Author: Sushant Talwar

WhatsApp to Drop Support for Blackberry OS by End of 2016

In another blow to the already fledgling Blackberry OS, Facebook owned WhatsApp has revealed that by the end of 2016 it will withdraw all support for its software from the Blackberry platform.

The announcement came shortly after WhatsApp celebrated its seventh birthday and recently crossed over 1 billion users worldwide. The company in its official blog said, “As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use”

The company also revealed that WhatsApp will withdraw support for the once popular Symbian S40 and S60 platforms along with Android 2.1 and 2.2, as well as the Windows Phone 7.1 devices by the end of the year.

WhatsApp’s developers decision to take this step makes sense considering the push the company is making towards providing a streamlined service to its user base across the multiple platforms it offers its services on.

February 29, 2016
Vivo XPlay 5 ‘Lite’ Variant Spotted on GFXBench

Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo, which is slated to unveil to the world its latest flagship offering, the Xplay 5 with 6Gb of RAM, according to leaks reveal could well be unveiling another smartphone at the launch event on 1st of March. Possibly a ‘lite’ variant of the Xplay 5.

GFXBench shows an unnamed Vivo phone bearing the model number PD1522A being benchmarked on its website.

The PD1522A, comes equipped with the Snapdragon 652 paired with 4GB of RAM.The handset comes with a 5.4-inch QHD display and a 16- megapixel rear camera, and an 8 MP front camera with 128GB of storage, as well as Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on board.

The phone’s specs do pale in comparison to the Vivo XPlay 5, but they still are pretty impressive compared to rest of the market offerings. If prices right, Vivo could have a serious challenger for the market on their hands.

Source

February 27, 2016
MWC 2016 : Futuristic Robots on Display

The recently concluded Mobile World Congress, despite its tag of being the biggest Mobile Phone Expo in the World was witness to a host of other technological advancements. From innovative technologies that promise to charge your phone in 15 minutes, to modular attachments for phones, Mobile World Congress, 2016 had it all.

But more importantly for the tech enthusiast inside all of us, Barcelona bore witness to number of bots from the future which could pretty soon be helping us in our daily lives. So without further ado, here is the list of the top bots on display at the Mobile World Congress, 2016.

Pepper the Human-like Robot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJwNoaCN0TY

“Pepper,” the humanoid is programmed to be a home-helper and business assistant. The bot can dance and hold a conversation as well as act as a reminder system; it also has a tablet that can access the internet and operate apps. But it’s most salient quality is its ability to read people’s emotions and react in kind.

Aldebaran, the french based parent company of “Pepper” hopes to make the humanoid capable of caring for the elderly, a growing population around the world with little support. The humanoid robot speaks and interprets 20 languages. “Pepper” also comes with a set of gestures such as high-fives and fist bumps but can also be equipped with more such gestures through customization.

Making all this work is the tech hidden Inside Pepper’s little head. Pepper boasts of four microphones, two HD cameras (in the mouth and forehead), and a 3D depth sensor (behind the eyes) which helps it to pick up on speech patterns and facial expressions, and to use these cues to recognize the emotional state of anyone Pepper interacts with.

Sony Xperia Agent

The Xperia Agent as Sony intends it to be is a mix of a watchdog, butler, and an assistant which can be controlled with your voice, gestures, and more. This bot is essentially a smart hub equipped with a rotating camera, a two-way microphone, a speaker system, a projector, and Wi-Fi so that it can perform a wide range of tasks, including information retrieval, message delivery, and even automated control of your home appliances for you.

Xperia Agent can do tasks like recognize when you walk into your house, and then automatically turn on your lights for you, play your favorite playlists, and tell you about the calls you missed. The project is still under development, but upon its completion, the Xperia Agent is to possess a more of a natural, human interface you can have a conversation with.

Sharp RoBoHoN

Sharp’s new RoboHon look like a cross between “Pepper” the Robot and a Lego figure. RoboHon is a small robot phone that is 8 inches tall and can take calls, read emails, and be of great help snapping pictures of you and your friends at your the next house party.

