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A.I based Doctor”Babylon” To Help Keep Humans Healthy

Artificial Intelligence, as many analysts predict, is the next frontier for the tech industry. As it stands today, scientists and researchers are putting in long hours to make the dream of machines with “human-like intelligence” a reality rather than just a possibility.

Intelligent machines and softwares which possess deep human-like knowledge are growing in numbers leading to them being employed for use in a number of tasks. From hospitality to defence, use of artificial intelligence has been explored in various fields, latest of which will now be health-care.

Babylon, a U.K.-based subscription health service will soon launch an AI-based app designed to provide medical diagnosis to patients just like a real life doctor would. The idea behind Babylon is to create an artificially intelligent ‘doctor’ which will help humans stay away from illnesses.

For this, Babylon will walk the extra step that your family doctor won’t, and track your daily habits, collect data about heart rate, diet and medical records and then cross reference them with the symptoms that the patient reports to Babylon. Upon doing all this, Babylon will scan through its vast database and diagnose the illness and offer an appropriate course of action.

The idea of Babylon is comparable to IBM’s Watson Smart A.I tech, which is already employed at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Watson Smart assist’s doctors in their work by going through a database of 600,000 medical evidence reports, 1.5 million patient records and clinical trials, and two million pages of text from medical journals to help doctors develop treatment plans tailored to patients’ individual symptoms, genetics, and histories.

The founder of Babylon, Parsa reveals that the A.I will not look to replace human doctors by acting as a substitute, but would rather work by keeping a close eye on the users health and help users prevent illnesses before they happen.

Talking about the A.I driven app, Parsa said, “For example, if your heart rate is faster than normal and your physical activity hasn’t increased, it’s a sign you’re either stressed or dehydrated or you’re fighting something. The platform can bring this to your attention and suggest the best course of action to fight the illness before it surfaces.” The app will also remind patients to take their medication, and follow up to find out how they’re feeling.

March 10, 2016
LeEco Le 2 Pro Images and Specifications Leak

It was only yesterday that eager “Superfans” of LeEco were treated to leaked images of the Le 2, and today pictures and specifications of the Le 2 Pro have found their way to the Internet. The new leak suggests that the Le 2 Pro could be shown off to the world as soon as April, which in all honesty sounds like a bit of a stretch.

The phone looks to have carried forward the design scheme followed by LeEco for its first generation of mobile devices. The body seems to be made completely out of metal, possibly even the same aluminium unibody design from the Le1s which won’t be too surprising considering the positive response it got from customers across the board.

The leaked images which were earlier posted on Chinese Social Networking site, Sina-Weibo reveal the phone to come packing a Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB RAM along with 64GB of inbuilt flash storage. Leaked specifications further show the phone to bear a beautiful 5.7-inch Quad HD display and a 20-Megapixel rear camera. The Le 2 Pro will get the juice it needs from a 3100mAh battery pack.

The device will be equipped with Dolby Atmos tech, three microphones for noise cancellation, ultrasonic fingerprint scanner along with a USB Type-C port. The source indicates the pricing of the device could be set around the $380 mark(Approx Rs 25,673) putting it firmly in competition with Xiaomi’s Mi5.

Source

March 10, 2016
Are You on Facebook Lite Yet?

Facebook has always tried to reach out to the most, if not all, of the human population on earth. Facebook currently has around 1.6 billion monthly active users. Seeing as how Facebook also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it is evident that the company doesn’t want to leave out a single human being. However, despite a world hungry for social media sites, there are still millions who are unable to jump in due to slow internet speed or limited amount of data. To solve this problem, a team of Facebook engineers worked on ways to make the site accessible to those who were left out.

What came out of it was Facebook Lite, a tiny Android-only app that is lighter and less cluttered compared to the original. The app was launched in June 2015 and recently crossed a 100 million mark. That is the magic number that tells us how fast users have accepted the lighter app in just a few months. The app is less than 1MB in size and practically takes no time at all to download.

There are certain design changes with the ‘Lite’ version but the core functionality is uniform in both the Facebook app and its lighter version. Features like News Feed, status updates, photos and notifications on Facebook Lite are almost identical to the original version.

