Author: Rosheena Zehra

Apple Acquires Artificial Intelligence Based Face-Detection Start-Up

Apple recently bought a Sandiego based Artificial Intelligence start-up called Emotient. The firm was established in 2012 to analyse facial expressions and therefore emotions of viewers, helping the company evaluate their response. Needless to say, this move by Apple comes with its own set of doubts and apprehensions. Tech that detects facial expressions has been a topic of debate and dislike for a while now with Australia being one of the latest places to receive flak for incorporating face-detection tech in its administration. A spokesperson of the company confirmed the acquisition leaving us to wonder what Apple plans to do with it. Apple has been pursuing AI and virtual reality actively the last couple of weeks and this comes as the latest development in that sphere.

Facebook and Google are also big on AI and virtual reality and are pushing for it with great zeal. The future of tech, as unclear as it might be, looks quite interesting as of now. AI and virtual reality are definitely going to be the next big thing in 2016. While Zuckerberg works on his home-butler which he likened to Jarvis, let’s see what consumers get out of this race for AI and VR breakthroughs.

January 8, 2016
Xiaomi Teaser for Redmi 3 Confirms Launch Date

Xiaomi has released a new teaser for Redmi 3 which confirms its global launch date. The phone will arrive next week on 12th January. The teaser was posted by the company on its official Weibo account.

It was further revealed that the device will have a 5-inch display and an all-metal body which sports a plaid design on the back. There is no word on any other specs of the device yet but speculations place it at 1.5GHz CPU with a resolution of 1280 × 720 for its 5-inch display.

The RAM is marked at 2 GB and the memory is at 16 GB. The cameras would have 13 MP for the main camera and 5 MP for the selfie camera. Furthermore, the device is expected to be powered by Android Lollipop 5.1. Watch this space for all other updates.

January 7, 2016

OnePlus X Ceramic Limited Edition Variant Goes on Sale in India Tomorrow

Once again, a OnePlus device is going to be made available in an invite-free way. On 8th of January, consumers can buy the OnePlus X limited edition Ceramic variant minus an invite. However it will be available only in selected locations.The phone will be available at some French Connection stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad between 7 to 9 PM. Additionally, there will be a 10% discount on the smartphone. The first 50 buyers would also get a gift bag that includes a voucher of Rs. 500 by the retailer.

Starting 9th January, OnePlus X Ceramic variant will exclusively be available on Amazon.in using invites. It’s currently priced at Rs. 22,999. More details can be found on the official OnePlus blog.

Specification	OnePlus X
Display	5-inch full HD AMOLED screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution	1920×1080 pixels, 441ppi
Dimensions	140 x 69 x 6.9 mm
Weight	138 g (Onyx)/ 160 g (Ceramic)
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
CPU	2.3 GHz Quad-core processor
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	3 GB
Front Camera	8 MP f/2.4
Rear Camera	13 MP f/2.2 ISOCELL
Storage	16 GB eMMC v5.0
Expandability	Up to 128 GB via MicoSD
Battery	2,525 mAh embedded rechargeable battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz b/g/n WCN3680 / Bluetooth 4.0
Operating System	Oxygen OS based on Android 5.1.1
Price	Rs. 16,999 (Onyx)/ Rs. 22,999 (limited edition Ceramic)

January 7, 2016

Uber Fined $20,000 Over ‘God View’ Tool in the US

Uber’s ‘God View’ tool allowed employees to access and track the location of Uber drivers and customers without their permission or their knowledge. The company ran into trouble with the tool in 2014 when an Uber executive tracked the whereabouts of a Buzzfeed journalist while she was not aware of it.

When the issue was brought out in the public, required action was taken against the executive. The concerned executive explained the act by saying the reporter’s location was monitored because she was 30 minutes late for a meeting. Uber later declared the act to be one of “poor judgement”.However, the cat was out of the bag now and had attracted the attention of the lawmakers. What started in 2014 has now finally concluded with a $20,000 fine being imposed on Uber. The settlement was reached between the company and New York Defence Attorney General Eric Schneiderman yesterday.

