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Here’s How Facebook Would Like to Replace Google

When browsing through mobile, it is quite a task to open a website, copying the link, switching between the apps and pasting it on your Facebook status bar. For many users, this is quite a cumbersome job. According to TechCrunch, to change the experiences for its mobile users, Facebook is working on an internal test search engine for its mobile app.

TechCrunch spotted that a few iOS users saw a new ‘Add a Link’ button next to buttons that we use to add photos, location and feelings. Upon writing down a word in the search engine, a list of related and matching links shows up that can be shared to your wall along with a caption. Using this feature, users will be able to bypass search engine while searching for content and give the social media giant a rich data of analytics of the type of content being explored and shared in a series of detailed statistics.

This move by Facebook may throw a hard brick on Google. On the other hand, Google has also allowed users to order food from its search results and add tweets. Apple, too, mentioned about the AppleBot on its support page, indicating an all-new Apple Search on Safari and other search related apps on iOS and OSX environment. This may set up an entirely new bar for search engines.

There are no words when this feature will roll out for the rest of its mobile users. For now, only a handful of iOS users has access to this new tool.

May 11, 2015
The OnePlus Power Bank is Finally Here!

After rumours and teasers about the ‘game-changing’ product from OnePlus, the company’s power bank has finally arrived in India. OnePlus unveiled the same through its Facebook’s OnePlus India account saying, “The most awaited #OnePlus Power Bank is here! Buy it now.” The device is priced at Rs. 1,399.

As mentioned above, the power bank will exclusively be available on Amazon India. The OnePlus portable battery has a massive capacity of 10,000mAh. The device easily slips into your pocket and can fully charge your OnePlus thrice. The time required to charge the accessory is 5.5 hours. It comes with two USB ports so that you can charge two devices at the same time. The colour options available in the OnePlus power bank is Sandstone Black and Silk White.

Click here to buy now.

 

May 11, 2015
Here’s Everything We Know About the OnePlus 2 So Far

One of the biggest success stories of 2014 was the Chinese electronics start-up, OnePlus. The newbie started off with the flagship killer, One, which conquered the mid-segment smartphone market. It was a feature-rich phone with top-notch specs that came with a reasonable price tag.

Now, exactly a year after One’s release, the market is more than ready to find out what the company has developed for 2015.

We are summing up all that we know till date about the OnePlus Two (temporarily titled).

Specs

Not much is known about the specifications of the upcoming OnePlus handset, but we some significant information that points out to its robust processing capacity. As per the detail leaked by the company CEO Liu Zuohu, OnePlus Two will run on Snapdragon 810 chipset along with 4GB RAM. A 5.5-inch 2K display will enhance the viewing experience of the user.

There is a high possibility of OnePlus Two running on Cyanogen OS, as the differences between Cyanogen and the Chinese smartphone firm have been sorted out. All legal proceedings have been resolved and the cases have been withdrawn through mutual consent. The addition of Cyanogen on the next OnePlus device might help drive the sales of the device.

Availability

In the major disclosure yesterday, OnePlus’ Zuohu spilled the beans on the release time of OnePlus Two. The much-awaited device will make a debut in the third quarter of this year. India will be one of the first countries to see the launch of the next probable flagship killer.

The kickass back panels promised by OnePlus that never came to the market.

Price

The handset will be priced higher than its predecessor. It is reported to cost 2499 Yuan, which translates to Rs. 25,700 approx. The firm must have decided on quality features and specifications that speak for its price.

Till the next iteration comes out, you can feast your eyes on the OnePlus One:

May 10, 2015
Top Tech-Toys For a Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Every mom in this world is special, and we would always want to take that extra step to make here time worthwhile. A bouquet of flowers, a hand-made card, all add up to it. What we have here are some tech-savvy gifts that may make your mom’s life a little easier.

Check out our list of some tech gadgets you can gift to her:

Fitness Band:

Fitness bands are really cool. Especially for someone who works around the clock for the betterment of the family and have almost negligible time to keep a check on health. Cheap and easily available, these bands make for handy gifts. When coupled up with the corresponding fitness app, this wearable can give details on the heart rate and sleep cycles. Also, some are available in different color variations too.

