Category: Brands and Companies

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Report : Apple’s Cheaper Option iPhone 6c to Release in 2016

Reports suggest, that the “iPhone 5c successor” will be launched in the second quarter of 2016. This report comes from Digitimes, who also points to the rumoured iPhone 6c, said to arrive with a 14/16nm FinFET chips from TSMC and Samsung, in order to provide a better performance and lower power consumption to the new lower range devices.

“The 14/16nm FinFET chips will be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung, the sources said. The original plan was to equip the devices with chips built using TSMC’s 20nm SoC process, said the sources, but the adoption of FinFET processors would enable specs upgrade and lower power consumption.”

Other sources like KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo also state that Apple is planning to launch a new 4 inch iPhone in 2016. Other rumours suggest that the iPhone 6c might be similar to the size of an iPhone 5s and will have a similar hardware vein as that of the iPhone 6. The smartphone is said to come with a full metal unibody construction in comparison to the plastic iPhone 5c.

Source:

[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150803PD207.html”]Digitimes[/tw-button]

August 5, 2015
Apple Rejects Rumours About Launching its Own MVNO Cellular Service

Yesterday, we reported that Apple was looking to start a mobile wireless service. However, in a statement to CNBC, Apple has clarified and said that it “has not discussed and is not planning MVNO cellular service following reports saying it was planning on doing that.”

This statement crushed all rumours that Apple was looking to expand by exploring to become an MVNO. Besides, Google had also announced their own MVNO initiative, Project Fi. However, Apple has clearly rejected all rumours surrounding their own so-called initiative and has no plans to offer consumers an MVNO cellular service.

Even Tim Cook, had earlier stated that Apple doesn’t need to “own the pipe” and that their aim was to focus on making great and efficient devices while leaving the cellular issues to “people who own it” and “who know more about it than we do”

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://twitter.com/CNBCnow/status/628584165311692800″]twitter.com[/tw-button]

August 5, 2015
OnePlus is Selling OnePlus 2 Invites for Charity

Yes, OnePlus has given us a legit way to purchase OnePlus 2 invites. The Chinese company on their official blog admitted that they have always known that people sell OnePlus invites on third-party websites. In their words, since they couldn’t beat them, they decided to join them. But all for a good cause.

OnePlus is auctioning a total of 100 invites. Fifty invites are already up for grabs and the next batch of 50 will go live tomorrow. Currently, the bidding range is between $151-$405 (Rs. 9,600-25,000 approx). Seems like a heavy cost added to a smartphone which costs only Rs. 24,999 ($400 approx.) You could look at it this way – It’s the cost you pay to be one of the first people in the world to own a OnePlus 2.

The proceeds from the OnePlus invites auction will go to the UNICEF Tap Project. For those of you who don’t know much about it – it’s a cause which contributes to providing clean and safe water to underprivileged children around the globe. The company states that 100% of the proceeds would be given to the charity.

So, if you’ve been planning on donating a percentage of your hard earned money, and want to purchase a OnePlus 2. This might be a good option for you. Click here to check out the eBay auction.

Watch the unboxing of the OnePlus 2 here:

August 5, 2015
Report : Apple to Release a New iMac With a 21.5-inch, 4K Display

Good news for those who would like a high definition desktop computer but one that is less expensive than the iMac 27-inch, 5K retina. Recent reports claim, Apple is said to bring out a new desktop computer with a 21.5-inch display and a 4K resolution. This new iMac has a 4096X2304 display and is said to release in a few months.

The previously launched 27 inch iMac is priced at $1,999 (approx. Rs. 1,27,640) which is cheaper than when it first came out and was $2,499 (approx. Rs. 1,59,511). However it is said that even with a $1,999 computer, one might still have to spend more money in order to get an SSD or fusion drive.

A French website has discovered some new images in the El Capitan beta, two of which are said to show a new 5K iMac and the third one, showing a new image of a 21.5 inch iMac with retina display. While the current 21.5 inch iMac has a 1920X1080 display the new display (4096 x 2304) will allow one to watch a 4K video in its native resolution.

However, the design of this new iMac seems to be the same as before. Currently, the 21.5-inch iMac is priced at $1,099 minimum (approx. Rs. 70,160), however, the new 21.5-inch with 4K display will be slightly more expensive. It will remain a lot cheaper than the 27-inch with 5K display iMac.