The settlement also requires Uber to revise its privacy policy. Geolocation for both the driver and the customer would now be encrypted and password protected. Additionally, ‘God View’ would now be available only to a handful of employees, unlike before when a large number of them could use it. The use of the tool is justified only for “legitimate business purposes”, says the company.

January 7, 2016
This Drone Can Carry a Man

If you’re looking for little man-made contraptions humans could fly in, seek no more. A Chinese company, Ehang Inc., unveiled what is being touted as the first ever drone capable of carrying a human being, on Wednesday at CES .

The Ehang 184 was unveiled yesterday as an electric-power drone that can carry up to 220 pounds and is capable of flying for 23 minutes. It looks like a small helicopter, but of course, along with the four doubled propellers of a drone. The air-conditioned cabin has room for one person and is capable of being charged fully in only two hours. It also has a reading light and space for a back-pack, just because.

The passenger is required to give two commands “take off” and “land” once the flight plan has been put in order; both these commands are taken care of using the Microsoft Surface tablet. The drone is designed to fly 1,000 to 1,650 feet off the ground with a maximum altitude of 11, 500 feet. The highest speed it can reach is 63 miles per hour.

Shang Hsiao, co-founder and Chief Financial Officer for Ehang aims to sell the drone at $200,000-$300,000. However it seems there will be a while before the drone is declared legally safe in all aspects. The Federal Aviation Administration is already trying to regulate America’s sudden increased interest in drones. It would be interesting to see them tackle another addition to the territory.

January 7, 2016
Self-Charging Batteries to End Smartphone Battery-Life Woes

We have seen some incredible breakthroughs in technology lately but one issue that still needs to be solved is that of battery trouble. No matter how fancy a gadget gets, it is almost always limited by its battery life. The next big thing the world of tech requires is never-ending batteries, and looks like MIT is paying attention.

A group of researchers at the university are working on self-charging batteries, which in turn means never-ending battery life. The idea is to produce electrical energy out of the mechanical energy of locomotion. The mechanical energy produced as a result of walking can be used to charge electronic devices.

The procedure involves two thin sheets of lithium alloys to serve as electrodes with a porous sheet of polymer, after it has been soaked in liquid electrolyte, placed in between. This design is efficient at moving lithium ions, while at the same time being attached to sensors on the joints on the body like knees or wrists. The sensors would absorb mechanical energy of locomotion and convert it to electrical energy.

This tech could also be used to charge wearables like smartwatches, along with phones. However there is still a long way to go. Right now, the use of this technique can achieve 15% efficiency for a gadget at best. The research team hopes to increase this efficiency to a 100% soon.

January 7, 2016
Netflix Available Globally

Netflix arrives in India -guess who can finally use the phrase “Netflix and chill”? The announcement was made during a keynote by Co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings at CES 2016, while the service went live simultaneously.

Netflix is now available in 190 countries and needless to say, India is one of them. Viewers can now stream their favourite movies and TV shows on almost any Internet-connected device like smartphones, computers or tablets.

The Basic plan costs Rs. 500 per month while the Premium one is priced at Rs. 800 per month. Users can try the service for free for the first one month by signing up at www.netflix.com/in . Which Netflix show will you be streaming first? Let us know in the comments below.

January 7, 2016
Asus Zenfone Zoom to Arrive in India Before US

Asus had announced the Zenfone Zoom at CES last year, and now a year after the announcement there is finally some news on its arrival in India. The phone was launched in Taiwan, the home to the company, last month, and was expected to be made available in the US next month.

Though it was supposed to arrive in India in Q3 2015, but clearly that did not happen. The latest update on this comes in an official statement by Asus,

“Scheduled to hit the Indian market later this month, the new addition to ASUS’ expanding smartphone range, the imaging-masterpiece will truly enable the users to ‘See The World Up Close’!”

The company claims to “reinvent smartphone photography” with Zoom which sports a 13 MP camera that has 10-element lens, 3X optical zoom, and optical image stabilization. The back of the smartphone is reminiscent of the Nokia Lumia 1020. In terms of specs, Zoom has a 5.5 inch, Corning Gorilla Glass display, 3,000 mAh battery and it runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. There has been no mention of the Indian price of the phone yet, but in the US it is expected to be $399 (about Rs. 27,000).