RoboHon is majorly controlled through voice commands and unlike Pepper isn’t adept at gestures and understanding human emotions, but it does come with a small touchscreen on its back for tasks that are more complex. It is possible to ask the RoboHon questions. It connects to the net to find answers and speaks instead of showing a result on a screen.In addition to answering questions, the uber cool droid can be asked to dance and it responds ‘look how good I am,’ before showing some smooth robotic moves.

Starship Technologies Delivery Bot

Move aside humans, future of pizza delivery is here! This delivery bot that goes by the name of Starship is an autonomous delivery robot from Starship Technologies, that can drive on footpaths, and sideways and hopefully in the future will do most of the delivering for you. Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, the brains behind this project want the Starship to become a common thing for our cities as they see huge potential in the idea to help small suburban businesses by making low-cost deliveries with almost no added infrastructure.

Starship can reach maximum speeds of 6.5 KM/h and has a capacity of carrying weight of 10 KG. But the what works in the Starship’s favour is that it seems inherently safer than the delivery drones and autonomous trucks that Amazon and Google are planning for us. Starship’s onboard cameras and AI help it avoid running into objects, and the robot will even move out of the way of nearby pedestrians.

February 27, 2016
Samsung To Break Records By Making 17.2 million S7 series Devices before April

The recently unveiled Galaxy S7, and S7 edge are all but ready to break records for Samsung upon launch. First of them being the number of units manufactured in the first three months following its announcement.

According to reports from a Korean media outlet, Samsung is reportedly preparing to manufacturer a total of 17.2 million Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units by end of April this year. This will break its previous record set by the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge which sold roughly 15.8 million units in its first three months after launch followed by the Galaxy S4 which sold just over 15.2 million units in its initial months.

In what will also come as welcome news for consumers who found it hard to get their hands on the S6 edge in the initial months, the company has reportedly changed its ratio of S7 and S7 edge manufacturing to use a more balanced 6:4 ratio which it predicts will help it meet the demand of the S7 edge devices when they finally hit the markets. Good move Samsung!

Source

February 27, 2016
Samsung’s Appeal Destroys Apple’s $120M Win in Patent Dispute

In what will come as bitter defeat for Apple, by the hands of the South Korean tech giant, Samsung, which earlier today saw the US Court of Appeals overturn the 2014 verdict of a California federal court that held Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple’s smartphone patents and directed the former to pay $120 million in damages.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., said Samsung Electronics Co Ltd did not infringe Apple’s “quick links” patent, and that two other patents covering the iPhone’s slide-to-unlock and auto-correct features were also invalid. Adding insult to the misery the court also said Apple was liable for infringing one of Samsung’s patents.

Samsung reacted to the statement with a spokeswoman stating: “Today’s decision is a win for consumer choice and puts competition back where it belongs – in the marketplace, not in the courtroom.” Apple spokesperson unsurprisingly declined to comment.

The particular verdict comes just days after Apple in a separate case asked the US Supreme Court not to take up the South Korean company’s appeal. That case has so far seen Samsung agreeing to pay Apple $548 million to settle it.

February 27, 2016
LG Confirms G5’s India Launch for Next Quarter

LG India has announced that it will launch the recently unveiled LG G5 in the country in the next quarter. The phone come with a set of innovative modular accessories that add to its functionality.

Speaking about the launch of the device, Mr Amit Gujral, Marketing Head – Mobiles, LG India, said,

We are really happy to see all the positivity around the LG G5 ever since its global unveil at the MWC. In fact, in a survey conducted in Korea the LG G5 topped consumer preference leaving its closest competitors trailing far behind. We hope to make this available to users in India very soon and are optimistic that consumers will love its revolutionary design and features.”

Coming to the phone, the LG G5 sports a 5.3-inch QHD display (1440×2560 pixels) and features an always-on display technology much like the one found on the new range of Galaxy S7 devices. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded using a microSD card.

The LG G5 comes packing a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear camera, with the former featuring a 78-degree lens and the other with a 135-degree wide-angle lens. The front of the phone houses an 8-megapixel camera. Other features of the LG G5 include a 2800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

Connectivity options on the phone include 4G LTE, USB Type-C port compatible with USB 3.0 standard, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The LG G5 will come running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box and will be available in Silver, Gold, Pink, and Titan colour options.

February 26, 2016
Vivo XPlay 5 With 6GB RAM Live Shots Leak

Vivo, a popular Chinese smartphone brand had earlier announced a March1 launch of the XPlay 5 – the first smartphone to sport a 6GB RAM. It was only a matter of time before leaked images were leaked showing off the design of the phone before the launch event.

Recently, the alleged Vivo Xplay 5 posed for the camera, giving us a glimpse of what the handset may look like when it’s officially available. Live shots reveal a real unit which is a definitive proof of the Vivo XPlay 5’s design.

Details about the specifications are scarce at the moment but from what is known, the XPlay 5 will come with a Snapdragon 820 processor along with 6GB of RAM. As for the rest, it is expected that it will sport a dual curved display, which brings a certain Samsung model to mind. The live image shows a beautiful design of the XPlay 5 with a metal body and the curved sides.

Not much has been revealed about the phone as Vivo has kept it under wraps. The handset is expected sport 6.0-inch QHD with 1440×2560 pixel resolution. Other likely features are a 6MP primary camera on the rear side, 8MP snapper on the front and a massive 4300mAh battery.

February 26, 2016

Union Budget 2016 : What to Expect

With the Union Budget 2016 hardly days away, the nation’s eyes are on the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s suitcase which holds in itself the blueprint of the plan which will not only affect big Multi National firms and small startup companies but each and everyone of us.

From IT firms, automobile manufacturers to mobile phone makers, everyone has their wish lists set that will help them grow in this vibrant and growing market that India is right now, but what about the average tech-loving citizen that you and me represent? Let’s take a look at what the budget holds for tech addicts like you and me.

Allocation of resources for improving existing telecom and Broadband Infrastructure

We might have access to fancy 4G phones, and expensive computers in our country, but what good is it if there isn’t a proper infrastructure at the service providers end to run these devices the way they should? But the government wants to change all that with the upcoming Union Budget 2016.

Call drops, and slow broadband connections could soon become a thing of the past with the government looking to substantially invest in improving the infrastructure in the coming year. The Telecom ministry has a proposal to allocate Rs.7,350 crore to Universal Obligation Fund which focuses on increasing infrastructure across the country.

Push for Startups and Entrepreneurs

With the push by the government towards the ‘Start Up India, Stand Up India’ initiative, we may see more tax breaks, concessions and budget allocation towards developing the infrastructure and skills to encourage entrepreneurship in the country.

According to analysts, the Government is likely to raise the Service Tax exemption bar for Small & Medium Businesses. The service tax limit is expected to be raised to Rs 25 lakh from the current Rs 10 lakh. The moves will mark a significant advance in ease of doing business and pave the way for the growth of young entrepreneurs and startups across the nation.

Apart from this, Startups could also enjoy benefits in the form of exemption from paying income tax for the first three years and a massive 80% rebate on filing a patent application.

Hike in VAT and Sales Tax

With the shadow of the Goods and Service Tax(GST) which will subsume all other indirect taxes under it looming large over the economy, the government with the new budget will look towards a new round of tax hikes to bring all indirect taxes such as VAT and Sales Tax as close to the 17.5% rate of GST.

Though this move is good for fiscal consolidation, and will most likely not last for over a year, this increase in the tax rate could make products such as mobiles, laptops, cameras etc significantly more expensive and as a result, hamper consumer demand.

Subsidy to See Cars/Mobiles Get more Affordable

With the government pushing for its pet project, the ” Make in India” Campaign, a number of new companies are expected to start rolling out mobile phones, automobiles and other consumer durables which will cost significantly less because of tax exemptions they will enjoy under the Make in India program. The companies are expected to trickle down the benefit that they enjoy from the governments end to help provide products to the end consumer at more affordable price points.

Subsidy on smartphones budget smartphones can also be expected which will further help the government in connecting the far reaches of the country to the big cities. As it stands, Tier 2 and 3 cities in the country thrive on these devices and increasing smartphone reach through such tax reductions will only help the whole growing smartphone ecosystem in the country.

Union Budget 2016	What to Expect
Telecom and Broadband Infrastructure	Proposal to allocate Rs.7,350 crore to Universal Obligation Fund to improve infrastructure.
Startups and Entrepreneurs	Service tax limit expected to be raised to Rs 25 lakh. Exemption from paying income tax for the first three years. Massive 80% rebate on filing a patent application
VAT & Sales Tax	Major Hike in taxes from their respective rates closer to the 17.5% of GST. To affect prices of mobile phones, cars, and consumer goods directly.
Tax exemption on Manufacturing	Subsidy on products to increase under the “Make in India” program. Will see Cars/Mobiles Get more Affordable in the coming year.

February 26, 2016

Microsoft Officially brings Project Astoria to an end

In a sad turn of events,the United States based tech giant, Microsoft, has announced that its shelving of making a Windows Bridge for Android, a tool which would have allowed turning Android apps into universal Windows apps able to run on all types of Windows devices.

“Project Astoria” was brought into existence at the 2015 Build conference alongside “Project Islandwood.” The latter gave developers a platform to port over iOS apps to numerous Windows 10 devices (including Xbox and PCs). Interestingly, while microsoft has called time on “Project Astoria”, its sister, “Project Islandwood” is still alive. This news also comes on the heels of Microsoft’s much talked about aquisition of cross-platform application development company Xamarin.

Throwing more light on the move, Kevin Gallo, director of program management for the Windows Developer Platform team for Windows 10 at Microsoft, wrote in a blog,

“We received a lot of feedback that having two Bridge technologies to bring code from mobile operating systems to Windows was unnecessary, and the choice between them could be confusing. We have carefully considered this feedback and decided that we would focus our efforts on the Windows Bridge for iOS and make it the single Bridge option for bringing mobile code to all Windows 10 devices, including Xbox and PCs. For those developers who spent time investigating the Android Bridge, we strongly encourage you to take a look at the iOS Bridge and Xamarin as great solutions.”

February 26, 2016
Apple to Launch iPhone 5se on 22nd March

The iPhone 5se has become one of the most talked about upcoming phones these days, and one of the worst kept secrets of the industry as leaks ranging from design schematics to internal hardware have already leaked on the Internet.

But, that said and done, for the ones who are waiting eagerly for it, the wait has just gotten a bit longer. New reports coming out of South Korea suggests that the phone’s launch has been pushed back a week now, and it will now be unveiled at an Apple even event on 22nd March, 2016.

For the one’s who don’t know, the iPhone 5se will come equipped with an A9 chip found on the iPhone 6s. It will pack 1GB of RAM, but the most interesting thing about the phone is its 4.7-inch display and its design which is said to mimick the iPhone 5s except for a few crucial changes.Pricing strategy of the phone should see us paying over Rs 30000 for the 16GB variant of the phone.

February 26, 2016
MWC 2016 : Five Best Tech Innovations On Display

Phones, and then some more phones expectedly dominated the proceedings at the Mobile World Congress 2016, as big name players such as Samsung, LG along with first timers such as Xiaomi launched new flagship devices, but the MWC wasn’t only about smartphones this year.

This was the year when MWC went beyond just smartphones and explored deeper corners of the consumer tech industry. On show were products and technological innovations ranging from VR headsets, 360-degree cameras, home security robots, convertible tablet/laptop hybrids and much more during. So let’s rewind and take a look at the best technological innovations that MWC brought to us in 2016.

Super VOOC Quick Charging and SmartSensor Image Stabilization

Oppo’s much-hyped, “Wow the World,” event did not bring too much to the tech world in terms of hardware, but in terms of technological breakthroughs, it was second to no event and showcased technology that could seriously change the way phones perform in the future.

Oppo brought to the world the “SmartSensor Image Stabilization,” technology which is the first sensor-based image stabilization tech in the world, along with Super VOOC quick-charging technology which can charge a 2500mAh battery 45 percent in five minutes of charging, and 100 percent in about 15 minutes. Now that is quick.

OPPO’s take on fast charging is brilliant in the sense that it uses low-voltage to charge batteries. Most types of fast charge work by pushing out more amps, but VOOC keeps your standard amperage, reducing the risk of overheating or battery damage.

Xperia Ear

At the MWC 2016 Sony announced three big innovations in the form of peripherals: a projector, a life-blogging camera, and an in-ear personal assistant. The best amongst the three, the Xperia ear. It is a tiny Bluetooth-connected ear piece which acts like a voice-controlled personal assistant which can take calls, send messages, get traffic updates or check the weather and even help you finding your way around the city. Step ahead towards the future we say.

The earpiece is comfortable and discreet and is compatible with Sony’s own software while also being equipped with the power to use Google Now helping users take advantage of Android’s ever-expanding voice control functions.

Nokia OZO camera

The Mobile World Congress, 2016 saw a lot of interesting devices, and one very interesting device that the tech world came across was the Nokia Ozo VR camera which will in all probability be the first cinema grade virtual reality recorder. The device comes with the capability to record and store up to 45 minutes of audio and video

Nokia Ozo, is a camera like none other which combines live streaming, live monitoring, automatic stitching (a process used to blend the separate camera feeds) and 3D audio and video. With the Ozo Nokia could alleviate the headaches and obstacles faced by early VR filmmakers. With the Ozo, Nokia will look to establish itself as the go-to VR production solution and become the market leader in this growing segment.

Sync 3

One of the biggest car manufacturer in the world, Ford, is looking at bringing a revolution as big to the motorists experience as what smart capabilities brought along with them to phones a decade back. Ford unveiled the Sync 3 technology for car dashboards which will bring an infotainment system that will allow users to connect to the Sync 3 with their smartphones and access hundreds of applications and services.

Sync 3 is equally adaptable with android and iOS and allows them to enjoy apps and services through the cars dashboard. It comes with an 8 inches touch screen and voice recognition features with easy to navigate and user-friendly interface. Ford claims that the Sync 3 is not just another technology, butt rather it is a whole new level of life-like experience for the users. Looking at its potential we can’t disagree.

4-Axis Optical Image Stabilization

Xiaomi’s latest flagship, Mi 5 sports, a 16-megapixel rear sensor that uses Sony IMX29, but what truly sets the phone apart is the technological innovation on display with the 4-Axis Optical Image Stabilization system on board.

The rear camera on the Mi 5 promises to capture great images and videos with superior focus thanks to its new OIS technology that uses 4-axis rather than the traditional 2-axis that most other smartphones currently use. Xiaomi demonstrated the stability of its camera by comparing it to the iPhone 6s, which is considered to have the best OIS currently in the market.

The 4-axis OIS basically gives you more stability under shaky conditions. While traditional 2-axis OIS can work around rotational movements, the 4-axis can handle transversal as well, because shakiness comes in all directions.The 4-axis OIS technology corrects shake in close shots and can capture accurate movement in distant shots as well. All of this translates into smoother, sharper and blur-free images.

February 25, 2016
LG Says no to Nexus Devices for 2016

2015 saw LG and Google team up to bring a refreshed version of the most popular Nexus phone of all time when they brought to the users the Nexus 5X. The phone came packing upgraded specs over LG’s original Nexus 5, and was available for decent price upon launch.

But regardless of the success that the partnership enjoyed, LG has already come out and declared that it wants out of the arrangement by revealing that it won’t be working with Google for another Nexus phone in 2016.

A spokesperson of South Korean tech company, in a conversation with CNET at MWC, said that LG is looking to take a step back from the Nexus program to “focus on its own brand.” The Spokesperson further added that LG is “totally happy” with the relationship it enjoys with Google its Nexus program, but building a Nexus phone requires a lot of resources that the company thinks would be better spent/utilized in the production of their upcoming phones and other devices.

This move is seen as a step towards LG making a push towards the smart wearables market which so far it has not been able to make a substantial dent in. With the freeing up of resources from the Nexus program LG’s previously recalled smartwatch, the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE looks more probable than ever to be reintroduced to the market in the coming months. LG has also revealed that it has another new smartwatch which will also release in the second half of 2016.

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February 25, 2016
Sony to Host PlayStation VR Event in March

After previous comments from GameStop’s CEO about PlayStation VR launch in Sept-Oct this year, Sony has in new development come out and informed the media that it will hold a press event for the PlayStation VR on 15th March hinting at what could mean that Sony is determined to stick to its orignal promise of a launch in first half of 2016.

Sources reveal that Sony will unveil its PlayStation VR headset during the press event, which will take place in San Francisco.This will be an opportunity for the press to get their hands on Sony’s VR headset just days before the annual Game Developers Conference expo.

The PlayStation VR promises to provide immersive gaming experiences to over 36 million users on the platform through the VR headset, which will stream content from a PlayStation 4 console. Initially, there would be PS VR supported games like Eagle Flight, The Modern Zombie Taxi Co, 100ft Robot Golf, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, Rez Infinite, Ace Combat 7, and Golem—a PlayStation VR exclusive for the users to enjoy, but several other games will be added over time.

Upon its launch, the PlayStation VR will enter a crowded market, filled with rivals like the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift, HTC VIve, and Google Cardboard, but all of these require powerful PCs to be paired with the headsets in order to take advantage of VR capabilities of the headset, but PlayStation VR will require only a PlayStation with PS VR headset to run, making it more cost effective than its competition.

February 25, 2016
iPhone 5se Schematics Reveal Similarities with iPhone 5S

The upcoming 4-inch iPhone 5se from the stables of Apple which is expected to be unveiled at an Apple event in March according to latest reports will look very similar to the iPhone 5S. Schematics revealed courtesy of a case maker hint that the upcoming 5se will be heavily influenced by the design scheme of the iPhone 5s.

The schematics point out that the upcoming product’s dimensions are indistinguishable from the iPhone 5s, meaning that the new device will fit inside of the existing iPhone 5s cases except for a couple of changes to the body of the phone.

These schematics reveal that the sleep/wake/power button has been relocated to the side.This change would be understandable given that Apple made the shift on the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014 only.

Sources also reveal the iPhone 5se will also come with a slightly curved display, but it won’t be as curved as the displays found on the iPhone 6s. Besides these particular changes, the iPhone 5se when it comes to externals is essentially an iPhone 5s: a design nearly identical to the 2012 iPhone 5 with metal plates on the back, glass caps on the top and bottom of the back, and a FaceTime camera centered above the front facing speaker.

Coming to the internals of the iPhone 5se, earlier reports have claimed that the new device includes the A9 and M9 chips from the iPhone 6s, an upgraded camera hardware system, and an NFC chip for Apple Pay, and will be avaialble in Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray options from the iPhone 5s. The new device will come in 16GB and 64GB storage options and sell for the same prices as the 5s.

Source

February 25, 2016
OnePlus 3 to Possibly Ditch Invite System, Launch Set for Q2

At a time when flagships phones from big tech companies are alienating themselves from the majority of the crowd due to their high price, flagship killers, such as the phones from OnePlus have carved out a separate market space for themselves with phones that offer market leading specs but for a fraction of the price of the flagships.

to carry this forward, Chinese smartphone maker, OnePlus plans to bring the new OnePlus 3 to take on the S7s and G5s of the world, and this time, it plans to do things just a bit differently

In an interview with Cnet the company’s CEO Carl Pie revealed plans for the upcoming phone. He revealed that the company will make a renewed push for the US market with the OnePlus 3 and will adopt ore traditional forms of marketing hinting at what could possibly be the ditching of the frustrating invite system.

The same invite system which had made the previous OnePlus devices almost impossible to get your hands on for the starting months when demand for them was at its peak.

If it indeed turns out to be true It would mean the company would have to drastically improve things at the manufacturing side of things because a OnePlus 3 without an invite and the kind of specs we expect at a reasonable price point will disrupt the industry like nothing else.

Source

February 25, 2016