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WorldPenScan X Review : A Pen with Super Powers
With time, we have given super (read smart) powers to our phones, laptops, cars and even, washing machines. Next in line, is Super Stationary. It’s helpful, needed and makes us wonder why no one thought of it before. A product which comes under this category is the WorldPenScan X. Using this portable pen, you can scan sentences from a physical document and convert it into editable text. More so, it understands and translates over nine languages. The gadget is available for $149 (approx. Rs. 9723).

It started off as a Kickstarter project, and 264 backers contributed $34,652 to get the project rolling. On paper, it sounds like an extremely useful device to have around. So, here we check out if the device is worth the hype.

Overview

Its basic function is to scan and transfer data onto any mobile device or PC. An added perk includes, translating sentences into multiple languages. The box includes, the pen, a much-needed user manual, a standard charging cord and documentation. Once you unbox the device, to get started you need to install an app onto your PC or your mobile device. Since we’re constantly on the go, we decided to pair the pen with the iPhone 5. We downloaded the app which accompanies the device called ‘WorldPenScan X’. This device can be paired with Android devices, Windows, as well as Mac. In the box, they’ve provided a CD with the needed software. If you don’t have a CD Drive on your laptop/PC, you can download the software from their website (click here.)

Download the iOS app here and the Android app here.

Build Quality and Design

The WorldPenScan X resembles old-school fluorescent-coloured highlighting pens, which were the reason our dreary school books were covered in multiple colours. It is slightly large, so tedious to hold over a period of time and has an outer covering of shiny, slippery plastic along with a plastic cap. To ensure that dust doesn’t settle within the scanner, we’d strongly recommend you hold on to the cap. To clean the scanning port, use a soft brush and wipe it clean frequently.

The plastic is complemented with a rubberised panel on the device, which helps with the grip and ensures that it can be used for long hours. Other than the slippery body, the build is solid and its size ensures that the device is handy. Thanks to the sturdy build, you’re okay with tossing it into your bag.

Coming to the app, its interface is simple to understand and easy to use. Pairing the device couldn’t have been simpler – all you need to do is turn on the Bluetooth of your phone and launch the app. At the same time, make sure that the Pen Scanner is turned on; and you’re good to go.

Sharing options

The UI

Quick Translation

Capturing the words

Usage

The device does require charging however it isn’t necessarily tedious. We charged it once fully, and it has been in use for a few days now. Once you have gotten past connecting your smartphone to the WorldPenScan X, using it on an everyday basis, is a breeze. After using it for a few weeks, here are some of the points we noted:
1. It doesn’t have a LED indicator to indicate the usage or battery feature.
2. Secondly, while it is an ingenious device, it is not so accurate. It has a tendency to pick up letters which weren’t in the document being scanned.
3. You cannot be flippant while using the scanner, the words need to highlighted slowly and carefully.
4. If the wheel isn’t properly pressed it fails to deliver accurate results.
5. One of the major disappointments would be that it cannot read someone’s handwriting. No matter how neatly you try and write (we tried.)
6. Lastly, the scanning side of the device has an extremely helpful arrow which gives a clear idea of where you should be pointing the pen scanner at.
A major plus – the device automatically switches off when it detects it is not in use. This, we suspect, is the reason for its long battery life. However, you can’t charge it and use it at the same time.

We do wish that they had added a bigger head, since the device fails to read fonts bigger than a certain size. We tested multiple font sizes, anything above the standard 25pt, the pen has trouble reading.

Conclusion

While it has small issues that it needs to overcome, it serves the purpose. It manages to convert printed documents into editable text, which is quite a feat. If even a small part of your everyday work life revolves around copying text from a document, we’d strongly recommend you invest in the WorldPenScan X. Even though the device itself needs certain refinements, it’s a step in the right direcion. We’d recommend every office to have it’s own World Scan X. Like we said, it is the Stationary from the future.

Click here to buy now.
August 20, 2015
Asus All Set To Launch Its New Smartphone and Smartwatch at IFA 2015

Reports suggest that Asus will now launch a new smartwatch and a new smartphone at a press conference on the 2nd of September at IFA-Berlin 2015.