January 6, 2016
5 Free Apps to Help You Keep the Fitness Resolution This Year

This New Year’s resolutions all around seem big on fitness. People in the virtual space have been talking a lot about being fit -from a deluge of pre and post work-out selfies to this never ending high of fitness-junkies. Yes, we get it -life is so much better after a work-out, and even better if your entire Facebook friend-list knows about it.

If fitness is your cup of tea, because of reasons mentioned above, or (hopefully) different ones, and if you too made a resolution about a healthier body and mind in 2016, we are here to help you keep it. Find below a list of five diet and exercise related apps to motivate yourself to keep in shape. Here goes:

Nike+No list on fitness apps can be complete without this. If you already don’t know about this cool and pretty useful app, this is why Nike+ is important -it made running so much better with its constant motivation in the form of trophies, badges and NikeFuel. It allows users various running programmes and challenges to choose from, along with the option of syncing it with your social media accounts. Nike definitely got it right with this one. It is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Tabata Stopwatch ProNow that we are on the topic of cardio, let’s talk about Tabata. This amazing four minute work-out is made for those who live life on the go. Doing this work-out once in the morning and once in the evening will let you maintain a basic standard of health. The biggest hurdle in doing Tabata is keeping the time in check. But worry not, Tabata Stopwatch Pro is here to save the day. It not only plays your favourite song during the work-out but also notifies you of time intervals every 20 and 10 seconds. It’s available in both the App Store as well Google Play.

Daily YogaIf cardio is not your thing, why not try your hand at flexibility and stretching with some good, old Yoga? Daily Yoga is an app which instructs users in Yoga for different parts of the body through comprehensive videos. Depending on the body-part and the trouble you’re facing -from aches to soreness in muscles to fat, Daily Yoga sufficiently covers all requirements. The app is available in the App Store and Google Play.

Calorie Counter – My Fitness PalOptimum health requires both physical exercise and a balanced diet to work in unison. Now that we have got the former part covered, it’s time to move on to the latter -that is, the right diet. Calorie Counter, as the name suggests, lets you keep a check on the daily consumption of carbs and fats. You can enter in the meal and it would give you an estimate of your calories. Once you start using it, you’d be pleasantly surprised with how customizeable this app is. Calorie Counter too is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Hydro Coach and Daily Water Free ‘Nuff with all the huffing and puffing -make sure to keep the body well-hydrated. That’s much easier said than done; making sure to drink enough water is one of the most useful but also the most underestimated hacks ever. Enough water keeps the muscles replenished and healthy enough to take on any exercise regimes. It also keeps the metabolism up and running on its feet making sure your diet and exercise is optimised in the most efficient ways. While Hydro Coach is a useful app for Android phones that will give you regular reminders to drink water, Daily Water Free is the answer for iOS users.

January 6, 2016
Fitbit Launches Blaze Smartwatch in India

Fitbit’s Blaze smartwatch arrives in India and is up for preorder today while availability with retailers all over the world starts in March.The watch boasts of features like compatibility with over 200 Android, iOS and Windows devices and a battery that lasts up to 5 days, according to Fitbit.

The watch comes equipped with a sleep-tracker, GPS and Bluetooth Smart which notifies the user of calls, texts and calendars notifications. The user can also accept or reject calls using the watch when its connected to a compatible smartphone. On-screen controls also allows the user to navigate and play music from the connected smartphone. PurePulse feature of Blaze tracks the heart-rate of the user and helps make training routines more efficient.

Blaze seems high on design with its interchangeable bands, modular design and a high resolution colour touchscreen. It has a stainless steel display which further has three options to choose from -black, mist grey and camel. There is another option of a Luxe stainless steel band paired with the display frame available in silver.

The watch is priced at Rs. 19,999 and has three colour variants for the band -black, blue and plum. The company promises additional changeable accessories for the watch soon.

