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Electronics major Samsung India today said it is eyeing 60% market share in the smart television space in the country this year and a sales turnover of Rs 225 crore from Kerala during ‘Onam’ festival next month.
[quote]”Samsung aims to garner 35% market share in flat panel television in India against the current market share of 30% and 60% market share in smart televisions,” Samsung India Vice-President (AV Business) Raj Kumar Rishi said.[/quote]
To attract consumers in the state during the festive season, the company launched a smart TV that enables consumers use voice, gesture control and face recognition through ‘Smart Interaction’ technology to control and interact with TV without touching the remote.
Consumers can switch the television on or off, activate applications or search and select content in the web browser just by speaking, moving their hands or showing themselves to the systems built in cameras, he said.
The company also announced the global availability of the Angry Birds App for the smart TV.
Developed by Rovio Entertainment, a Finnish entertainment media company, Angry Birds is one of the top smartphone application worldwide.
The new ‘India customised’ EH series will also be available to consumers during the festival period. Samsung is also offering consumers an enhanced Home Appliance line up, comprising five star rated Refrigerators, Split ACs, ‘Ecobuble’ front-loading washing machines and Microwave ovens.
Mahesh Krishnan, Vice-President, Home Appliance Business, said they hope to achieve Rs 225 crore sales during the Onam festival period from July 25-Aug 31. Samsung is targetting sales of about 30,000 units of flat panel TV and 1,500 smart TVs during Onam in the state.
According to a partially redacted filing on Tuesday with a federal court in San Jose, California, Apple believes Samsung owes “substantial monetary damages” because the Korean company illegally “chose to compete by copying Apple.”
Apple said this allowed Samsung to overtake it as the world’s largest maker of smartphones, and reap “billions of dollars in profits” while costing Apple $500 million of profit.
It said damages, including reasonable royalty damages, reach “a combined total of $2.525 billion.” Apple said it also plans to seek a permanent injunction to stop future violations.
Samsung countered Apple’s allegations in a filing 13 minutes later, accusing the Cupertino, California-based company of trying “to stifle legitimate competition and limit consumer choice to maintain its historically exorbitant profits.”
It said Apple, in fact, should pay for the use of Samsung’s patented technology, “without which Apple could not have become a successful participant in the mobile telecommunications industry.”
Their dispute is part of a worldwide legal battle over the alleged theft of technology used in smartphones and tablets, including those powered by Google Inc’s Android, which Samsung uses in its most popular devices.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and top Samsung executives last week participated in court-supervised mediation to try to resolve the case but a resolution appeared to be unlikely, people familiar with the matter said.
Looks like we sprung a leak! It appears that Micromax is working on a new Android device that seems to resemble the HTC One X in construction, its evident inspecting the design renders we got our hands on. The above image is of Micromax’s next supposed flagship device the Superfone A100.
A close inspection of the design shows a slightly larger size and a centrally placed large camera lens (could this be the first 8 mp camera phone from Micromax?). The phone also appears to have dual sim slots and a micro SD card slot. Initial impressions put the phone as a slim power phone, but we really can’t judge based on factory drawings.
Hopefully the product comes out soon, touting a 5 inch screen, a large camera,a big battery and Jelly Bean for a low price say 14k-ish ( Hey one can hope right!). In reality, no real information for the phone is available, and all Micromax officials, including those known to us, refused to acknowledge the existence of such a product. Acting pricey eh Micromax?
We will keep you updated on more news as and when we can make it available.
Sony’s SmartWatch is not only meant to work with Xperia Phones, but all Android devices. The watch is a revision to the popular accessory by Sony Ericsson called LiveView. This version adds a lot of new features to the mix, allowing a lot more functionality and interaction.
The Sony SmartWatch features an easy-to-use, ultra-responsive touch display. The new interface allows you to download compatible applications from Google Play and utilize the maximum potential of the SmartWatch.
In the box you not only get a wrist strap but also an adapter to attach your own 20mm strap. allowing you to mix and match not only materials but colors as well. It measures 36 mm x 36 mm and has a thickness of 8 mm the watch weighs 15.5 gand 26 g is the weight of the watchband. The front of the watch has a Multi-touch color OLED display, with no detailed specs available. The whole interface is built on Bluetooth™ core version: 3.0 allowing fast sync and updates over the air.