Asus has posted a video on their official Facebook page that shows new products, like a new monitor, a new smartphone and a new smartwatch. Reports suggest that the smartphone could be the ‘Z00TDA’ handset which is said to come with a 5.5-inch FHD display of 410ppi pixel density, an octa-core chipset paired with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB internal storage with support for a microSD card. This new device is also rumoured to be powered by the Android Lollipop and will come with 4G LTE connectivity and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera sensors.

Apart from Asus, Samsung is also planning to launch its smartwatch Gear S2 while Sony gets ready to launch its next flagship smartphones – the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Ultra. Other companies such as Huawei, Microsoft and Acer are also expected to launch products at this event. So watch this space for more details on the IFA-Berlin 2015 and more.

Watch the official Asus video here.

August 20, 2015
This Could Be BlackBerry’s First Android Smartphone

Here’s a very new and modern looking (by modern we mean quirky and awkward obviously) phone for you, playfully termed as the “FrankenBlackBerry”. BlackBerry has partnered with Android and come up with this device, so, it is basically a BlackBerry Android Phone! Didn’t see that coming did you?

A rendering of this device was leaked by Evan Blass on Twitter. The picture shows us a device that runs on Android with a 16:9 display as compared to BlackBerry’s traditional square screen. No, this phone does not look like a remote control. Never.

Further reports tell us that it’s even a slider, you know, so that the tall phone fits in your pocket, because – 2005. We all know how stylish a slider is, Gossip Girl taught us that, however, unfortunately the slide phone could be less durable, heavy, thick etc which would make typing slightly uncomfortable.

But then again, no pain no gain. If Samsung and LG can come up with Android supporting flip phones then why not? However, there have been no official announcements or reports about this device, though it could be a device that could work due to nostalgia – just like Terminator Genisys.

Source : Twitter

August 20, 2015
Google Reveals Why We Won’t Get to See Project Ara This Year

We told you that Google’s Project Ara had been delayed and now we know why. It turns out that the futuristic phone failed its drop test and caused the the Project Ara team to rework the phone’s current model, completely.

They themselves tweeted explaining why the delay was caused saying that the phone wasn’t fairing well, when dropped. This can pose to be a huge problem when phones today are made durable, at least for typical falls. Google will now have to see how to fix the Project Ara jigsaw, without it falling apart.

Project Ara’s creators now say they’re “testing a signature experience” to attach its modules. It’s not easy to put together a phone that allows you to interchange its core components and we hope that the team can demonstrate its revised design as soon as they’re done with finding the missing link.

August 20, 2015
WhatsApp Opens Up its Web Service to iOS Users – Finally!

WhatsApp has recently opened up access to its web service for Apple iPhone users. This service allows you to send and receive messages on your computers and phones.

This function is still being rolled out, and hence may not be available to all users immediately, but those of you who have the latest version of the WhatsApp app should be able to find a “web” menu option under the “settings”.

“Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device – this means all of your messages still live on your phone.” – WhatsApp Blogspot

However, the feature works through the internet, so, the phone has to be connected to the internet, otherwise the conversation will drop out and all the users’ texts will remain on the phone. The web can sync data with the phone app that allows messages to be received and sent, within the browser. In order to sync your iPhone with the web client, you will first have to scan a QR code from WhatsApp’s website using your phone.

The WhatsApp web client had been launched in January 2015 and has since been available to Google, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia operating systems. However, this is the first time it has been available for Apple’s smartphone device.

August 20, 2015
There is a Way You Can Get Cortana On Your Mac

Parallels is a software that is now putting a fully virtualized Windows 10 on a Mac OS X Yosemite system. This gives you the ability to run a licensed version of the OS on a Mac while also being able to access all the apps that would normally run only in Windows.

The twist that the Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac brings is that it introduces Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana to the OS X desktop. As reported, it also goes on to blend the Windows 10 elements into the OS X; for example – Cortana can appear on the OS X dock when you say “Hey Cortana”. One can also use the Cortana to launch Mac apps apart from its usual functions.

