American watch brand Timex is adopting all major steps to catch up with India’s wearable market. Recently, Timex Group launched a smartwatch and a fitness band in the country. The tech-driven Ironman Run x20 GPS watch is priced at Rs. 11,995, while the Ironman Move x20 activity tracker comes at a price of Rs. 8,995. Both the wearables will be available exclusively on Amazon.in.
Anupam Mathur of Sales and Marketing Head, Timex Group India commented at the launch –
With the introduction of Timex Ironman Move x20, and Timex Ironman Run x20 we aim to offer our consumers a confluence of future technology and style, Timex’s foray into wearable technology. We are pleased to introduce these new products to our Ironman portfolio designed to cater to the current age of fitness enthusiasts and tech savvy audience.
The Ironman Run x20 GPS by Timex is a watch designed to entice sport enthusiasts. As the name suggests, it features a GPS technology that lets users keep a track of the distance covered, pace, speed and calories burned while working out or running. Users can receive call and text alerts on the digital display of the smartwatch itself. The Run x20 GPS features a 10-workout memory with dated summary, stopwatch with 99-lap counter and offers automatic pace alerts.
Powering the wearable is a rechargeable Li-Ion battery that can go for 6 hours in full GPS mode. The smartwatch sports a Timex’s INDIGLO night-light and is water-resistant up to 50 meters.
On the other hand, the Ironman Move x20 is essentially a tracking device that records activities like steps, distance, calories and sleep, and notifies about missed calls and texts. It has different modes that helps wearer achieving their goals. The waterproof tracker is fitted with a rechargeable battery with 7 days support. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Catching up with the emerging smartphone market, Panasonic has today launched its first 4G smartphone in India. The Eluga L 4G will be available at all major online and offline stores at a price of Rs. 12,999.
The Managing Director of Panasonic India Manish Sharma said –
Panasonic India has now signaled a big leap in its product portfolio by bringing better specifications and features in the newly launched Eluga L which not only caters to the fast developing technological needs in the market but is also priced reasonably. With the company’s recent success in the smartphones category and the mobility landscape rapidly evolving today, the new device will surely match the needs of our fast evolving consumers in the country.
The new Eluga series handset holds a thickness of 6.1mm and features a uni-body design. It is light at 131 grams. The 5-inch (1280×720 pixels) HD IPS display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass from back and front. The processor powering the phone is a 64-bit quad Quad-core Snapdragon 410 clocked at 1.2GHz. The Adreno 306 GPU caters to the graphic quality, along with 1GB RAM. The Eluga L 4G runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. The onboard storage space of the device is 8GB, which can be extended up to 32GB via Micro SD card.
On the camera front, the phone has an 8MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash. A 5MP secondary shooter sits on the front for capturing selfies. For now, there is no details about its battery capacity. The dual-SIM device supports 4G and 3G network. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. There is just one colour option available in the smartphone – Radiant Blue.
The smartphone has to compete with Xiaomi Mi 4i and ZenFone 2 ZE550ML in the similar price range.
To remain interesting, wearables are continuously being upgraded. They have a massive potential, and major tech companies are constantly looking to improve their last offering. From smartwatches to smart glasses, possibilities of technology seems only limited till the emotional spectrum. Recently, it seems that Microsoft may have overcome this barrier. The US technology giant, known for making its mark in the computing world, have recently been awarded a patent for a smart glass that would be able to detect or interpret emotions of people within its range.
This patent, filed as ‘a wearable emotion detection feedback system’, was originally filed in October last year and has been announced this week. By judging different variations in speech rhythm and amplitude, choice of words, type and speed of gestures,eye focus and body posture, the glass would be able to determine the emotion of a single person or a group, without them knowing about it. It will use sensors like depth cameras and a microphone under the nose bridge to pick up the audio and video information about the subject.
According to Wall Street Journal, its uses were not specified, but one can imagine it will come very useful during interrogation questioning where devices would be able to measure changes in the person’s body temperature or pick up small shifts in the voice tone. According to the patent, this device can communicate with another same device, thus allowing the share of information. This also gives the user a 360-degree view, and can be used in gaming or security work.
