet which is 15 cms in diameter and the fraction of a millimetre in thickness. It is possible to charge the paper hundreds of times, with each charge lasting not more than a couple of seconds.

The paper requires nothing more than renewable cellulose and an easily available polymer as its components. The polymer-cellulose material simultaneously conducts both ions and electrons, thereby setting a world record with this kind of conduction activity. This attribute of the material also allows it to have an efficient power storage capacity.

Some other previous world records set by power papers include highest charge and capacitance in organic electronics, 1 C and 2 F (Coulomb and Farad) and highest transconductance in a transistor, 1 S (Siemens).

Early in July 2015, Pennstate State University also developed a polymer capable of storing energy. However, PennState’s development loses out to its Swedish counterpart in terms of production cost and ability to withstand wear and tear. It is susceptible to defects as well.

The paper developed by the Swedish university has a slight plastic feel to it. The researchers used a sheet to make an origami swan out of it, also providing an index of its strength. Needless to say, it is a brilliant specimen of tech that can go ahead to become a reliable source of reusable energy, at the same time being an efficient means of storing energy.

Source

January 16, 2016
TRAI Received Only 21 Counter-Comments On Net Neutrality

Last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) raised the issue of net neutrality and, needless to say, it sparked off a major debate. This eventually led TRAI to invite public comments on the differential pricing of net services and the last date to submit counter-comments was 14th January.

Of the total 24 million applications submitted over TRAI’s paper on the differential pricing of data, a significant aspect of net neutrality, there were only 21 counter-comments submitted by individuals or organisations.

List of telecom operators that countered the proposal of keeping net services neutral of discriminatory pricing include Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications, through industry bodies, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service of India (AUSPI). COAI and AUSPI said in their joint counter-comment,

“Price differentiation will allow TSPs to cater to specific consumer requirements, including facilitation of access to those segments that are currently unconnected or poorly connected. Price differentiation is a widely adopted business practice used in many industries.”

While talking about the net-neutrality debate in India, how can we not talk about Facebook and its Free Basics? While openly opposing differential pricing of internet services, Facebook continued to defend Free Basics and claimed one more time that it’s not a threat to net neutrality.The company defended itself in an official statement,

“This is not true and evidence refutes it. In addition, this need not be a material concern since the programme is open to all operators on the same terms in a non-exclusive manner.”

While the future of net neutrality still seems uncertain, we can only hope to wait and watch the events unfold. In the meantime, find more information here Facebook’s Free Basics.

January 16, 2016
India Has Most Selfie Related Deaths than Any Other Country in the World

Why the selfie-parade, o people of social media? According to an article in the Washington Post, of the 27 officially recorded selfie-related deaths, almost half happened in India.

Yes, we are a country which has a very tech savvy Prime Minister, with various active social media accounts. PM Modi’s selfie-love is no big secret and now it looks like Indians are taking it a little too seriously.

Three girls were swept into the Arabian Sea while they tried to click a selfie on a rock. One of the girls, and a man who dived in to rescue them, were later reported dead. Following this, Mumbai now has specifically marked “no selfie zones” in the city.

Similarly, the Kumbh ka Mela was another potential site for selfie-disasters last year. Authorities feared that selfie-groups at hugely crowded affair might cause blockages and congestion triggering stampedes.

The selfie-obsession has seen a phenomenal growth ever since its recent arrival. Social networking had brought huge attention to physical appearance. One fine day, people woke up to realise that no other person could make them look their best in their pictures -and hello, selfies.

Thus began a pageant of duck-faces and pouts and squinted-eyes (the latest fad in the selfie-world, in case you were wondering). Leave a toddler with a device with a front camera, and they would never be in want of anything else.

But don’t let any of this stop you from fluttering your eye-lashes in front of a selfie-snapper. Bring out that selfie-stick already, just make sure to keep yourself safe and alive, is all.

Source

January 16, 2016
US Woman Sues Twitter For Allowing ISIS Accounts on its Platform

A woman in the US has sued Twitter for allowing official ISIS accounts to run on its platform, sparking off yet another debate about the exchange of content on social media.

This lawsuit follows an attack by an ISIS member on November 9th when he shot down five people to death in Jordan. Two of them happened to be Americans. The husband of the plaintiff was one of the two American victims. The lawsuit demands unspecified damages from Twitter.

The fact that ISIS is immensely tech-savvy and uses various social media platforms to assert its presence has been a topic of debate for a while now. The extremist group has a team of social media experts to take care of the content it puts up on different networking websites. But all of these networking portals defend themselves by stating that they are simply the channels of content-exchange, with no participation in the creation of this content whatsoever.

Websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. It means that these websites are exempt from laws that would otherwise make them responsible for the content that users put up on their platform.

However, the lawsuit claims, “for years, Twitter has knowingly permitted the terrorist group ISIS to use its social network as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits. This material support has been instrumental to the rise of ISIS and has enabled it to carry out numerous terrorist attacks.”

Twitter defended itself in an official statement where it claimed, “While we believe the lawsuit is without merit, we are deeply saddened to hear of this family’s terrible loss. Like people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups and their ripple effects on the Internet. Violent threats and the promotion of terrorism deserve no place on Twitter and, like other social networks, our rules make that clear.”

Source

January 15, 2016
iPhone 6s Plus Tops AnTuTu’s Smartphone Performance Chart for 2015

The iPhones may not have specifications as highly marked as its counterparts from other companies but when it comes to performance, looks like nothing matches up to Apple’s user interface. Proving this right is AnTuTu’s list of smartphones from 2015 rated in terms of their performance.Talking strictly in terms of raw processors, iPhone 6s Plus has won hands down, beating competition from devices by Samsung and Huawei. The test ranks these smartphones in terms of their average benchmark scores.

iPhone 6s Plus has acquired the top spot on the chart by a big margin, with no contender in sight capable of dethroning it. For more specs, details and a hands on of the device, click here. Surprisingly enough, iPhone 6, which was launched in 2014 also made it to the top 10 based solely on its performance.

With companies working around the clock on improving their tech with every passing day, let’s see if they manage to dethrone Apple from its top position in 2016. What do you think of Apple devices, are they truly as worthy as this list makes them sound? Let us know in the comments below.

January 14, 2016
New iPhone 7 Concepts Emerge Online

Here’s a little visual treat for all Apple fan-boys and girls. New iPhone 7 concepts have emerged online, and who are we kidding? Speculating about one of the most significant events of the tech world just became so much funner. Yes, Apple is going to come out with another fancy device, all set to burn a major whole in our pockets. But that’s not going to stop us from talking about these new concepts.

Arthur Reis is the artist of the concepts and he borrows from the designs of both the old and the new Apple devices to give us a glimpse of these new babies. The front of the renders reminds us a lot of iPhone 6/6s while the back is definitely reminiscent of iPhone 3G and 3GS.

Speculations do suggest that Apple may go back to one of its older devices for inspiration with the iPhone 7 but nothing seems confirmed at this point. While rumours about a waterproof iPhone which may be sans a headphone jack are all over the place, Apple has dropped not even the slightest of hints of what the device could possibly lbe like. We’ll have to wait patiently for the September event of the company, because that’s when we expect the iPhone 7 to arrive. Until then, there are only rumours and speculations to go on with.

January 14, 2016
Mid-Range Asus Live is Now Official in Three Colour Variants

Asus has come out with a new mid-ranger, Asus Live. It has been launched in Brazil with its specs reminding us a lot of the Zenfone Go.

In terms of hardware, Live is modeled heavily on the same lines as its predecessor. It comes with a 5 inch display with 720p. It has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, and is powered by the MediaTek MT6589 SoC. On the camera front, the phone has an 8 MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 2 MP selfie camera. Live is further equipped with Dual SIM support and a 2,070 mAh battery. However, the phone doesn’t offer LTE support.

The dimensions of the device once again remind us of Go. Live measures 144.5 x 71 x 9.98 mm and weighs 140 grams, just a little bit heavier than Go. The new Asus device however has a different colour variants to offer at the time of its launch; they are – Blue, Pink and Yellow. Asus Live is priced at 849 BRL (close to about Rs. 14,000). Let’s see when do we get to see the device in India.

January 14, 2016