The Windows notification center has also been added to the Mac desktop just like how it is on the Windows 10 desktop. But, the Parallels Desktop also brings Mac features to the virtualized Windows system, such as – Quick Look, and Force Touch-supporting touchpad (if your macBook already has it).

According to further reports, one can also transfer files between both operating systems easily. For example, if one prints a windows file, you will also have full access to the Mac print dialog box.

The Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is said to be available and will support all the new licensed Windows 10 installations and migrations from existing machines. Standalone Parallels Desktop 11 for the Mac is priced at $79.99 (aprrox Rs.5220) while the price for an upgrade for those using the 9 or 11 version is $49.99 (approx Rs.3262). The Pro edition is priced at $49.99 a year.

You can buy or upgrade here.

Here’s what it looks like:

August 20, 2015
Looks Like This Year’s iPhone Won’t Be Bending

Last year, it seemed a little shocking when Apple users found their iPhones being susceptible to bending. And in order to wash that reputation away, rumours and reports suggest that this time, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be made from 7000 series aluminium, in order to make it more hardy.

Apple is yet to confirm this, but reports suggest that the alloy used for this year’s iPhones, will be composed of zinc (5%) and iron (might be as high as 8%). Although those are approximate and unconfirmed percentages, the Apple News site said that they discovered that ‘unspecified amounts of iron can be introduced into the shell during the milling process.’

Unbox Therapy, which is the YouTube channel that famously bent the iPhone 6 Plus on camera, last year, did a similar test on the iPhone 6s metal case, this year. He concluded that the shell did have zinc and iron in it and that one would need at least three times the force to bend this years iPhone. Do you feel reassured?

Atop the metal, a 10-micron thick anodized aluminum oxide layer is also present to protect the phone against corrosion and also to introduce dyes for various colour options.

Till Apple confirms these reports, watch Unbox Therapy’s newest iPhone 6s bend test video below:

August 20, 2015
New Details About HTC’s Upcoming Smartphone Range Revealed

The last phone that HTC released was its One M9, and we were expecting it to be called, One M10. But, if reports are to be believed, HTC might change the name of their upcoming smartphone range to O2.

This new handset is said to feature a 6 inch OHD display powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB RAM space. It is said to come in two storage variants – 64GB and 128GB with a 3,500mAh battery. The O2 could be environmentally sealed for water and dust protection.

Rumours also suggest that there might be another O2 model scheduled to release next year. This rumoured device could feature a 5 inch display and the unannounced Snapdragon 82x chipset.

However, these facts have not been confirmed as yet. So watch this space for more updates.

August 19, 2015
Xiaomi Shows Off Their New OS, The MIUI 7

In addition to the much awaited Redmi Note 2 that was only launched in China, Xiaomi also released its OS which is the new version of the company’s Android-based operating system. The MIUI 7 OS was announced in China and the international launch took place today, in India.

We will get to see a lot more features and information on the MIUI 7, this time so before we take a look, let us show you a video that shows the performance of the MIUI 7:

This UI was announced on August 16th 2010, and now has 48 official ROMs by various MIUI developers, and 480 community ROMs.That seems to be substantial growth in the last 5 years as the MUI has over 150 million users today spread across a 156 countries. Naturally then, it has a lot of expectations riding on its back.

Firstly, it has a feature called ‘System UIs’, which is basically a bunch of theme sets that allow you to customise your phone according to your own taste. It has 4 choices; Rose, Pink Blush, Ocean Breeze and High Life.

A second cool feature would be ‘Showtime.’ This allows you to attach animated videos to certain contacts that you’ll be able to view when they call you. Cool, right? The most amazing part is that we don’t need to keep waiting for it either. Contrary to how launches usually work, this time we will get to see this particular feature in India first, and then it will roll out in other areas. Let’s feel special for a moment.

Thirdly, it has a feature called ‘Auto DND’ that can be used in combination with your Mi Band fitness tracker, if you own one, of course. What it does is, if a Mi Band detects you’re sleeping, it will automatically put the device in a Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, and silence your device. Once you wake up, the DND will be disabled. It’s like your personal butler, in a way.

source: Gsmarena

The ‘XXL Text’ is something that most elderly people ought to use. It’s a feature that allows you to apply huge fonts on your smartphone, whilst promising that your Xiaomi UI won’t become dysfunctional. Another feature called The ‘MIUI Data Saver’ is actually powered by Opera Max’s compression tech. This will release worldwide, in a month and will offer you data saving across all apps. Why is this a good thing? Because Opera’s cloud compresses data, and hence can save you a lump sum of cash when it comes to mobile data (up to 50% less data consumption).

