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Facebook To Start Their Own Crowdfunding Platform

Facebook is really trying to spread itself, in order to reach every corner of the Internet. It’s latest addition to the internet take-over is a new crowdfunding feature. The company released a new Fundraiser product that allows non-profit organizations to set up a campaign page to raise funds. They can share a video portraying their goals, they can collect the money and let people share News Feed posts with buttons so that their friends can contribute without clicking on a new page.

Facebook has been focused on non-profit organizations for some time now, starting with the introduction of their ‘Donate’ button in 2013 and then later on launched a ‘Buy’ button for shopping. However, Facebook could probably also use this same idea of catering to the non-profits and build on a profitable future. Crowdfunding does seem to be the new in-thing in the social media circle especially with Kickstarter and Indigogo rising. However, these companies rely mainly on the re-sharing statistics on sites like Facebook for their own social graphs.

Apart from the fact that they rely heavily on exterior websites for their popularity and reach, it is also a very time consuming process for the pledger to support or fund any particular project. One usually has to leave Facebook to visit the campaign’s page, maybe enter another exterior credit card and billing window, and then sharing the campaign back on Facebook. Therefore, Facebook is basically trying to save peoples’ time by creating their own crowdfunding platform.

The platform on Facebook will allow users to discover new projects, make payments all within the same platform. The Fundraiser feature also allows people who would like to show their support towards a project without having to make monetary payments via a “Join” button. This button will allow the supporter to receive updates about the project; they’ll also be able to post on the page and invite friends to join the campaign.

This project could also lure people into a more one-time set-up flow payment system and thereby attract more pledges. Apart from this advertisements for the website’s own pages could contribute to socializing and browsing within their own website, since these ads will only lead you to another page within the website.

Facebook seems to have really caught on to a major consumer attraction concept of how to save time. This new project does seem like it has a lot of potential and with Facebook’s already vast expanse, nothing seems impossible for the social networking website.

November 19, 2015
Would You Buy a Phone With 9000 mAh Battery?

Chinese maker MACOOX has come out with its new phone powered by a 9000 mAh battery. The phone is called EX1 and comes equipped with 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and an undisclosed quad-core processor. On the display front, the phone measures a 4.5 inch, and has a main camera of 8 MP and a selfie camera of 2 MP.

However all is not perfect in paradise -the EX1 comes with a bulky body of 14-15 mm in thickness. Unless you are planning to wear trousers with huge pockets, carrying this device might be a little bit of a bother.

According to sources, the phone appears to be a handset glued to a power-bank. Why not just carry your stylish, sleek smartphone along with a power-bank instead, right? We have the same question. Let us know if you come up with an answer for that one.

November 19, 2015
Samsung Pay to Launch in Other Countries by Early 2016

There have been a couple of smartphone manufacturers in the news today regarding mobile payment services. Earlier today we reported that LG is working a mobile payment platform, and now Samsung is looking to introduce Samsung Pay in some other countries as well.

Samsung Pay uses NFC technology and Magnetic Secure Transmissions (MST). Since MST technology is used by every retailer that swipes a credit card, Samsung Pay can be used at more retailers than Apple Pay and Android Pay.

So far, Samsung Pay has been launched in Korea and the U.S. In Korea, Samsung Pay has seen $30 million in transactions, which is reason enough for the company to expand. Rumour has it that Samsung is now eyeing China, Spain and the U.K during the first quarter of 2016.

If Samsung Pay launches successfully in these countries as well, we could see further expansion plans by the Korean giant. As of now, India is still not on Samsung’s list, but never say never.

November 19, 2015
Redmi Note 2 Pro Teaser Reveals Slim Body With Golden Back

As we have already informed you that Xiaomi will be holding their product launch event on the 24th of November; we can now confirm at least one of the products that are about to be launched – the Redmi Note 2 Pro. How? Well, Xiaomi’s President Lin Bin has posted an image on Weibo (a Chinese social networking site), of what will be the Redmi Note 2 Pro.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Pro will allegedly have a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera, a 5 MP selfie snapper, MediaTek’s MT6795 (Helio X10) chipset at the helm, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 3,060 mAh battery.

The official image reportedly matches the leaked images that were released on TENAA from the metal design to the fingerprint sensor and even the gold colour. However, this is the only product that has been officially ‘teased’, but the other speculated product – the Mi 5 is yet to be confirmed.

November 19, 2015
HTC May Launch the M9s On the 25th Of November

The HTC M9s was launched successfully in Taiwan yesterday. Today we bring you some good news, because HTC might launch the M9s in India on the 25th of November 2015.

The One M9 sports a 5-inch FullHD LCD display, 2840 mAh battery; a MediTek Helio X10 chipset under the hood, 13MP front camera with OIS and a UltraPixel front camera. You’ll find 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 2TB.

For more information click here.