At the IFA 2014, Garmin, modern in-car navigation systems maker, introduced a new wearable device that combines the communication features of a smartwatch with the fitness-centric abilities of an activity tracker. The Vivosmart does what regular activity trackers do best, along with which it borrows some of the key features typically found in smartwatches. It also tracks your sleep, based on movement, and offers daily reports on how much time you spent moving. In fact, through the Garmin Connect app, all your activity data gets rendered into easier-to-understand charts and graphs.

 

Chromecast:

Chromecast is a thumb-sized medium through which you can easily shift viewing from your laptop, Android phone and tablet to TV. For this, your mobile becomes your personalized remote control.You can browse your favourite movies, videos and more and cast it on your TV. You can pause, play, rewind, create playlists and can even control the volume. Just plug in, connect and enjoy. In short, it’s a whole new way for your mom to enjoy video viewing.

 

Camera:

Memories are the best gifts ever! And what would be more impressive than gifting your mom a device to capture and store happy moments? Cameras are one of the best surprises that can ever be offered. Buy that camera, and click the first selfie with your mom.

The Sony-DSCRX10 Cybershot Digital Camera can capture sharp images and full-HD video clips in pretty much any lighting condition, with a vast focal range.

 

E-Reader:

Designed mainly for reading purposes, this device may help your mom avoid the heated summer shopping for magazines. The hefty burden of carrying books or managing her library. Just a single tab can hold a number of books and magazines for your mom to read. It will be a fantastic gift for your mom if she is a bookworm and save her precious time spent on regular travels to the bookstore.

Amazon’s Kindle is the most prominent of all readers, and it has been in India for quite some time now. It has a 300 ppi display that is claimed to have the highest resolution, contrast, and brightness till date. To give a natural book reading experience, the Kindle has haptic actuator that create advanced vibrations when a page is turned.

 

Portable Phone Charger:

An excellent source of power when you do not have any access to any electricity. Your mom will never have to worry about low-charged mobile phones while traveling or otherwise. It is small and portable, and can be carried along anywhere she goes.

Until the OnePlus power bank is available, the CP-F5 is a 10,000 mAh portable charger from Sony and is rechargeable for 1,000 times and capable of retaining 90 percent of battery capacity even after 1,000 charges. This silver USB portable charger requires a charging time of 7 hours via an AC adapter and 23 hours through a standard USB port.

May 10, 2015
BlackBerry Will Not Manufacture Sub-$200 Phones: Company’s India Head

Lately, BlackBerry has been witnessing a revenue dip in its smartphone segment. It recently released Leap and Classic, to catch up with the present smartphone market, but the Canadian firm’s future success is uncertain. Hence, BlackBerry has chosen to restrict the yearly rollout of its models and focus on enterprise business for maximum profits.

BlackBerry India Managing Director Sunil Lalvani said they will roll out the company’s key handsets, but for a niche segment. “The focus going ahead is the enterprise business, which today contributes a significant portion to the company’s revenues,” commented Lalvani. He further stated that they will not manufacture sub-$200 phones in future like other smartphone manufacturers are doing these days.

BlackBerry’s market share in the Q4 last year explains the actual position of the company. According to research firm IDC, the market share of BlackBerry was 0.4% in last quarter 2014 (October-December), which was 8.1% during the same period in 2011.

Lalvani comments on the firm’s goal for the coming years were –

Going ahead the focus will be on increasing the bottom line and not the top line. So, in aligning ourselves to this view, we will not sell a huge number of handsets and hardware to boost our revenue figures but concentrate our effort on our high-margin enterprise and software services, which will drive profits.

A couple of days back, an innovative idea was introduced by the smartphone maker that will sort the problem of managing multiple SIM cards. BlackBerry proposed a Virtual SIM card for the Indian users which gives the benefit of nine SIM cards in one. Talks are on with regulatory authorities and telecom operators to launch the Virtual SIM in India, and it has also partnered with Idea Cellular for its services. The same is expected to arrive by year-end.