Sony Xperia Neo L is a revision to the Xperia Neo V launched last year. This smartphone is the first Sony handset to arrive integrated with ICS. Hardware components include a 1GHz processor, a 5MP autofocus camera, a 4-inch screen with a 854 × 480p resolution and a front-facing VGA camera for video calling.
The phone has a microSD expansion slot, 1GB of internal memory and 512 MB RAM, a1500mAh battery is expected to provide the juice for about 8 hours of talk time and approximately 575 hours of standby on 2G.
Unlike its siblings like Xperia S, Xperia U and Xperia Arc S, the Neo L runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system straight out-of-the-box, which gives it a slight edge over others as most phones being sold in market are still based on Gingerbread. However, in an already flooded Android market, the question remains whether Sony Xperia neo L will stand out at a price of Rs 18,499, especially when HTC One V is available at Rs 18,599 and the similarly-priced dual core-powered Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is scheduled to hit India in a few months.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 inch has started to show up on various shopping websites, the Tablet is the second generation Galaxy Tab 10.1 inch that was launched last year as a direct competition to the Apple iPad.
The tablet received critical feedback all over the world and faced several patent issues at Samsung fought legal battles with Apple on the design and usage of the tablet.
Key Features of Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P5100
Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
3 MP Primary Camera
0.3 MP Secondary Camera
10.1-inch TFT Capacitive Touchscreen
1 GHz Cortex-A9 Dual Core Processor
HD Recording
Wi-Fi Enabled
3G Enabled
Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB
The Tablet is expected to launch just shy of Rs. 30,000 and should be available in first week of August. Expect a full hands on Review as soon as the device is available.
As iPhone fans await the release of a new model, they are delaying purchases and may cause Apple Inc., the world’s largest company by market value, to post its slowest sales and profit growth in more than two years.
Analysts estimate that sales of iPhones — Apple’s biggest source of revenue — slid in the fiscal third quarter from prior periods. While analysts predict that the next iPhone will be the best-selling smartphone yet from Cupertino, California-based Apple, the purchasing delays will probably weigh down results until the device hits stores.
The iPhone 5 is only expected to hit store shelves around October — just in time for the holidays — with a thinner, larger screen and fine-tuned search features. Couple that pre-launch lull with slowdowns in Europe and China, Apple’s biggest markets outside of North America, and sentiment on the Wall Street darling is more muted than many can remember in a while.
There is no way around it – after even the slightest use, it seems that your mobile device’s display is encased in fingerprints. Somedays it feels like we spend more time cleaning it then using it. If that sounds like a day in the life of you, you may want to check out 3M’s Natural View Fingerprint Fading Screen Protectors.
We do not know how it works, but it does promise that fingerprints will fade away without blurring the image. Additionally, it also features a scratch resistant surface and “stay-clean edges” that will keep the fuzzies out of your seams. 3M also claims one of the features is that the protector is “easy to apply,” but if you have ever installed a screen protector, particularly on a large display such as a tablet, you know that promise may be a bit of a stretch, especially to get it on bubble-free.
Currently these screen protectors are available for the iPad 2 and the new iPad and will be available soon for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. You can grab a 2-pack for your iPad direct from 3M for about $28 or head over to Amazon to find the same product for a few bucks less.
The iPhone 5,Apple’s next generation iPhone expected to go on sale around October, will come with a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of the proprietary 30-pin port “to make room for the earphone moving to the bottom”, the sources said.
It would mean the new phone would not connect with the myriad of accessories such as speakers and power chargers that form part of the ecosystem around iPods, iPads and iPhones, without an adaptor.
The redesign may annoy owners, but accessories manufacturers are preparing for a sales boom, according to analysts.
“It represents an opportunity for accessory vendors,” said Pete Cunningham, London-based analyst at technology research firm Canalys.
“The iPhone connector has been a standard for a long time now and I would expect the same to be true for a new connector, should Apple change it as expected.”
Tech blogs have long speculated on the demise of the 30-pin connector, which at 21mm wide takes up a lot of space, especially as the latest technologies such as microUSB offer more power in less space. They say that a smaller connector would give Apple more scope for new product designs or a bigger battery, or simply to make ever smaller products.
Proview the company that sued Apple for the iPad trademark in China has been sued by its very own legal firm for the non payment of its legal fees for the said case. According to Sina Tech, Grandall Law Firm confirmed that its shady client refused to pay up the promised 4 percent of Apple’s settlement fee, which equates to $2.4 million.
Proview founder Yang Rongshan told Sina Tech that Grandall’s behavior is “nonsense,” and that his company isn’t obliged to pay back immediately as it isn’t under normal operation right now.
There you go guys, we spoke about in in our WTF and it has been announced, the Canon Eos M mirror less camera. Similar to the 650d the Canon Eos M has a 18 MP APS-C sensor and DIGIC 5 processor, 3-inch 1.04MP smudge-resistant touchscreen and the 650D’s new hybrid autofocus system, which pairs both contrast and phase-difference AF for speedier, more accurate performance.
Interesting features add o the table making this camera quite interesting, using in a adapter, mounting EF lenses is easy. ISO ranging from 100 to 25,600 (extended) in still mode and 12,800 (extended) when shooting video — captured in 1920 x 1080 format at 24, 25 or 30 progressive frames per second. There’s also a continuous shooting mode at 4.3 frames per second with fixed focus and exposure.
There’s also no electronic viewfinder, a full-size hot shoe is included with full support for Canon’s lineup of Speedlite flashes, including the new $150 90EX strobe and ST-E3-RT Transmitter, and the GP-E2 GPS Receiver.
It has full manual shooting, even in video mode what makes it really interesting. Canon is offering an EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens for $300, or you can add the $200 EF-EOS M mount adapter to enable use with existing lenses. Although you can expect cheaper third party adapters soon.
[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]
Put Your Creativity Into Motion With The New EOS M Digital Camera
The Newest Camera in Canon’s Lineup Delivers Exceptional EOS Full HD Video Quality with Continuous Autofocus and an Expansive Selection of Lenses
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 23, 2012 – Combining the perfect blend of advanced video features and excellent still image quality in a convenient size, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the EOS M Digital Camera. Canon has made significant advancements in the realm of professional-quality HD video capture, from advanced CMOS sensor technology to smooth, quiet continuous autofocus. Inspired by EOS technology, the EOS M leverages these core technologies and distills them down to provide outstanding video capture capabilities while retaining high-quality still image capture. When shooting still images, the EOS M camera’s 18-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS image sensor provides a shallow depth of field, incredible low-light image quality and a wide dynamic range to capture rich gradation and detail.
This new addition to the EOS family offers a great solution to videographers and photographers of all levels, with two new lenses designed specifically for Canon’s new camera format – the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens and the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens– and the ability to use the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses through the optional Mount Adapter EF-EOS M.
“The EOS M includes a unique feature set making it an ideal movie-making tool while offering incredible still image quality on its APS-C-sized CMOS sensor. The camera’s size, image quality, advanced video capabilities and the versatility of Canon’s full lineup of lenses make the EOS M another great option to help our customers record and capture their creative vision,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.
Product Specifications and Features: • EOS Full HD Movie mode with Movie Servo AF for continuous focus tracking of moving subjects also includes: • Manual exposure control • Multiple resolution frame rates • Built-in stereo microphone • Manual audio level adjustment • Video Snapshot mode with touch-screen editing • 18.0-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor • ISO 100–6400 (expandable to 12800 in H mode) for video recording, ISO 100 – 12800 (expandable to 25600 in H mode) for still image shooting from bright to dim light and high performance Powerful DIGIC 5 Image Processor for exceptional image quality video and photos • Hybrid CMOS AF delivers fast autofocus speed for video and photos • Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II (approximately 1,040,000 dots) with smudge-resistant coating features multi-touch operation allowing photographers to use familiar gestures such as “pinch-to-zoom” and “swiping” to scroll between pictures and Touch AF for an easy and intuitive video capture experience • Scene Intelligent Auto mode delivers expertly optimized photos and scene detection for amazing results even when shooting at night • Advanced imaging features like Handheld Night Scene mode, HDR Backlight Control mode, and seven Creative Filters provide added versatility • Multi-shot Noise Reduction helps preserve precious detail in photos at high ISO speeds • Compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, including new Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) cards • Compatible with all Canon Speedlite accessories including the new Speedlite 600EX and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT • Compatible with Canon’s GPS Receiver GP-E2
An Advanced Video Capture Device
The EOS M utilizes Canon’s Hybrid CMOS AF system to deliver fast autofocus speed for both video and photos. The Hybrid CMOS AF system truly shines when shooting video with EOS Full HD Movie mode including Movie Servo AF for continuous autofocus and tracking of moving subjects. The Hybrid CMOS AF system is located on the CMOS sensor itself and combines phase-difference AF and contrast AF to achieve operational stability, speed and precision. The Movie Servo AF function on the EOS M is enabled by default which keeps images on the rear screen in constant focus, even before the shutter is pressed. This continual focus makes for sharp video capture in a snap or to help reduce shutter lag due to focusing when still images want to be shot. The camera employs three AF methods for video and photos, Face Detection & Tracking AF, Multi-Point AF for automatics selection and Single-Point AF, where users select one of 31 AF points. Through the camera’s touch-panel operation, subject recognition and tracking is engaged at the touch of a finger, allowing users to track subjects accurately and focus on intended subjects with ease. In addition to subject tracking, the touch-panel LCD allows for simple, intuitive operation, menu navigation and touch features making it easy to shoot video and photos.
Thanks to Canon’s new Stepping Motor (STM) technology, when using either of the newly announced M-series lenses – the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens or the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens – the AF system remains silent, helping ensure users only capture the sound of the scene being recorded. The EOS M also features manual audio level control to 64 levels, a built-in stereo microphone, which includes a wind filter and an attenuator function to reduce audio distortion in extra loud situations. The EOS M records MPEG-4 AVC H.264 video as an .MOV file in a range of NTSC and PAL professional frame rates, including 1080p Full HD video at 30p (29.97), 24p (23.976) and 25p, 720p HD video at 60p (59.94) or 50p and Standard Definition video at 30p (29.97) or 25p.
In addition to the creativity afforded by over 70 compatible lenses, the EOS M also includes Picture Style settings – including custom Picture Styles – when shooting video, allowing users to adjust color settings the same as when shooting still images. The camera also includes Canon’s Video Snapshot mode for an easy way to record and create a fun highlight reel that can be easily shared. Video Snapshot mode combines a series of short video clips into a single file, all in-camera. Through the camera’s touch-screen controls users can delete, cut or re-order the clips in-camera for quick and easy editing.
Optical Diversity: New M-Series Lenses and Accessories
Along with the EOS M, Canon is also introducing two new M-series lenses – with new EOS M mounts –that include STM technology allowing for smooth and silent focusing when paired with Hybrid CMOS AF.
The EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens is ideal for shooting video and still images. The fixed focal length lens has a great capacity for gathering light with an incredible aperture of f/2 and when combined with the camera’s APS-C image sensor, provide beautiful bright images and background blur for both video and stills. For more focal range versatility, Canon is also introducing the new EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, which provides videographers and photographers with a variable zoom range for general use with video recording or photographing. Both lenses are designed specifically for use with the EOS M digital camera.
In addition to the two lenses, any of Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses can be used with the EOS M with the optional Mount Adapter EF-EOS M. The EOS M camera’s strong magnesium and stainless steel frame provide the durability and rigidity to support the full line of EF and EF-S Lenses in a lightweight convenient design. Using the adapter allows the camera to be fully integrated into the EOS ecosystem of lenses, adding creative options and versatility to this powerful camera.
Ideal for use with the EOS M, Canon is also announcing a new compact and lightweight flash unit, the Speedlite 90EX, designed for the photographer on the go. The Speedlite 90EX is capable of coverage for 24mm wide angle lenses (35mm equivalent) with maximum guide numbers of 30 feet (9 meters) at ISO 100. The flash unit can be controlled wirelessly for creative multiple flash shoots and uses the standard Canon EOS hot shoe mount for compatibility with all EOS DSLR cameras and PowerShot digital cameras that include a hot shoe.
Availability
The EOS M Digital Camera bundled with the new EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens will be available in October for an estimated retail price of $799.99. Also a white version of the EOS M Digital Camera bundled with the new EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens will be exclusively available through the Canon Online store, shop.usa.canon.com.
The new EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, Mount Adapter EF-EOS M and Speedlite 90EX will all be available in October at an estimated retail price of $299.99, $199.99 and $149.99 respectively.
Sources close to Google say the search giant seriously underestimated the demand for the 16GB version of its 7in Nexus 7 tablet, which has sold out from stockists and other sources while demand for the smaller 8GB version remains comparatively low.
The company has now halted further orders of the 16GB version of the tablet, costing £199, on its Google Play store in the US and UK. Orders made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.
While the 8GB model, which costs £159, is shown as “in stock“ and being delivered in 3-5 business days, the 16GB version only offers an option to “sign up to be notified by email“ when it becomes available.
The 8GB version is only being sold through Google’s own store, rather than physical retailers – but online buyers appear to have shunned it, surprising Google, which had thought that the cheaper version, despite having only half as much storage, would sell better than it has.
The Guardian understands that Google’s planners had thought that buyers on the Google Play store, more than from physical or online retailers, would be more committed to the company’s “cloud” concept, and so would have more of their content stored online, rather than wanting to keep it on the device.
But most buyers appear to have noted that the storage on the device cannot be upgraded and decided to get the larger model.
The Nexus 7 appears to have been a huge hit, although Google has not yet released any figures for sales. Its principal competitors for sales in physical stores such as Currys and PC World in the UK are Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Touch. A spokesperson for Dixons Retail, which sells all three, said sales of the Nexus 7 have been “extremely brisk” but declined to say where it ranked against the other two.
Google has already put off the date for deliveries of the 16GB versiononce, extending it by up to a week. Asus is believed to be ramping up production of another batch of models, but that could take some weeks to arrive.
In the UK, Tesco is understood to have turned down a number of orders made online for the 16GB version after overwhelming demand. It is not selling the 8GB version.
Google has seen huge demand for the Nexus 7 since announcing it on 27 June and offering online ordering directly from the Google Play online store, followed a few days later by the announcement that a number of physical retailers would be selling it.
The Nexus 7 marks Google’s first foray into the tablet business. The device is made to Google’s specifications by Asus; the 8GB version is being sold almost at cost ($199 compared to the build cost of $157), according to estimates by IHS iSuppli. The 16GB version is more profitable for Google.
Facebook has acquired Acrylic Software, a Vancouver-based developer of Mac and iOS apps.
The small firm is known for the RSS app Pulp (a personalized newspaper) and the secure database app Wallet (for securely storing passwords, credit-card numbers, etc.).
The company has decided to cease development of the two apps, which Facebook itself has not acquired. This means that the apps will continue to be available for download and purchase, but will no longer be updated.
Acrylic has two employees and both are moving to work on the social-networking giant’s design team in San Francisco. Additional details of the acquisition were not disclosed, but this appears to be mainly a talent acquisition; Facebook will not be getting the technology behind the service, or its user data.
[toggle_box title=”Statement” width=”Width of toggle box”]
Facebook is an invaluable service that we all use daily, and a company I believe is one of the most innovative and important around today. After visiting late last year, I discovered that we shared many of the same core product design goals and principles, and it soon became obvious that it was a natural fit. Simply put, there’s an opportunity at Facebook to have a big impact in many people’s lives. More importantly, Facebook is full of extremely talented people who will be able to help realize its full potential in the years to come.
Our products and services have not been acquired by Facebook, and while there are no plans for further development on them, Wallet and Pulp will continue to remain available for download and purchase in their current form. We’ll certainly be the first to let you know of any updates or changes here in the future.
A special thanks to all of our customers and supporters who have helped us grow and build the best products possible throughout the last four years. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.
Aircel has slashed the prices of the Apple iPhone 3GS 8GB model and it is now available for Rs. 9,999. This deal is for now available only for Aircel postpaid customers.
In order to attract customers, Aircel is also offering unlimited 3G data for a full one year with the purchase of iPhone 3GS by paying an additional Rs. 3,000 upfront at the time of purchase.
However, this option is available only in 3G circles and there is a fair usage cap of 2GB per month, post which users can continue to download unlimited data at the speed of 128kbps.
In 2G-only areas, buyers would have unlimited 2,500 local and national SMS, 100 minutes of local and STD calls and unlimited 2G data for a period of 6 months.
However, if an Aircel subscribers opts for the company’s ‘money saver plan,’ then they would have to pay Rs.20,990 for this very iPhone.
Airtel is currently selling the same device for Rs. 20,908, which is double the price of Aircel’s version.
Betaworks, the company behind the takeover of major news aggregator DIGG, has announced that the site is going through major re-haul and will launch in a new avatar in the first week of August. Betaworks already owned a similar news service News.me, and has no plans of integrating DIGG with their existing site. Once the new service is active is when everyone will actually know what the new Digg is all about.