January 6, 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 Round-Up: Everything We Know So Far

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is reportedly going to be unveiled on February 21st and be up for sale in the market by March. To the dismay of buyers, it won’t be launched at CES. It seems like a long wait before the S7 is up for grabs, but in the meantime, here is a round up of everything we know so far about the phone.

Variants

South Korea’s Electronic Times has reported that Samsung’s initial production would include 5 million Galaxy S7 handsets. The new flagship of the company would have two variants, a 5.2 inch Galaxy S7 and a Galaxy S7 Edge with a larger curved screen of 5.5 inches. The division between the two variants would include 3.3 million S7 phones and 1.6 million S7 Edge phones.

Samsung S7 Concept

Samsung is creating a buzz about its next rumoured smartphone, the Galaxy S7 Premium Edition. According to rumours, this phone will only be offered in South Korea and could feature a 4K display with a dual-lens camera module made by Sony. Reports suggest that the Exynos 8890 for the Galaxy S7 Special Edition will come with the Mali-T880 and 14 cores.

Display

Samsung Galaxy S7 is likely to arrive with a pressure sensitive display.Though Samsung is tight-lipped about its new smartphones, its silence hasn’t done much to keep speculations and rumours in check as Wall Street Journal reports that the display of S7 will be pressure sensitive. Looks like Samsung is all set follow in the footsteps of Apple which cannot stop talking about the 3-D Touch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

The S7 will have a 5.2 inch display while the S7 Edge will have a 5.5 inch curved display. The company is expected to incorporate 4K display in its flagship devices.

Bigger Battery

The phones will have larger batteries that would make them last longer than their predecessors. The S7 will come equipped with a 3,000 mAh battery while the S7 Edge will be marked at 3,600 mAh. The S6 and S6 Edge have 2,550 mAh and 2,600 mAh battery capacities respectively. While the S7 batteries are the best Samsung has offered so far in its flagship, they would not be user-replaceable. But you can still expect the S7 to charge wirelessly in 2 hours and S7 Edge in 2.2 hours. The Type C USB Port of the devices would ensure significantly faster charging.

Camera

BRITECELL is Samsung’s new camera technology that is expected to be part of the upcoming Galaxy S7. The technology will be showcased at CES and viewers will get a sneak peek into what they can expect from the flagship handset, at least on the camera front.

It has been speculated for a while that Samsung is looking to improve its camera quality rather than upgrade its pixels. So a 12 MP camera for the S7 series wouldn’t be all that surprising.

MicroSD Card Slot

The Galaxy S7 might come with a microSD slot for memory expansion and therefore improve on a feature that most people had a problem with in the previous installments of the Galaxy line-up.

Chipset

The Galaxy S7 will arrive in two variants – one powered by the new Snapdragon 820 chipset and the other being Exynos 8890. The Exynos 8890 has earned a record score of 100K in the AnTuTu benchmark test and has beat out competition from the likes of Huawei’s Kirin 950 SoC (79K points) and the Mate 8, which secured more than 94K points.

Dust and Water-Proof

Samsung Galaxy S7 flagship devices will be waterproof. They are also expected to arrive with an IP67 rating which makes them dustproof as well.

Design

The new smartphone might use magnesium alloy in the construction of its body. While, the Galaxy S6 uses an aluminum frame and a glass body, the S7 could be Samsung’s first full metal flagship device, ever. The reason for this is reportedly because the metal is lighter and more durable as compared to its glass-bodied devices, plus magnesium generates much less heat than aluminum, which is something the smartphone industry is definitely looking at as a feature in all their phones.

The flagships will not be entirely new smartphones but simply upgraded and improved versions of the S6 series, similar to what Apple has been doing with its iPhones.

There are also rumours of a retina scanner as well to be included in the smartphone. Watch this space for all the latest updates on the Samsung Galaxy S7 devices.

January 6, 2016

Lenovo Vibe K4 Note Launches in India

Lenovo Vibe K4 Note has been finally launched in India today with a price tag of Rs. 11,999. It will be up for customers to buy as part of a flash sale on Amazon.in on the 19th of January. The registrations for the device start today.