May 9, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge Now Boast Their Own VR Headset

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge back in September 2014. As an icing on the cake, the Korean company in collaboration with Oculus revealed the Gear VR, a virtual reality headgear developed to work along with the Note 4. A year after, Samsung released its latest flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in April 2015. The company also announced that a similar VR set will accompany the handsets soon, but no such headset were up for purchase.

Today, Samsung made this device available for purchase. The device, named as Gear VR Innovator Edition for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, is a smaller and lighter version of the Note 4 Gear VR. It comes with a redesigned strap and a built-in fan to help in air-flow. According to Samsung, the Octa-Core Exynos 7420 chipset, which is the powerhouse of S6 and S6 Edge handsets, and the high PPI display will provide its users with better and smoother virtual reality experience. The other side of the coin would be the smaller screen of the S6 and S6 Edge devices, which may result in a narrow field of view.

This device is available at Samsung’s official website and BestBuy. This device can be purchased for $199.99 (Rs 12,741) and is available only for its US customers right now. No other details about its price and availability in India has been disclosed.

May 9, 2015
Windows 10 is the Last Version of Windows OS, Confirms Microsoft

Microsoft has been enriching Windows OS with every version. The recent Windows 10 is the finest upgrade made by Microsoft, which incorporates all significant alternations needed on a Windows platform along with a brand new technology called Cortana. The American consumer electronics firm is quitting the revision of Windows operating system and confirmed there will be no Windows 11.

At the Ignite tech conference, the developer evangelist of Microsoft Jerry Nixon said in the press conference –

Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10.

Nixon also mentioned that Windows 10 was in works since the launch of Windows 8.1. The company wanted perfection in the latest Windows as it aims to standardize Windows 10. Microsoft intends to make Windows a service. That means, instead of releasing versions of Windows every couple of years, they will be sending out regular updates to Windows just like Apple’s OS X. The software and hardware giant is radically changing the way we upgrade Windows.

This being said, it is certain that there won’t be any major change coming up to Windows 10. The company will regularly revise some features and send an update for Windows upgradation. It’s a big move by the company, but it sounds great as Microsoft has extended its reach to different platforms with the new Windows OS.

The latest version hasn’t come out for public yet. It’s due to release this summer. It will first land on the desktop and later on Windows-powered smartphones, as per Microsoft. There have been rumours of Microsoft already working on its next update, but it is expected to release by 2016.

May 9, 2015
In-built Data Saving Feature on Your Phone’s Browser is Just a Few Clicks Away

Your smartphone is concealing a secret tool under the hood that can save the browsing data to a large extent. The feature is already available for the desktop version of Chrome as an extension called Data Saver (Beta). The nifty data saving feature in the Setting menu of Chrome compresses the pages and allows quick access to websites.

With this feature on, Chrome uses Google servers to compress pages you visit before downloading them. Users can make extended use of their internet data pack by spending the same amount. The feature is available on Android and iOS both. Here’s how you can activate it:

1. Go to your Chrome Web Browser and tap on the left touch-sensitive button.

2. Tap on Settings and you will see a few options under Basic and Advanced category.

3. In the Advanced section, search for Data Saver and turn it on.

Chrome will now start compressing pages for you to load it fast and will also save the data.

May 9, 2015

OnePlus Powerbanks Get Listed On Amazon India, Set to Arrive Next Week

A few days ago, OnePlus India tweeted from its official Twitter page that teased of a new ‘game-changing’ product. The image within the tweet showed a device with elegantly curved edges. Clearly, it is the power bank that OnePlus had rolled out last year in December. The OnePlus team had also confirmed with us that the device would be arriving in India within the next few days.

The game changer is here! #getPower pic.twitter.com/h4i1XMgqDb

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) April 30, 2015

But due to undisclosed reasons, the launch has been delayed by a week in India. For now, the device is listed on Amazon but displayed as unavailable. You will need to sign up to get notified when the device is available.

The charger provides a massive power of 10,000mAh, yet one of the cheapest devices available till date. The device easily slips into your pocket and can fully charge your OnePlus thrice. The device comes with two USB ports so that you can charge two devices at the same time. It is priced at Rs 1,399 and is available in Sandstone Black Colour.

You can read about the details of the device from the table below:

Specifications	OnePlus Power Bank
Colour variants	Sandstorm Black
Battery type	LiPo
Capacity	10,000 mAh
Charging Time	5.5 hours (approx)
Dimensions	142.8 × 72.6 × 16.2 mm
Weight	220g
Safety features	Electrostatic, short-circuit, overcharging, overheating protection

May 9, 2015

Report: Apple to Offer Free Exclusive Tracks on its Upcoming Music Streaming Service

Time and again, we are hearing about Apple’s refurbished music streaming service ‘Beats Music’. Earlier we heard of it pairing up with renowned American bands and artists like Taylor Swift, Florence and the Machine, but Apple has a couple of surprises before it makes Beats Music public. It was widely reported that the Cupertino-based tech firm will charge $8 for a monthly subscription, but it seems like now Beats Music users will find a free streaming option as well.

According to a report by Recode, some industry sources have confirmed a free trial period where users can listen to some tracks without paying for it. This testing period may range from one to three months depending on the negotiating deals with music labels. Under these negotiations, the music owners will be free to upload a sampling of their tracks, which users can listen for free without subscribing. It will be somewhat like SoundCloud which offers free music as YouTube offers video. There will also be a new version of iTunes Radio featuring human-curated playlist.

Apple also clarified it would never be like other free music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora that offer unlimited tracks without any charge. It is against advertising programme as promotion-supported free streaming doesn’t make much money, as per the company.

Last year, Apple acquired Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion. The service was launched only a few months earlier. The world’s most valuable company is gearing to tweak the service and release it sometime this year. Apple already enjoys a dominance in music downloads from its iTunes, now it aims to kick out the newly formed Tidal founded by Jay Z and several other music titans.

The Beats Music is scheduled to launch this summer at a competitive price of $9.99/month for individuals, while a family plans will cost $14.99/month. It is speculated that Apple might opt for a different name for its streaming service.

May 9, 2015
Alibaba Eyes Micromax For Investment And Entry Into India

Asia’s largest e-commerce name Alibaba is keen on entering the Indian market. With all the buzz around the online space, a new pro-investment Prime Minister and the booming Mobile phone market in India, Alibaba has found a secret route to enter.

Sources claim that Chinese search and e-comm giant Alibaba will invest heavily in Micromax, acquiring upto 20 % stake in the Indian bred company. A deal that would cost the company over $ 1.2 Billion, would allow the chinese giant easy access into the market which is tough to get into for new companies.

Alibaba has also been in the news recently for investing in brands like Ouya, Meizu and Snapchat. Micromax is one of the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the domestic market. With its constant damage to Samsung’s position in India, and the new brand “YU” taking on the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus in the local markets, Micromax makes for a good investment option.

Micromax’s new brand YU is apparently set to launch a new product in India on the 12th of May to provide a more premium outlook, taking on flagship killers. The company was also recently in the news for the sad breakup of OnePlus and Cyanogen .

The investment, however, focuses on Micromax devices and their wide spread reach. Alibaba plans to deploy services like Alipay, the company’s new payment platform. Ant Financial Services Group, which owns Alipay, is China’s largest payment service provider and is controlled by Alibaba’s executive chairman and founder Jack Ma.

May 8, 2015
YU Founder Drops the Second Clue, Brags About Another Impressive Feature of YUphoria

Micromax YU is giving information bit-by-bit of its next big offering. Yesterday, the homegrown smartphone firm released footage showing the durability and sturdiness of the phone. And today, it has dropped another clue demonstrating its speaker quality.

The Founder of YU Rahul Sharma tweeted a video of the phone that will explain exactly what we are talking about:

Now that’s quite a hair raising experience! Here’s the 2nd clue guys. #YUphoria. Check it out: https://t.co/XUQ7hzcyfi

— Rahul Sharma (@rahulsharma) May 8, 2015

The forthcoming YU handset will definitely be a budget killer with Android Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS. The company has already disclosed that it houses a 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard memory.

Further information on pricing and availability will be known at the launch on May 12. Stay tuned for updates; more leaks will follow before the launch.

May 8, 2015
OnePlus Resolves Issue with Cyanogen, Indian One Users to Continue Receiving OTA Updates

The brawl between OnePlus and Micromax wouldn’t be easily forgotten by any tech follower. Cyanogen entered a deal with India-based company Micromax for exclusive rights on its open-source operating system. Micromax then dragged OnePlus to the courtroom for using its proprietary Cyanogen OS, but nothing was finalized till date. Today, the tussle between the two tech majors has ended and that too on a happy note.

The OnePlus India team has officially declared that there is no difference between them and Cyanogen now, and the software maker will carry on its association with OnePlus. It’s time for celebration for the Indian One users, who were deprived of the OTA updates from Cyanogen.

Sunday’s are always good ! #updates #igyaan #software #onePlus #cm12

A photo posted by iGyaan Network (@igyaan) on May 3, 2015 at 12:37am PDT

The OnePlus India Head Vikas Agarwal spoke in light of the legal settlement –

OnePlus remains vindicated of the recent trials and tribulations that has surrounded the company due to legal tussle with Micromax over exclusivity on CyanogenOS. We are happy to confirm that all ‘OnePlus One’ users in India will continue to receive OTA updates from Cyanogen in-line with our users in markets around of the world.

Vikas revealed that all legal proceedings have been resolved and the cases have been withdrawn through mutual consent. Cyanogen OS will send regular updates to all OnePlus One devices globally. OnePlus got embroiled in a legal case with Cyanogen on its handsets. The Delhi High Court banned the smartphone for some time, but it was suspended soon after. OnePlus was asked to come up with an alternate OS as soon as possible.

A couple of days back, Cyanogen itself came out to announce break up with OnePlus, but things have come back on track. Since there is no dispute on the usage of Cyanogen OS on OnePlus devices, there is a high possibility of the operating system arriving on the upcoming OnePlus handset, OnePlus Two.

May 8, 2015
The Most Captivating Entries from National Geographic’s Traveler Photo Contest

National Geographic has announced the commencement of its yearly traveler photo contest. Anyone who has traveled places just for the zeal of photography can make their submission in the contest. The last date for entries is June 30.

The bar of competition is really high this time. Photographers have waited long to capture the perfect shot, and their submissions narrate a story of utmost patience. The winner of the contest will win an eight-day National Geographic photo expedition for two to Costa Rico and Panama Canal.

Here’s a glimpse of stunning pictures that capture the devotion of participants to the art:

Giant waves converge is of napali coast of Kauai. (Lee Scott / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

The picture was taken at Karo Village in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. The Karo are famous for their body-paint culture and skill. ((S. Ram / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

The image is of Godafoss waterfall in Iceland. The photographer used 10 stop ND filter to capture the movement of the water as the sun set in the distance.(Ed Graham / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

It’s a view of Jalmahal during sunrise. (Ravikanth Kurma / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Clicked by a drone, a surfer in Florianopolis, Brazil. (Chris Schmid / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Ice cave at the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland.(Shane Wheel / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

May 8, 2015
Truecaller Will Soon Come Pre-Installed on Cyanogen Handsets

Truecaller gained huge popularity when it first launched in 2009. This was due to the fact that the integrated caller ID service was among the first of its kind that displayed the name of the person calling from an unknown number and provided a call-blocking facility. This app has achieved 100 million downloads till now. Now, Truecaller has decided to raise up its stakes of removing spam phone calls by collaborating with Cyanogen and pre-installing its technology on Android handsets.

Truecaller recently announced their partnership with Cyanogen OS. The app aims at eliminating spam calls and improving the overall calling experience for Android device users. All future mobile devices will have Truecaller pre-installed and it will be made available to existing users by over-the-air update in the next few months.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Dave Herman” author_title=”VP of Product Development at Cyanogen Inc.”]

Truecaller shares our vision of enabling an open platform that gives users the ultimate choice in their core app experiences. The new integrated dialer experience is a seamless, frictionless way for users to screen calls and block unwanted spam without ever leaving the native dialer.

[/quote]

Truecaller previously had signed up deals with Nokia/Microsoft, Lenovo, Airtel that let its users pre-load the app via a third party. With Cyanogen, it will be the first time the technology will be integrated with the operating system directly.

May 8, 2015