Category: Tech

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9 New Features of the OS X El Capitan

Apple released the latest upgrade to its desktop operating system on Wednesday. The OS X El Capitan is now available as a free upgrade for all Mac users using a 2009 model or newer, and also for some 2007 models as well.

Apple has tried to redefine the Mac experience with a host of new improvements, both big and small, that adds a little something extra to your Mac. From Notes and Safari to Spotlight and Split View, there’s something to be found everywhere.

Find the cursor

This is perhaps the smallest improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. Mac users have found it a bit of problem when it comes to locating the little mouse on the screen. However, with the new upgrade, all you have to do is quickly move your fingers across the trackpad or shake the mouse quickly and the cursor grows in size so that you can spot it easily on screen.

Split View

Apple has already introduced the Split View feature with the iOS 9 for the iPads, now El Capitan OS follows suit. Split view allows two applications to run side by side. There are two ways you can get the split screen activated. You can click and hold the green zoom button of a window and then drag it into place, or open up Mission Control (F3) and drag the two apps of your choice into the same thumbnail at the top.

Spotlight search with natural language

By natural language we mean the way you would naturally speak when looking up something. For example, you could enter “find mail from Sam regarding flight details” and you will get exactly what you were looking for. Basically, Spotlight now has a better grasp of language.

New Mail gestures

Like the Split View, Apple has borrowed from iOS for the Mail app as well. OS X El Capitan can now allow you to delete mails and access other options by using two fingers to swipe on an item. Mail also recognizes contacts and events in you messages and helps you call or add events to your calendar.

More to do with Notes

The latest iOS 9 brought a whole bunch of changes to the Notes app. The same changes can now be found in the Mac. You can create checklists, import maps and pictures, or insert text formatting. The improvements are still short of Evernote, but the company is getting close.

Send individual videos via AirPlay

Earlier, if you wanted to send a video from Safari to your friends or to the AppleTV, you would have had to share your entire browser window for that. With the new upgrade you can now send just the video. In Safari, click on the AirPlay option just below a YouTube video and you can select your desired destination. It works with YouTube right away, with support for other services to come soon.

Pin tabs in Safari

You can now pin sites that are most frequently visited to a new browser tab at the left-hand side of the tab bar. This allows you to quickly access them with just a click. Pinned sites automatically open when the browser is opened.

Skip the Trash

This gives you the option to permanently delete any file you like rather than temporarily deleting them. It saves you the trip of having to go to the trash bin. Press Option+Cmd+Delete to erase files immediately. You can find the option in the Files menu once you select the files you want deleted.

Hide menu bar

The new update gives you more screen space by making the menu bar disappear at the top of your interface automatically the same way as the bottom dock. Go to System Preferences via Apple menu, then go to General heading, and select Automatically hide and show the menu bar.

October 2, 2015
OnePlus X to Have an October Launch, S801 SoC

OnePlus came out with its Flagship OnePlus 2 a few months ago. Prior to the launch of the OnePlus 2, the company stated that it is working on a second device for 2015. There have been rumours that this second device will be a scaled down version of the OnePlus 2. The expected phone has been called OnePlus Mini or OnePlus X by many, and more recent rumours are tilting towards X, so we’ll go with X.

We have already seen leaked renders of the upcoming device like the one shown above. The upcoming OnePlus X is rumoured to sport a design different to the OnePlus 2, and if this is the case it might certainly be called X rather than Mini. The reason behind the design change, apparently, is because not everyone liked the look of the OnePlus 2. If the images are true, the new device does have a clean, sleek look to it as compared to the recent flagship.

Some specs of the upcoming OnePlus device have also been leaked, which suggest that the phone will sport a 5-inch display, which is 0.5 inches smaller than the OnePlus 2 and will be powered by a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor. The fingerprint scanner is likely to be located below the rear camera.

If the SoC rumour is true, you can expect OnePlus’ upcoming device to fall just below $250 (Rs.16000 approx.) However, that’s only a general guess at the moment. The phone is expected to come out in October, according to Gizmochina.

