Category: Tech

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

Nokia to stick with Windows

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop promised to unveil a new smartphone using Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 software soon, raising the prospect it will be launched in early September before rival Apple promotes its new iPhone.

The Finnish company, which is fighting for survival after losing out to rivals in the lucrative smartphone business, is due to hold a trade show in Helsinki on September 5-6, just before an Apple event on September 12 where the U.S. competitor could announce a redesigned iPhone.

Nokia, the world’s second-largest cellphone maker, has not commented on what it will announce at the Nokia World event, but business magazines have said it will unveil the new Windows 8 smartphones.

Elop, in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas, did not deny a September launch but would only say Windows 8 smartphones would be released “relatively near term.”

August 15, 2012
Micromax A100 Listed Online, To Be Launched Soon

Micromax’s A100 smartphone has popped up on an online shopping website (Homeshop18.com), though it’s listed as out of stock. The device was first reported on our website (read here).

According to the listing, the smartphone will be priced at Rs 9,999 and has a 5-inch display with 480×854 resolution. This dual SIM device runs on Android 4.0.4(ICS) and offers 3G connectivity.

Micromax A100 comes with a 2000 mAh battery, a 5MP camera, and 4 GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB.

August 15, 2012
Is this the Galaxy Note 2? Image Leaked!

Can it be? An image of what could be the Galaxy Note 2 is going viral on the internet. The device in White looks identical to the Galaxy SIII from the front and features a Corning Gorilla Glass.

The device would most likely come with a 5.5″ Super AMOLED Screen with 16/32GB internal memory and 1.5GB of RAM. On the back would be a 13MP Camera with 1080p recording at 30fps. It is said to be powered by a Quad-Core Exynos 5250 processor and be HSPA+, LTE compatible. It is likely to be shipped with Android Jelly Bean outside the box.

We don’t know the authenticity of the image, it could just turn out to be a photoshopped render. The official launch of the Galaxy Note 2 is most likely to be on the 29th of August and we will be covering it Live form Berlin!

August 14, 2012
Rumor : HTC To Unveil 3 Windows Phone 8 Smartphones In September

According to the latest rumors, HTC is set to unveil three new Windows Phone 8 devices in October, the Zenith, Accord and Rio. To date there hasn’t been any images of these devices surface online, but new details have potentially risen this morning. According to WPDang, HTC will beholding a media event in both New York and London sometime during the third week of September (17th – 24th) to announce their upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices.

The Zenith, Accord and Rio all come with various specs, but the flagship Zenith will be the star player and have a quad-core processor, 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display (300ppi), and an 8MP camera. It is rumored to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.

The HTC Accord appears to sit in the middle of the range and is rumoured to have a 4.3 inch touch-screen, dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It’ll also have a 5 mega-pixel and support for both NFC and 3G.

Sitting at the bottom of the range is the HTC Rio which will be an affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone. It’s specification is rumoured to include a 4 inch touch-screen, dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5 mega-pixel camera.

August 12, 2012
Sony Xperia Tablet Images and Specification Leaked

The IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany seems to be the ground center for several new devices that run on Google’s Android mobile operating system. Samsung is probably one of the most-discussed companies that are expected to launch new smartphones at the event, but Sony doesn’t fall too far behind.

If rumors are anything to go by, the Japanese electronics giant has three smartphones and one tablet lined up for this event.

This Xperia-branded tablet has earlier leaked via a set of slides, which detailed some very attractive specifications. A 9.4-inch 1280 x 800 screen can be seen up front, while a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset provides the power. It boasts an 8-megapixel and a 1-megapixel camera, a 6,000mAh battery that promises up to 10 hours of endurance, and wireless connectivity options that include 3G, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi. Models with 16, 32 and 64GB of internal storage will be available.

Ice Cream Sandwich should be the most likely operating system of the device, but the presentation leaves open the possibility of some Jelly Bean action going on. The slides also include one with pricing details for the tablets themselves as well as the planned accessories. The base price for the entry-level 16GB unit falls at $450, while the larger options tack on $100 or $200 on top.