The MIUI 7 even has a feature called The ‘Baby Album’ that uses face recognition to identify adorable babies and group their photos with you. And lastly, The ‘Daily Lockscreen’ feature chooses a picture to put on your lockscreen, on a daily basis. Once again, we have the privilege of seeing these features first in India, before they roll out elsewhere.

Thus those are a list of features you should be looking out for, starting 24th August which is when the MIUI 7 update will be available. You’ll get the taste of the new OS on the Redmi 1S, Redmi 2, Mi 3, 4, 4i and Redmi Note 3G/4G.

August 19, 2015
Google Announces Its First YouTube Space In Mumbai, India

Google today has announced its first YouTube Space in Mumbai, India. This is a production facility for all those aspiring YouTube stars in India. It is the second of its kind in Asia and will be hosted by the famous Whistling Woods International film school.

The first project was launched in 2012 for budding YouTube filmmakers in order to provide them with high-quality equipment, mentorship and product quality content. This space is also used to host training programs, workshops and other creative events.

This move has been directed to help the new generation of YouTube potential in India with the country being amongst the “top contributors in Asia when it comes to driving time spent on YouTube watching videos.”

This is the seventh Space worldwide and will be open to YouTube creators very ‘soon’. Meanwhile, take a look at the sneek peak:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6VJU8vrxiE

August 19, 2015
Xiaomi Announces Its Limited Edition Sale Of the Mi 4i In Three Colour Variants

Xiaomi has announced, as part of its MIUI 7 global launch event in New delhi, that the Mi 4i Limited edition will go on sale on the 25th of August 2015. This new device will come in three variants – pink, blue and yellow. However, the price of this limited edition device has not been announced.

Currently, the Mi 4, launched in June, is available in two variants – white and dark grey and also comes with a 16GB and 32GB storage capacity. They are priced at Rs.12,999 and Rs.14,999 respectively.

The new Mi 4i Limited editions is said to come with a 5 inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS OGS display and comes with a second-generation 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit processor and 2GB of RAM.

On the camera front, it has a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie camera all supported by a 3,120mAh battery with quick charge support. Other connectivity features include dual-SIM card slots, LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. On the software front, this device will run on the MIUI 7.

August 19, 2015
Sony Unveils A String Of Metal Gear Devices Today

Sony has revealed a number of limited edition Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom pain devices, today. All these devices come with game-themed cases, engravings, sounds and wallpapers. Some of these devices are – The Xperia J1 Compact phone, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z4 Tablet and the Phantom Pain versions of Walkman A16 and audiophile-oriented Walkman ZX2.

These devices will reportedly arrive in Japan on the 2nd of September 2015 along with the MGS5. The price of these devices is however unclear, although one can expect around $225 for the Walkman A16 and around $1,125 for the ZX2. No other information regarding its release elsewhere is available, as of now.

August 19, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Hands On Impressions

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ is the company’s first big S series phone, as an add-on to the Galaxy S line of devices. Last year the company thought it better to launch an edgier Note in the form of a Note Edge. However, this year Samsung found it more favourable to make a bigger S6 edge.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ also marks a new chapter, one where the line between a smartphone and a phablet is basically blurring out. Samsung has slowly killed the category it created with the Note in 2010. Large screen phones are now mainstream and Samsung is basically reinforcing that with the S6 edge+.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ is designed to one up the iPhone 6 Plus in terms of specifications and hardware. The Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge both had huge success in the global markets and Samsung expects no less from the Galaxy S6 edge+.

The elder and bigger sibling is identical to the Galaxy S6 Edge, so identical that you won’t be able to tell them apart unless you put them together. There is a massive screen size different however a minor change in actual dimensions. The S6 edge+ just like the S6 Edge is flanked on both sides with edge displays.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ does become slightly more difficult to handle, and hence Samsung has added one handed operation and screen size reduction, similar to Apple’s double tap to pull down screen on the iPhone 6 Plus. This feature was also seen on the recent Galaxy A8 from Samsung.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ is actually slimmer at just 6.9mm vs the 7 mm of the Galaxy S6 and the feel in the hand is very premium. Samsung has really done a good job with the design of the S6 Edge and hence they, didn’t change anything, but make the phone bigger with the S6 edge+.

Everything from the display resolution to chipset and cameras are identical to the Galaxy S6 Edge, however thanks to the new large display of the S6 edge+ the pixel density drops to 515 ppi vs the mammoth 577 ppi on the S6 Edge. The Edge Plus variant also sports a larger 3,000 mAh battery to combat the drain from the larger QHD Super AMOLED display. An additional 1 GB of LPDD4 RAM, takes it upto 4 GB on the edge+ however the phone is missing the 128GB storage option as only the 32 and 64 GB variants will go on sale.

The software department on the edge+ too remains same as the S6 and the S6 Edge, with a cleaner and simplified UI and new apps window to the edge display Samsung is trying to leverage the screen real-estate. You will also still get a Flipboard news feed to the left of the home screen and gestures like flipping a ringing phone to mute the call. Double clicking the home button will quickly launch the camera.

You still get the fingerprint scanner and ability to remember internet passwords and Samsung Account details using your fingerprint as a security mechanism.

Some would argue that the Galaxy S6 Edge was the right size handset and that it fit well in almost all departments. Whether you were an executive or college student, the S6 and the edge variant seemed to be the right size for your hands.

With the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ the company is trying to reach to those who liked the iPhone 6 Plus and those who loved the Note category but found it to be a niche. With the S6 edge+ Samsung is trying to make the page size phone more mainstream, and by the looks of it, it seems to be headed in the right direction.

Stay tuned for our Full Review of the Galaxy S6 edge+

August 19, 2015
Silent Circle Announces the Second Edition of its Super Secure Smartphone

The second edition of Silent Circle’s privacy-focused handset, called Blackphone 2 has been made official. This device is now available for pre-order, however, the price has not been announced as yet.

The original Blackphone had been priced at $629 (aprrox Rs.41,044), although this device is said to be far superior than the first edition. It features a 5.5 inch 1080p display and is powered by an octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This phone is run on an Android-based platform called PrivatOS which includes secure apps, including ones for encrypted messaging and voice calls.

The device is expected to arrive in September, however no further details about this phone are known.

Click here to preorder the device.

August 19, 2015

India Pricing of the Samsung S6 edge+ Revealed

The S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5 were launched just about a week back and today we bring you more good news. The S6 Edge+ has now been launched in India as well. The smartphone is priced at Rs 57,900, and will go on sale from August 28 onwards. From what we hear, only the gold and silver colour variants with 32GB storage will be made available in India.

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is noted to have a bigger display but yet is smaller and more compact when compared to devices like the iPhone 6 Plus.

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has a 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 (518ppi) dual edge screen and is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The device runs on the Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) with an Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14nm processor.

The device comes in two variants – 32GB and 64 GB both with a 4 GB RAM (only the 32GB variant is available in India). The primary camera has a 16 MP, 2988 x 5312 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash while the front camera has a 5 MP, dual video call, Auto HDR one.

Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi , dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, a bluetooth v4.2, GPS and a nano-SIM.The S6 edge+ come with a non-removable Li-Ion 3,000mAh, fast charging both, wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA .

For a comparison of the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+, click here.

Here is the list of specs:

Features	Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
Display	5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED Dual edge screen
Resolution	2560 x 1440 (518ppi)
Processor	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process
OS	Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
RAM	4GB
Storage	, 32 GB
Primary Camera	16MP OIS (F1.9)
Front Camera	5MP
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO(2×2), Bluetooth® v 4.2 LE, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC, Location
Battery	3,000mAh, Fast Charging both on wired and wireless Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA
Price	Rs. 57,900

August 19, 2015

Blog

Overview

Build Quality and Design

Usage

Conclusion