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October 1, 2015
Your Facebook Profile Picture Can Soon Be a GIF

Facebook has just updated a new profile picture feature for iOS users. Now, your Facebook display picture could be a GIF of yourself.

iOS users will have to check their profiles on the mobile app in order to find the notification. Once on the app, you’ll have to click on the ‘more’ tab and select your name to go to your profile. Then you will be asked to add a new summary bio. After editing that you’ll have to loop a profile video.

For this, you will find an icon between the camera and video symbol on your profile picture. Click on that, and pick whether you want to take a video or upload one. The video is supposed to be only seven seconds long.

The last step is to add featured photos, for this you will find a space for inserting five pictures below the ‘About Me’ section. You’re done. Your profile will look somewhat like this now :

Image Source : wired.com

However, there are a couple of things you need to know about this feature. Firstly, that it’s not yet available to all users and as of now, just a select few have got it. Secondly, the profile GIF can be viewed all across Facebook, but can only be edited via the mobile app. So go check your Facebook as soon as possible and tell us what you think about this cool new feature.

October 1, 2015
Google Answers Questions Regarding the Nexus Devices on Reddit

Just a couple of days ago, Google officially launched the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P devices. The initial response to the devices have been mixed, to say the least. There have been some strong criticism directed towards the Nexus 5X, in particular. Google has come out with a few answers to questions posed by Redditors.

Some of the main issues revolved around the lack of a Qi wireless charging support (a first since the Nexus 4) and a limited 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage as the baseline. Google answered the former by stating that they felt the USB Type-C charge was good enough and a wireless charge seemed unnecessary, and would have also added to the thickness of the device. “With this year’s Nexii, we support USB Type-C which has a reversible connector so there’s no more guessing. AND it charges incredibly swiftly: 1% to 100% in 97 mins on the 6P for example (the first ~45 mins of charging is especially fast). Meanwhile, wireless charging adds z (thickness),” the Nexus team said in an AMA on Reddit.

As for the latter question regarding the 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage, which was offered two years ago with the Nexus range, the company stated that what they wanted to offer with the Nexus 5X is good value for money. “We like to think we’re striking a strong balance between premium features/experiences and affordability,” said Krishna Kumar, the product manager Google put in charge of the Nexus 5X team.

The team also answered a frequently asked question on the site as to whether the cameras on the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P were identical. Kumar replied saying yes.

Both devices have the same camera – a 12.3MP camera, with large 1.55um pixels, which works great in all conditions – especially low light. And both have LDAF for fast auto-focus.” Dave Burke later adds, “[they have the] same sensor (IMX377) and F/2.0 optics. But 6P has more CPU/GPU horsepower so has a few additional features like 240fps slomo (vs 120fps on 5X), Smartburst, and EIS.”

And finally, regarding the naming of the devices as X and P, the Nexus team stated, “X for the core of the Nexus brand (plus it sounds cool!), P for premium.”

October 1, 2015
112 to be India’s Single Emergency Number

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved a proposal by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), stating that there will soon be a single emergency number in India.The existing numbers are – 100, 101, 102 and 108. These will exist for a period of one year before being re-routed to a single emergency number 112.

“These numbers will be closed in a phased manner (following a public awareness campaign),” said the DoT.

This number will be accessible to all, even those who do not have a GPS enabled cellphone. However, reportedly, DoT has suggested the telecom regulator to study the impact of enabling all mobile phones with GPS before finalizing the view.

A statement issued by the TRAI mentioned that they would soon be finalizing a date for the incorporation of GPS on all mobile phones in order to have a more accurate location information. Until this works out, we’ll still have to remember a set of numbers.

October 1, 2015
iPhone 6s Might be Apple’s First Partially Waterproof Smartphone

Here’s some very cool news for iPhone 6s users – it is reportedly waterproof. How do we know? Well, some people at iFixit decided to dunk their iPhone 6s into the water in order to see what happens. They found that the iPhone 6s is actually somewhat water-resistant. However, you’re probably wondering why Apple didn’t announce this game changing feature. It’s because the iPhone 6s is not entirely waterproof. So, let’s find out how waterproof the iPhone 6s really is.