Photos of the upcoming device also reveal an evolutionary shift from the current Sony Tablet S, which de-emphasizes the latter’s wedge shape, while keeping its folded paper-like styling cues.

August 12, 2012
Red claims Dragon is ‘Single most Significant Sensor in the History of Image Capture’

Red Camera’s CEO, Jim Jannard claims that the company’s new camera sensor are going to be the most extreme thing that has happened to the movie industry in a long time. While the company calls this camera the new resolution and dynamic range king. It is also touted as the cleanest sensor you have ever seen, ISO 2000 looks better than MX at ISO 800.

The company showed off its sensor at NAB touting 15+ stops of DR and 120fps at a full 5K of resolution, with $6,000 upgrades for Epic customers coming at the end of the year. Dont worry if you own their new $9,700 (brain only) Scarlet-X, which is also set to get the Dragon Sensor.

[Reduser Forum]

August 11, 2012
HTC One X Android 4.0.4 update rolling out

The international version of the HTC One X will be getting its Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update today, the same update that began rolling out for the AT&T version of the device just a short time ago.

HTC has announced, courtesy of Engadget, that the HTC One X’s Android 4.0.4 update will begin to roll out today and that it will be bringing a number of enhancements along with it.

Owners of the international HTC One X will now be able to map a menu function to the ‘recent app’ key in the lower right hand corner of the device. This will improve presentation in applications that currently do not support Ice Cream Sandwich. So obviously, this makes the button more useful than it already was.

The update will also new abilities to the device’s camera including white balance and continuous autofocus, both of which will be welcomed improvements.

HTC has also included a dedicated tab switching button in the browser to make it easier for owners to switch between tabs in the browser.

The update for the HTC One X will also bring better overall browsing, more stability to the device, and more. So, it’s a pretty substantial update and one that users will want to take advantage of as soon as they possibly can.

Of course, the update is not Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google’s latest piece of mobile software that is all the rage right now in the Android world.

HTC has promised Android 4.1 for the HTC One XL, HTC One X, and the HTC One S at some point down the road but first, it needs to take care of some devices that are still limping their way to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

August 10, 2012
Google says voice is the future of web search, introduces Siri-like app for iOS

Google Inc showed off enhancements to its voice-based search technology for Apple Inc’s iPhone and said it was testing a new service that will combine its Web-based email with its search engine.

The new version of Google’s search app for the iPhone and iPad, expected to be available within a few days, will let users find information about everything from the weather to nearby movie showings by speaking into the devices, matching some of the capabilities offered by Apple’s own Siri technology.

Google’s new app recites answers to search results in a human sounding voice, similar to Apple’s Siri, which some analysts and technology observers believe could make iPhone users less reliant on Google’s search service.

The news comes as the relationship between the two companies grows increasingly competitive. On Monday Apple said it would no longer offer Google’s YouTube app as a pre-loaded app in future versions of its iPhone.

Google, which unveiled a version of the voice-based search app for its Android software earlier this year, showcased the version for Apple devices at a press event at its San Francisco offices on Wednesday.

The company also announced a test version of a new service that will integrate users’ personal emails into searches on the Google website. The service, which Google said will initially be available to 1 million users, aims to make it easier for consumers to access information such as flight schedules or shipping orders.

A truly universal search will “have all the information that humanity has put on the Web and information that’s your information,” Amit Singhal, senior vice president of Google Search.

The initial “field trial” will work with Google’s Gmail, but Singhal said the company was open to working with other email providers.

Source : Reuters

August 9, 2012
MapmyIndia introduces 3G, Android enabled CarPad 5

MapmyIndia, provider of digital maps, navigation and location-based services, has launched CarPad 5, a connected car product. Built on Android OS, CarPad 5 is an all-In-One GPS Navigator, Smart Phone and 3G Tablet. It 5 runs on a 1GHz Samsung processor (Cortex A8, S5PV210) and features a 5 inch capacitive touch screen. It is priced at Rs 19,990 and contains the CarPad windshield mount and Car charger.

The navigation device has built-in 3G & Wi-Fi and comes preloaded with Aura, MapmyIndia’s fully 3D and connected GPS navigation interface.

Rakesh Verma, managing director at MapmyIndia said that the CarPad 5 is one of the many in-car productivity gadgets they plan to launch in the near future.

The company claims Aura maps offers real-time traffic updates, house level search, security (track and trace) and discount offers in the vicinity. It covers over 6.3 million places, 5,79,000 towns and villages, 4000 cities at street-level, house-level data for 36 cities and 3D landmarks and building footprints for 34 major cities.

The navigation device is 3G enabled and allows users to call, message, mail and chat, search and browse the web at high speed, and access social networks.

August 8, 2012
Microsoft Launches Kinect For Windows In India At Rs 19,990

Kinect for Windows sensor, which aims to harness Microsoft’s Natural User Interface in a bid to ‘revolutionise’ computing, is now available in India along with the Software Development Kit (SDK). The Kinect for Windows sensor is available at Rs 19,990 while the SDK is available for free download at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/.

The Xbox 360’s Kinect accessory has been quite a hit among casual gamers. Its list of accomplishments doesn’t end there though, as developers and scientists have modded it to carry out some complex tasks.

Microsoft is hoping that developers and businesses will take advantage of the cutting-edge features of this motion sensing technology like improved skeletal tracking, , enhanced speech, seated mode tracking to create innovative applications.

Kinect for Windows will include Studio – a tool which allows developers to record and play back Kinect data; Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) to guide developers on best practices for the creation of Natural User Interfaces and the Face Tracking SDK, which provides a real-time 3D mesh of facial features tracking the head position, location of eyebrows and the shape of the mouth.

August 7, 2012
Cleartrip launches mobile app for iPhone

Cleartrip launched its mobile app for iPhone with its special split-screen search facility.

The split screen design was invented by Cleartrip when it launched six years ago.

The new search form hosts some handy features like geo-location for selecting departure airport for current location, recently searched airports and the ability to easily swap the “from” and “to” cities with a tap. Additionally, there are filters that help narrow down the search by sorting results by specific airlines, flight timings or non-stop flights.

Payments can be made using credit cards, debit cards or net banking account. Alternately, by signing into the Cleartrip Account, payments can also be made using Expressway. The cards selected on Cleartrip’s desktop site are also available on this app.

August 7, 2012
Amazon selling more Kindle ebooks than print books

The UK’s biggest book retailer Amazon now sells more ebooks than hardbacks and paperbacks combined, the company has said. For every 100 print books sold through the site, Amazon said it sold 114 titles for its Kindle e-reader device.

It added that the average Kindle owner bought up to four times more books than they did before owning the device.

The strong figures have been boosted by titles such as multi-million selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. The book has sold more than 31 million copies worldwide, with two million ebooks of the title selling in less than four months.

The figures do not take into account ebook sales on other platforms, such as Apple’s iBooks or the website for bookseller Waterstones.

Amazon’s figures have also been boosted by a surge in popularity for self-publishing. The company said there had been a 400% increase in authors using Kindle Direct Publishing since summer 2011.

Among them were some of the site’s bestsellers. British author Kerry Wilkinson is one of the world’s most successful self-published authors. He has sold more than 300,000 copies of his work in the past year.

With print sales, however, Amazon faces competition from many big, established retailers.

“To really judge the state of the ebook market, we need proper sales data so that we can compare across the board,” he wrote.

Jonathan Ruppin, web editor for bookseller Foyles, said it is a trend the book industry must adapt to deal with.

“The proportion of sales that are taken up by ebooks will continue to increase,” he told the BBC.

The figures were released as Amazon marked the two-year anniversary of the Kindle’s release in the UK.

“Customers in the UK are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books, even as our print business continues to grow,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice-president of Kindle in Europe.

“As a result of the success of Kindle, we’re selling more books than ever before on behalf of authors and publishers.

“And thanks to Kindle Direct Publishing, thousands of self-published authors have also been given an outlet to share their work with the millions of Kindle readers worldwide.”

However, despite the e-reader’s popularity, the company is still yet to announce plans to sell the Kindle Fire – a tablet computer – in the UK, despite it being on sale for over eight months.

August 6, 2012
TRAI to ask for import ban on phones with fake IMEI

Telecom regulator TRAI is planning to approach the Commerce and Industry Ministry to ban imports of mobile phones carrying inauthentic unique IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers, which help the authorities track users.

[quote]“TRAI will soon write to the Commerce Ministry to ban such phones. Import of only those cell phones should be allowed which are certified by GSMA-and TIA-authorised bodies for GSM [Global System for Mobile] and CDMA handsets respectively,” an official told PTI.[/quote]

The GSM Association and Telecommunications Industry Association are global bodies that provide unique numbers to mobile handset companies.

The move aims to check proliferation of mobile handsets with duplicate or cloned IMEI numbers, which are dangerous for national security.

An IMEI comprises 15-digit codes assigned to a handset and it appears on the operator’s network whenever a call is made. Concerns had been raised over their usage after terror attacks in India.

Cloning issues in the case of CDMA handsets are negligible but rampant in the case of GSM handsets, the official said.

The government has banned services on mobile handsets with fake IMEI numbers after November 30, 2009.

However, according to informed sources, during a test conducted in a telecom service area, government officials were surprised to see over 18,000 mobile handsets using the same IMEI number.

“The idea is to ask importers of handsets to provide a certificate issued by a GSMA or TIA authorised body for entry of his consignment in the country,” the official said.

Mobile phones without the unique security code are making inroads into the grey market by cloning the IMEI numbers of genuine sets. Through cloning, the IMEIs of bona fide mobile sets can be used by antisocial elements.

August 6, 2012
HTC Desire VC launched in India for Rs 21,999

The official HTC Desire VC Tata Docomo India price and availability details have arrived. The Taiwanese manufacturer has partnered with the carrier to offer the device with a range of flexible data plans.

This member of the Desire series deploys a 4-inch display that’s said to render a hyper-viewing angle for streaming media content. It tags along the dual SIM attribute and enables convenient switching between CDMA and GSM Networks. A 5MP autofocus snapper with flash is embedded on its exterior. It is powered by a 1650 mAh battery. The phone has a 1GHz processor. It ships with Android ICS out of the box.

[quote]“The new HTC Desire VC is an excellent amalgamation of style and technology. Its innovative design and dual-sim capability allows users to maximize their network connections while smartly managing data usage – making it the perfect lifestyle smartphone choice,” commented Faisal Siddiqui, Country Manager, HTC India.[/quote]

Quite predictably, the handset employs Beats Audio technology to cater to musical needs. It packs in 4GB of memory onboard that can be expanded via a microSD card slot. Besides, there’s free Dropbox storage for 2 years. For connectivity purposes, options like Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm audio jack, a micro-USB port and Bluetooth 4.0 are thrown into the mix. This ICS handset is the first to provide its users with HSIA internet for smooth web browsing.

Its price is marked at Rs. 21,999. Apart from convenient data plans, buyers tying up with the network provider’s post-paid or pre-paid schemes will receive a voice and data offer too.

August 5, 2012
LG Optimus L3 Dual available online at INR 8,299

LG has made available the dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) version of its budget phone Optimus L3 priced at Rs 8,299. The company launched phone’s single-SIM variant earlier in May this year.

The device runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by a Cortex A5 800MHz processor. It has a 3.2-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The Optimus L3 features a 3.2MP camera, 384MB of RAM, 1GB of internal storage and microSD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB.

For connectivity, the Optimus L3 Dual supports Wi-Fi, 3G, Blutooth and USB 2.0. The device comes with a 1,500 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver 17 hours on 2G and 10 hours on 3G.

The Optimus L3 Dual comes preloaded with a number of applications such as YouTube, Android Market, Google+, Gmail, Latitude, News and Weather Update, Software Update, Google Talk, Google, Gmail Sync, AOL, Yahoo, Hot Mail and LGE Mail.

August 3, 2012