Again, the possibilities seem endless. Let’s wait and watch how Microsoft takes this innovation forward.
After stepping in the e-commerce market, Paytm is geared to diversify into the offline space. The digital recharge start-up has partnered with thousands of quick service restaurants (QSRs) in major cities of India to provide cash-less service in the next two months. By stepping in offline retail business, the mobile recharge service will offer customers a choice to pay through their secure platform without the need to carry cash.
The Vice-President (Business) of Paytm Amit Lakhotia stated on the same –
We are now foraying into the offline space. We have partnered various QSRs covering 7,000-10,000 outlets in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
He further added that the service should be available by mid-June. Some of the restaurants that have joined hands with Paytm include top food chains like Café Coffee Day (CCD) and Domino’s. The company is planning to add more more restaurants where their Paytm Wallet can be functional.
Lakhotia stated on the growing acceptance of their virtual wallet application, “Mobile wallet usage is definitely growing in the country. On our platform alone, about 66 million people are using the wallet services and the number will cross 100 million much before the year ends.”
The company commenced the Paytm Wallet app with its debut in e-commerce space. Paytm wallet allows users to transfer money within the wallets. The app offers users to transfer money to a bank account from the wallet so that they can cash out the required amount.
Paytm expects to observe a steep increase in revenue by the year end. Right now, its revenue rate is $1.5 billion, but it is expected to multiply more than double to $4 billion by end-2015.
Just a few days back, Motorola’s Moto 360 got a price cut on Google Play Store. The same is now reflecting on Flipkart where both the leather and steel variants are available at discounted prices. Motorola has cut the price of Moto 360 smartwatches by Rs. 5,000, bring them down from Rs. 17,999 to Rs. 12,999 (leather) and Rs. 19,999 to Rs. 14,999 for the steel version.
It should be noted the price slash is not permanent and the discount is applicable till the stocks last. The leather version is available on the online store from long, whereas the steel model was added just recently.
Launched in India in September last year, the smartwatch has got critical acclaims in the Android wearable segment. It sports a 1.65-inch display that has Gorilla Glass protection. The water-proof Moto 360 runs on Google’s Android Wear OS and offers voice control. It is powered by a TI OMAP 3 processor along with 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory space. The 320mAh battery of the device can keep it running for up to 12 hours, as claimed by the company. The Moto 360 comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and sensors like pedometer and heart-rate monitor.
The smartwatches are available in black and silver colour options. Click here to buy now.
The Facebook Page feature helps businesses, brands and other organisations create public profiles. They use this to gain followers or fans, with people who ‘like’ their page. Now if you ever thought of converting your page into a full fledged website, you may very well have a chance of doing so. An experimental app is being worked upon that shows potential of achieving this feat.
The app, named Pager, has been developed by a team of three engineers. The rough framework was developed within 24 hours. All you need to do is link your Facebook account, and a list of pages owned by you pops out. You can then choose your desired page and save it, after which the site goes live. The site is divided into four categories, namely, ‘About’, ‘News’, ‘Events’ and ‘Gallery’.
‘The Trap’ page converted into a website
The ‘About’ gallery displays your business details like name, site information, etc. The ‘News’ section works pretty much like a wall post and ‘Events’ and ‘Gallery’ displays upcoming events and photos/videos, respectively. Alex llea, Anton Shevchenko and Darrel-Day Guerrero, who developed this app during the Disrupt NY Hackathon said that the central idea behind this was to allow small businesses who use Facebook to manage their website. The app is still in its infancy stage, but the team is laying down all the codes that can support the Facebook API.
Micromax’s Yu Yureka is back for its online sale again. Yu Televentures, a subsidiary of Micromax, announced that the smartphone will be available on Amazon India without any registrations, this Wednesday and Thursday. The company took to its social networking site, Twitter, to announce the flash-less sale. The tweet did not mention the amount of units available.