Do you think this device will be accessible enough? Let us know.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://consomac.fr/news-3651-el-capitan-beta-6-trois-nouveaux-imac.html”]Consomac[/tw-button]

August 5, 2015
Leak : This is the New Flagship Phone from Microsoft

There have been many rumours afloat, about Microsoft launching their new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. Along with these rumours we have had leaks about their specifications, and now, thanks to a Chinese website WPXAP, we have a prototype of what the new Microsoft phone could look like.

The prototype seems encased in a black casing, so what we do know, is that the new Microsoft phone will come with a USB port Type C. It is reported that Microsoft is currently testing the handset in this casing in order to prevent anymore leaks.

Microsoft is expected to unveil the 5.2 inch Lumia 950 and the 5.7 inch Lumia 950 XL in late September or October. It is said that the Lumia 950 XL will include Microsoft’s Pen Technology, a new smart cover with a circular cut out. Both handsets are said to be high-end and will come with a 20MP PureView camera with a triple LED flash.

Do you think the Windows phones would make a good comeback with these two devices? Let us know.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.wpxap.com/thread-853886-1-1.html”]wpxap.com[/tw-button]

August 5, 2015
Samsung Releases Official Teaser Image Of the Galaxy Note 5

As reported earlier, Samsung is about to launch a new set of next-gen supersized phones at its Unpacked event, on the 13th of August 2015. However, just two weeks before this, Samsung has posted a small teaser image, which shows a dual edge display design and a protruding stylus attachment.

Along with this, Samsung has also mentioned a number of reasons why a bigger smartphone is more convenient. The reasons include, a clear display that allows lining up pictures and editing videos, more space for reading e-books and messaging, S-Pen for taking memos, watching movies, and playing games etc.

Besides, this official teaser, what we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, through unofficial leaks,is that it might feature a 5.66-inch 2560×1440 display, Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 SoC, 4GB of RAM and a 16 megapixel rear camera. The downside of this phone is that it might not feature an expandable microSD card.

This launch event will be held in New York at 11:00 EDT on August 13th 2015, and will be streamed live on its YouTube link, here.

August 5, 2015
OnePlus’ Exclusive Invite System Gets Hacked

Line-cutting, is by far the most annoying thing on earth. This happens at banks, colleges, restaurants, coffee shops etc. and now it has happened on the, already miles long, OnePlus 2 sales line.

How did this happen? We are all aware that OnePlus has an exclusive system in place, if you want to get a hold of its new device – OnePlus 2. This system needs one to score an invite to avail the new device. The invites are limited in number and tough to get a hold of. However, even after registering for the device there are a couple of other things one needs to do in order to get ahead. For example- one has to be up to date with all the giveaways, one needs to pair up with a friend by using the invite that can be shared with friends or family, keep up with all the contests on social media about the new device, and one can even join the company’s forum to get a preference of receiving an invite.

This system has been kept in place to ensure that they only manufacture enough inventory as the demand, so that the supply will never overpower the demand. Again you ask why? This is because they are a young start up and this system will help them manage their risks far better than a mass-scale production would.

Now one particular user, Jake Cooper, an avid OnePlus follower, who fulfilled all these commands and finally got a position on the OnePlus invite waiting list at number 9000, was faced with a strange crisis after falling to a position of > 70,000 even after following all the processes. However, for the OnePlus 2, the company suggested, that in order to get ahead in line, one can refer as many friends to the invite list, and accordingly one’s position moves forward.

His solution: he hacked the system via a number of technical manoeuvres, a couple of python lines and mailinator.com, and managed to send a number of references to random email ids through an affiliated account. He actually managed to get from > 70,000 in line to just 1,694 in about 20 minutes.

However, he has actually notified OnePlus about the hack, and has even shared the entire procedure on a website, as to how he skipped so far ahead on an exclusive and protected line. He has also offered to take down the procedure if notified by OnePlus. For more details of how this happened, click here.

Do you approve of this technical manoeuvre?

August 4, 2015
Beware Mac Users, Mac’s First Firmware Virus is On the Loose

We all have an impression that Apple’s ecosystem is supported by the most secure operating system in the world. But, this statement may not be considered true anymore. The myth has been broken today by a team of hackers who have developed the world’s first virus for Mac and named it Thunderstrike 2.

This virus can be transferred via USB sticks or even email phishing. This then bypasses the Mac’s Operating System and directly attacks the BIOS – the software that appears before the main operating system after the system boots up. The worm then targets a machine’s option ROM or lives in the option ROM of peripherals.

Worse, because of living within the ROM of peripherals, the Thunderstrike 2 can spread from one Mac to another without even having to connect to a network. Anti-Virus programs are useless as the malware cannot be detected at the hardware’s BIOS level. Thus, checking for infection is very difficult.

The only way to remove this virus is to open up the hardware parts of the Mac and manually re-flash the chip. Xeno Kovah, co-founder of a security training firm called LegbaCore, who developed the worm says:

For most users, that is really a throw-your-machine-away kind of situation. Most people and organisations don’t have the wherewithal to physically open up their machine and electrically reprogram the chip.

Kovah and his partner Corey Kallenberg uncovered a series of firmware vulnerabilities that affected 80% of the systems they had, including HP, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung. These vulnerabilities, as found by the researchers, allowed them to bypass the firmware and reflash the BIOS to plant malicious code within the firmware. Kovah and Kallenberg tried to test the same vulnerabilities on MacBook boot flash firmware and found out that almost all the attacks on PCs and laptops could be replicated for Mac too.

The first version was fixed with OS X 10.10.2 and required the hacker to have physical access to the computer. The new version is incorrigible because the malware can be transferred via a link. The latest OS X security update (10.10.4) seems to try and resist the bug to a certain extent, instead of being engulfed by it completely.

So, what can you do to protect your Mac? All we can do right now is hope Apple rolls out a BIOS update soon.

August 4, 2015
Motorola Customers Can Now Get Repair Services at Their Doorstep

Motorola, keeping up with their philosophy of ‘innovation’ to meet customers requirements, has now started a pilot project that provides an after-sale service to customers at their doorstep, in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. This service has been called – the Moto Xpress.

The Moto Xpress is a home pick up and drop service, that caters to your needs whether you are at home or in the office. This service is expected to rectify software and accessory issues, on the spot, within an hour while hardware issues can be resolved in about 5 working days. Furthermore, the service comes at the pocket-friendly rate of Rs. 199 per service.

One can avail of the Moto Xpress’ services by dialling the service booking number, that is, 011-41717124. Once your request has been registered, the staff service will notify a trained Motorola representative, who will reach you as soon as possible.

Currently, Motorola has over 160 service centres across the country, a Bangalore Moto Care Service & Experience Center, a Moto Help App that allows you a direct access to customer care executive and now, in addition to this, Motorola has the Moto Xpress, which will be functional starting this week.

August 4, 2015
OnePlus to Venture Beyond the OnePlus 2 with a Brand New Lineup of phones

The OnePlus has taken the mobile industry by storm. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer launched the highly successful OnePlus 1 last year, followed by the OnePlus 2 this year. Barely a month after OnePlus announced its latest phone, it has already declared that a new device is in the pipeline. Currently rumoured to be the OnePlus 3, It is speculated to be releasing in December.

.@Sosi88 OnePlus 3 will be released in 2016, probably H2. Don’t panic.

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) August 3, 2015

Pushing all the rumours aside, OnePlus has confirmed that the new device will not launch on Christmas. Yesterday, four employees of OnePlus conducted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session where they answered quite a lot of questions about the current OnePlus 2, along with a few questions about the future device. Most of the questions were related to NFC, wireless charging and quick charging, to which OnePlus replied:

With the OnePlus 2, we made the set of choices that we think delivers the best user experience, but because users are not the same, they won’t all feel the same. That’s fine – we’ll work hard to make each iteration better than the last.

Lastly, they talked about the new phone. OnePlus said the new phone will be an entirely new segment of the company smartphone and should not be considered as a OnePlus 2 successor. This can be true as one employee from OnePlus confirmed saying, “we can only tell you that this is not going to be the OnePlus 3 nor a OnePlus 2s.” He also said, “We’ll be broadening our range this year.” The new device may address the problem of lack of NFC, wireless charging, quick charging or any other features the current OnePlus 2 lacks.

The OnePlus 2 has been launched and will be available in India from 11^th August, for a price of Rs 22,999 for the 16GB variant and Rs 24,999 for the 64GB variant. The device has a 5.5-inch display with a Sandstone back cover.

The smartphone comes with a 1.8GHz octa-core 64-bit processor with 4GB of RAM. The phone has a 13MP rear camera with sensor pixel size of 1.3 microns, which is supposedly 35% larger than standard smartphone cameras. The added Laser Focus feature will help take clear shots in less that 0.3 seconds. The camera even includes OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) – a feature previously seen on the iPhone 6 Plus. The company has added a 5MP camera in the front.

OnePlus 2 comes with a USB type-C port, a first for any flagship smartphone. Reversible in nature, the USB type-C allows for faster data transfers and is compatible with almost every device with standard USB ports.

You can check out the whole unboxing below:

What do you think the next OnePlus device will be named? Comment below.

August 4, 2015
Report: Apple to Bring Out its Own Mobile Wireless Service

Earlier this year, Google surprised us all by bringing out Project Fi – the company’s own cell service. The Google-run network service is a customizable package that switches between Wi-Fi and multiple cellular networks. We’ve now seen reports that claim that Apple is also planning to launch a service, similar to what Google already has to offer.

According to the reports, the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently in talks with telecom companies in Europe to work with them on their very own Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service. In the States, the service is already in trial mode.

It’s operation may be similar to Google’s Project Fi. Apple would chalk out a deal with multiple carrier services so that once you opt for Apple’s MVNO service, it would provide you the best service available in that particular area – hence, switching between multiple carriers. And with this switch, you would also begin paying Apple for your texts, calls and data usage, instead of your current network provider. When Google launched its cell service, it claimed that it was the ultimate way to make sure you get the best possible network connection available.

Again we should remember that this isn’t new territory for Apple. In September 2014, along with new iPads and iMacs, Apple had also announced the Apple SIM, which is a reprogrammable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) that you could use to switch from carrier to carrier, networks and pricing plans using just a software in the device. The card is removable and if you buy a carrier locked device, it will carry the carrier’s SIM card.

The recent report states that Apple might take upto five years to launch this new service. We have no doubt that this service would be exclusive to Apple devices only. The company seems to be dabbling with multiple projects, and making its way towards the future.

Source : [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.businessinsider.in/Apple-is-in-talks-to-launch-its-own-virtual-network-service-in-the-US-and-Europe/articleshow/48333937.cms”][/tw-button]

August 4, 2015
OnePlus Defends OnePlus 2 and for Making People ‘Settle’

It is a known fact that the OnePlus 2 doesn’t include the NFC, however users and potential customers have been unhappy about this. Therefore, today on a Reddit – Ask Me Anything, four employees of the company fielded questions on everything, such as the voice-over-LTE, the lack of NFC and other such matters. For those who aren’t aware of the term, NFC or Near Field Communication is a short range wireless RFID technology, that can be used for touch-based payments or wireless charging.

Apart from this, OnePlus has been faced with some very serious questions about their taglines and not being able to match up to them. For example, their tagline that says “innovations from the future,” or “Never Settle” and claiming to follow a philosophy that essentially warrants them to create a device without gimmicks, bloatware or compromises; have all been under the radar recently.

A Redditor asked that “with such a powerful mantra like that, wouldn’t it be ironic to settle without quick-charging or wireless charging if I choose your phone?” Here is what OnePlus said:

We’ve always said that never settle is true for us too. That means, if you’re not happy with the product you shouldn’t settle for ours either. With the OnePlus 2, we made the set of choices that we think delivers the best user experience, but because users are not the same they won’t all feel the same. That’s fine – we’ll work hard to make each iteration better than the last.

Adding to this, an employee also mentioned the power of the new Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, as being able to charge a phone from 0% to 100% in approximately 2 hours. Despite this, there have been comparisons with the Nexus 6, that is said to charge enough for the entire day in just one hour. Another aspect that has been criticized, is the inability of the OnePlus 2 to take advantage of the NFC-based Android Pay.

Last but not the least, OnePlus was asked about a recent interview given by Carl Pei at USA Today, speaking about the release of a third device; to which an employee confirmed that there will most definitely be another OnePlus smartphone, however it won’t be called the OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 2S.

Do you think OnePlus has responded adequately to the queries of its users?