Lenovo also launched a Vibe K4 Note bundle with AntVR virtual reality headset priced at Rs. 13,299. This will be available for Rs. 12,499 for the first few flash sales, minus the VR headset. The headset will have to be bought separately at a price of Rs. 1,299, and its available in Tuxedo Black colour.

Coming back to Vibe K4 Note, the phone has a finger-print scanner and dual-front speakers with Dolby Atmos audio. The device is dual-SIM, has 4G LTE support and has a 5.5 inch display. On the camera front, it packs a 13 MP main camera and a 5 front camera. The K4 Note is powered by Android OS 5.1. Find other specs in the table below.

Specs	Lenovo K4 Note
Display	5.5 inch
Resolution	1080×1920 (441 ppi)
Processor	Octa-core
RAM	3 GB
Storage	16 GB
Rear Camera	13 MP
Front Camera	5 MP
Expandability	128 GB
Battery	3,300 mAh
Connectivity	802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac, Bluetooth v 4.00, GPS
Miscellaneous	Dual-SIM
OS	Android 5.1 Lollipop
Price	Rs. 11,999

January 5, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to be Waterproof and Have Bigger Batteries

The latest update in the series of rumours regarding the Samsung Galaxy S7 flagship devices says the devices will be waterproof. They are also expected to arrive with an IP67 rating which makes them dustproof as well.

Additionally, they will also have larger batteries that would make them last longer than their predecessors. The S7 will come equipped with a 3,000 mAh battery while the S7 Edge will be marked at 3,600 mAh. The S6 and S6 Edge have 2,550 mAh and 2,600 mAh battery capacities respectively. While the S7 batteries are the best Samsung has offered so far in its flagship, they would not be user-replaceable. But you can still expect the S7 to charge wirelessly in 2 hours and S7 Edge in 2.2 hours.

The phones will also have a microSD card slot, a feature that was not present in the preceding S6 series. It has been speculated for a while that Samsung is looking to improve its camera quality rather than upgrade its pixels. So a 12 MP camera for the S7 series wouldn’t be all that surprising. Reportedly, the S7 phones will be unveiled on the 21st of February. Watch this space for all the latest updates.

January 5, 2016
Haier to Showcase Star Wars Inspired Life-Size R2-D2 Refrigerator at CES

While the entire world is gripped by the Star Wars craziness, Haier has not lagged behind. The manufacturer of consumer electronics and appliances has jumped on the bandwagon with its remote controlled refrigerator inspired by everyone’s favourite droid -R2-D2.

Haier will unveil its life-size refrigerator modelled after the Star Wars character at CES. The refrigerator mimics the droid in sound and movement. It will keep your drinks chilled and deliver them to you with its cooling and movement capabilities.

The appliance also has an in-built projector which is fully functional, making this little refrigerator useful for more than just taking care of your drinks. It is developed and produced by Haier Subsidiary Haier Asia in Japan, is made to order and comes with a serial number, and therefore is a collectible item. Take note all serious Star Wars fans.

Source

January 5, 2016
New iPhone 6c Renders Show Possible Colour Variants

The rumour mill has been working around the clock on its speculations of what to expect from Apple this year. The latest update we have is in the form of new renders of iPhone 6c.These renders are created by Ferry Passchier and suggest more variety in the design department. Following suit with iPhone 5c, 6c can also come sporting a varied colour palette.

In terms of design, there have been various rumours so far but it remains unknown whether the iPhone 6c will follow the aluminum iPhone 5S design or the candy-colored polycarbonate iPhone 5c. We’re leaning towards the latter as some colourful polycarbonate frame will be a welcome sight rather than the usual colours of silver, space grey, gold, and rose gold.

Some rumours have also suggested that the miniature iPhone will not come with a physical home button and will also ditch the 3D Touch feature, which makes sense if Apple is going for a cheaper device. We can hope to see the device in March this year, when Apple is expected to unveil it along with the second gen Apple Watch. Come March, 2016 and we’ll see how close have we hit the mark with these rumours.

January 4, 2016

Author: Rosheena Zehra

Specs

Lenovo K4 Note