Image Source : iFixit

iFixit, a private company, broke down the iPhone 6s for us all, and found that the new device actually has some of the waterproof tech that Apple has already patented. Apple has redesigned the iPhone’s internal structure in order to bring this product closer to its goal of making a fully water-resistant smartphone.

Image Source : iFixit

The purpose of the glue band around the display screen is reportedly more than just to make the screen stick better to the metal. It’s actually also to keep liquids out. When iFixit took a close look at the logic board, they found that every cable connector was surrounded by a small silicon seal, that keeps the water away. This is also reportedly the first time, that Apple has used such a technology.

However, as mentioned before, the reason Apple hasn’t marked this iPhone as waterproof is because all its components haven’t been water-proofed. For example, its headphone jack and speakers will still let water flow in. But, we can most definitely anticipate Apple to create a fully water-proof iPhone soon enough. Let’s hope till then.

Source : [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE02″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://ifixit.org/blog/7408/iphone-waterproof/”] iFixit[/tw-button]

October 1, 2015
LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition: The First Android Wear Device With LTE

LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition is now officially the first Android Wear device with a 4G LTE support. Though this feature is enough to make waves in the tech world, the Watch also carries many other interesting things sure to lure buyers into giving this device a try.

https://youtu.be/FdRymDRtPJA

Firstly, on the display and resolution front, Urbane is equipped with a 1.38-inch fully circular P-OLED display, and 480 x 480 pixels along with 348 ppi. Secondly, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, 768MB of RAM, and 4GB of built-in memory are some of the other features to be part of the deal. Lastly, the Watch aims to win the buyers over with its built-in sensors which include accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer, heart rate sensor, and GPS.

The IP67-certified stainless steel body of the gadget -44.5 mm in width and 14.2 mm in thickness -further makes it a device worth noticing. All of this along with a 570 mAh hexagonal battery by LG Chem constitute the long list of fancy components of the Watch.

LG has shown great utilisation of Android Wear, Google’s operating system for Android wearable devices, in the past as well. LG Watch Urbane, the all-metallic luxury previously launched by the company is an example of this. The Watch came with a 1.3-inch circular P-OLED (320x320p resolution) display, along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset paired with 512 MB RAM, along with a 4GB inbuilt memory and 410mAh battery.

Clearly, its successor, Urbane 2nd Edition is a significant upgrade in display, battery and RAM. While all the other specs are mostly similar, these additions definitely gives an edge to LG’s latest edition to the world of Android Wear.

October 1, 2015
Panasonic Adds Two 4K TVs To Its Viera HD TV Range

Panasonic has added 5 models to its Viera HD TV range today. There are two new series, namely, the CX700 series of 4K Ultra high-definition 3D TVs and the XXL series. The former will be come in two display sizes, 55, and 60-inch sizes, respectively while, the later will also come in two variants, a 50 and 60-inch wide screen.

“4K technology is the most advanced for Ultra HD TV, delivering sharper and more vivid images than ever before” says Neeraj Bahl, Associate Director, AVD Sales, Panasonic India.

The CX700 series is supported by various apps and devices that run on the internal quad-core processor. The display features an LED Super Bright Plus screen that portrays images illustrated by Panasonic’s HEXA Chroma colour drive. It also has an 800Hz intelligent frame creation feature to capture fast-motion shots clearly.

On the other hand, the XXL full HD range, caters to a person to has a sharp ear for sound, by offering a Dolby Digital Audio with an LED screen that also supports an internal multimedia player across HDMI, USB and PC inputs.

The two new series come with screen mirroring technology, that enables it to connect between Android devices. It can also be controlled by a wireless remote app and through voice interaction technology, along with a light-sensitive LED backlight.

They are both powered by the Firefox operating system and has predictive content preference features such as Home Screen 2.0 and Info Frame. Last but not the least, you can stream web music on it, as well as video and live broadcasts, as it offers a compatibility with apps such as YouTube and Vimeo.

The availability and the price of these products are currently unavailable. However, we will bring you the updates soon enough.