Facebook Lite is the company’s push to make basic Facebook services available in developing countries at the lowest price possible. There are places in the world where buying internet data isn’t the easiest as it is expensive. The app works fast with any device, and is data efficient, providing the same features as you would find on the original app only with less data consumption. It’s like Facebook with an in-built Data Saver mode.

As it works even on slow mobile networks, the page loads comparatively faster. Users can upload, download and check photos instantly, for which users had to wait for more than a couple of minutes on 2G networks. Users can have a real-time conversation with friends – either one-on-one or in group – on the slimmer Facebook edition.

One of the best features about Facebook Lite is that the app helps conserve battery life. Facebook has been recently in the news for being one of the most battery draining apps out there, especially for iOS users. As is the case, we could be seeing a Facebook Lite for iOS in the near future, unless Facebook does something to reduce battery consumption in its original app.

Vijay Shankar, Product Head, Facebook Lite said that the app was made for developing countries like India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and Philippines where slow internet speeds is still a major issue. One of the biggest chuggers of mobile data is videos. To solve this, the team behind Facebook Lite offered users the option to see how large a video so that they may decide whether to view the video or not. There is also the option to view a video later so that you may continue to browse the News Feed and come back to the video once it has been downloaded. Both the features are extremely helpful for users on 2G speeds as it means not having to wait around for a video to load.

It is still unknown as to when Facebook Lite will be available for iOS and Window phone users. As of now, Shankar and his team want to get the Android experience right before moving on to the next step. It is still early in the day but the fact that 9 months on the app has reached a 100 million users means that the app does what it was intended to do – provide a social media experience at an affordable price.

March 10, 2016
Facebook’s Oculus adds Social Games and Video Sharing To Gear VR

VR technology which has gained traction amongst users in the last couple of months looks set to be breaking barriers and becoming a truly social hub for activities in the coming days. Facebook-owned Oculus has decided to shift its focus towards making our VR experience in the coming days more social with the addition of a number of features such as the addition of social games and social elements to viewing videos while using the Gear VR.

The Gear VR, which was launched on 21st January here in India and is available for free with all S7 and S7 edge Pre-Orders, is Samsung’s VR offering that was developed in partnership with Oculus. Owners of the VR headset which is regarded as one of the best available offerings in the market, starting tomorrow, will be able to create accounts on the Oculus servers, and then get in touch with other users of the Gear VR, and also leave reviews for all apps in the Oculus Store.

Oculus wants its users to enjoy the immersive world of Virtual Reality with friends, and to help make this possible it has announced two new social heavy VR games that will allow users to go up against their friends.

First up is Social Trivia, a game that lets you and up to four friends compete in a battle of knowledge in an artificial VR environment. The second game is Herobound: Gladiators which is a multiplayer adventure game. The game lets you take the VR gaming experience to another level and sees the user Band together with up to four people to conquer goblins and demons in arena battlefields. The game also allows for integrated voice chat to talk and strategize in real time for an unmatched co-op experience.

For users who would rather stay away from games, Facebook’s Oculus has announced host of other features that sees it bring to the platform with the help of Oculus Video the functionality to personalize your 360-degree video feed based on the pages and people you follow on Facebook. It has revealed that in the coming weeks, users will be able to connect and react to their favorite Facebook 360 videos directly in virtual reality.

And, if that’s still not good enough to get you excited, Oculus is adding the functionality to create private VR chat rooms with friends which let you watch Vimeo and Twich streams with them in a Virtual Reality environment.

Oculus’ efforts to push for social VR does not end there as it has also communicated to developers that it wants to “drive deeper social connections” and hence later this month “will release new tools for developers that make it even easier to create more incredible social VR games and apps.

March 10, 2016
Samsung Gear VR: Know it Better

Virtual Reality is the next big thing to happen to technology and every big name out there is getting into the game. Samsung, Apple, Google and many more are all working on VR technology as we speak. When it comes to virtual reality, Oculus is the name that first comes to mind. While the Oculus Rift is one of the more premium VR headsets out there, there is also the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR for the general masses that stands as a stepping stone into the realm of virtual reality. Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Gear VR.

Design, Features, and Compatibility

Samsung launched the Gear VR headset in India last month at a price of Rs 8,200. The headset is currently being offered for free on pre-orders for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The headset features a large touchpad for control. It weighs about 318 grams and measures 201.9×116.4×92.6mm. The Gear VR comes with an impressive field of view of 96 degrees and houses back, volume, and focus adjustment wheel button for controls.

The Gear VR also packs sensors such as gyro, accelerometer, and proximity, and the device will support Micro-USB charging. The Gear VR comes with soft, flexible cushioning material, and also features adjustable straps for ease use of use.The Gear VR Headset will also support 360-degree videos.

The Gear VR Headset features a wide interface, ergonomic design, and a large touchpad. Gear VR promises convenient and accurate control to enjoy games and videos. At the launch, the company stressed that Gear VR Headset works seamlessly with high-end Galaxy smartphones including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and the new Galaxy S7 series.

Applications

The Gear VR got a major media boost few months ago with Netflix, Hulu and Twitch among the few new services made available for the headset. The Netflix app, for example, creates a virtual living room for the viewer to watch in. The virtual television in front of you will have the Netflix UI on the screen. You simply look to move the cursor and tap the touchpad on the side of the Gear VR to make your selection. And since Netflix is now in India, streaming movies never sounded this good!

The Netflix Experience

As the Gear VR is still a work in progress, applications and uses are still limited. As of February 2016, here are 185 Apps available for the Gear VR on the Oculus Store. Apart from media entertainment, the Gear VR also offers an entirely new gaming experience. After all, virtual reality is all about immersing the user completely in a virtual world for a 360-degree experience.

Notable games include Herobound: First Steps, Ikarus, Dreadhalls, Esper and Proton Pulse. “The new games include “Social Trivia” and “Herobound: Gladiators,” Oculus says. Social Trivia pits you against friends or strangers in a battle of knowledge while Herobound: Gladiators lets you band together in groups of four to battle goblins and demons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4vhtpa8JRA

Furthermore, Oculus is ready to get Gear VR owners a lot more social. Starting today, Gear VR owners will get to set up their own social profiles and connect with other Gear VR friends by searching their Oculus username or real name. You will then be able to kick back and watch movies together and engage with each other in social games.

You also may be aware that Facebook started 360-degree videos a while ago that lets users navigate the video for a complete 360-degree view. With the Samsung Gear VR, you’ll now be able to connect your Facebook account to “Like” and share 360-degree videos from inside it. From next week, Oculus will let users sign into Facebook and get a personalised news feed based on people and pages they follow.

With this, Facebook-owned Oculus is taking the first big step in bringing virtual reality and social media together.

Is There a Downside?

Perhaps the few main problems about a VR headset is that it can make you look silly, which is why users usually prefer to wear it in the confines of their homes, away from the eyes of passersby. VR headsets tend to cause headaches or nausea if worn for too long. But the Gear VR, being on the lighter side, hasn’t caused these symptoms as much as the heavier Oculus Rift has.

Nevertheless, the Gear VR is a great new product from Samsung that promises a good virtual reality experience at an affordable cost.

Samsung is looking to expand its consumer base and is looking to make the Gear VR not just a device for niche audience. It may take a while before people take to the virtual reality experience, but the future of media and gaming technology looks pretty clear. So, for those who want to experience the next season of Daredevil (which begins March 18) in virtual reality can get their hands on the Gear VR today.

March 10, 2016
Android N: A Look at the Best New Features

Google has taken the lid off the latest bombshell to hit Android smartphones, the all new Android N. Though it’s still just at developers preview stage, and is understandably bug ridden, but that does not mean we should not be excited.

Android N comes with a host of cool features which promise to get you addicted to this sweet OS. Today we bring to you the best features that Android N comes with.

Multi-window support that allows for multiple apps to run simultaneously

This is one feature that is sure to grab headlines in the coming days. This poster boy of features will surely make a lot of happy Android fans as it adds the functionality of running multiple apps side by side in the same view. With the all new Android N installed, users will be able to launch and use multiple apps right next to each other.

The Android N team hasn’t yet explained how this will particular feature will be executed, but early impressions suggest the interface looks much like Microsoft’s split-screen function. The guys at Android have also revealed that this feature, for now, will only work when developers enable the feature for their apps.

More Power to the Overview Button

This might not look like something huge as most custom ROMs for some time now have had this feature in some or the other form, but now Google is doing its bit in bringing to the overview button the power it deserves.

With the Android N, users can now switch between your current and previous apps simply by double-tapping the overview button.If you keep tapping the overview button you’ll cycle through all the open apps. Long-pressing the overview button opens the current app in split-screen. You can use the same double-tap and continuous taps to switch between apps in split-screen mode too.

Reworked Notifications Center

The latest version of Android brings with it a reworked notifications center that will see Android tweak the notification area again, but this time, adding features which will add amazing functionality. In what will be welcome news for Android users across the globe, this new functionality will give users the power to reply to notifications from within any window without having to close the app first, or open an app to view them.

Android N will also bring a new option for clubbing multiple notifications from a single app. Android N will intelligently handle your notifications and upon receiving multiple alerts from the same app, they will be grouped together into an expandable “bundle.”

Picture-in-Picture

This one feature is one that users had been asking for some time now. Picture-in-Picture support will now mean users will be able to minimise a running video with sending the application to the background and carry on doing other tasks such as searching for rating on IMDB or browse something on the internet while the video still keeps playing in the background.

Talking about this feature, Google explained to devs, “Your app can provide a way for users to queue up additional content while they watch a video. The video continues playing in PIP mode while the main screen displays a content selection activity.”

Enhancements to Improve Battery Life

Marshmallow brought with it a very cool Doze feature that was built to conserve power and battery life on your Android powered smartphone. With Android N, Google devs have taken this a step further as Google has added functionality to Doze to make optimisations whenever the screen is turned off.

Google also plans on adding improvements to how apps operate in the background, which has long been a big drain on users’ battery life.

New Data Saving Options

With Android N, Google has turned its focus towards increasing efficiency of data usage on its Android platform. Apps will gain the functionality to monitor Data Saver changes enabling them to intelligently make changes to how certain apps consume data in the foreground and the background.

Google explains: “In the N Developer Preview, users can enable Data Saver on a device-wide basis to use less data, whether roaming, near the end of the billing cycle, or on a small prepaid data pack.”

March 10, 2016
HTC 10 Colour Options, Specifications Leaked

There is very little left to know about HTC’s upcoming flagship smartphone, HTC 10. Courtesy popular leakster Evan Blass, we now what the device is going to look like as well as the fact that it will drop the ‘One M’ from the title for a simpler ‘HTC 10’. We’re still not sure about what the new name signifies, but what we do know is the various colors the device will be offered in.

Blass today tweeted four colour options for the HTC 10: carbon gray, glacier silver (white face), glacier silver (black face), topaz gold. Apart from showing us the colours, the image also confirms that this is what the HTC 10 will look like and much like the One A9 and the One M9, the HTC 10 looks rather underwhelming. The most obvious disappointment comes from the disappearance of BoomSound front speakers and from the (still) large bezels on he top and bottom.

The HTC 10 will instead have a single speaker grille at the bottom and a USB Type-C port. Over at the back we see the camera placed at the center and chamfered edges. Another popular leakster, @onleaks, started a leaking spree of the actual handset and Antutu benchmark scores that pin the device at 109,936 points on the famous benchmark app.

This all leaked along with the following information : 5.15? QHD / SD820 / Adreno 530 / 4GB RAM / 12MP / USB Type-C. Which means that HTC might finally be on the right track as far as specs are concerned, and we also see a home button fingerprint scanner like last year.

HTC has also stated that it’s working hard to bring a “very compelling camera experience” with the HTC 10. HTC’s Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang is confident about the HTC 10’s camera “after seeing what’s going on in the market.”

The rear camera is rumoured to sport a 12UP (Ultra Pixel) module with OIS and autofocus while the front still is unknown. If HTC wants to be a contender in the camera department, knowing that Samsung has upped its camera specs in the Galaxy S7, then nothing short of 5UP for the front and some absolutely spectacular images that compliment a Quad HD AMOLED display will be accepted by fans. HTC needs to get the pricing right if it wants to compete in a market that has already seen the new Samsung Galaxy S7 series, LG G5, and Xiaomi Mi 5 flagships.

Source

March 10, 2016
Android N Shown Off By Google in Developer Preview

Google in an unnatural move has made the next upgrade of Android , aka Android N beta for developers. Google writes that the team decided it wanted to release the preview earlier in order to get more feedback from developers earlier in the process and get the final N release into the hands of device manufacturers this summer.

As we look to the next release of Android, N, you’ll notice a few big changes aimed at you as developers: it’s earlier than ever, it’s easier to try and we’re expanding the ways for you to give us feedback. We hope these changes will ensure that you are heard and reflected — that’s what makes Android stronger

Like all beta releases Google claims that this beta edition is a work in progress and you should expect a lot of bugs.

Many new changes are talked about but namely the ability to directly reply to notifications and split screen view for both tablets and phones seems to be the major highlight of this update. You will also get PIP (picture in picture ) for video play like you have seen on Samsung Galaxy devices for a while.

Google will also put major focus on improving performance and battery life by improving features like Doze. Google also claims its aim is to help apps become less memory and resource hungry.

The update can be had today if you are running any of the following devices: Google’s Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C devices. Once you’ve updated your device, Google will also continue to push new updates OTA to it as they are released.

While the percentage of people on Marshmallow is still low, Google has already moved forward with Android N, what the final name will be, is still unknown. (leave your possible ideas below)

Hit the source link in case you want to try out the new Beta, however if it is your main device, we strongly suggest against it.

VIA
Source

March 10, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge: 7 Best Features

Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in India yesterday. The devices are priced at Rs 48, 900 and 56, 900, respectively. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge successors come packed with top-of-the-line specifications and next-gen technology, along with a beautifully crafted design that is carried forward from the S6. We take a look at some of the best new features the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have to offer and whether the devices are worth your money.

Powerful Hardware

The new flagship devices have improved on specifications wherever it could. The pair is powered by newly powerful Exynos 8890 Octa, Mali-T880 MP12 and 4GB of RAM. Check out the detailed spec table below.

Specs	Galaxy S7	Galaxy S7 Edge
Display	5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display	5.5-inch curved AMOLED Quad HD display
Resolution	2560 x 1440 pixels	2560 x 1440 pixels
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor In India : Exynos 8890 Octa	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor In India : Exynos 8890 Octa
GPU	Adreno 530	Adreno 530
RAM	4GB	4GB
Storage	32GB/ 64GB	32GB/ 64GB
Rear Camera	Dual Pixel 12MP with f/1.7 aperture	Dual Pixel 12MP
Front Camera	Dual Pixel 5MP	Dual Pixel 5MP
Expandability	via MicroSD	via MicroSD
Battery	3000mAh battery	3600mAh battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
OS	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Dual Pixel Camera Technology

Among the bumped up specs inside the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, one new technology that grabbed everyone’s attention at the MWC last month was the new Dual Pixel technology employed in the rear camera.

The Dual Pixel, essentially, is an improvement or a natural evolution from the Phase-Detection Auto-Focus technology used by many other smartphones. Firstly, Samsung downgraded from 16MP found in the S6 to 12MP in the S7. The decision to do this was to focus more on quality rather than quantity. The 12MP sensor brings 56% bigger individual pixels with1.4um pixels as compared to the S6.

The S7 comes with a wider f/1.7 aperture (the S6 had a f/1.9 aperture) that allows for a lot more light to come in, 25% more to be more accurate. This results in great low-light captures that are sharp and colourful. Much like the human eye, the Dual Pixel technology sends light from the lens to two image sensors separately to adjust the focus.

Water Cooled Systems to Rival Desktop Machines

Phones running high-end multi-core CPUs are notorious for running a bit too hot under stress, and as we know, heat is the ultimate enemy of any gaming machine. No matter the exalted processing capabilities of a phone, or beefy battery packs that they come with, if it runs hot, you game not.

Samsung in its bid to fight this menace has come up with a system that’s not new to bigger desktop machines but is groundbreaking for mobile devices. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are equipped with a very thin sealed copper liquid based cooling system, enabling these phones to run cool and fast without facing any CPU or GPU throttling. The system keeping the internals of the phone cool will also result in better battery life.

Vulkan API

Mobile phones benefiting from the great advancements in silicon technology over the years have become smaller, thinner and at the same time grown more powerful. The latest generation of mobile phones bring with them specs which boast of computing power at times even surpassing that of the last generation consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3.

MicroSD is Back

Samsung heard the cries of thousands of fans who were disappointed that the Galaxy S6 did not come with a MicroSD card slot. The Galaxy S7 series brings the slot back that allows up to 200GB of expandable storage. With read and write speeds having improved over the years, Samsung felt it was the right time to bring back the option.

It’s Dust and Waterproof

The Galaxy S7 series come with IP68 rating which means the devices are dust proof and can handle a rainy day as well. The devices can be submerged underwater up to 3 meters. With premium devices such as these, an IP68 rating is what consumers would love to hear.

Design

We keep design at the end as it is the one thing that isn’t all that new with the new Galaxy S7 devices. And that is not a bad thing at all. Last year’s Galaxy S6 series were praised for its brilliant design language that brought together glass and metal to form a beautiful piece of machinery.

It’s not surprising, then, that Samsung decided to stick to the same design language with the successor, Galaxy S7. The new flagship retains the looks, adds a MicroSD card slot, and packs next-gen specifications. But what the S7 also adds is a curved edge at the back that exquisitely blends into the metal frame and gives a great looking shape as well as improves the grip.

Meanwhile, The S7 Edge features the same dual edge design as its S6 counterpart but on a bigger 5.5-inch form factor and comes with a QHD Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 534 ppi compared to the 5.1-inch QHD 577 ppi screen that we saw on the S6 Edge.

March 9, 2016

Hilton Hires a Robot Concierge Powered by IBM’s Watson Smart AI

Artificial Intelligence over the past couple of years has progressed at a rapid pace. Be it Robots like Pepper which possess the capability to understand human emotions or simple pieces of intelligent code such as Siri which can based on your past behaviour patterns assist you in your day to day tasks, artificial intelligence is slowly but surely taking center stage in our lives today.

In a continuation of this trend, robots with artificial intelligence are now making way to hotels near you. Hilton, the famous hotel chain, has partnered with IBM to create a robotic concierge that it will fondly call “Connie” in memory of its founder, Conrad Hilton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC0I08qt5VU

Connie is a Nao robot, a French 58cm-tall bot which is powered by IBM’s AI tech, Watson Smart. IBM claims that this Robo Concierge can understand speech, and the tech giant further claims that it enables the ‘bot to greet guests, answer questions about the hotel, and provide details about local services, sights and restaurants.”

Talking about the move, Rob High, chief technology officer of Watson said in a statement,

“This project with Hilton and WayBlazer represents an important shift in human-machine interaction, enabled by the embodiment of Watson’s cognitive computing. Watson helps Connie understand and respond naturally to the needs and interests of Hilton’s guests—which is an experience that’s particularly powerful in a hospitality setting, where it can lead to deeper guest engagement.”

Just in case you were wondering, Hilton’s friendly Robo Concierge, Connie, is not the first robot to to be employed by a hotel. Japanese hotel, the Hen-na in Nagasaki has a staff which is majorly manned by robots, speaking both Japanese and English.

March 9, 2016
Dell Launches new Latitude 7000 Business Class Ultrabooks in India

Dell India at a press event in Delhi launched the 7000 Series Latitude range of ultrabooks. This new 7000 series of ultrabooks are targetted towards users looking to maximise business and productivity, and as Dell says these “provide the perfect blend of industry-leading security, manageability and reliability features.” Dell has done an excellent job with the 7000 series ultrabooks as this new range of ultrabooks is beautiful to look at with stunning design and InfinityEdge display.

Dell Latitude 13 (7370) 7000 Series Ultrabook

It is the world’s smallest business-class Ultrabook and 33 cm(13) and is an ideal device for users looking for a machine to take care of their business needs on the go. It is built using layers of unidirectional 40-ton carbon fiber and as such Dell claims it is ready for the rigors of heavy business use.

The Dell Latitude 13 is also the world’s only business-class Ultrabook with InfinityEdge display which is great or watching videos, surfing the web, and making documents and presentation on the go. In keeping up with the times, the ultrabook comes equipped with a USB Type-C port. It also includes Thunderbolt 3 for 8x faster data transfer than USB 3.0. It also brings with it a smartcard reader, fingerprint reader, RFID reader, and security and encryption software.

Dell Latitude 12 (7275) 7000 Series 2-in-1

Dell claims the Latitude 12 to be one of the lightest 31.8 cm (12.5) 2-in-1 devices in the world. It provides a good blend between the functionality of a laptop and the sleek, lightweight profile of a tablet. The unique design is free of cumbersome latches, locks or alignment pins, and instead uses magnets, easily transitioning from various use modes for maximum flexibility and productivity.

This offering from Dell comes with two keyboard options. The first being the Dell Latitude 12 Slim Keyboard, which is a full-sized, lightweight, well-spaced keyboard with backlit chiclet keys. The second alternative that the company brings to its users is the Dell Latitude 12 Premium Keyboard, which single-handedly connects to the tablet, and features backlit keys and mouse cursor control with high precision, gesture touchpad.

The Dell Latitude 12 2-in-1 comes with a very sleek 8mm screen which is the only business 2-in-1 device with a 4K UltraSharp UHD touch display. This display is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass, and the body of this device features a magnesium unibody build.

Dell has revealed that the Latitude 13 7000 Series Ultrabooks will be available starting next month at a price of INR 79,999. Dell Latitude 12 7000 Series 2-in-1 will find its way to the markets a bit late, and will be available by available March end at a starting price of INR 87,999.

March 9, 2016
LeEco Le 2 Shows up in Leaked Images

LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) has been making headlines ever since the year began. At CES in January, the company unveiled the first smartphone ever to sport the Snapdragon 820 chipset with the Le Max Pro. The company also set records in India with its Le 1s flash sales. Now, it looks like LeEco is working on the successor to the Le 1s, allegedly called the Le 2.

Some leaked images of an alleged Le 2 smartphone have surfaced online. The images reveal the device from a few angles. We get a good look at the surface, the back and the bottom. Talking about the top, the Le 2 has a pretty large display compared to the body size, and since the company has released phones with almost bezel-less sides, the Le 2 looks to follow the same.

The bottom reveals two speaker grilles on either side of a USB Type-C port. Over to the right you see the volume controls and the power button. The rear panel could be either metal or glass (it’s hard to tell from the images), but some reflection of light on top seems to point towards the later. Meanwhile, the square fingerprint sensor is placed in the middle while the camera module is pushed to the top left.

Rumours so far suggest that the LeEco Le 2 will sport either the Snapdragon 820 or the MediaTek Helio X20 chipset (there will be two variants), along with 4GB of RAM and a 21 MP rear camera. Nothing else is known about the device as yet. LeEco has not confirmed the same and there is no word yet on when the company plans to launch the device.

Source

March 9, 2016
HTC to Make Future Nexus Smartphones: What You Can Expect

We all knew that there a lot was riding on HTC to deliver with its upcoming flagship, the HTC 10. It seems that HTC has its hands full a lot more now that Google has returned to it to manufacture the next set of Nexus devices until 2019, at least. According to rumours, HTC has signed a 3-year contract to build Google’s Nexus phones for 3 years. Given that HTC was responsible for the first Nexus device way back in 2010, it’s not an entirely strange decision for Google to come a full circle.

Last year, LG and Huawei were in charge of building the Nexus phones. The LG 5X and Huawei 6P Nexus phones were received with mixed reactions. The devices came with impressive specifications for 2015 but the designing was less inspiring than most other smartphones out there. This could be why HTC is now donning the thinking cap. But is this the right time for HTC?

HTC Nexus One (2010)

We’ve seen that HTC has recently been receiving very underwhelming responses towards its latest devices. The One M9 and One A9 were both criticised for its lack of creativity in terms of design. Meanwhile, the upcoming HTC 10 flagship also seems to be influenced by the One A9 while fans were really hoping for a great new design by the company, more in line with the One M7.

However, Google seems to feel that HTC has what it takes to make great looking devices. The Nexus 5X made by LG came with a very flimsy looking plastic body and didn’t give too much aesthetically. The one made by Huawei, on the other, came with a premium feel to it with a metal unibody though the long, black rear camera bar on top gave it a slight unattractive quality.

Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X

It has been rumoured that Google plans on launching, at least, two Nexus devices this year. While we’re still not sure whether HTC will be in charge for both (Huawei could still be in the game), the company will still be responsible for at least 4-6 Nexus models until 2019.

If we go by rumours and HTC’s design philosophy in the past (which is in a dubious state as of now), we can expect that the upcoming Nexus device will feature 3D Touch functionality, a metal construction, solid build with minimalistic design, and powerful specs. HTC has usually tried to keep things simple when it comes to looks and you can perhaps expect slimmer bezels as compared to the Nexus 5X and 6P. And how about throwing in some BoomSound speakers as well?

HTC has a lot on its plate this year. After launching the HTC 10, the company will shift its focus on the Nexus. Add to this, it also looks like HTC is going to focus on virtual reality a lot more, given that its Vive VR headset is among the best in the nascent VR game. The company is looking at ways to incorporate VR in its flagship which we may get a taste of in the upcoming Nexus device, and you can bet Google is very interested in that as well. After all, Google has the Carboard for it and has been reportedly working on a new virtual reality headset much like the Gear VR.

Google will also likely release an Android VR software along with the VR headset that will look to enhance the VR experience by making the software native to the Android operating system. This will not only help Google’s own VR product but HTC’s as well. From where we see it, the timing for the two company’s could not have been better. We wait and see what HTC and Google have in store for us this.

March 9, 2016
Huawei P9 to Launch at a Press Event on 6th April

After skipping the temptation of a more fashionable launch at the Mobile World Congress last month, Huawei, as it stands, has made its mind up to finally unveil to eager fans its flagship phone, the P9 on 6th April at an event in London.

The Chinese company in its press invite for the event has claimed that it will “Change the Way You See the World”. This can be interpreted as an apparent reference to what is much-anticipated camera setup on the upcoming P9 which Huawei has developed in partnership with Leica.

Murmurs suggest that this partnership will see Huawei bring to its fans a 12-MP dual rear camera setup with the phone capable of going head to head with any camera on a phone in the market.

Apart from the camera, the P9 will be a pretty high-end red range regarding other specs. The flagship is being tipped to arrive in three different variants. The entry-level phone will feature a Snapdragon 650 processor, 16GB onboard storage, and 2GB RAM. The other standard variant will run a Kirin 950 SoC, 32GB built-in storage, and 3GB RAM Along with a 5.2-inch display.

The top of the line, P9 Max will come with an 8MP front-facing camera, fingerprint sensor, 64GB built-in memory,4GB RAM, WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 3900 mAh battery. The P9 Max will also be equipped with a massive 6-inch Quad HD screen.

March 9, 2016
Huawei P9: Where Does it Stand?

For the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing quite a few rumours and have been witness to leaked images of Huawei’s upcoming flagship P9 smartphone. The successor to the P8 will look to create a space between big flagship devices like the Galaxy S7 and the Mi 5. It was earlier rumoured that the Huawei P9 will be launched on March 9, but it seems that the launch date is more in line with popular tipster Evan Blass’s speculated April launch.

Huawei has created a niche audience with its devices. Sure, it may not produce devices that can match the best of Samsung, but it does manage to come with impressive flagships that are more affordable than many others. Last year’s Huawei P8 was well-received thanks to its sleek design language and an impressive camera at 12MP with f/2.0 aperture and OIS that took decent low-light captures.

If one has been paying attention this year, one will notice that flagship devices already launched like Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Xiaomi’s Mi 5 come with new camera technologies. It seems that 2016 will see phone makers focusing a lot more on camera and other such areas that haven’t seen much development in recent times. And from what we’ve heard so far, Huawei looks to bring out an improved new camera with the P9.

The Huawei P9 is rumoured to feature a dual rear camera setup that will see a pair of 12-megapixel sensors with Leica lenses. Huawei also plans to incorporate some unique photography features in the phone though it’s not exactly clear right now what the plan is.

Images of the flagship posted by Blass also reveal a slim metal design. Huawei has included a fingerprint scanner on the back, a dual cameras setup and USB-C. Now, while the images show a slim frame, one can’t ignore the large bezels at the bottom. In today’s competitive smartphone market where new devices come with a great screen to body ratio, the P9 may just fall short here.

According to Evan Blass, the regular P9 will sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display, an in-house Kirin 950 chip, a 3900mAh battery, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The premium model could offer 4GB of RAM and a brand new Kirin 955 chip. These specs at least on paper make for impressive reading and quite frankly this is where Huawei will try to score as many brownie points as possible.

Huawei with the upcoming P9 range of smartphones will come to the ring as a solid competitor to this battle for market supremacy. It has the features, the camera and even the specs, to do well in what will be a close fight, but such is the nature of the battle it will step into that impressive internals might not matter much in defining the P9’s future. What happens next for the P9 might just be defined by the price it retails at which if reports are to be believed should be known in the coming days.

March 8, 2016