November 19, 2015
Hasbro Helps You Fight Loneliness With its New Robotic Kitty

Good bye, ‘forever alone’ moments as Hasbro comes up with a solution for the lonely. The company has come out with a robotic cat which purs, meows and responds to touch. You don’t have to worry about cleaning up after them, feeding them, deciphering their unpredictable mood swings and selective affection with these new kitties.

The Joy for All companion pets are primarily designed for the elderly who often find themselves struggling with loneliness. But feel free to get yourself one of these furry robots if they catch your fancy. They are up for sale at a price of $99.99 or about Rs. 6,600.

Just recently, Japan had introduced us to Pepper, the first ever fully functional humanoid robot meant to provide companionship. A lot of people seem to be welcoming the idea of finding warmth and comfort in Artificial Intelligence and its various forms. Would you be willing to try and connect with an AI a la ‘Her’? Let us know in the comments below.

November 19, 2015
LG Announces Plans To Launch Mobile Payment Platform

With Apple Pay heading the mobile payment brigade we can soon expect hard cash to be a relic of the past. And joining this brigade is LG, who have confirmed their plan to launch a mobile payment platform next month. LG is also reportedly making major deals with some of South Korea’s biggest credit card companies before launching the service.

There is some speculation over whether the company will only use NFC or also MST which is Magnetic Secure Transmission, that is also used by Samsung. However, as of now there are no details on the official name of the product or the date of launch. We will just have to wait and see whether LG can carve a niche of its own in the mobile payment league despite the stronghold of companies like Apple, Samsung and Google.

November 19, 2015
Apple Crosses $1 Billion in Annual Sales in India

The latest report on Apple sales have now silenced the skeptics. Apple has reportedly crossed the $1 billion sales mark in India for the first time in the year-ended March. according to results filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) on Wednesday.

Economic Times revealed how Apple managed to pull off a 44 percent increase in sales from Rs 4500.35 crore up to Rs 6472.89 crore with a doubled net profit of Rs 242.85 crore.

These figures were bound show up. Apple had a great year since the launch of the iPhone 6. Along with the sales of the iPhone 6, Apple also introduced a number of offers like buyback and installments schemes to the excitement of many fans. The offers have only grown more and more since. In fact, in October, Apple also launched some buyback schemes for the latest iPhone 6s series.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were launched to the dismay of many for its ridiculously high price tag. Apple saw the problem and was quick to offer buyback schemes to upgraders with up to Rs 34,000 off in exchange for an older model.

Apple has also tied-up with Croma and will soon open up Apple Stores in India, which is surely going to help with the figures all the more.

November 19, 2015
Google Reinvents Google+ With Focus On Collections and Communities

Google’s attempt at creating a social networking website sort of died down after the launch of Google+. It did not seem to get the attention it was looking for and seemed dormant for the longest time. However, Bradley Horowitz, the VP of Photos and Streams at Google and Luke Wroblewski, Product Director at Google; seemed to have re-worked and re-designed the app.

Some features like the Photos and backing up on YouTube have been highlighted. the main purpose was not to remove or eliminate features but to highlight the features that worked for Google+ and streamline the ones that didn’t.

“Photos wasn’t the only product with opportunity. We asked ourselves “how can we make this better and serve more people?” said Bradley Horowitz

A lot of work seems to have been done in researching user needs, designing and archiving data to revamp Google+. The result of this is the new G+ with a focus on Communities and Collection. While, Communities was launched in 2012 in order to reduce the need for discussion groups; Collections is rather recent Pinterest-type feature, that was introduced only earlier this year.

However, after going on a road trip in order to survey the needs and difficulties of hard core Google+ users, the designers have come to the conclusion that these were the two main features that required to be highlighted. Their main aim was to make their pros stand out, and try their best to hide the cons while working on them.

The new version also caters to a mobile first experience which was previously not one of the top most priorities for Google+. Therefore, the web design has been made much more responsive, and along with that, the iOS app has been fully rebuilt and redesigned. The Android version on the other hand will now cater to what people are using while pushing aside the unused features. Moreover, the new G+ runs on Material Design, which is a language developed by Android itself.

The new design is being compared to Facebook or other social networking site’s layouts. However, that is not entirely a bad thing, although it does look like they are still relying on their user base to fill their home pages with more interesting things. Google will now fill up your homepage with things that it thinks you are interested in, based on the content you surf and share.

One of the main realizations that they had was the fact that Google+ had too many features that were all over the place. So as Horowitz says they had to reinvent within the current framework. So, to conclude we can safely say that Google has focused on what worked for them by enhancing the presence of ad-friendly groups, adding a streaming focused feature, and reaching out to their users via the web, iOS and Android.

November 18, 2015
Samsung is Allegedly Working On a Flip Phone

According to reports, Samsung is planning to launch a flip phone called SM-W2016. Yes, you read correct, a flip phone. While we don’t know what inspired Samsung to do this, we do know that the smart-flip-phone could come with a 3.9 inch display and 1280×768 pixel resolution on each side of the phone cover. The numeric keypad will be at the bottom of the phone, which will run on the Android 5.1.1 with an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor. A few days back some pictures of this phone were leaked showcasing the design. Take a look:

The phone will have a 3GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage, 16MP primary camera and 5MP secondary camera. Samsung has not officially confirmed these rumours, however, speculation suggests that this phone won’t be available in the U.S and Europe.

November 18, 2015
Apple’s Next Macbook To Launch On 27th November

New reports suggest that you can expect Apple to launch the Macbook Air 2016 on the 27th of November 2015. This date has been chosen strategically in order to coincide with the annual Black Friday extravaganza.

The only fear is that the Macbook 2016 might not get the attention it deserves if launched on Black Friday as most people would be looking for budget deals instead of buying a new laptop at its launch price. Reports also suggest that the launch of the Macbook Air and Pro were delayed so as not to take away the limelight from the iPad Pro. Let’s just hope their decision won’t cost them a fortune.

The Macbook Air 2016 will come with an Intel Skylake U-chipset under the hood and will run El Capitan, the latest version of Apple’s desktop OS. Would you buy a Macbook Air 2016 on Black Friday?

November 18, 2015

Micromax Launches the Canvas Xpress 4G in India

Micromax officially launched the Canvas Xpress 4G budget smartphone today in India. The event took place in New Delhi with Vineet Taneja, CEO of Micromax Informatics. Priced at Rs. 6,599, the device goes on sale starting today on Flipkart. Micromax has also collaborated with Airtel to offer bundled ‘Double Data’ offer to its 3G and 4G consumers.

The new Canvas device comes just a few weeks after the launch of the Canvas 5. The main highlight about the Canvas Xpress 4G is the 4G connectivity feature. Micromax is planning to launch more 4G-enabled smartphones under Rs 10,000 seeing that 4G services will expand with Reliance Jio and Vodafone entering the game.

The Micromax Canvas Xpress 4G sports a 5-inch touchscreen display (720x1280p resolution). It is powered by 1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. On the camera front, the Micromax Canvas Xpress 4G features a 8-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel front shooter for selfies.

We’ll have a detailed hand-on with the device shortly. Until then, here’s the spec table of the Canvas Xpress 4G:

Specs	Canvas Xpress 4G
Display	5-inch HD IPS screen
Resolution	720×1280 pixels
Chipset	MediaTek MT6735P
CPU	1.0GHz Quad Core
GPU
RAM	2GB
Front Camera	8MP
Rear Camera	2MP
Storage	16GB
Expandability	Up to 32GB via MicroSD card slot
Battery	2000mAh
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0, GPS/AGPS
OS	Android 5.1 Lollipop
Price	Rs. 6,599

November 18, 2015

Xiaomi Mi 5 Might Be launched On 24th November 2015

Xiaomi has scheduled a product launch event for the 24th of November 2015 in China. However, this seems to be the only information that has been confirmed; no other information on which product will be launched was revealed. Speculations suggest that the Chinese company might announce the Redmi Note 2 and their flagship smartphone Mi 5.

Invitation letter posted by Lin Bin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi
Image Source: Miui.com

According to rumours, the Mi 5 will come with 5.3 inches display, 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution, 16/64 GB internal memory with 4 GB RAM. It might also be powered by the SD820 SoC and will run on the Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) with a Non-removable Li-Po 3030 mAh battery. On the camera front you may expect a 16MP primary camera and a 6MP secondary camera.

However, these are just speculations and nothing has been confirmed about the product launches. But, the invitations are official and can be purchased at $30 starting today.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=184540&page=1&mobile=2″]Miui.com[/tw-button]

November 18, 2015
HTC Launches the One M9s with Helio X10 CPU

HTC is slowly going the Samsung route by launching a number of devices in quick succession that can get quite confusing for consumers. Today, HTC launched the One M9s that looks pretty much the same as the One M9 apart from a few changes in the hardware department.

The One M9 sports a 5-inch FullHD LCD display, 2840 mAh battery; a MediTek Helio X10 chipset under the hood, 13MP front camera with OIS and a UltraPixel front camera. You’ll find 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 2TB.

Notable difference from the M9 is the MediaTek Helio X10 chipset that HTC has gone with instead of the Snapdragon 810 that gave the company quite a bit of trouble. HTC has also downgraded the camera from 20MP to 13MP.

Connectivity options include quad-band 2G/3G and LTE over a multitude of bands. There’s Bluetooth v4.1, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC and GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and Beidou.

The HTC One M9s is available for pre-order in Taiwan for $390 shipping will begin on November 21. No word yet on when the device will be available

November 18, 2015
LG G3 To Receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow Next Month

An executive from LG’s Poland offices tweeted that the LG G3 will start receiving the Android 6.0 Marshmallow sometime between the 16th and 18th of December 2016.

If reports are to be believed, then the update is already in the last stages of testing and will be rolled out first in Poland. Other regions worldwide will also receive the update right after Poland does. But, we do not have a concrete list of the regions.Let us just hope that we are on the list too.

November 18, 2015

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Specs

Canvas Xpress 4G