Category: Tech

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

New Sandisk Ultra II SSD Promises to Enhance PC Performance

Sandisk that wowed us all recently with the 512 GB SD Card launch is back with another impressive product. The storage device manufacturing giant has unveiled the SanDisk Ultra II SSD (Solid State Drives). Sandisk claims the new drives deliver a cost-effective and easy upgrade solution for PC owners looking to improve performance, battery life, and power efficiency.

The drives are based on X3 NAND Flash technology. They are equipped with nCache 2.0 technology that utilizes a two-tiered caching architecture to optimize drive speed and endurance. The drive is also shock resistant, which keeps data safe even if the computer is bumped or dropped.

Sandisk claims the Ultra II SSD have read speeds of 550 MB/s and write speeds of 500 MB/s, which is impressive. The company also provides a cloning software, Apricorn’s EZ GIG IV, through which you can grab the data from your old drive and have them copied identically on the new drive so you can easily locate your files.

The company also provides theft-proof security. The Absolute LoJack software can locate a device if stolen and help return it to the rightful owner.

The SanDisk Ultra II SSD comes with a 3-year warranty and will be available online and offline in September. It will be offered in capacities of 120GB (Rs. 6,999), 240GB (Rs. 9,949), 480GB (Rs. 18,999), and 960GB (Rs. 37,499).

Solid State Drives’s are fast becoming popular in the computer market and are finding a wider user base. SSD’s are safer than conventional drives and also make the computers faster. The prices are still high, but they are consistently coming down and will be accessible to newer markets soon. Sandisk should be appreciated for bringing this technology to the masses.

September 23, 2014
Lenovo Debuts India’s First Full HD Laptop Range

Lenovo, Chinese multinational computer technology company, has launched a Full HD (FHD) range of laptops in India. The company claims is it the first company to offer such a range in our country and that it will be in the market by mid-October, right in time for Diwali.

The company said that the new FHD range comes loaded with best in class multi-media features that add to the visual experience. Commenting on the launch, Shailendra Katyal, Director- Home and Small Business (HSB), Lenovo India, said, “Lenovo has been ahead of the curve owing to its consumer focused design philosophy. Today display as a feature has become a key differentiator that helps users to choose their ideal device. This premium range forms a new league of Full HD laptops that represent the balance of performance and aesthetics. With this future-ready offering, we want to make everyday devices exciting and provide a complete user experience.”

The FHD range includes Lenovo Z50, Lenovo Y50, Lenovo Flex 2 and Lenovo Yoga 2. Starting at Rs. 41,990, the range offers advanced audio system, amazing graphic powers and integrated Blu-Ray support.

Lenovo Z50

Rs. 54,990

o  Complete multimedia powerhouse with Dolby Advanced Audio

o  Integrated Blu-Ray/DVD Disc

o  Upto 4GB NVidia Graphics card

o  Accutype keyboard

Lenovo Y50

Rs. 79,990)

o  Fully loaded gaming machine with 4GB DDR5 Discrete Graphics

o  JBL designed speakers with subwoofers

o  Backlit Keyboard

Lenovo Flex 2

Rs. 41,990

o  Stylish multimode with 10 point multi-touch screen

o  Unique 300 flip

o  Backlit keyboard

Lenovo Yoga 2

Rs. 59,990

o  Intelligent multimode device with unique 360 flip

o  Picks apps (subject to mode used)

o  Hybrid drive (500 GB + 8 GB SSD)

o  Long battery life

September 23, 2014
Prime Minister’s Office to Partner with Google for an App Contest

Just a few days back we heard about the Indian government banning the use of foreign-based email services for government employees. It seems now that one such email provider, Google will be partnering with the government to select an official app for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO.)

Google on Monday released a statement that supported the government’s Digital India Plan. The Prime Minister has made it clear that he plans to focus on an e-governance model to deliver services to the people. The Digital India plan focuses on developing information infrastructure across the nation.

The Indian Government to take assistance from the Silicon Valley giant to make the PMO app.