Not many days ago, Micromax took to Twitter to announce Yu Yureka’s successor, dubbed as YUphoria, which is expected to be the next big hitter from the company. Yu’s next flagship arrives on 12th of May. The open sale of the Yureka is a clear indiction that the company has begun prepping for its next blockbuster smartphone.
No registrations, no time limits. Yureka open sale on 6th and 7th May. Are you ready to Play God? pic.twitter.com/kYWCQK6pkV
The smartphone was traditionally sold in a series of Flash sales that required pre-registration. Exactly a month ago, 30,000 Yu Yureka handsets went out of stock in 7 seconds.
This proved to be quite tedious for potential buyers. This sale may prove to be an excellent opportunity for people who have not had success with the flash sales.
The Yu Yureka is a natural preference since it offers top-notch specifications at a budget price of Rs. 8,999. The 5.5-inch device runs on Android-based Cyanogen OS 11 and features 4G LTE connectivity. Along with a 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC, 2GB RAM, and 2500mAh battery, Yu Yureka offers an impressive 13 MP rear camera.
Soon, waiting for your pizza to arrive on your doorsteps will get slightly less agonizing. Inspired by Uber’s ridesharing app that allows you to keep a track of your cab in real time via a map, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises plans on creating a similar app that will allow you to track your pizza in real time. Domino’s Pizza Enterprise is the master franchise holding the rights to Domino’s brand in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, and Netherlands.
This new app will allow the users to follow their order on smartphones, tablets or TV screens. When asked about the theory behind this app, Chief Executive, Don Meij, said that in a delivery system, the time taken to reach the consumer since the order is dispatched remains a dark spot, and now, it will be fully disclosed and transparent.
The tracker will show a map in real time and a tracker tracking your order. To make the app less dull and dreary, Domino’s plans to include the driver’s name and his personal details like his favourite football team, what type of music they are playing while delivering the order and what speed they are driving at. Meij also said that the app will concentrate on improving road safety. By shrinking the waiting time, errant driver behavior can be reduced. Domino’s delivery team has had quite a history of acquiring dangerous habits like speeding and taking sharp corners.
For now, this app will be available in Australia and New Zealand by the end of July. Dominoes plans to bring the service to Netherlands, Japan, France and Belgium by the end of this year. Hopefully, Indians will have the service in their hands soon after.
Google’s latest operating system Android Lollipop with Material Design components is making its way to more smartphones this month. The handsets to mark themselves in the list of updated Lollipop devices are the ZenFone series phones from Asus like ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5, ZenFone 6, ZenFone 5 LTE and PadFone S. The update will roll out in different weeks of May for the devices.
Asus stated on its consumer forum –
We’ve sent the new version for the final verification and we expect to release the upgrade soon. We would request the kind consideration and understanding of our customers with regards to any inconvenience caused by this schedule changing.
The latest OS is expected to hit ZenFone 5 LTE in May first week, whereas the ZenFone 4, the ZenFone 5 and the ZenFone 6 may receive it by mid-May. The PadFone S is speculated to be last to find the Lollipop update on the handset.
The Taiwanese equipment manufacturer was supposed to roll it out in April, but some technical glitch kept the company away from making it public for the listed handsets.
Considering the changes that will come with Android 5.0 Lollipop, users will experience improved natural touch screen interactions. Besides that, the new Android update lets users have a look at the notifications on the lock screen itself and facilitates dismissing them without unlocking it. All in all, it offers users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.
Nepal was hit by one of the most dangerous earthquakes, with the death toll rising more than 6,000 and many more missing. The quake toppled most of their buildings, from where people and dead bodies are still being removed. Technology has played an important role in managing the after-disaster effect. From Google’s Person Finder and Facebook’s donation drive to major telecom operators proving cheaper or free services, technology is doing its best to help Nepal regain its losses.
Drones are playing an indispensable role in the search mission to inaccessible areas. Experts of Etobicoke, Ontario-based GlobalMedic, which manages Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAV) have already sent a fleet to the Himalayas. The drones are now aerially mapping the crisis-hit area and compiling the images into maps. A GlobalMedic spokeswoman says searching for survivors becomes very much extensive using drones. For now, the organization is using three high-end drones built by Aeryon Labs and are controlled by a touch-screen interface. These are equipped with thermal cameras that come in handy while locating for people under rubble or snow.
Other than the drones, crowdsourcing maps is another important tech that is being used right now in Nepal. This mapping works by calculating distances and plot-driving routes using satellite imagery, private images and open-source mapping technology to re-map areas that are affected by the earthquake. All damaged structures and difficult areas are marked, thus making it easier for rescue workers to engage through less dangerous routes. 48 hours after the earthquake hit Nepal, 2,000 online mappers made three million edits. This tech was first used during the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
Read more about how Facebook, Google, and major telecom services played their part in helping Nepal at this time of crisis here.
Click here to see the aftermath of the Nepal Earthquake.
Who would have thought that the proper working of Apple’s newest product, the Apple Watch, will depend on if you have tattoo or not? A few days back, several reports had surfaced of tattooed Apple Watch owners facing trouble with their new purchase. Just like the Bendgate fiasco, it sounded like a tech glitch, which was made to sound bigger than it actually was. However, Apple has posted on its official blog that users sporting tattoos may face difficulty in operating the smart watch’s key feature – the heart-rate monitor.
Apple said the watch works on a technology called photoplethysmography that bombards the wearer’s skin with green LED and infrared light in order to follow the blood flow between heart pumps.
The official Apple support page reads:
Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.
The only solution Apple has to offer for now is that by connecting the Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors via Bluetooth, the wearable can bypass the sensor reading from the tattooed area.
The tattoo problem is not only being faced by Apple Watch users. Similar fitness wearables that use the same technology, have been reported to malfunction a little when worn on a tattooed hand.
A few days ago Xiaomi unveiled its new smartphone, the Mi 4i, at a grand event in New Delhi. One lakh registrations went up and 40,000 units were sold out within 15 seconds. Now, reports from Gizmochina claim two more new devices will be joining the company’s line-up later in June. These devices are larger copies of the Mi 4, expected to be named Mi 5 and Mi 5 Plus.
40,000 units of the Mi 4i went out of stock in 15 seconds.
The claimed specs of the devices were leaked on the Chinese social media site, Weibo. The Mi 5 is touted to have a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1440×2560 pixels. It is believed it will be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset with either 3GB or 4GB RAM and will be juiced by a 3,000mAh battery. Its camera specification includes a 16MP primary camera.The device will also be infused with fingerprint technology.
Its larger cousin, named as Mi 5 Plus, will feature a 6-inch screen with 4GB RAM, 32GB internal memory and a 16MP primary camera. No details were revealed about its processor, display etc. Xiaomi has yet to reveal the date of release, but reports mention that the two handsets will be out in June.
Knowing Xiaomi’s track of getting “inspired” by everything that Apple does, we won’t be surprised to see the upcoming flagship in two variants.
In the early days of the mobile phone revolution, designing a phone required equal consideration for the insides as well as the outsides. Most of us have lived through the era of mobile phones and seen the ecosystem transition into smartphones. During the early developmental stages, we were offered amazing form factors by companies. But since the arrival of the first smartphone (the Apple iPhone), things have gone vanilla. Now we have a massive market for smartphones but apart from a few tweaks and touch-ups, the base form factor has remained the same for the past eight years.
The Nokia N-Gage
One of the most prominent examples of the awe-inspiring design innovations were the Nokia N-series of devices. These devices came in all shapes and sizes, and their maneuverable designs made them a treat worth flaunting. Sony is also remembered for bringing some innovative and audacious form factors in the market, and their Walkman series is remembered for some unique design features. One of the first Android phones, the HTC G1 or the HTC Dream that came out in 2008 had an amazing form factor.
Sony Ericsson W550i
Nokia 5300 Xpressmusic
Nokia E Series
Communicator
The arrival of the first iPhone in 2007 and its success revolutionised as well as standardised the smartphone form factor. Now every company was running to replicate the bar shaped device as the industry had found a direction. Apple still leads the design innovations for the industry which became evident when the Samsung Galaxy S6 was introduced with iPhone 6-esqe speakerphone design. Samsung announced a focus on design for its new flagship and unveiled a glass and metal based bar design. The unique offering in this flagship launch was the S6 Edge which had dual curved edges. The curved edges don’t have any specific utility as of now and it’s there just because Samsung could do it.
For the moment, the device makers seem content with their offerings and haven’t pushed any major boundaries in terms of designer form factors. The rectangular bar shape has now become boring and uninspired in all its present iterations across the varied handsets.
Monohn Runcible prototype is the most unique smartphone form factor currently.
We have seen some audacious concept devices, most of which usually arrive around the time a new iPhone is about to be launched. As of now, the only notable smartphone that is not bar-snapped is the Monohm Runcible, which was showcased at the MWC 2015. The round shape device runs of Firefox OS and is expected to come out by late this year. The device is also unique as it is designed as a lifelong device; you can easily update the specs and pass it on to the next generation as a family heirloom. This kind of device will be valued more than the device that are meant to become outdated in a few months.
motorola piccolo
LG Traveler Concept Phone
Jakub Lekeš Multimedia Concept Phone
Some interesting concept design includes Motorola’s Piccolo Concept, Designer Jakub Lekeš Multimedia Concept Phone, and the LG Traveler Concept Phone. Samsung tried to introduce a new form factor with the Galaxy Golden, but its steep price ensured that it won’t have a long stint at the stores.
There is a space in the market for something unique. As the specifications across the various devices are reaching a point of plateau, some eye-catching design elements can help the companies to reinvigorate the competition in the segment. LG’S Traveller concept looks like something that can be implemented right away.
Innovative new designs will definitely be appreciated amongst the young. Hopefully smartphone makers will take this into account and take up the challenge to introduce something different. While we get flaunt-worthy devices, the companies will get to rake in the profits; a renewed focus on design is a definite win-win for all.
BlackBerry bounced back into the touch segment with the launch of Leap at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015. The Canadian firm didn’t go for a flagship, instead revealed another conventional piece to join other devices in the mid-range segment. The same smartphone is now arriving in India on May 7. The Leap is a refreshed version of the BlackBerry Z3, which launched last year and was priced internationally at $275 (approx. Rs. 17,500).
Coming to the specifications of the device, BlackBerry Leap sports a 5-inch HD screen with 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM 8960 powering the phone. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory onboard. It comes with a MicroSD card to extend the storage space up to 128GB. The 9.5mm thick device runs on the company’s own BB OS 10.3.5, which has Siri-like Assistant to help users.
On the camera front, an 8MP rear shooter is fitted at its back along with a 5MP front camera. A 2800mAh battery fuels up the phone for well over a day, claims the company. The price and availability details will be announced at the launch.
The finest luxury Gold Edition smartwatch by Apple comes at a whopping amount of $17,000. The lowest version starts at $349, and the price goes up with the higher the model you choose. But do you know the heavily tagged Apple Watch costs just 24% of the retail price to the company?
The research firm IHS did a teardown of the Apple Watch Sport and discovered that one unit of the Sport is worth 24% of what buyers pay for it. It is less than one-fourth of the price and costs the Cupertino-based tech giant a mere $84 (approx.). The firm quoted it as the lowest price set by the company for any hardware as other Apple products are traded much higher than their manufacturing cost.
As per IHS estimates, the 38mm Watch has the OLED display as its priciest part that is coated with Ion-X cover glass. The whole arrangement of display and protection provided by LG costs $20.50. The second most expensive part of the watch is the A1 processor manufactured at the company’s plant itself. All other components cost below $10, except the electro-mechanical apparatus.
As the cost is estimated on the basis of teardown, the expenses such as licensing, logistics, R&D, and other noticeable costs have not been taken into account.
The expense table of the 35mm Apple Watch Sport by IHS is given below:
