Category: Tech

Latest Technology News, Alternative, Bio-Tech, Medical, R&D and Innovations

TRAI Received Only 21 Counter-Comments On Net Neutrality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 16, 2016
Could Smart Gun Technology be the Cure to Gun Violence?

Gun violence in America is an issue that cannot be brushed under the rug. Last year, gun violence resulted in at least a 1,000 injuries and deaths, and about 400 deaths were caused due to mass shootings alone. An incident last April shocked the world to no end when a three year old boy shot a baby (Braylon Robinson) dead using a gun the boy found lying in the house in Cleveland, Ohio.

Such horrific stories have made politicians stand up and take notice, turning towards technology for help. President Barack Obama asked during his Jan. 5 gun control address from the White House that, “if we can set it up so you can’t unlock your phone unless you’ve got the right fingerprint, why can’t we do the same thing for our guns?” The proposition was reasonable indeed, and this is exactly what ‘smart gun technology’ is all about.

The United States President has called for three called for three federal agencies – the Department of Defence, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security – to speed up research in smart gun technology with the aim of preventing the “accidental discharge or unauthorised use of firearms.”

The technology has been around since the 90s. Digitally equipped firearms were designed to work for the authorized owner only. Smart guns typically employ fingerprint scanners, or a radio-frequency-identification device (RFID), such as a ring or bracelet that sends a signal to unlock the weapon. Like modern smartphones, smart guns are being developed that use biometrics to unlock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=6LTKSuHNEmk

One such device, the Identilock, created by Detroit-based engineer and National Rifle Association (NRA) member Omer Kiyani, takes the form of a black box that fastens on to the end of a handgun. The Identitylock works by preventing the trigger to move unless the device recognizes the user’s fingerprint when they place their fingertip against the scanner on the side of the device. Once the device recognizes the fingerprint, the Identitilock falls to the ground allowing the user to fire the gun.

Armatix is another company that has worked on a smart gun, iP1 that requires the user to wear a companion watch into which a pin number is entered. The gun will refuse to fire if it is taken more than 10-inches away from the watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHHT1PuM3K8

Smart guns aren’t likely to completely stop deliberate mass shootings, like the racially motivated shooting at a South Carolina church last year where nine people were killed. However, smart guns can avoid incidents like the above mentioned Braylon Robinson shooting.

Smart gun technology has also met with a lot of criticism. The opposition comes due to the unreliability of technology and the security concerns that such gins can be hacked. Moreover, the fact that fingerprint scanners take a couple of seconds before authorizing the user can be fatal in a situation where the user needs to act under duress. Nevertheless, the need for a solution is at hand and perhaps technology is the only way out. We’ll just have to wait and see how far this goes to curb gun violence in America and other countries with liberal gun laws.

January 16, 2016
Huawei P9 Leaks Reveal Impressive Specifications and a Revamped Design

CES saw a lot of big companies show off their new phones, and upcoming projects, but Huawei, the thirld largest phone maker in the world in terms of sales volumes, revealed nothing, leaving its fans guessing what the company has in works for them. But worry no more, new leaks suggest that all the suspense, and the wait was worth it.

Reports, and leaked design schematics reveal that Huawei is delivering final touches to what is going to be its next offering, the P9, which can be expected to be unveiled by the company in the coming weeks.

The schematics reveal major changes to the design of the phone from last year’s P8. The new phone will come with a physical home button which according to reports will also house a finger print scanner. The phone will also sport dual-cameras along with dual-led setup at the back. There’s also a speaker at the bottom, with a headset jack nearby.

On the specs front the phone is rumoured to come with a 5.2 inch Full HD Display, 3000 mAh battery, and 4 GB of RAM, but most interesting is the news of the P9 coming with a Kirin 950 SoC. That means that the phone will have an octa-core CPU and the Mali-T880 MP4 GPU.

Want to know what that translates to in real life? Well, something very impressive according to benchmarks reports posted on GeekBench. The website today listed an anonymous Huawei device with the Kirin SoC on board clocking up a serious Multi-Core score of 7313. That score is more than the previous best clocked by the X20 Helio Deca-Core processor.

If these leaks are indeed true, and the benchmark results anything to go by, it looks like Huawei has in works a powerhouse waiting to be unleashed. Can’t say we’re not excited.

January 16, 2016
Fixstars Launches 13000M : World’s Biggest SSD

While the personal computer industry is still trying to make the massive transition from mechanical Hard Drives to Solid State Drives, a new entrant has jumped into the fray to tilt the balance towards the newer technology’s favour.

For years now, SSDs have lurked in the shadows, and because of technological constraints have trailed HDD’s in terms of storage space, but all of this is about to change now. Meet Fixstars SSD-13000M.

This dull looking SSD from Fixstars comes with a massive 13TB of NAND-based flash memory, and is the biggest SSD so far. Put that in context with the fact that the biggest 2.5 Inch HDD available in the market is a 10 TB storage device by Seagate, you understand how impressive the tech behind this piece of computer hardware is.

But as with most good things, this SSD also comes at a cost, and I’m not talking about the interesting price tag of $13000( approx Rs 8,50,000) that it comes at. According to Fixstars own benchmarks, SSD-13000M because of its size loses out a bit on the speed. The company here has decided to go for steady performance instead of speed.

This device is not focused at home users, and as such the steady performance at the exorbitant price does end up making sense. Considering that it’s no trivial task to combine, and validate so much NAND per drive, such pricing for the device can be considered acceptable.

The Fixstars 13000M uses a specialized disk controller designed by the company and 15nm Toshiba MLC NAND memory. Sequential speed is listed as 580MB/s, sequential write is 540MB/s. Power consumption is listed to be 3W at idle and up to 6.5W under load.

It can be years before NAND Technology becomes cheap enough for such applications to make its way into our homes, but for enterprise users with cash to burn, this offering from Fixstars does make a compelling argument in its favour.

January 15, 2016

Mi India Announces Price Cut for Mi Pad

Mi India has slashed the price of the Mi Pad. The Chinese electronics major announced today that the 16 GB Mi Pad is now available for Rs 10,999, down Rs 2,000 from the original launch price of Rs 12,999 and can be purchased through its exclusive online partner Flipkart or on Mi.com.

The Mi Pad comes with specifications of a high-end device. The device is thin at 9.4mm and sports a 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2048×1536. The tablet is powered by a 2.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC ARM Cortex-A15 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB inbuilt storage space. The Xiaomi tablet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with MIUI skin on top. The device comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, and has a powerful battery of 6700mAh.

Brief details about its specs are provided below:

SPECS	Xiaomi Mi Pad
Display	7.9-inch IPS326 PPI
Processor	2.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC ARM Cortex-A15
RAM	2GB
Internal Memory	16GB
Expandability	Up to 128GB
Camera	8MP rear, 5MP front
Battery	6700mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4 KitKat
Price	Rs. 10,999

January 15, 2016

Asus Zenfone Max with 5000mAh Battery Goes on Sale

Asus India’s latest enterant to the already crowded market is a phone that sets itsellf apart from the crowd. The new Zenfone handset promises what its buddies couldn’t offer, a long battery life. The Selfie, and Lazer range phones albeit good, still did lack in stamina, and that is where this phone excels.

The Max, with it’s enormous 5000mAh battery, not only offers a phone that won’t die on you mid way through the day, but surprise surprise, it can also double up as a portable charger for other power hungry devices that might need some assistance. Well, that my friends, is an offer that even Don Corleone can’t refuse.

On the specifications front, the phone holds out its own in the crowded budget phone segment. ZenFone Max features a 5.5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display which has 10 finger touch support and comes with anti-fingerprint coating. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor which is paired with 2GB RAM, Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system and Adreno 306 graphics processor.

On the photography front, the phone integrates a 13-MegaPixel rear and 5-MegaPixel front PixelMaster camera with an f/2.0 aperture lens and laser auto-focus. It also comes along with a low-light mode that claims to capture up to 400 percent brighter photos at night or low light condition without utilizing the flash.

The Asus Zenfone Maxx has started retailing for Rs 9,999 , which to be honest is decent pricing for a phone with nice specs, and outstanding battery life, as such making it highly recommended.

January 15, 2016
Fujifilm Unveils Three Powerful Cameras with Wi-Fi Connectivity

Fujifilm unveiled a trio of powerful new cameras that are sure to find eager buyers. The new X-Pro2 is the biggest of the lot and the successor to the X-Pro1. These new cameras dare the camera world which is already being dominated by the likes of Sony’s A7R II, which won the Camera of the Year, according to Popular Photography.

The X-Pro2 comes with a new 24.3-magapixel X-Trans CMOS III sensor which is powered by the X-Processor Pro image processor. It takes 0.08 seconds for the camera’s autofocus to lock on to a subject and continuous shooting is at 8 frames per second. The ISO range goes fro 100-51200. Beautiful timelapses are guaranteed with the built-in interval timer that can shoot up to 999 frames. The maximum mechanical shutter speed has been doubled up to 1/8000 seconds.

X-Pro2

The X-Pro2 is dust and splash-resistant like the X-TI with 61 points. While the camera cannot go underwater, it will survive rainfall and splashes. The camera’s 3-inch screen is sharper with a 1.62-million dot resolution, and the camera comes with two SD card slots, one compatible with UHS-II Standards, and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.

The only downside to the X-Pro2 is that it doesn’t shoot 4K video. The camera can, however, record full HD video at 1080p resolution at up to 60 fps. The camera comes with updated hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder. The camera also has a grain effect mode for grainy photos, which will win over film enthusiasts.

The powerful camera comes with a massive price tag of $1,699 and will be available in February.

X-E2S

Meanwhile, the company also updated its mid-range X-E line. The $699 X-E2S comes with a 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor, a 49-point single focus mode, 77-point wide-tracking mode for freezing quick moving subjects, and ISO sensitivity up to 51200. Like the X-Pro2, the X-E2S records 1080p full HD video at up to 60 fps, and comes with a built-in interval timer and Wi-Fi connectivity. Though cheaper than the X-Pro2, the X-E2S packs some powerful specs and is a great choice for advanced photographers.

X70

The X-70 is priced exactly as the X-E2S and comes with a 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor and a fixed 18.5mm lens with f/2.8 aperture, and ISO sensitivity up to 51200. The X-70 includes all the features seen in the X-E2S like 1080p video recording at 60fps, interval timer and Wi-Fi. The 3-inch screen here is a touchscreen and tilts 180-degrees. Both the mid-range cameras will be available in February as well.

January 15, 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 to Have Apple’s ‘Live Photos’-Like Feature

One of the coolest, and most loved things about the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus when it launched was the inclusion of Live Photos. A really fun feature to use, it helps you click photos with short video clips just, and after the photo so that you can immerse yourself in the emotion of the photograph whenever you look at it.

It’s a fun feature, but not something ground-breaking that we expected Android to bring to their devices, but such is the lack of ingenuity in the smartphone market these days that we have Samsung’s already porting the idea on to their next flagship.

According to reports, Samsung is planning to bring a Live Photos-like feature to the Galaxy S7 under the name of Vivid Photos. But, Samsung’s version will be a bit different than Apple’s offering. Vivid Photos will not capture sound, but only the image. These images will be saved as GIFs, and will be particularly of interest to users who’ve struggled to upload Live Photos on Facebook. Let’s see if Vivid Photos works as well for Samsung as Live Photos did for Apple.

January 15, 2016
Samsung to be Apple’s Primary OLED Display Supplier

Rumors of Apple finally shifting to OLED displays for its iPhones aren’t going away. It looks like Samsung is set to be the primary OLED supplier for the new iPhones as the Korean giant gets ready to invest up to $7.27 billion depending on order levels.

Now, while the shift to OLED panels is imminent, the move will only happen in 2018, which means that the upcoming iPhone 7 will continue to sport LCD displays. Currently, the Apple Watch is the only device by the Cupertino giant that sports an OLED display.

Earlier, it was rumored that both Samsung and LG will be the suppliers for the OLED panels, but it looks like Apple’s love-hate relationship with Samsung trumps all. Though this doesn’t completely rule out LG as a supplier.

No official statement has been released by either companies yet, but insiders have claimed that the contract has been signed. Furthermore, it is rumored that Samsung is planning to invest up to $7.47 billion in its display business. This would go towards equipment, plant improvements and staff to increase production loads.

The investment will be broken down to into an initial $2.49 billion to $3.32 billion this year, so that the company can begin production of 30 000 to 45 000 OLED sheets per month. Another set of recent rumors also suggest that Apple has a secret lab in Taiwan where where former Qualcomm and AUO employees are working on developing micro-LED screen tech for thinner, lighter, and brighter displays for the iPhone, though we’ll know how much of the latter is true once the next set of iPhones come out.

January 15, 2016
Oukitel K4000 Pro with 4,600mAh Battery Can Power Your Phone for 6 Days

Back in December, we heard that a Chinese company by the name Oukitel was setting out to launch a smartphone with a 10,000mAh battery that could power the device for unto 10 days. The device, named K10000 Pro will start shipping from January 21st.

But that’s not the only device Oukitel is pushing out. Word is that the company also has a smaller K4000 Pro, which, as the name suggests, comes with a 4600mAh battery that promises to give you enough juice for up to 6 days of “normal use” (according to the manufacturer’s standards), and up to 80.5 hours of talk time.

While the main attraction of the device is the massive battery pack, the device also comes with decent specs for a low-priced phone. The K4000 Pro sports a 5-inch, 720p-resolution LCD screen. It is powered by a MediaTek 6735P chipset with a quad-core CPU running at 1GHz. Other features include 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage memory, which isn’t going to do well under graphic intense games, but that’s also one of the reasons behind the long-lasting battery.

In terms of looks, the K4000 Pro comes with a machined metal frame whose four angles are reinforced to improve its endurance under drops. A 0.4-inch thick tempered glass gives the display device an added protection and durability, so much so that the device substitutes for a hammer, according to the company’s video.

The device will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop and Ouktitel says that it will be upgradable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow later on. The handset supports dual-SIM and comes with basic connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and USB OTG.

Oukitel is having a pre-sale event between January 19 to February 1, where it will sell the device for $120. Furthermore, a limited batch of the K4000 Pro will be up for grabs for $90 on Tuesdays.

January 14, 2016
iPhone 6s Plus Tops AnTuTu’s Smartphone Performance Chart for 2015

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

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

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

January 14, 2016
New iPhone 7 Concepts Emerge Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 14, 2016
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with Snapdragon SoC Confirmed for India Launch

Xiaomi yesterday through its social media handles teased its loyal fanbase in India with vague communication of an “exciting announcement” for today, and we are glad to say it’s lived up to the said promise. Xiaomi has announced a Redmi Note 3 Explorer contest for 100 lucky winners from the country, effectively confirming that the Redmi Note 3 will make its way to Indian markets soon.

The Redmi Note 3 was launched in China last year with a MediaTek chipset, but Xiaomi is now bringing a new variant to India that is powered by a Snapdragon 650 SoC. No pricing details have been announced, but the 16GB variant will retail in China for RMB 999( approx Rs 10,000). Another 32 GB variant will also be available in the future.

The Redmi Note 3 announced today varies in two ways from the version announced back in November. Firstly, it replaces the Helio X10 chipset with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 64-bit 1.8GHz hexa-core CPU, Adreno 510 GPU, integrated X8 LTE with Cat 7 speeds and support for VoLTE.

Secondly, this refreshed model will feature a 16-MP shooter with f2.0 aperture, and phase detection autofocus. The earlier model only came in with a 13-MP camera on board.

Xiaomi Note 3 that makes it way to India will showcase impressive specs. It will boast of a 5.5-inch 403ppi Full HD display, and come equipped with a dedicated Reading mode. Xiaomi is expected to launch two variants as it has done in China, 16GB storage variant with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB storage variant with 3GB of RAM.

The phone also has a 5 MP front facing camera. It will get the juice it needs from a beefy 4,050 mAh battery, and will feature connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and GPS.

January 14, 2016
Credit Card Sized Device To Charge Your Phone Using Water

CES 2016, saw a lot of crazy concepts, but none of them could match this one for ingenuity. Move aside portable chargers, forget about finding electric outlets to charge your phone, the JAQ is here to save the day.

Swedish startup MyFC unveiled this cool device which is small enough to slip into your pocket. It is a fuel cell charger, and uses saltwater and oxygen to convert chemical energy into electricity. Precious electricity that can later be used to charge your power hungry phone.

The charger consists of two pieces, a credit card-shaped power card and a port for the card that’s roughly the size of a smartphone. The card contains saltwater, which fuels electricity producing chemical reactions when you slip the card into the port. The port can be connected to your phone using a normal usb cable.

According to the information on the company’s website, one JAQ power card produces close to 1,800 mAh, enough to charge an iPhone 6S. Larger devices, like tablets, can also be charged with the fuel cell, but it’ll take more than one power card to get them fully juiced.

But JAQ cards come with a catch. These power cards are good for just one use. After that,the saltwater in them stops producing the chemical reactions required for generating electricity.

The JAQ isn’t available for purchase just yet, but the company plans to start shipping the product to American users later this year. It is expected to be sold on a subscription bases, though the company also plans to make these cards individually available for $1 each( Approx Rs 60).

January 14, 2016