Google has also said that it will help the government to encourage digital literacy and internet safety. To do this, they want to introduce curriculums for students, government officials and also for elected representatives. The Silicon Valley giant will work with various state governments and the department of information technology to bring the PMO app to the citizens of India.

The app will be a medium of connection between the common public and the PMO. India, which currently has world’s third largest internet using population (about 245 million,) can really benefit from initiatives like this. It is expected to become the second largest by next year (2015) and will reach the 500 million mark by 2016.

The app seems like a great idea and to partner with the makers of the biggest mobile operating system is also appreciated. But the government has to put the citizen feedback into real world change or else this will just end up piling up feedbacks along will everything else that is pending in our government offices. The government should firmly concentrate on bringing systemic changes to how the government functions and take proactive steps to make it better.

Hopefully the new e-governance model will bring about the change that Indians have been waiting for, for a long while.

September 23, 2014

Jolla Released its First Smartphone in India for Rs. 16,499

As we reported earlier, Jolla was expected to launch its first smartphone in India. The Finnish handset maker has now launched its debut smartphone that runs on company-owned Sailfish OS in India. The handset will be available exclusively on Snapdeal for Rs. 16,499.

Sailfish OS has born from the Nokia-backed project, Meego. The Sailfish OS is unique in the sense of its gesture heavy interface. Multiple functions on the phone can be targeted through interactive gestures. The learning curve is minimal if you have the basic smartphone experience. The best part, Sailfish is compatible with Android applications which will definitely make it desirable for many enthusiasts.

The company also heavily promotes Sailfish OS’ multi-tasking abilities that allows users to see all the running apps on one screen. A feature which isn’t available on any other mobile operating system. It is also capable of running Android apps which you can download via the Yandex and Aptoide Stores and other third-party Android marketplaces.

Specs	Jolla smartphone
Display	4.5-inch IPS qHD display
Processor	1.4GHz dual-core processor
RAM	1GB
Storage	16GB expanable
Camera	8-megapixel rear camera / 2-megapixel front-facing camera
Operating System	Sailfish OS, based on Linux and runs Android apps through third-party app stores
Battery	2,100mAh battery
Connectivity	LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS

September 23, 2014

Adobe to Expand its Cloud Offering with the New Aviary Acquisition

Adobe offers wide range of cloud-based features for designers and developers which continues to flourish everyday. Now, Aviary just announced that it has been acquired by Adobe. Aviary provides developers (and companies like Yahoo) with a set of photo-editing tools they can build into their own apps.

Adobe plans to integrate Aviary into the Creative Cloud and possibly provide a new “Creative SDK” intended to be more friendly with third-party apps. The two firms will work together on bringing Adobe’s editing tools and Creative Cloud services to more mobile apps.

Adobe said it’s developing a new software library—called Creative SDK—that will allow app developers to tap into the company’s offerings and aim to expand connections between mobile devices and its products. Adobe’s Creative SDK will also give third-party developers access to company application programming interfaces which were previously only available to the company’s internal engineering team.

According to the reports, Aviary has seen 10 billion photos processed through the service last year alone. In addition to a toolkit for developers, Aviary also offers a popular iOS and Android app for editing photos, also called Aviary. Aviary will continue operations as usual for now.

The company hinted at a collaboration with another Adobe unit, Behance, an online social media platform for creative professionals acquired by Adobe in 2012. The Aviary team will work closely with both Adobe-owned creative communities, Behance and Adobe’s creative cloud platform.

September 23, 2014

HTC Brings Out the Colourful Desire 820 and Desire 820Q Dual-SIM in India

HTC has launched its new offerings Desire 820 and Desire 820Q Dual SIM in India, which the company showcased at the IFA Berlin 2014. HTC has been one of the front runners in the smartphone game with its One M8 and the Desire line-up, which have been a favourite amongst Android lovers.

The smartphones have been given an amazing look and feel. They come with a bold two-tone color scheme that makes the devices standout. Even the HTC logo on the back gets a different color treatment for each phone color option. The devices are made in a unibody, polycarbonate casing that HTC defines as its “double shot color technology.”

With the Colors and powerful front camera makes it a youth friendly device. — The Colors and powerful front camera makes it a youth friendly device.

Same as its predecessor Desire 816, new desire 820 comes with a 5.5 inch 720p HD screen. The new handset is one of the first phones to come with a 64 bit Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 615 chipset. The processor runs on two quad-core chips of 1.5GHz and 1.0GHz with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage.

On the imaging side, the main camera on the device is a 13 MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture and the front camera packs an 8 MP which is one of the main highlight of the handset. The device is powered through a 2600 mAh battery. On the software front, it runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat wrapped under Sense UI. The Desire 820 comes with latest Category 4 LTE.

The HTC Desire 820Q is essentially the mini version of Desire 820. It comes with a 64 bit Snapdragon 410 1.2 GHz quad core processor and 1GB of RAM. The handset borrows rest of the specs from its bigger brother. Both smartphones will have DLNA to stream wireless on TV.

Back in IFA, HTC said that the phones will be updated with Android L when it comes out which makes it one of the first companies to promise the Android L upgrades. They come with HTC’s Dual Boomsound front facing speakers and also its own version of the dot view case. Both devices will be shipped in early November, however, the pricing is not revealed yet, the company said that they will announce the pricing near the release date.

Specs	HTC Desire 820	HTC Desire 820Q Dual-SIM
Display	5.5 inch, 720×1280 pixels, ~267ppi	5.5 inch, 720×1280 pixels, ~267ppi
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 1.5 GHz octa-core (64 bit)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 1.2 GHz octa-core (64 bit)
RAM	2GB	1GB
Storage	16GB expandable upto 128GB	16GB expandable upto 128GB
Battery capacity (mAh)	2600, non-removable	2600, non-removable
Camera	Rear camera 13-megapixel Front camera 8-megapixel	Rear camera 13-megapixel Front camera 8-megapixel
Operating System	Android 4.4	Android 4.4

September 23, 2014

Apple Reportedly Plans to Kill the Beats Music Service

According to a new report, Beats as a brand is going to fade away as Apple plans to modify it over time and integrate it into its own music streaming service through iTunes. TechCrunch reported that Apple plans to eliminate the Beats Music streaming service, which it acquired in May.

Earlier, the reports said that the Cupertino, California based company will shutdown the service. However, Apple declined the reports saying, “Company (Beats) may modify over time, and one of those changes could involved changing the Beats Music brand.” It is still unclear what Apple is planning to do with the service. It seems quite possible that the Beats Music product could be rolled into iTunes rather than being shuttered.

If Apple rolls Beats Music into iTunes and removes the dedicated Beats Music app from the App Store, it might be the end of the service. Beats Music itself came from a rebranding MOG music streaming service it acquired back in its heydays.

Apple has been tight-lipped about its plans for Beats since it acquired the popular headphone maker back in May for $3 Billion. Prior to the mega launch event of the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch, there had been rumours that Apple will include Beats earphones within the new white box. There was also nothing said about Beats Music during the Apple Watch reveal, even though the service could have worked well on the wearable. Seems like an odd decision on Apple’s part to simply eliminate or ignore a service they paid billions for.

Also, the iPhones which are recently launched did not come pre-installed with Beats Music, while several other Apple apps came loaded on the 6 and 6 Plus. All of these point towards the company’s plan to show red flag to the Beats. This, or they may be working on something and better for the to combine Apple services with Beats. Let’s hope for Beats sake, it’s the latter.

September 23, 2014
HTC to Return to Tablets With a New Nexus Device

Rumours about HTC-made Nexus tablet has been around since past few months. However, details about this new device were scarce until now. Recently, NVIDIA inadvertently leaked that the Taiwanese company is linking up with Google to launch the Nexus 9.

And now, Wall Street Journal has added more credibility to the report. According to the report, HTC engineers have been flying to the Googleplex in Mountain View in recent months to work on the project. The reports added that Google has choose HTC over more experienced tablet makers like Samsung to make its upcoming 9-inch Nexus tablet to avoid one single manufacturer gaining monopoly.

However, it is also pointed out that HTC has a bad tablet track-record and focuses almost exclusively on smartphones. The company have not come up with any tablet since 2011 when they launched Flyer tablet which failed miserably in the market.

Google and HTC both declined to comment on this matter, however, Google said, “Android is a vibrant ecosystem, and many of the industry players are doing very well. There’s room for many partners to do well and to innovate with Android.”

As for HTC, the Taiwanese company has been eager to gain a footing in new sectors as it loses ground in the smartphone market. The company’s executives have promised this year that they are working on fresh areas such as wearable devices. HTC had made Google’s first Nexus smartphone, the Nexus One, in 2010, but hasn’t made a device for the line since.

September 23, 2014
Indian Students Create a Solar Powered Fridge That Can Be a Boon to Farmers

India has been facing a huge food inflation issue. Food prices are hefty and are really hitting pockets hard. One of the major issues with food supply is storage. Even with massive investment in food storage by the government, issues arise which leads to a tremendous amount of spoilage. It is estimated that India loses around 30 per cent of food production every year due to wastage and contamination, which is a huge concern. To address the wastage issue, students of IIT Kharagpur have developed a micro cold storage system has been successfully tested in a Karnataka farmland.

The device has been developed at Science and Technology entrepreneurship Park (STEP) of the IIT. It is made by mechanical engineering student Vivek Pandey and his team. They call their start-up, Ecofrost Technologies. The team is now ready to move out of campus and set up a manufacturing and assembly unit in Pune by next month.

Presently food storage requires a lot of energy and causes wastage by decay.

According to Vivek Pandey it is a one of a kind device with no running costs to the farmer and works for all the 12 months of the year.

The cold storage system makes use of an exclusive thermal storage methodology. This technique controls the cooling of compartments in tandem with regular cooling. The system is powered using a 2.5 KW- 3.5 KW solar panel. The power generated through these panels is stored in a thermal storage unit that can power the system for more than 36 hours, in case of bad weather. The compressor in this device can run at various speeds depending on the need of cooling.

The team wants to make this an off-grid device which means it should require no electricity from the grid. This will be great for farmers living in far off villages with limited facilities to sell their produce. They believe that by increasing the shelf life of agriculture produce, farmers’ livelihood would improve by reducing losses and allowing better price realization.

Being an agricultural equipment, the micro cold storage system has a capacity of 5 metric tonnes. It comes for a price of Rs 5 to 6 lakhs, about the price of a tractor.

The team targets to manufacture 20,000 such cold storage units in the next five years. The have also won the first prize worth Rs 10 lakh at the national university competition ‘DuPont: The Power of Shunya.’

This is a great new product and if will be economical for farmers as their fresh produce will fetch a higher price. They wouldn’t even have to worry about spoilage or energy costs. It is great to know that they are ready to manufacture the device that will hopefully generate interest in the field and will invite more people to join the untapped solar innovation market. This also has the potential to make headway in the wholesale market thereby saving food products and bringing fresh produce to many more people. We wish these fine young lads all the best for their endeavors.

September 23, 2014
Getty Images Releases New Free App for iOS Called Stream

Six months ago, Getty Images dropped the watermark for the bulk of its collection, in exchange for an open-embed program that will let users drop in any image they want, as long as they add a footer at the bottom of the picture with a credit and link to the licensing page.

Now, the company has released an iOS app designed to help you browse and share its massive collection. New app, which is called Stream, lets you search Getty’s archives to find images that you can legally share and embed for non-commercial purposes on blogs and social media.

The app also allows you to browse photo streams created by Getty editors in categories like news, sports, entertainment and special section called “archival,” which highlights photos of historical significance. It connects to Airplay which lets you display a stream on Apple TV. Also, the app gives you options of social media sharing directly from the app interface.

However, you can not copy the image to your camera roll, instead, you can “copy” an image, which saves an embed code to your clipboard. This gives the company control over the image and could eventually be used to earn money by inserting advertising or collecting user information.

September 22, 2014
Oculus Reveals New VR Headset Prototype Codenamed ‘Crescent Bay’

Unlike Google’s Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR, which use a smartphone, Facebook and Oculus VR are aiming at a much more sophisticated, independent and ultra-high-res experience with their new VR prototype codenamed as Crescent Bay.

The company revealed the new prototype, which is an upgraded version DK2 Headset, at the recent Oculus connect conference. “It’s as big of a leap as we made from DK1 to DK2,” says Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, referring to the first two versions of the Rift development kit. The new headset comes with 360-degree tracking, letting the Rift’s external camera track the back of the headset as well as the front, making it easier for people to move without feeling constrained by staying in the camera’s range.

The first Oculus Rift VR headsets were shipped in the spring of 2013, but a consumer version has not yet been announced. According to the company so far, over 100,000 Rift development kits have been shipped to 130 countries, and the company is still filling pre-orders for its second-generation model. The Crescent Bay prototype follows “Crystal Cove,” which was first shown off at CES 2014 in January — the DK2, which is based on it, came out a couple of months later.

Oculus and Samsung announced their Gear VR mobile headset earlier this month, and it is believed mobile and desktop VR will ultimately complement each other in coming time. Oculus created its first real in-headset user interface for the Gear VR, and it’s now said that it will be releasing a mobile app for VR games.

September 22, 2014
Everything We Know About the Upcoming Windows 9

Microsoft is all set to launch the “Windows Technical Preview” for Windows on September 30th at San Francisco. Windows 8 has been a huge failure despite the fact that the company has been updating it regularly since the past two years when it was officially released. The new upgrade is said to be focused on traditional desktop PC users. With the new update, the company aims to fix and improve the Windows 8 mistakes with the return of the Start menu, flexible app windowing, virtual desktops, Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant, and a whole lot more.

Let us look back at rumors and leaks to show what is expected from the Windows 9:

The Name

Most of the leaks and rumours have come with the codename “Project Threshold,” it is certain that this is the next version of Windows. The only mystery here is, what will the new update be called once it is made official for public use. For now, Windows 9 seems like an obvious option.

Return of the Start Menu

Well, it has been pointed out in numerous leaks and rumors that with the arrival of the new update, the company will include the traditional Start menu which has been missing in the Windows 8. The Metro-style Start Screen isn’t exactly gone. Instead, it will just be condensed down into the Start Menu with live tiles. However, the Start Menu will be optionally expandable into a full-screen view for those who are comfortable with a full-screen version now.

Change in Apps

As a noticeable change, rumors illustrate that the charm bar will be removed, and the metro-style apps will run on Windows 9 instead of a full screen-only app mode. Windows Phone’s voice assistant ‘Cortana’ is expected to be among these newly Window-able apps. Windows 9 is also expected to bring virtual desktops into the desktop ecosystem.

Windows Phone

Windows 9 version for the smartphones will apparently strip out the Windows RT desktop and include the Notification Center in it, same as the Windows Phone 8.1. It will turn Windows RT (Window 8 version for smartphones) into a Metro-only tablet-first operating system that straddles the line between desktops and phones by offering a more traditional tablet experience. Also, it is said that the new mobile version of Windows 9 would be limited to running only Marketplace apps much like Windows Phone and Windows RT we have today.

How Much Will it Cost?

Various rumors have pointed out the new update may come at a price. However, it also said that it will be cheap, not more than $20. Meanwhile, Microsoft is said to offer unknown incentive to get people off old Windows XP, which has been Microsoft’s most successful windows update in recent years. It is also Windows 7 users may have to pay a bit more than the others.

When Will it Arrive?

Microsoft has already sent out invites for an event on September 30th. They promise to reveal “what’s next for Windows and enterprise.” It is certain that it will be the Windows 9, and most likely the release of a early developer version known as the “Technical Preview”, in Microsoft’s terms. When the real version hits the market is still unknown. However, all the rumors have pointed out to a spring 2015 arrival.

September 22, 2014
MIT’s THAW Brings Ultimate Seamless Interconnectivity Between Smartphones and PC

With a PC and Mobiles being an absolute necessity, it is necessary to have seamless interaction between them. Apple’s latest ecosystem attempts to do just that. Continuity features like Handoff let users continue their work from their phone to their Mac PC’s without a delay. Not to be left behind, Google also announced some interconnectivity features between Android desktops and Chrome systems. But these attempts are still futile in comparison to MIT’s THAW which takes seamless interconnectivity to a whole new level.

Two teams of researchers at MIT have developed a smartphone system called THAW which allows users to transfer files through and fro from PC to a smartphone. This can be done simply by touching the phone to the screen of the desktop PC. You can take the webpage you were working on your phone by just touching the phone to the screen. It almost feels like those screens in sci-fi flicks which can be shifted from one display to another, like Avatar.

THAW makes you phone a physical handle through which you can send or receive files directly from the screen. The secret behind the technology is the phone camera. The camera takes the image from the desktop screen and then through software manipulations the files are accessible on the phone. This feature will help solve the file management clarity issue that everyone is trying to address. Apple’s Cloud Storage now gives the ability to change the content, and it will appear the same from all your devices. THAW just takes it a bit further.

Now this project is still in its infancy and may or may not come to the market. But just the knowledge of the possibility of this technology will create a boom for devices with such functionalities. This looks like an excellent feature to have and looks so simplistic and effortless. Hopefully, the companies are watching; this is one feature that everyone will love. MIT researchers claim that this can work with practically any smartphone with accelerometer, so come on Samsung, here’s an idea for the Galaxy S6.

September 20, 2014
Google Glass Competitor Sony SmartEyeGlass to Arrive Next March

Even though wearables have caused a lot of excitement in the tech scene, there has been barely any competition matching up to Google Glass. And it has been a year since Google Glass was launched. Now Sony will soon launch a device in the market that would be competing with the Google Glass headset.

Sony’s new SmartEyeGlass was first shown off back in January at CES 2014. The device aims to be as versatile as Glass while bettering it in some respects as well. However, Sony has made quite a few changes in the device.

There’s an accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, ambient light sensor, and a 3-megapixel camera. And what sets it apart from the Google Glass is that it comes with a wire connecting it to an external battery pack equipped with an extra touch sensor and microphone.

Sony has released the software development kit (SDK) for SmartEyeGlass yesterday for developers. The company also promised to have hardware kits available for developers to buy by the end of March. Apart from the battery set up the key difference between this heads-up display and Glass is that Sony uses a green monochrome display to overlay information atop the user’s general view.

The Google Glass rival will work in sync with compatible Android smartphones to provide the users with notifications and other useful information like navigation directions.

September 20, 2014
Panasonic’s LX100 is the World’s First Pocket Camera that Captures 4K Video

Panasonic’s Lumix LX series includes some of the best cameras in the market, however, recently they’ve taken a backseat with the launch of some large-censored compact cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 and the Fujfilm X100S. Now, the LX series is coming back with a big sensor of its own.

The new Lumix DMC-LX100 is a remarkable improvement from its LX7 predecessor and probably the most sophisticated compact the Japanese company has ever built. One of main highlights of this camera is it’s Micro Four Thirds-sized, 12.8-megapixel MOS chip which is twice as big as the 1-inch-type sensor in Sony’s RX cameras and the Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras.

The LX100’s F1.7 aperture at the wide-angle end of its 3X zoom (24mm to 75mm) which helps it in harnessing even more light. Also, the LX100 is able to capture 11 shots per second in burst mode. A maximum ISO setting of 25,600 should help low-light shooting even more, and that astronomical setting might even be halfway usable at that sensor size.

It’s also got a fast Leica 24-75mm (35mm equivalent) f/1.7-2.8 lens, a wide-screen, 2,764K dot LVF (live viewfinder) and 4K video capture. The LX100 is also one of the first pocket cameras that captures 4K video footage. Some of those specs put it on par with the company’s flagship GH4, and well ahead of all its other interchangeable MFT models.

Other features include Wi-Fi, NFC capability for easier smartphone pairing, in-camera RAW to JPEG conversion and an external flash. It has a “multi-aspect” feature that allows 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 angles of view, which reduces the usable area of the sensor.

This premium point-and-shoot camera is due at the end of October. It’s expected to cost between $800 and $900, which makes it a direct competitor of the APS-C-sensored Fujifilm X100s and 1-inch-sensored Sony RX100 III.

September 19, 2014