October 1, 2015
Spec Leaks Hint at 6GB RAM, 23MP Camera in Next Generation LeTV Max 2

Barely six months after the release of LeTV One series smartphones, leaks about LeTV Max 2 are already doing the rounds. The first set of three smartphones were a big success in the Chinese market and anticipation about their successor is only a natural reaction. Additionally, since Max 2 is a top-end model, some pretty amazing specs are expected of it.The device is expected to come equipped with Snapdragon 820 and 6 GB RAM. Needless to say, the latter is the highlight of the phone. In terms of display and resolution, Max 2 will probably have a 5.7-inch screen and 2K Quad HD.

While the Samsung 1.5Gb x 4 RAM modules (total 6GB RAM) are assumed to be part of it, Sony’s new IMX300 sensor with 23 MP is another specification we can hope to find in the device. Double sided glass design set in a slim body is what you can expect in terms of external design. Speculations about its release date place it somewhere around the end of this year.

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September 30, 2015
Xiaomi Under Investigation For Allegedly Misleading Potential Buyers

New reports have suggested, that Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi Corp is under investigation for allegedly violating China’s new advertisement law. This new law, that became effective from the 1st of September, 2015, states that the use of superlative adjectives in promoting products would be banned.

Investigation of the matter is being made on suspicion of the usage of phrases such as “the best” to describe their product. Zhu Dalin, an analyst at the Beijing based Internet Consultancy Analyses told the Economic Times :

“The new law will have a certain impact on Internet companies, but not too much-after all, consumers are so accustomed to cliches such as ‘the super phone’ and ‘the omnipotent TV’ that these phrases make no real sense to them now.”

Allegedly, Xiaomi has also been in a similar situation earlier, when it had launched the Red Mi Note 2, where it showed the device to be equipped with panels from Japanese electronics giant Sharp Corp and the Taiwan manufacturer AU Optronics Corp. Soon, after buying the product, consumers found that the screens were actually produced from a Microelectronics Co Ltd based in Guangdong province.

This kind of an allegation is probably going to cost the manufacturer its reputation. However, no official reports have been made by the company so far.

September 30, 2015
Twitter is Moving Beyond the Trademark 140 Character Limit

Twitter is finally moving past the 140-character limit that has long been the company’s trademark. Twitter recently announced that it is working on a product that will allow users to share long tweets that exceed 140 characters.

Over the past few months, the company has been loosening its 140-character rule. In April, Twitter added a ‘retweet with comment’ option to give more room to comment on tweets they share. The company also did away with the 140-character rule back in June.

As of now it is unclear what this new product will look like or how it will work. There are existing apps such as OneShot that allows you to post images of texts, or TwitLonger, which directs users to a website to read a full tweet. But it looks like Twitter is working on one that will solve the problem within the app itself.

Twitter is also looking at ways to remove links and user handles from the count so that frees up more characters.

In addition to the long-form product, execs have been openly discussing the idea of tweaking how Twitter measures its 140-character limit by removing things like links and user handles from the count, multiple sources say. In the past, Twitter has tinkered with the limit in other ways. Twitter Cards are still beholden to the 140-character limit but are intended to help people (and advertisers) share lots of information, and Twitter added a “retweet with comment” option in April to give people more room to comment on tweets they share.

Users have, for a long time, criticized Twitter on character restriction. And for many years Twitter has paid no heed to the hate, but it finally looks like the company is ready to make some sacrifices for the greater good.

September 30, 2015
BlackBerry Releases First Official Images of the Priv

BlackBerry has released official images of what the upcoming Priv smartphone looks like. It seems companies have grown tired of unofficial leaks and have decided to provide the details themselves knowing that images and specs are destined to come out weeks before a launch.

On Tuesday, BlackBerry revealed the first official photos of the security-focused Android device, the Priv. “Priv users will enjoy choice, innovation, security, privacy and productivity. In other words, no compromises,” BlackBerry said in its blog post along with the images. The photo below shows the device’s slide-out keyboard feature and also a curved display that is reminiscent of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge.

Along with this, BlackBerry has revealed two other photos that show a side profile of the Priv, both open and closed.

The side profile shows a slender device that has managed to stay that way despite having a traditional slider feature.

The company has not revealed the prices or a specific release date, however, it is likely that the Priv will come out towards the end of the year. The company also said that more images, specs and features will be known in the coming weeks. From what we know already, the Priv will have a 5.5-inch curved display and is rumoured to come with an 18-megapixel camera, a hexa-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor and 3GB of RAM. However, you can expect official details soon enough.

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September 30, 2015
HTC Reveals List of Devices to Receive Android Marshmallow

A new report suggests that HTC is all set to give their smartphones an update to the new Android Marshmallow 6.0. Obviously, this update will not be available to all their smartphones, but a select few which include the HTC One M9 and HTC One M8 before the end of this year.

We’re roasting marshmallows this fall! We’ll begin our Android 6.0 rollout to devices before the end of the year. pic.twitter.com/Zd59NaqTjx

— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) September 29, 2015

The list is however longer than this, since it also includes – the One M9+, One E9+, One E9, One ME, One E8, One M8 Eye and the HTC Butterfly 3.

All the above phones are HTC’s high-end phones, but it has also been said that HTC’s mid-ranged Desire 826, Desire 820, and Desire 816 will also be updated in the future. No dates have been confirmed for this update, but what we also know is that HTC will be adding more devices to this list. So sit tight and hope that one of them is yours.

September 30, 2015
Here’s Why SnapChat’s Profile GIF Changes Interaction

Snapchat seems to be changing its display, format and along with it, the way its users interact with each other. Snapchat originally became very popular amongst the younger generation because of the fact that it erased memories in 10 seconds and kept their live statuses for just 24 hours. So, unlike Facebook, where someone can look through your past and bring up an embarrassing status or profile picture, Snapchat erases it all.

However, there is one thing on Snapchat that does not self-destruct, and that is the profile GIF. The profile GIF was added in July along with the tap-to-view feature. So, now, on your profile screen, if you tap on the QR code you will be able to shoot a series of 5 selfies which turns into an animated profile GIF.

Initially this seemed like just a cool customization which encouraged people to share it more and thereby strengthening Snapchat’s user base. However, there is another purpose for this customization, and that is, it somehow solves Snapchat’s identification problem. Basically, previously, when you added someone on Snapchat, you knew nothing about them except for their username. The anonymous character of this app made it very popular with the youngsters.

However, now, when you add someone, their profile GIF shows. So, you can immediately identify the person’s gender, and perhaps even their sense of humour. So, you won’t have to follow a person, then check out their Snap Story and then unfollow them, if you’re not interested.

This is very useful for Snapchatters who make their profiles public, because they can efficiently decide whom to follow back. The profile GIF definitely seems to be providing more transparency to one’s identity, thereby allowing you to be more aware of whom you add and follow.

Oh well, in this fast-paced world where social interactions and networking seem to play an important

role, it is necessary for social media to catch up too. And that’s exactly what Snapchat is doing.

September 30, 2015
Doctor Who Adds Headphones to Their Tech Merchandise

Massive Audio Inc announced their new set of ‘Doctor Who’ Headphone Collection today, under license from BBC Worldwide North America. The company had previously released other products such as the TARDIS and Dalek Bluetooth speakers for Doctor Who fans too. So, this new collection of TARDIS and DW insignia Bluetooth and Wired Over-Ear Headphones will add to their line of tech merchandise.

These Bluetooth Headphones have built-in buttons for full control over tracks, volume, phone calls and a bass boost option. The device also has a built-in microphone for phone calls without the need of a boom. Apart from these savvy buttons, the headphones also have a rechargeable battery which can be charged via the USC cable and will last for up to 30 hours with constant music.

The wired headphones are slightly different, since they come with an inline control box. However, they come with the same features and microphone. The packaging comes in a cool Doctor Who branded carry bag along with flat tangle-free wire packed in a collector’s-style windowed gift box.

The TARDIS & DW Bluetooth Headphones will come at a price of approximately Rs.7,889 while the TARDIS & DW Wired Headphones will be priced at around Rs.5,194. Both products will be released on the 1st of October 2015 and will be available for sale online an in retail stores starting early October.

September 30, 2015