Blog

Bose Announces New SoundTouch Wireless Music Systems

Bose has announced its newest range of next-generation SoundTouch wireless music systems with built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The systems cater to the growing trend of music streaming around the world and the company wants to make music streaming at home easier than ever before.

The Bluetooth feature allows you stream any song, playlist, music service and YouTube directly from your Bluetooth-enabled phone or tablet. You can also broadcast your songs to as many SoundTouch speakers as you have via Wi-Fi, or you can use the SoundTouch app to explore a whole variety of options from integrated music services and setting presets to enjoying different music in different rooms. Indeed, the SoundTouch’s big selling point is its presets. Atop each SoundTouch speaker are six numbered buttons. You can set each button for a particular playlist, streaming service, a specific song, or anything else, which you can customize through the Bose SoundTouch Control app.

“SoundTouch systems have always been about delivering the very best way to enjoy streaming music at home,” said John Russels, general manager of Bose Wireless Speakers. “So they’re different than other wireless home music systems. They put all your music in one place, are easier to use than anything else available and now they can play whatever you want, whenever you want. SoundTouch systems like what you like, and the new, little SoundTouch 10 is a great way to get started.”

The SoundTouch Family

SoundTouch 10 wireless music systems is the smallest SoundTouch system, measuring at 8.34-inch tall and 5.56-inch wide. It combines the new Unidome transducer with Bose’s own signal processing. What you get finally is a cleaner, deeper, and louder performance than any other single speaker in its league.

The SoundTouch 20 and 30 Series III systems are updated brother of the SoundTouch 10 system. The SoundTouch 30 Series III is Bose’s best performing one-piece solution while the 20 Series III delivers rich, room filling sound.

Bose SoundTouch 20 Series III

SoundTouch soundbars and home theater system include two soundbars and a 5.1 system, the SoundTouch 520 home theater system.

The SoundTouch SA-S amplifier, lets you take your music outside, too. It powers weaterproof speakers for balconies, patios and backyards.

Pricing and Availability

Bose’s new SoundTouch 10 wireless music system is priced at Rs. 19,013 while the SoundTouch 20 Series III and the 30 Series III are available for Rs. 33,638 and Rs. 57.263, respectively. Bose’s SoundTouch home theater systems are available starting at Rs. 1,10,138. All the latest systems are available at select Bose dealers and Bose retail stores.

October 20, 2015
Galaxy S7 To Have Superior Sound Quality and Magnesium Alloy Body

With rumours of Samsung Galaxy S7 coming out in January doing the rounds, there are speculations about the specs as well that have been going around for a while now. While it’s expected to have ClearForce technology, similar to 3D Touch, Type-C USB port is another feature expected to be part of the phone.

The latest rumour to develop regarding S7 is a magnesium alloy body made of glass. This is expected to make the device sturdy and improve the over-all touch and feel of the phone. The smartphone is also rumoured to come equipped with better sound quality because of SABRE 9018AQ2M chip by ESS Technology, and a 129 dB signal-to-noise ratio. S7 will probably also support formats like DSD and PCM p to 32-bit and 384 KHz. This will allow users to have the same sound experience streaming music on the phone as they do from its analog counterpart.

These rumours have surfaced at a time when Samsung is possibly working on an acquisition of Tidal, Jay-Z’s music streaming service. Therefore the in-built chip of Galaxy S7 will only serve as a complementary feature and help the flagship fare well in the market. Watch this space as we bring to you more latest updates on Samsung Galaxy S7.

October 20, 2015
OnePlus X to Launch in India on 29th October

It has been confirmed that OnePlus X is coming to India on 29th October. Leaked specs of the device had been doing the rounds for a while now until Oppomart finally confirmed some of them in a brief listing. The confirmed specs include a 5-inch full HD screen and 1920×1080 pixels display. The chipset is Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, along with a 2.5 GHz processor.

On the camera front, the phone is equipped with a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP selfie camera. OnePlus X will have 3 GB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage as well. The phone is marked at a price of $249 which is about Rs. 16,000. The phone is also rumoured to feature Force Touch technology, something quite similar to the 3D Touch of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

Watch this space for more updates about the OnePlus X, and sit tight until the 29th of this month when the Chinese company finally makes its newest device official in the country.

October 20, 2015
Apple iPad Mini 4 is Now Available in India

The Apple event last month not only saw the unveiling of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but also two new iPads. The iPad mini 4 and iPad Air Pro continue Apple’s tablet legacy and now the iPad mini 4 has reached the Indian market.

The device is available for purchase from online retailer Infibeam at a starting price of Rs. 27,077 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi variant, and Rs. 38,900 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi+Cellular version. It also comes in 64 GB and 128 GB variants. The price tag is the same as last year’s iPad mini 3, and the mini 4 also sports a similar 7.9-inch Retina Display with 2048×1536 resolution. However, the iPad mini 4 has some new additions that include Apple’s A8 chip with M8 motion co-processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Other specs include an 8MP iSight 1080p primary camera and 1.2MP HD front-facing camera. It comes with a 5124mAh lithium-polymer battery with up to 10 hours of web surfing on Wi-Fi, video and music playback. The iPad mini 4 will, of course, run on iOS 9.

The iPad mini 4 comes in Silver, Gold, and Space Grey colours. You can purchase the tablet from Infibeam right now or wait for the device to hit other online and offline retailers. You can use the promo code CARNIVAL6 for a discount of 6% (up to Rs. 2000) on the iPad mini 4 on Infibeam. The Wi-Fi version will ship with 2-3 working days while the Wi-Fi+Cellular versions will take 4-6 days to reach you. No word yet on when the iPad Air Pro will launch in India.

October 20, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S7 Could Launch in January

According to reports that have emerged from South Korea itself, Samsung is expected to launch its new Galaxy S7 in January. Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge had been unveiled in March this year. Therefore it’s assumed that the next Samsung flagship would hit the markets at least an entire month before March next year.

This news comes in the wake of other companies having released their own flagships over the past couple of weeks. Samsung is likely to be facing the pressure of the competition, especially by the likes of the new iPhones, launched last month.

Furthermore, it is rumoured that there will be two variants of S7 -premium and sub-premium -designs which had already been finalised in September. The processor and modem is expected to be on a single chip for the premium model’s Exynos chipset, while on different ones for the sub-premium model.

Leaked information have also mentioned three different chipset variations used in the Galaxy S7, along with 3D Touch-like features and a USB Type C port. Sit tight until we get more updates on Samsung’s newest smartphone.

October 20, 2015
Apple Music Has Over 15 Million Users Now

Apple Music has been growing since its inception back in June. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently gave an update on how people are taking to the new music streaming service, and he feels delighted, to say the least. “It’s going really well,” he told Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker on stage at WSJD Live. “Fortunately, lots of people are liking it.”

There are over 15 million users right now with 6.5 million users already paying for the service and the rest still enjoying the 3-months free trial period. After the trial period users have to pay $9.99 for individual subscriptions or $14.99 for families. In India, it costs Rs. 120 per month for individual subscription and Rs. 180 for families after trial period ends.

Given the number of users – both paying and non-paying – on Apple Music right now, the service is getting closer and closer to Spotify, which has over 20 million paying users.

The free-trial for June users ends this month. So October is the first month Apple has started collecting payments. There are people still joining the service for the first time this month. Apple Music has seen mixed opinions from people. There are those who especially love the curated playlists offered in Apple Music, while others are happy staying with Spotify.

October 20, 2015
Apple Removes Over 250 Apps That Accessed Personal Information of Users

In an attempt to up its security, Apple got rid of over 250 apps from its App Store. These apps were using a software developed by a Chinese firm called Youmi which allowed them access to the user’s personal details like email address and the serial number of their smartphone. According to sources, the apps received a total of 1 million downloads.

The apps which relied on Youmi’s SDK, mostly made by companies and firms based in China, may not have willingly or knowingly violated Apple’s secutrity. As is backed by SourceDNA’s blog post:

“We believe the developers of these apps aren’t aware of this since the SDK is delivered in binary form, obfuscated, and user info is uploaded to Youmi’s server, not the app’s. We recommend developers stop using this SDK until this code is removed.”

This security issue was brought to light by SourceDNA when they were updating their own product called Searchlight. Searchlight inspects the security and checks apps for security violations. SourceDNA later on went ahead to comment in their blog post, “We’re concerned other published apps may be using different but related approaches to hide their malicious behavior.”

Apple on the other hand, issued the following statement:

“We’ve identified a group of apps that are using a third-party advertising SDK, developed by Youmi, a mobile advertising provider, that uses private APIs to gather private information, such as user email addresses and device identifiers, and route data to its company server. This is a violation of our security and privacy guidelines. The apps using Youmi’s SDK will be removed from the App Store and any new apps submitted to the App Store using this SDK will be rejected. We are working closely with developers to help them get updated versions of their apps that are safe for customers and in compliance with our guidelines back in the App Store quickly.”

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://sourcedna.com/blog/20151018/ios-apps-using-private-apis.html”]SourceDNA[/tw-button]

October 20, 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Arrives: “The Force is Calling to You…Just Let It In.”

We can barely control the giddiness that has just erupted over the third and potentially final trailer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The excitement has never been more real. The internet is literally breaking over the latest trailer, and there are plenty of reasons for it. The new footage premiered during halftime on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

If you’re still reading and haven’t already jumped to the end and hit play, the new trailer has some huge moments – both in action and scenery. The trailer sheds more light on new characters like Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley), and new antagonist, Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) – who seems to be carrying forward Darth Vader’s legacy. You can clearly see Kylo Ren talking to the salvaged helmet of Darth Vader, saying, “I will finish what you started”. The third trailer still has no signs of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), though we did hear him speak in the previous trailer. This time, we get to see Han Solo (Harrison Ford) speak a few new lines, and oh, how we love each and every word of it: “The Dark Side, the Jedi, they’re real.” And that really is all a fan needs to hear.

Official Poster

Clocking in at two and a half minutes, this trailer is perhaps the best look at what you can expect from the movie. We see Rey with her BB-8 droid on the planet Jakku. Her character is still a mystery and the trailers so far haven’t revealed much, but that hasn’t stopped fans everywhere coming up with possible theories as to who she might be. One of the more popular opinions suggest that Rey belongs to the Skywalker family. Whether she is the daughter of Han and Leia (Carrie Fisher) or if she’s Luke Skywalker’s own is still uncertain.

You also see the Millennium Falcon show off some new moves that will bring tears and nostalgia in buckets. And when the Millennium Falcon jumps to lightspeed, the goosebumps begin. We can go on and dissect every scene of the trailer, but instead we’ll stop here and let you go ahead and watch the trailer cause,”the Force is calling to you…just let it in.”

J. J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens will hit theaters December 18th.

October 20, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Concept Images Reveal a New Realm of Innovation

How does a brand behind the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ continue to innovate after coming out with curved displays that blew its competition away? Of course, we’re talking about Samsung here. We all know that the company is working on its next flagship, the S7. And every little detail about the upcoming phone is welcomed by tech enthusiasts all over. The biggest question on everybody’s mind is how Samsung is going to better itself with the S7.

We have already seen a curved display on the side. So perhaps it’s only logical that the company might curve the screen from somewhere else. How about the top and bottom for a change? Some concept images posted by 3DFuture on its blog show what could be Samsung’s next design. And it looks as sleek as it does futuristic.

Samsung has filed design patents and folks at 3DFuture have released images based on those patents. There is no guarantee that the S7 Edge will follow this design, but visuals are always welcomed. The image above and below reveal a sleek, sharp design where the edged display take the top and bottom position now. The concept also shows no hint of a home button while the volume buttons on the side remain intact. The rest of the design with a full metal unibody oozes style and luxury.

While you take a few minutes analysing the images, we would also like to let you know about other rumours going around. It is likely that Samsung is working on a 3D Touch feature that will be seen in the upcoming flagship. The concepts also support rumours of a fully metallic unibody. Other features could see a 5.8-inch display, UHD resolution, 4GB RAM, and Snapdragon 820 chipset and Exynos processors for East Asian markets.

We will bring you more details on the Galaxy S7 as it comes. Let us know what you think of the concept design in the comments below.

October 20, 2015
Priced Over 12 Lakhs Canon EOS C300 Mark Arrives in India

Canon’s second generation Cinema EOS 4K camera system for cinema, documentary, event and commercial videography has been launched in the country today. The camera includes a range of 15 stops, improved Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus, focus assist engineering and CFast recording technology. The EOS C300 Mark II is redesigned with user input that helps it to deliver flexibility for professional studio motion picture production applications, as well as independent productions, TV dramas, commercials, news features and sports among other things.

Mr. Andrew Koh, Vice President of Consumer Imaging and Information Center, Canon India said:

“As a technology innovator, it is important for Canon to add valuable assets to the portfolio and create an industry benchmark. After extensive research and user inputs, we developed the EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Camera that promises to deliver improved image-expression capabilities as well as operability, ruggedness and expandability”

Key features of the device include Canon EF or PL mount versions which supports a variety of autofocus modes, including continuous AF and Face Recognition when used with compatible Canon EF lenses. Further, the device integrates an 8.85 Megapixel Super 35mm 16:9 CMOS sensor that supports 4K (DCI) recording with a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels. It is also compatible with new and existing EF-mount lenses.

Canon EOS C300 Mark is priced at a not-so-less Rs. 12,99,000. For more information, click here.

October 19, 2015
Xiaomi’s Ninebot Mini is the Newest Self-Balancing Scooter on the Block

Xiaomi’s event today revealed the fruits of the company’s investment in Ninebot. The Chinese electronic company invested in a Chinese robotic startup called Ninebot back in April and now six months later they have come out with their first product – a new self-balancing scooter called the Ninebot mini. The scooter is Xiaomi’s Segway competitor.

Those familiar with the Segway will know what to expect from the Ninebot mini. The Ninebot mini is essentially a self-balancing scooter. This battery-powered scooter can reach a speed of 16 km/h, and can climb inclines up to 15 degrees. Xiaomi claims that the scooter can go go up to 22 km on a single charge. The Segway PT, on the other hand, gives a speed of up to 25 km/h and travels up to 38 hours on a single charge.

The Ninebot mini works the same way as the Segway. The driver uses their legs to steer the scooter and can also do a 360 degree spin on the spot. The Ninebot mini is lighter too at 12.8kg, and is small enough to fit in the trunk of a car.

Segway PT

The Ninebot is priced at 1,999 Yuan, which translates to around Rs. 20,000. This makes the Ninebot far cheaper than the Segway that debuted in India in 2010 with a price tag of over Rs. 3 lakh. The Ninebot Mini is made out of aerospace grade magnesium alloy, and also comes with safety gear set along with the Ninebot Mini.The scooter can even connect to your smartphone via an app. The app can show you traffic data and can also run a diagnostic check on the scooter.

Xiaomi has not yet revealed when it plans to launch the scooter but you can expect it to come out soon enough. The company has revealed plans to release the scooter in other markets as well.

October 19, 2015
Indian Engineers Part of the WARF Team Which Sued Apple and Won

The recent lawsuit between Apple and Wisconsin Alumnae Research Foundation (WARF) ended in a penalty of $234 million for Apple. Wisconsin University had sued the tech-giant over the use of patented chips in iPhones and iPads. You can find the whole story here.

The Wisconsin University team which sued Apple has two Indian engineers as part of it. Professor Gurindar Sohi and Terani Vijaykumar are members of the group which pursued legal action against Apple for the infringement of a patent they had developed.

It was ruled out by a jury court on Tuesday, that Apple had used technology in the processors of its devices which had originally been developed by Professor Sohi and Vijaykumar and two others. While WARF had asked for a penalty as high as about $862 million, it was brought down to $234 million.

Both Indian-origin professors are pass-outs from the Birla Institution of Technology and Science in Pilani, Rajasthan and currently teach at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Purdue University in Indiana, respectively. Mr. Sohi is a professor of computer sciences while Mr. Vijaykumar teaches electrical and computer engineering.

“This work has been recognized as a major milestone in the field of computer microprocessor architecture/design,” said Sohi.

The legal case against Apple had begun in April last year. Another such case has happened last month where WARF sued the company once again over patent infringement. The latter case is yet to reach a conclusion.

October 19, 2015
Here’s How You Can Jailbreak Your iOS 9 iPhone Or iPad

Jailbreak for iOS 9 is now official thanks to the team at PanGu. For the uninitiated, Jailbreak is what you do when you want more from your operating software. Jailbreaking allows for more customization of your device and gives you apps that are otherwise not found in the app store. Jailbreak for iOS is especially useful because Apple has a tougher screening process when it comes to the apps it selects for the App Store.

The name suggests that this is something that can involve some risks. With jailbreaking, you are in fact changing the way your iPhone or iPad functions in certain areas and you also have access to features that Apple has not incorporated. So, jailbreaking does come with its own set of risks, and it’s always advised to backup your data in iTunes before you proceed with jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad.

How to Jailbreak iOS 9:

1. Download an anti-bug/ bug-fixing app

Jailbreaks often have some bugs. Before jumping straight to jailbreaking your device, you should download a tool that fixes the various bugs. So the first thing you want to do is download Pangu’s jailbreak tool.

2. Back up your device

While your tool downloads, you can use the time to backup your iPhone in iTunes. You need a fresh install of iOS 9.0.2 and set up your device as a new device to apply the jailbreak. So, you need to download iOS 9.0.2 through your PC via USB. It is advised that you shouldn’t download through Wi-Fi as that may cause some issues. Once you’ve backed up your device, click ‘set up as new iPhone’.

A couple of more steps before you begin jailbreaking require you to switch off ‘Find my iPhone’ and Wi-Fi, disable passcode and switch to airplane mode.

3. Follow the instructions running on the PanGu tool

Run the PanGu tool and the program will tell you if your phone is ready. Follow the instructions clearly when the program begins. After about 50 percent, the device will restart and you will have to unlock your phone and enable airplane mode once again as well as click on the PanGu icon on your device.

4. Watch out for the Cydia icon

You’ll know your jailbreak has worked when you see the Cydia icon in your device. If it’s there it means you’ve had a successful jailbreak and you may proceed to restore your backed up data. Once you restore your data, all your files will be there including Cydia.

5. Restore your device and check out the tweaks

There are some pretty neat tweaks offered here. A tweak called Universal Force brings the latest 3D Touch feature to your older devices. You won’t get the full features of the 3D Touch, though, but what Universal Force does offer is that it gives you the peek and pop functionality for your apps, pictures and mail. You can press and hold on a picture in your gallery for a quick peek along with options to Copy, Share, Favorite or Delete the picture all from your Photos grid.

A Better5IconDock tweak lets you have 5 icons in your dock rather than just 4. So there is extra room to add your most frequented app.

Finally, CCSettings for iOS 8 gives you one of the best tweaks where you can now have a ton of different toggles in your Control Centre rather than the traditional 5 limit. There are loads of other tweaks that give your iPhone and iPad some flavour and some fun features to play around with.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2015/10/18/how-to-jailbreak-your-ios-9-ipad-or-iphone/3/”]Forbes[/tw-button]

October 19, 2015
Oppo Launches R7s With 4 GB Ram and 5.5-inch Display

Oppo has revealed it’s newest R7 phone at the GITEX event in Dubai. The phablet is called R7s and boasts of features like 4GB RAM and a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display covered by 2.5D glass.

The chipset is Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 and the internal storage is marked at 32 GB with a microSD card slot. The two cameras of the phone include a 13 MP for the main camera and an 8 MP for the selfie camera. R7s runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with ColorOS 2.1.

Physical measurements of the phone are as follows -151.8 x 75.4 x 6.95 mm, along with a battery of 3,070 mAh. The phone is expected to arrive in Australia and in a handful of Asian countries next month. In December, it will be made available in Europe and the United States. Availability and pricing for India is currently unknown. We’ll update you as soon as we have more details.

October 19, 2015
iPhone 6s Gets a Lukewarm Welcome in India

We reported how the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were getting phenomenal amounts of preorders in the USA, but the Apple wonder seems to have left its sparkle in America itself. India hasn’t taken to the iPhones too well as the opening weekend response has been tepid.

The devices managed to sell only 50,000 units out of a total of 165,000 (which is thrice the amount that was available last year).

The phones were launched in India on October 16th and it is highly likely that customers are either waiting for the price slash or it could also be because India is literally the most expensive place to buy the latest iPhones and that we would rather do without a hole in our pockets, that too during the festival season.

We can only watch what happens next and see how Apple manages to redeem itself. Till then, Samsung anyone?

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/lukewarm-response-to-new-apple-iphones-in-opening-weekend-115101900013_1.html”]Business Standard[/tw-button]

October 19, 2015