For more information: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/3fmkb5/oneplus_ama_postlaunch_edition/”]Reddit.com[/tw-button]

August 4, 2015
Another Leak Shows Us What the iPhone 6S Might Look Like

New leaks about the iPhone 6S have given us details about the design of the phone. The rendered leaks show us, that the iPhone 6S could be a thicker version of its predecessors.

Here is a closer look:

The drawings imply an almost specific measurement of 7.1 mm thickness as compared to the iPhone 6, which is 6.9 mm. The iPhone 6S Plus is also said to be thicker than the 6S, at 7.3mm. These leaks also suggest that the phone could have a Force Touch feature – this feature senses the amount of force used when users press their touchscreen while the phone accesses the different functions based on the touch. It is also reported that the iPhone 6S could offer faster LTE speeds and an improved chipset. Moreover, other iPhone 6S leaks have also suggested, that it might come with an improved NFC and 16GB storage.

Source:[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2015/07/uswitch_exclusive_iphone_6s_leak_renders_for_case_designers_give_us_most_complete_look_so_far/”] uSwitch[/tw-button]

August 4, 2015
Samsung Releases the Galaxy S4 Value Edition

Samsung has launched a new device today, called the Samsung I9195I Galaxy S4 mini plus. The mini plus is said to be a smaller version of the Galaxy S4 and is also called the Galaxy S4 Value Edition, depending on the market.

Image Source: GS Marena

The specifications include a 4.3″ Super AMOLED qHD screen, and it is run by the Snapdragon 410 chip with a quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, Adreno 306 GPU and 1.5GB of RAM. It also comes with an 8MP camera with 1080p video recording and a 1900mAh battery with an operating system run by the Android KitKat.

It is said that besides the improved chipset and the power boost, everything else remains similar to the Galaxy S4. The new device is said to have been listed on Samsung sites in the European Union last month and is already on sale. The S4 mini plus / S4 mini VE is said to be priced at 239 euros (approx. Rs. 16,727), and even as low as 190 euros (approx. Rs. 13,300)

August 4, 2015
Microsoft Assures Users Will Be Able To Access WhatsApp on Edge Soon

Microsoft released Windows 10 on 29th July but, if you are an avid WhatsApp Web user, it is likely that you may not be able to use this feature on your brand new Edge browser. At least, not yet.

If you have been using Internet Explorer, or Microsoft’s brand new browser called Edge in Windows 10, you’ve been out of luck – so far. Currently, WhatsApp Web is not cooperative with Microsoft’s Edge browser, though it can be accessed on Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Apple Safari and Google Chrome, which are all consistent on Windows.

According to a Windows Central report, a Microsoft program manager revealed that the company is, in fact, striving to get WhatsApp Web support to Edge.

Softpedia has quoted Microsoft’s Program Manager Greg Witworth (on Twitter), as stating that the Redmond-based company is working with the instant message service company to allow WhatsApp Web to support Edge users.

@MSEdgeDev @TheWebJustWorks FYI, WhatsApp is blocking IE and Edge: https://t.co/0uxALD6m0Z cc @gregwhitworth

— Alan Peto (@alanpeto) August 2, 2015

@alanpeto @MSEdgeDev @TheWebJustWorks Thanks for the heads up, we have an open line of communication with them regarding this cc: @dstorey

— gregwhitworth (@gregwhitworth) August 2, 2015

The report says that WhatsApp Web for Edge may be made accessible as an OS update; however, there is no particular timeline given for the launch of the service.

Moreover, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) does not support WhatsApp Web. Hence, those on Windows need to use other browsers to access WhatsApp on their desktops.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp Web has been updated to feature aspects at par with the smartphone version of the popular messaging service. You will notice a new “edit” icon adjacent to “current status”, which allows you to make changes to your status and share it with friends. You can also hover over their current profile image, and an option is displayed that can be used for editing the image.

With the roll out of Windows 10 happening on a global scale, Microsoft has announced the price of the operating system in India. Microsoft’s official online store has listed the Home version under Rs 7,999 and the Pro version for Rs 14,999. For those users who are using Windows XP and earlier versions, or are assembling new PCs or laptops need to purchase the software. And, for those who are operating original Windows 7 and Windows 8, you are eligible for the free upgrade.

Windows 10 brings a new Edge browser, a new Windows Store, Office 2016 suite and completely redesigned Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People, Mail and Calendar apps, among other upgrades.

August 3, 2015