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Amazon Accidentally Leaks Full Details of the Upcoming Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime

Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi, is known for purposely dropping hints before releasing their smartphones. This time is no different. We know that Xiaomi is holding an event in Beijing on 13^th August, and many had been speculating that it could be the Mi 5. But, today, Amazon dropped in a hint, accidently or intentionally, about a new handset named the Redmi 2 Prime. So now, we know that Xiaomi may release, either both or one of the devices, during the event.

When Xiaomi released the Redmi 2 earlier this year at a launch event, the company also said that it would be soon launching a limited edition with better specs. According to the listing, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has a 4.7-inch display with high definition resolution and Asahi Dragontrail glass. The handset measures 134 x 67.2 x 9.4 mm and weighs 133 grams with a 2,200 mAh Li-Po battery that claims to offer 14 hours of talk time.

It is based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system. It is powered by 2 GB RAM and a 1.2 Ghz quad core processor (Snapdragon 410). Besides, the Redmi 2 Prime has an 8MP rear camera that comes along with an LED flashlight and a 2MP front camera.

The Redmi 2 Prime is said to come with 16 GB of internal memory and a 32 GB microSD card slot. Other than tha,t the phone has dual SIM (micro), 4G/3G connectivity, WiFi, micro USB port, Bluetooth and GPS.

Amazon removed the listing immediately, not before a screenshot was secured. There was no mention of the price or the availability of the device. Guess we will have to wait for an official announcement by Xiaomi.

What do you think the price range would the device fall in?

August 7, 2015
HTC to Discontinue Several Phone Models in Order to Keep Up Numbers

HTC Corp. has come under a lot of slack, for the past couple of years for being “confused, unoriginal and uncompetitive”. With their shares having fallen by 51 percent so far, the Taiwanese smartphone makers have reportedly announced, that they would be cutting jobs and discontinuing models so that they can focus on high-end devices, which they hope will enable them to compete with Apple Inc. and Samsung.

“The cuts will be across the board,” said Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang, “they will be significant.”

He also mentioned that the cost reductions would extend up to the first quarter of the following year, but no further information has been reported.

The company seems to have been losing its market share both in the high-end as well as the low ranged sectors, with Apple and Samsung electronics in the former and Chinese rivals at the latter range, taking over rapidly.

Reports suggest that Chang also mentioned HTC’s strategy for the coming quarter would be – to bank on selling high-end smartphones in India where the company is said to have 20 percent market share of phone priced between approximately Rs.15,946 and Rs.25,514.

However, while most analysts are still skeptical of HTC’s stable continuance, it is to be seen whether this strategy will work for them or not.

August 7, 2015
Research : Almost All Fingerprint Sensors on Android Mobiles Can Be Hacked

New reports suggest that our fingerprints are not as unique and safe for security, as we might have otherwise believed. This makes almost all Android smartphones in the future susceptible to getting hacked. Studies by FireEye researchers Tao Wei and Yulong Zhang have outlined new ways to attack an Android device to extract the user’s fingerprint.

As of now, this threat is said to be confined to Android devices like Samsung, Huawei and HTC devices. The research shows four outlines for these hacks, and one them called the “fingerprint sensor spying attack”, is said to be able to “remotely harvest fingerprints on a large scale,” says Zhang.

Reports suggest that the two devices that have been hacked are – the HTC One Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S5. This happens because the device doesn’t fully lock down the sensor, allowing the hacker to acquire a fingerprint image.

“In this attack, victims’ fingerprint data directly fall into attacker’s hand. For the rest of the victim’s life, the attacker can keep using the fingerprint data to do other malicious things,” Zhang said.

As we know before fingerprint technology was used for mobile payments and unlocking devices, it had been previously used for identity, immigration, and for criminal records. However, researchers have not mentioned which device is more secure than the other, although they have mentioned that the iPhone is “quite secure” as it is encrypted by a fingerprint data from the scanner. So, “even if the attacker can directly read the sensor, without obtaining the crypto key, [the attacker] still cannot get the fingerprint image,” he said.

Research also says that this hack is susceptible to high-end laptop users with fingerprint sensors and advice users to use devices that are regularly updated and install apps only from reliable sources.

Source:[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-can-remotely-steal-fingerprints-from-android-phones/”] Zdnet[/tw-button]

August 7, 2015
Two Million People Have Already Reserved the OnePlus 2

Regardless of how the smartphone sales for other companies are doing, OnePlus has skyrocketed to making up to 2 million reservations for its new device OnePlus 2, as of Thursday. This number has established the company’s place in the industry for the foreseeable future.

“Over 2 MILLION reservations for the OnePlus 2. Thank you for your overwhelming support!” reads OnePlus’ Twitter account.

The company is said to have had 1 million reservations within hours of the unveiling of OnePlus 2 and took only a week for reservations to hit the 2 million mark. This number is special for the OnePlus company since its benchmark to date has been 1.5 million units for the OnePlus One and this also means that more people are looking to buy new devices from this company.

Reports suggest, that OnePlus will be sending out invites to customers in USA, India and Europe on the 11th of August 2015.

Watch our hands on with the device here:

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://twitter.com/oneplus”]Twitter.com/oneplus[/tw-button]

August 7, 2015
New Feature on iOS 9 Automatically Switches to Cellular Data When Wifi is Poor

The new iOS 9 beta showed us two new interesting features – firstly it allows your phone connectivity to switch to your data connection, when the Wi-Fi signal is low and secondly, it allows Wi-Fi calling for AT&T subscribers.

As of now, the iPhone can connect, or attempt to connect to a known Wi-Fi hotspot that is within range, even if the connection is too weak to transmit data. So, the solution to this problem has been to disable the iPhone’s Wi-Fi radio. However, with the the “Wi-Fi Assist” option in the iOS 9 beta, one can go to the “Cellular” menu in the Settings app, and enable the feature, it will then force your device to switch to a 3G or 4G connection when the Wi-Fi signal drops. The feature also notifies you by making the icon turn grey, indicating that the Wi-Fi is being switched off.

Reports also suggest that the iOS 9 beta enables Wi-Fi calling for AT&T subscribers, providing them with incoming and outgoing calls to a local wireless network, and thereby offering a more reliable connection, enhanced audio quality and better battery performance.

However, the iOS 9 beta is exclusive to only developers, for now. Reports suggest that this has been done in order to “avoid causing too much aggravation with bugs or poor performance.” Therefore, one might have to wait for a few more days/weeks until the iOS 9 becomes public.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/06/everything-new-in-ios-9-beta-5/”]9to5mac[/tw-button]

August 7, 2015
7 Simple Ways to Protect Your Privacy While Using Windows 10

Sixty seven million Windows users are rejoicing at the thought of being upgraded to Windows 10 and are enjoying the convenience that comes with Bing knowing your location, Cortana knowing your name and sometimes other personal information. All your contacts, photos and everything are constantly being processed by the new software. It sounds perfect. However, one minor detail is missing. What is Windows 10 doing to protect your privacy as it constantly saves passwords, credit card numbers and personal information?

Here are a few things you can do to protect you privacy, while using Windows 10 and enjoying its features at the same time:

1. Know your Apps:

Many applications on Windows 10 require your personal information. For example, Maps, which needs your location in order to function. While Maps tells you where its using your personal information, many apps on Microsoft don’t necessarily follow the same protocol. Therefore, it is important to tweak the privacy settings of any app you use so that your personal information going out is limited, if not completely inaccessible.

2. Communications:

Microsoft tends to take in all the contact information of their users, just incase their primary means of communicating, fail. It does this so that it can send you information as well as promotions. In order to manage these communications better, click here (if you have a Microsoft account) and here, if you don’t.

3. Ads:

We all know that advertisements generate revenue. So if Facebook and Google can track you to sell ads, so can Microsoft. Microsoft does it according to your interests and even gives you your own advertising ID to make it simple. However, you can choose not to be a part of interest-based ads by clicking here. Opting out of that though, doesn’t mean that data won’t be collected or the number of ads that pop up will reduce.

4. Turn off the tracking:

Follow these steps to prevent Microsoft from collecting random data and information –

Start > Settings > Privacy > Feedback and Diagnostics > Click “never” to change the feedback frequency and Usage Data to “basic”

Also, while in the Privacy menu, you can regulate any information from your location, camera, microphone etc. It can be controlled from that menu.

5. Guard Your Browser History:

You can stop the sending of your browsing history by Edge by clicking on the top right corner of Edge, then settings > Advanced Settings > View Advanced Settings, under Privacy and Services, turn off “Have Cortana Assist Me in Microsoft Edge.” This is essential because Edge only sends your information to Microsoft so that Cortana can be further personalised. So all you got to do, is turn her off. And while you’re in the Privacy and Services menu, make sure you turn off “use page prediction to speed up browsing, improve reading, and make my overall experience better.”

“If you received your Microsoft account from a third party, like an Internet service provider, that third party may have rights over your account, including the ability to access or delete your Microsoft account.” — Microsoft

6. Don’t Get Tricked Into Creating a Microsoft Account:

Try and keep all your information within your local computer only. Even if Microsoft urges you to create an account, don’t do it because once done, it pieces together all your metadata and connects it to you ID. This can be a tricky situation and one must be extremely careful while sharing this information. Its never a good idea to share accounts. In order to delete or manage your Microsoft account go to Settings > Accounts > Your Account.

7. Cortana Can be Creepy:

Yes, at first it is fascinating to have an attractive voice talking back to you and calling you by your name. But, Cortana doesn’t know just your name. She has access to more information than you think she does and the whole situation sounds a little intrusive. So if you want to snap Cortana out of being too clingy, click here. There, you will be able to clear the Interests section as well as the Speech Inking and Typing information.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.wired.com/2015/08/windows-10-security-settings-need-know”]Wired[/tw-button]

August 7, 2015
WhatsApp’s Latest iOS Update Allows You to Mute Individual Chats

Whatsapp has been rolling out quite a few updates only for Android devices, leaving iOS users with absolutely no new features that the Android user enjoys. Today, it looks like Whatsapp for iOS has bought in some noteworthy and useful features, while some of these are not available for Android.

The new update brought in features like backing up video chats, improved VoiceOver support and sharing location directly on Whatsapp, which will show a large map thumbnail for improved reading. If that is not good enough, Apple Maps can also be shared to Whatsapp directly.

Messages can now be marked as Read/Unread. A feature already present in Whatsapp for Android, this allows users to mark messages as unread. For iOS devices, a swipe to the right marks the message as read or unread which earlier gave the option to delete a conversation.

One of the most exciting new features is the Mute Individual Chat. This feature is for now, absent in Android and as the name suggests, allows you to mute individual contacts. Earlier, you could mute only group chats. You can also customize chat notifications, setting up specific message tones for different people now.

Whatsapp has also disabled the ‘Show Preview’ in the iOS update to provide better security and privacy and gives the option of lowering data usage on Whatsapp calls.

You can download the new update for iOS here.

August 6, 2015

Asus Launches Zenpad 7 And 8 at Rs. 11,999 and Rs. 14,999 Respectively

Asus has also launched the Zenpad 7 at Rs. 11,999 and the Zenpad 8 at Rs. 14,999. Both are said to come with an audio back cover at an additional price of Rs. 3,000 and also have a swappable back cover. Asus has added six speakers to the back of the tabs to give a DTS-HD 5.1 Surround Sound experience.

The Zenpad 7 has a 7 inch display with 1024×600 pixels resolution, an Intel Atom x3-C3200 powered processor with 1GB RAM, an internal storage of 32GB that is expandable via a microSD card up to 128GB, a camera of 2-megapixe,l sensors on the back and a VGA up front. It tuns on the Android 5.0 Lollipop with a battery life of up to 9 hours.

Here are the specs:

Features	Zenpad 7
Display	7 inch display with 1024×600 pixels resolution
Processor	Intel Atom x3-C3200
OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Storage	32GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
Camera	2-megapixel sensor (rear), VGA (front)
RAM	1GB
Battery	up to 9 hrs
Price	Rs. 11,999

Moving on to the Zenpad 8, it comes with an 8-inch QXGA screen with 2048×1536 pixel resolution, powered by an Intel Atom Z3530 processor with 2GB RAM, it has a storage of 32GB expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card, a rear camera that comes with a 5-megapixel view and a 2-megapixel front camera. It runs on the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and also comes with a 9 hour long battery life.

Here are the specs:

Features	Zenpad 8
Display	8-inch QXGA screen with 2048×1536 pixel resolution
Processor	Intel Atom Z3530
RAM	2GB
OS	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Storage	32GB expandable up to 128GB via microSD card
Camera	5MP (rear), 2MP (front)
Battery	up to 9 hours
Price	Rs. 14,999

August 6, 2015

Asus Launches the Photo-Centric Zenfone 2 Laser

Asus Zen Festival 2015 has begun in New Delhi today. On this occasion, the Taiwanese handset maker has launched four new devices: ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone Max and the ZenFone Laser.

We are serious about the Indian market which is growing tougher day by day and that is why we want to do something different. We will showcase more products and share their prices at the Zen Festival

Asus managing director, Peter Chang.

The Zenfone 2 Laser has three variants. The first variant, Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5, has a 5.5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display, with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. It is powered by a Snapdragon 410 quad-core 64-bit processor paired with 2GB of RAM and offers 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. It gets its juice from a 3,000 mAh battery and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop wrapped under ZenUI.

The second variant has almost the same specs as the first, except that it comes in a 3GB RAM variant with Snapdragon 615 SoC. The third variant (ZE601KL) has a 6-inch screen with a 1080p display. This particular variant also supports dual SIM and 4G LTE connectivity.

But, this is not the highlight of the device. This phone is made especially for budding photographers. It sports a 13MP primary camera along with a 5MP front snapper. The camera includes laser autofocus that will be able to focus on a subject in less than a second, as claimed by Asus.

The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 (ZE550KL) with 2GB of RAM is priced at Rs. 9,999, the 3GB RAM variant with Snapdragon 615 SoC is priced at Rs. 13,999 and the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser 6 (ZE601KL) is priced at Rs. 17,999.

Meanwhile, at the ongoing festival, Asus also showed several tweaks and improvements to the Zen user interface. You can read more about the ZenFone 2 Deluxe and the ZenFone Selfie by clicking on the respective links.

More products will be showcased at the event. Keep checking iGyaan for the latest updates.

August 6, 2015
Asus Unveils Zenfone Max With a Massive 5000mAh Battery

Asus, at the Zenfestival, has launched the Zenfone 2 Deluxe, Zenfone 2 Laser and Zenfone Selfie in India. Apart from this it has also unveiled another smartphone called the Zenfone Max, however, the company has not yet revealed the price of the smartphone and is said to be waiting until October to do so.

They did announce the biggest feature of the Zenfone Max – its 5,000mAh battery, which is said to last for more than a day after a single charge. The battery can reportedly also be used as a power bank to charge other devices.

Other features include, a 5.5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection, the Snapdragon 410 chipset processor with 2GB RAM. The camera comes with a 13-megapixel f/2.0 aperture at the back and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. In the same category is the Gionee Marathon M4, which comes with the exact same battery capacity.

Are you looking forward to this phone?

August 6, 2015

Asus Launches Zenfone 2 Deluxe, Priced Starting at Rs. 22,999

Today Asus has launched three new smartphones in India during their Zenfestival. One of the devices launched, is called the, Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs. 22,999.

This device is packaged with a back panel showcasing a new texture – a diamond cut design with crisscross patterns, and a colour that changes shades when you move the phone. Other specifications include a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, a 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core 64-bit processor along with a PowerVR G6430 GPU and 4GB of RAM.

It also comes in two variants with different storage capacities – 64GB and 128GB, which can further be expanded to up to 64GB by using a microSD card. The primary camera comes with a 13MP f/2.0 aperture, and a Real Tone LED flash and a front camera with a 5-megapixel selfie camera, f/2.0 aperture.

It features dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS and is powered by a 3,000mAh battery. the operating system runs on the Android 5.0 Lollipop wrapped under ZenUI.

Here are the specifications:

Features	Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe
Display	5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels)
Processor	2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core 64-bit
OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop wrapped under ZenUI
GPU	PowerVR G6430
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB/128GB
Expandability	up to 64GB
Rear Camera	13MP f/2.0 aperture, and a Real Tone LED flash
Front Camera	5-megapixel selfie camera, f/2.0 aperture
Connectivity	dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS
Battery	3,000mAh
Starting Price	Rs. 22,999

Let us know what you think about this device.

August 6, 2015

Asus Launches the Zenfone Selfie with a 13MP Front Camera in India

At the ongoing Zen Fest held in New Delhi, Asus has launched three new smartphones. One of them is the Asus Zenfone Selfie which, as name suggests, is aimed at selfie enthusiasts. With a 13MP front camera, it can click sharp self portrait images. The hi-res front camera is paired with a 13MP back camera as well; both come with Dual-LED flash. The device has been priced starting at Rs. 15,999.

Camera specifications aside, the smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1920x1080p) IPS LCD display, protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit processor paired with Adreno 405 GPU is equipped to the Asus Selfie. It comes with 2GB RAM for the 16GB variant and the 3GB RAM for the 32GB variant. The two handsets run on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom ZenUI on top. The two variants come with expandable memory and are fuelled by a 3,000mAh battery.

Some of the other smartphones which for selfie lovers include Sony Xperia C4, Micromax Canvas Selfie, HTC Desire Eye and the recently launched Xperia M5.

The smartphone is 4G-enabled and comes with dual SIM capabilities.

Here are the full specifications of the Asus Zenfone Selfie

Specification	Asus Zenfone Selfie
Display	5.5-inch display
Resolution	1080 x 1920 p
Chipset	Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit
RAM	2GB/3GB
Storage	16GB/32GB
Rear Camera	13 MP
Front Camera	13 MP
Battery	3,000 mAh
Operating System	Android Lollipop with ZenUI
Miscellaneous	Infrared sensor for remote control
Starting Price	Rs. 15,999

August 6, 2015

Toshiba, SanDisk Announce the First 256GB Memory Chip for Next-Gen iPhones

Toshiba and SanDisk have unveiled the first 256Gb 48 layer BiCS 3D flash memory. How is this connected to Apple? Both these companies are the two major flash providers for Apple’s iPhone 6. With this announcement, reports suggest, that the iPhone 7 which is expected to launch next year, could come with this hardware.

This means that with these 32GB flash modules the iPhone 7 would be potentially, faster and more efficient than anything else in the market. Reports also say that the new chip is-built on a 15nm process technology and will have twice the capacity of the most compact memory available in the markets today.

This new product can be used in smartphones, tablets, memory vards, SSDs etc. It is based on the 3D Bit Cost Scaling technology which enhances the write or erase reliability and can boost write speeds as compared to a 2D memory. It is also said to be able to store 3 bits of data per transistor.

However, neither Toshiba nor Apple have confirmed anything. The hardware company has not mentioned any potential clients for this product, although reports assume that Apple might stick to its usual suppliers and hence incorporate the new type of 3D NAND flash in their new device next year.

Toshiba has said that they will be sampling the new flash memory in September and announced that they are preparing for mass production of the device. This collaboration between SanDisk and Toshiba is said to be completed next year.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/us/company/taec/news/2015/08/memory-20150803-1.html”]Toshiba[/tw-button]

August 6, 2015
Airtel Launches Pan-India 4G Services

Airtel, has been launching its 4G services in various parts of the country, such as Bangalore and very recently Delhi. However, today it has launched its all India 4G services. To use this, you will have to swap your SIM card to one that supports 4G connectivity. Airtel has made this change very easy and efficient by ensuring a swapped SIMs within 10 minutes and a 4 hour doorstep delivery system.

The pricing of the 4G connectivity remains the same as the 3G, making it an affordable switch – something Indian customers always look forward to. Airtel is also launching an app called Wynk, that allows you to watch movies and videos on smartphones, as well as allows you to download and watch movies offline.

Various Airtel 4G services include an infinity plans which allows you to make unlimited calls with more data than usual, however not unlimited. The two cons of the 4G so far are – firstly, it uses up too much battery life and secondly, that it doesn’t have an unlimited data plan as yet.

With Airtel being the first mobile company in India to launch the 4G services, it is to be seen whether they capture the 4G market or not. Other companies such as Vodafone, are catching up to the 4G fever.

For more details log on to airtel.in/4G.

August 6, 2015
Kenwood USA Heads In a New Direction, Launches New Headphones

Kenwood USA, famously known for its multimedia system and car audio components, have ventured into a new category of products. The company has officially entered the headphone market and had invited a few selected retailers in an enclosed meeting area at the CES this year to give a glimpse of the new product.

The company debuted with three sets of headphones- two in-ear and one over-the-ear models, namely KH-CR500, KH-SR800 and the KH-KR900. All the headphones are designed for specific purposes. The in-ear KH-CR500 headphones have an $80 (Rs 5,104) suggested retail and come with three sets of memory-foam ear cushions and three sets of silicone. The waterproof KH-SR800 sports headphones cost $120 (Rs 7,656) and are designed to be worn without interfering with glasses, the cord and clip snaking behind the neck. They come with silicone and open-type ear pieces, the latter allowing ambient noise to flow in for runners and bikers. Both in-ear models have 10mm drivers. The third model, KH-KR900, has an over-ear, fold-flat design with 40mm drivers and a $200 (Rs 12,760) price tag. The housings feature four ports that are each tuned to specific frequencies, which Kenwood called its “Quad Duct Engine.” A detachable, 4-foot flat cord is included.

Each headphone is fitted with neodymium driver units and can be used with any Apple or Android devices.

Dave Hoag, Vice President of Sales, said

These headphones are part of a significant shift in our product philosophy, but it’s not the beginning of that shift. We understand that these days, on-the-go entertainment doesn’t always start or end in the vehicle. That’s why we’ve put so much into creating a connected in-vehicle environment, to allow consumers to enjoy streaming music services and digital downloads with a quality audio experience. These new headphones represent a continuation of that effort: letting drivers enjoy high-quality Kenwood sound wherever they go.

For now, the devices are available only in specific retail stores in the US and its availability in India isn’t known as yet.

August 6, 2015

Blog

1. Know your Apps:

2. Communications:

3. Ads:

4. Turn off the tracking:

5. Guard Your Browser History:

6. Don’t Get Tricked Into Creating a Microsoft Account:

7. Cortana Can be Creepy: