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Samsung Teases Round Display of its Next Gear Smartwatch

The next Gear smartwatch is the most-awaited product to come out of the Samsung factory. Till date, quite a few details were known about the next wearable device, but now we have significant information about its form factor. The Korean electronics giant today gave a slight glimpse of its next Gear smartwatch that confirms of it boasting a circular display. The revelation was made in a press release that speaks of developers getting an early access to the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the company’s next-generation smartwatch.

A round smartwatch is the first for Samsung, who has previously released rectangular and curved screen watches. It would look like Moto 360 that has gained critical acclaim.

An image (provided above) was affixed to the official statement that let slip a brief sight of its watch face. Below are five more round watch faces that appear to be freshly designed. The company seems to have partnered with CNN, Baidu, Yelp, Apposter, and FidMe and is looking for more businesses for a tie-up.

The Suwon-based electronics firm announced that it is building up an ecosystem for the seventh generation Gear smartwatch. It sent an open invitation to members of the global developer community saying that they can get early access to SDK of next Gear device. CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, JK Shin commented –

Samsung has actively adapted its approach to wearable device development as the leader of the rapidly developing category. Through meaningful and progressive innovation, Samsung welcomes to developers and industry leaders to join this open collaboration effort to enrich and create unique user experiences for a new smart mobile life.

The company was expected to unveil the smartwatch at Mobile World Congress 2015 alongside Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but instead, Samsung showcased virtual-reality headsets. It is expected that the next Gear device will run on Tizen OS with Exynos 7420 powering it. The smartwatch may launch in two variants. The company hasn’t come up with an official announcement till now, and we expect to hear it soon.

April 24, 2015
BSNL Announces Free Unlimited Night Calling Across India

In an attempt to revive its landline service, Indian telecommunications company BSNL announced an unlimited scheme for its landline users. Under this scheme, users of BSNL fixed line service will be able to make free calls to any landline or mobile operator across the globe during night hours, i.e. between 9pm to 7am. The plan will kick off from 1st May.

BSNL said in a statement –

BSNL has introduced unlimited free calling during night hours from its landline phones to all landline phones and mobile phones of all service provider’s network on all India basis from 1st May. This unlimited free night calling shall be available from 9 pm to 7 am.

This scheme covers all major plans of rural and urban areas like landline general plans, landline special plans and all major Combo (landline with broadband) plans. The company said that it will review the responses of its customers after six months; however, they haven’t provided an end date for the scheme.

The Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL, Anupam Shrivastava remarked about the same, “We hope to resurrect our fixed-line business, and we hope that it will attract customers back to fixed-line. There will be some impact on revenues, but with only 10% calls made at night, it may go up to 15% with the offer. However, if we can add more customers, then, it is worth the attempt.”

Since the entry of more versatile mobile operators like Airtel, Vodafone, Tata Docomo and few more, BSNL has been losing its market slowly. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is hopeful that the new scheme will yield positive results. In the past five years, fixed landline subscriptions have fallen from 27.83 million in 2010 to 16.93 million in 2015. The latest TRAI data also shows that BSNL was the biggest loser of fixed landlines customers in February, while Airtel emerges as the top gainer. Still, BSNL’s share in the market was 62.26 percent in February.

Recently, BSNL announced that it will be setting up Wi-Fi hotspots with 3G, 4G networks across the country within the next 3 to 4 years. Read more about it here.

April 24, 2015
TRAI Receives More Than One Million Emails in Favour of Net Neutrality

The heated debate over Net Neutrality doesn’t seem to end up anytime soon. In response to the online protest initiated by TRAI, the independent telecommunications authority received over 1.5 lakh e-mails within two days. Now, the protest has touched one million mark.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has received more than one million emails in support of Net Neutrality from the citizens of India. The statement was made by a voluntary group managing the ‘Save the Internet’ program. The figures are of until yesterday, and the emails are continuously flooding TRAI’s Inbox.

As per a report, netizens have been bombarding the TRAI with 50 emails every minute. This resulted in the campaign hit one million mark within just 12 days. The creators of savetheinternet.in were surprised as they expected the campaign would not last more than 15,000 emails.

TRAI put up a consultation paper called “Regulatory Framework for Over-the-Top (OTT) Services” and asked users for their comments. April 24, i.e. today, is the last date of submit your vote and make your voice heard. Click here to back the movement.

Many celebrities and well-known personalities from different fields have come in support of free internet. Rahul Gandhi is the latest to join the club and ask for freedom of the internet.

April 24, 2015

Xiaomi Brings Out the Lighter ‘Mi 4i’ With a 13MP Rear Camera

The time for which we all had been waiting for has come. Xiaomi has finally pulled the curtain off the ‘i’ mystery and showcased the world, Xiaomi Mi 4i. The Chinese electronics manufacturer has been teasing the device for quite some time. As speculated, the fresh handset is an affordable variant of Xiaomi Mi 4 and comes at a price of Rs. 12,999.

Talking about the exterior of the handset, the Mi 4i sports a polycarbonate unibody. It weighs a mere 130g and features dimensions 138.1mm x 69.6mm x 7.8mm. As compared to the original version, the Mi 4i is slightly smaller and lighter than Xiaomi Mi 4.

The device has a 5-inch Full HD OGS IPS display with 441ppi pixel density. The screen comes with a new technology called Sunlight display that adjusts the brightness when outdoors. The processor powering the phone is a 64-bit octa-core Cortex-A53; the four cores clocked at 1.7 GHz and the other four at 1.1 GHz. The device has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage onboard. The phone doesn’t have a MicroSD card slot. There is an Adreno 405 catering to graphics quality. On the software front, the Mi 4i runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with the company’s MIUI 6 on top.

Coming on to the camera, then the Mi 4i has a changes camera setup. The phone boasts a 13MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture along with dual-LED Flash and Autofocus, while the front is a 5MP shooter with F/1.8 aperture. The camera app has got some new features like image filters. Besides that the current tools have been modified to provide better picture quality such as HDR and Beautify.

The dual-SIM device is powered by a 3120mAh battery. Connectivity options include microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The handset will be available in white, blue, orange, yellow and pink colour options. The handset will be available from April 30 on e-commerce site Flipkart. Meanwhile, users can register to for the same today from 8pm.

Check out its specs below:

Specs	Xiaomi Mi 4i
Display	5-inch Full-HD, 441ppi
Processor	64-bit octa-core Cortex-A53
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB
Camera	13MP Rear, 5MP Front
Battery	3120mAh
Operating System	Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 6
Price	Rs. 12,999

April 23, 2015

New Lenovo A5000 With a 4,000mAh Battery and 5-inch Display Coming Soon to India

Lenovo has launched its newest A-series phone, the A5000 in Russia and has priced the handset at RB 12,000 (roughly Rs. 14,500). Although, there are no details or dates mentioned about its release in other markets, Times of India has confirmed that the Lenovo A5000 will be arriving in India soon. The most attractive feature of this phone would undoubtedly be the 4000mAh battery which may play an important role in its marketing. According to the company, the battery gives 792 hours of standby on 3G.

Official listings show the phone would not support 4G LTE. The dual SIM phone comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display (720×1280 pixels) and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor. It comes with 8GB of internal storage and 32GB of expandable memory. It has an 8MP primary camera and a 2MP FF front camera. Connectivity options include GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth. Measuring 140×71.4×9.98mm, weighing 160 grams, the phone comes in two colours; black and white.

Though there is no official date for the India release, the Chinese company has recently launched the A7000. With this new variant, it can be concluded that Lenovo is expanding its line of budget phones to cater different requirements of different groups in the country.

Specification	Lenovo A5000
Display	5-inch HD IPS (720×1280 pixels) display
Processor	1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Expandable Upto	32GB
Main Camera	8MP
Front Camera	2MP
Battery	4000mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4
Price	Rs. 14,500 (Tentative)

April 23, 2015

Spec Battle : ASUS ZenFone 2 Vs OnePlus One

The ASUS Zenfone series is a highly appreciated lineup in the Indian smartphone market. The Taiwanese electronics maker already has Zenfone 4, 5 and 6 in its India handset portfolio and today, it expanded its ZenFone range in the country with the launch of ZenFone 2. The latest iteration is a mid-range smartphone and known to boast the powerful 4GB of RAM.

Priced at Rs. 22,999, ZenFone 2 holds quite a good spec sheet. It has an edge over many the high-end smartphones and competes with devices like Huawei Honor 6 Plus, iPhone 5c, and LG G3. We have pitted it against the flagship killer of 2014 i.e. OnePlus One and here are the differences between the two.

Specs	OnePlus One	ASUS ZenFone 2
Display	5.5-inch Full-HD, 1080×1920 pixels	5.5-inch Full-HD, 1080×1920 pixels
Processor	2.5GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801	2.3GHz quad-core Intel Z3580
RAM	3GB	4GB
Storage	64GB, non-expandable	64GB, expandable up to 64GB
Camera	13MP Rear and 5MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front
Battery	3100mAh	3000mAh
Operating System	CyanogenMod 12	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Price	Rs. 21,999	Rs. 22,999

As you can see in the table above, both OnePlus One and ASUS ZenFone 2 bear nearly the same specifications. Both the devices have a 5.5-inch Full-HD display, 64GB onboard memory, 13MP primary shooter, and 5MP selfie camera. The One has a slightly bigger battery and stuffs a Snapdragon processor, while the new ZenFone houses an Intel chipset. The ZenFone is priced Rs. 1,000 higher than the OnePlus One.

OnePlus has an edge over the ZenFone as it give a variation to the users by offering CyanogenMod which can now be upgraded to CyanogenMod 12 or Oxygen OS now. The ZenFone 2, on the other hand, comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop. We won’t be able to give a final verdict till we’ve reviewed Asus’ new flagship. Stay tuned, more coming up on iGyaan.

April 23, 2015

Facebook Launches a Multi-Functional Dialler App, Hello

We have to admit that the Phone app on our smartphones is really basic. It just performs limited number of functions like keeping call log and allowing users to make a call. However, Facebook aims to change our call making experience. The social networking service has brought out a smart app that is a blend of TrueCaller, Google Search, Google Maps, and WhatsApp. Hailed as ‘Hello’, it’s an Android-only dialler that works in conjunction with your Facebook account.

The Hello application is a product of Facebook’s Messenger team. It connects the Facebook data with the contact info on your device, and pops up relevant details of the incoming and outgoing calls. No worries if your phone book is narrow, you’ll still get to know the name and other available details of the caller via Hello. Users have the choice to block possibly spam numbers and avoid unwanted calls. Meanwhile, TrueCaller is best known for this feature.

Users can also find businesses with the Hello tool. Meaning you can start a search for a restaurant right in the Hello app and can call for a reservation. The tool comes with direction support, subtracting the need to start off Google Maps to get directions.

Its features don’t end here. With Hello installed on the device, one can text and make calls for free. Hello links with the Messenger app and allows users perform both the functions using cellular data.

Hello is available for free on Google Play Store for the US, Brazil and Nigeria. The tool is likely to arrive in more countries soon. Check out the video below to know how it works:

April 23, 2015

ASUS Outs 4 Variants of ZenFone 2 in India; Pricing Revealed

The much-awaited flagship by Taiwanese consumer electronics firm has finally arrived in India. Today, ASUS introduced the latest ZenFone 2 with 4GB RAM in the Indian market. The smartphone was first showcased at CES this year. The ZenFone 2 enfolds some top-notch specifications that give it an edge over other smartphones in the budget segment. The device will be available in India exclusively on Flipkart.

ASUS has launched the ZenFone 2 in four variants – ZE551ML (4GB RAM) with 64GB and 32GB inbuilt storage, ZE551ML (2GB RAM), and ZE550ML. The former one is a top-tier device, while the other three have comparatively lower specifications. The ZE551ML with 4GB RAM comes in two storage versions. The one with 64GB storage space will cost customers Rs. 22,999, while the 32GB model will cost Rs. 19,999. The ZE551ML (2GB RAM) variant is launched at Rs. 14,999 and the ZE550ML will be available for Rs. 12,999.

ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550ML (both 4GB and 2GB of RAM) sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1920x1080p) IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. On the other hand, ZenFone 2 ZE550ML features a 5.5-inch HD screen. A 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 is equipped to the ZE550ML with 4GB RAM. It’s 2GB RAM version, along with ZE550ML has a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560. All the handsets run on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom ZenUI on top. All the variants can expand up to 64GB via MicroSD card.

The ZenFone 2 packs a 13MP PixelMaster rear camera with dual-LED Flash along with a 5MP selfie snapper. The rear shooter also offers 52MP Super Resolution mode. A 3000mAh non-removable battery is fitted with all the ZenFone 2 models. The handsets are dual-SIM and offer dual active support. The devices have ZenMotion touch and gesture control support features common in them.

Here’s the specs sheet of the four handsets:

Specs	ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB RAM)	ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB RAM)	ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (2GB RAM)	ZenFone 2 ZE550ML
Display	5.5-inch full-HD 1080p	5.5-inch full-HD 1080p	5.5-inch full-HD 1080p	5.5-inch HD 720p
Processor	2.3GHz quad-core Intel Z3580	2.3GHz quad-core Intel Z3580	1.8GHz quad-core Intel Z3560	1.8GHz quad-core Intel Z3560
RAM	4GB	4GB	2GB	2GB
Storage	64GB (Expandable up to 64GB)	32GB (Expandable up to 64GB)	32GB (Expandable up to 64GB)	16GB (Expandable up to 64GB)
Rear Camer	13MP with dual-LED Flash	13MP with dual-LED Flash	13MP with dual-LED Flash	13MP with dual-LED Flash
Front Camera	5MP	5MP	5MP	5MP
Battery	3000mAh	3000mAh	3000mAh	3000mAh
Operating System	Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI	Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI	Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI	Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI
Price	Rs. 22,999	Rs. 19,999	Rs. 14,999	Rs. 12,999

In case you missed our review of ASUS ZenFone 2, watch the video below:

April 23, 2015

You Can Now Book an Uber Cab Using Your Zomato App

Zomato is collaborating with the cab company, Uber, to help customers book cabs to the restaurant they are planning to eat at. This announcement came after Zomato acquired NexTable, an online table reservation app based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This partnership has been rolled out to Zomato users across 27 cities across 13 countries including India, Australia, Canada, UK, Indonesia, South Africa, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Turkey, Portugal, UAE and the US. The feature is already live for users in London and South Africa, and it will roll out soon in the other countries mentioned.

Commenting on the new feature, Pankaj Chaddah, Co-Founder and COO of Zomato, said:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Pankaj Chaddah” author_title=”Co-Founder and COO of Zomato”]

We’re constantly looking for ways to make every meal, for everyone, a great experience. This partnership makes eating out more convenient with the Zomato app connecting to Uber services seamlessly.

[/quote]

How does it work? Once you have found a suitable restaurant on the Zomato, an Uber button appears on the restaurant page. This shows the estimated fare and the time required for the cab to arrive at your location, hence serving your needs. Seems like a favourable development for both the companies, as well as the customers.

April 23, 2015
Yahoo May Bring Out an Independent Siri-Like Personal Assistant App Soon

During a conference call a few day back, CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer spoke about a special new product the team has been working on. The new service will go against the likes of Apple’s Siri, Google Now or Microsoft’s Cortana. She stated that Yahoo is developing an interest in search in the mobile sector and will focus on “what happens when you involve context and personal information like email.”

According to Business Insider, the new service has been code-named ‘Index’ and it will come in the form of a smartphone app. Yahoo hopes to release a beta version of the same by the second quarter of this year.

Mayer explains the new app would search information somewhat like Google Now, and probing for information in the user’s inbox may help people give better results. Quoting an example to help understand the working of the app, she explained that if a user had booked a flight from John F. Kennedy Airport, then Index would find information related to the airport or flight, by using the information in the inbox – instead of fishing out information about President Kennedy.

The voice assistant idea may seem unoriginal from the user point of view, but Yahoo is willing to place a bet on this ambitious project.

April 23, 2015
Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Google’s New Mobile Network ‘Project Fi’

A couple of days back, there had been reports that Google was planning to launch its own US mobile wireless service. Now, the company has made its plan to bring wireless services public. Google’s new venture gives users an alternate way to curb data usage and keep their phone bills low.

Dubbed as ‘Project Fi’, the new Google-run network service is a customizable package that switches between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. It eradicates boundaries and gives customers freedom to use the network in their hometown and during international travels at the same rate. The service is only available for Nexus 6 smartphones as of now, and will work with newer models soon.

The blog post of Google reads –

Similar to our Nexus hardware program, Project Fi enables us to work in close partnership with leading carriers, hardware makers, and all of you to push the boundaries of what’s possible. By designing across hardware, software and connectivity, we can more fully explore new ways for people to connect and communicate.

Project Fi makes use of Wi-Fi hotspot or specific 4G LTE networks, together with the US mobile networks of Sprint and T-Mobile, the venture partners. Here’s how it works: if you are connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot and leave the Wi-Fi coverage area, your call will seamlessly transmit to cell networks. The service requires a special SIM and is supported in over 120 countries without roaming charges.

Another revolutionary development that comes with Project Fi is that phone numbers adopt “a multi-screen world”. This means your number works with all your devices like a phone, tablet or laptop. You can connect any device that supports Google Hangouts, whether it works on Android, iOS, Windows, and start a chat. It cuts down the dependency on your smartphone and makes every device a ready-to-use handset.

Google’s new project is unconventional in the sense that it charges customers only for the data consumed. It breaks the standard procedure of dispatching a bill for the unused data as well, which is practiced till date. Google says, “Project Fi takes a fresh approach to how you pay for wireless, manage your service, and get in touch when you need help.” There is one plan for all, and in case a user doesn’t utilize the pack called, Google will simply refund the variance.

Here’s how Project Fi works:

For $20 a month you get all the basics (talk, text, Wi-Fi tethering, and international coverage in 120+ countries), and then it’s a flat $10 per GB for cellular data while in the U.S. and abroad. 1GB is $10/month, 2GB is $20/month, 3GB is $30/month, and so on. Since it’s hard to predict your data usage, you’ll get credit for the full value of your unused data. Let’s say you go with 3GB for $30 and only use 1.4GB one month. You’ll get $16 back, so you only pay for what you use.

For now, Project Fi is invite-based, and customers need to request an invite on their site to get the service. Meanwhile it’s available only in the US, but India can expect to receive it sometime later. Check the video below to understand it better:

April 23, 2015
OnePlus Announces Flat 50% Off on All One Accessories, Only for Today

OnePlus, the Chineses company famous for its flagship-killer OnePlus One, turns a year older today. To celebrate this occasion, a few days back OnePlus announced it had waived off the invite system globally. Today, OnePlus is offering a 50% discount on all OnePlus One accessories, throughout the day on Amazon.in. The accessories include, back covers, flip covers, screen protectors, and earphones.

You will also be surprised to learn that the company has slashed a mere some of Re. 1 from its flagship devices: the 64GB OnePlus One Sandstone Black Model (Rs. 21,998) and the 16GB Silk White Model (Rs. 18,998). OnePlus explained the Re 1 difference in its official blog:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”OnePlus Official Blog”]

It’s a symbolic gesture; a reminder that the One is still a fantastic value without any promotions or discounts. We strongly believe that the One is one of the most amazing, user-focused devices on the market. We know that this move may seem odd to some, but our message is clear: we refuse to overcharge for our devices, just to slash prices later in a marketing blitz. Our flagship killers have an amazing price tag, starting from day 1.

[/quote]

OnePlus created a sensation in the mobile world after the company released the OnePlus One last year. We’re now looking forward to the company unveiling its next offering, the OnePlus Two.

Click here to purchase the discounted accessories:

 

April 23, 2015
Google Gives a Boost to Mobile-Friendly Websites With its New Update

Google is making a pre-determined move that will affect website search on mobile devices. The search giant has revised its search algorithm to rank sites at the top that are tailored for mobile screens. Termed as Mobile-Friendly update, the new changes have been implemented from yesterday.

The new upgrade will push up the content fitting the small screen of your smartphones and force the desktop-optimised searches down to the bottom of the list. It will give a boost to mobile-adaptive websites, given that over 60 percent of the search is done through smartphones. The update is limited to just handsets only and doesn’t extend to bigger devices like tablets. This suggests that from now on, search results on mobile will be different from the results googled on the desktop.

Google stated in its blog post –

We’re boosting the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on mobile search results. Now searchers can more easily find high-quality and relevant results where text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling.

However Google is not favouring anyone in the internet business, it will give advantage to the sites designed for mobile. The search would work on Mobile-Friendly Test and would scan different factors of each page to give it a thumps up. It’s important to note that the update applies to individual pages, not entire websites. It will affect search results in all languages globally.

The California-based giant recently did another major alteration for smartphones; it slipped a list of relevant apps within search results for you to download. Both these moves are useful for users and developers alike.

April 22, 2015
Xiaomi Mi Power Banks are Back in Stock on Flipkart

One of the reliable and affordable power banks in India, Mi Power Bank, was unavailable on Flipkart since long. The e-commerce website has now restocked its cart with both the variants of Mi Power Bank – 5200mAh and 10400mAh. The 5200mAh version will come at a price of Rs. 599, while the latter one will cost Rs. 999.

Xiaomi has also launched a 16000mAh power bank, but it’s not out for sale yet. The highest capacity portable charger will go on flash sale on April 24 at 12 noon.

Coming back to the available Mi Power Bank variants, the Mi 5200mAh external charger boasts an elegant design and is extremely portable. It can charge a regular-sized battery (2100mAh) twice, e.g. iPhone 5s can be charged two times on a full charge. On the other hand, the 10400mAh power bank on a complete charge can refill a regular battery four times.

Meanwhile, Mi Power banks are available on Flipkart only, and its latest online partners Snapdeal and Amazon India are yet to stuff their carts.

Check our review of the Mi Power Bank below:

Click here to buy now:

April 22, 2015
OnePlus Pauses Cyanogen OS 12 Update Roll Out to Include ‘OK OnePlus’ Feature

After weeks of delay, OnePlus finally rolled out the much-awaited CyanogenMod OS 12 (CM OS 12) based on Lollipop. It was only for a few days that the release sustained and after that, the company decided to halt its roll out. The Chinese smartphone brand did have a sold reason for this. They announced that the OTA update of CM OS 12 had been paused temporarily to add a new feature called “OK OnePlus”.

The Co-Founder of OnePlus commented on the issue on Twitter. His quote is captured in the screenshot below:

As per his comments, the roll out will resume mid-week with the new ‘OK OnePlus’ feature. He also added, “Those who don’t want to wait, feel free to flash manually.” The new tool on OnePlus One functions similar to ‘OK Google’ on Android phones. It will also work when the device is in sleep mode; a feature that was introduced with the Moto X.

For folks who have updated their One devices with CM 12 will also be able to access the feature. Users with the pre-installed operating system will receive an OTA update to incorporate ‘OK OnePlus’ tool on their handsets. It is not certain if the Indian version of OnePlus’ custom ROM OxygenOS will get the voice command feature.

The latest CyanogenMod OS 12 update brings some unique features like new Cyanogen email app, Exchange Support, Multiple Account integration and canned responses for quicker replies.

April 22, 2015