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Ola Now Delivers Food At Your Doorstep Within 20 Minutes With Ola Cafe

Taxi aggregator service, Ola is one of the most prominent cab services on the Indian roads. It is currently in the process of raising Rs. 2500 crores to expand its business. While it’s taking care of its fundraising efforts, the company has launched a new food delivery service called Ola Cafe. This services will be well appreciated by working professionals.

Ola Cafe will be added to the existing app so won’t have to clutter your device by adding a new app. It will be available to users in select localities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai. Lunch is served from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, snacks are served from 3:00 PM to 7.00 PM while dinner is served from 7:00 PM to 11.00 PM.

Users can choose the item of their choice from the menu and specify the quantity and then place the order. The payment for the meals can be done through Ola Money or directly through cash. The company says it will deliver food within 20 minutes of order.

You can also cancel the order before it’s delivered. You can cancel the order from the app itself or by calling Ola. You cannot cancel the order once it’s delivered. You also cannot order the meals to a separate location as your current location is taken by default as the delivery address.

Ola had previously stated that it would enter the product delivery space, and food is as good a product to understand the challenges of a delivery business. It is not sure as of yet as to how many of its vehicles will be engaged in its food delivery wing. Ola had earlier stated that it has a fleet of 1 Lakh taxis across India, but it still is struggling to meet the growing demand for its basic cab service.

Ola’s prime competition, Uber has already launched a similar service called UberFRESH in America where it deliver lunch and dinner . Uber also delivers groceries, medicines, chocolates and a lot more in the United States. So it’s clear that Ola wants to beat Uber in the delivery business by having the first mover advantage in the massive Indian market.

March 20, 2015
OnePlus Goes Beyond Smartphones, Teases New Gaming Hardware

Recently, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 in Barcelona, Co-Founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei, hinted that it might be working on a new product category. Pei suggested that the new product may not fall under the category of a smartwatch or a tablet. Now, OnePlus has released a series of three images, which have been posted on the company’s website. Each of the images clearly indicate that the Chinese company is interested in playing games.

The posters come with the captions: ‘Start A New Game’, ‘For The Fun Of It’ and ‘You’re in Control.’

The first image shows a red circle with a tagline “Start a new game”, the second image shows a line depicting the logo of the company and reads, “For the fun of it”, whereas the last image portrays a pair of hands holding something which could be larger than a gaming controller and says, “You are in control.”

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Official OnePlus Forum Post”]

It’s been a little over a year since OnePlus was founded, and while we launched with our flagship killer smartphone, we have, and always will be, a technology company. Innovation and revolutionary ideas that shake up the industry are what OnePlus has built itself upon.

[/quote]

OnePlus shot to fame in 2014 when it released its flagship Android phone, the OnePlus One. This phone delivered all the specifications of top end flagships, only much cheaper. By the look of the three images, the best guess a person may make is of a gaming console.

Xiaomi has already stepped into the uncharted water of gaming with the release of the Mi Game Controller, a bluetooth-enabled game controller back in January. It seems like it is now time for OnePlus to follow the same path.

March 20, 2015
Samsung Bets On 128 GB Storage To Boost Sales of Affordable Devices

Samsung has been losing the interest of budget device buyers as its competition has been offering better specs and features to the customers. So how does Samsung take on this challenge? The Korean electronics giant decided to offer 128GB storage options to in its affordable smartphone line-up.

Samsung has already introduced 128 GB internal UFS storage on its latest flagship, the Galaxy S6. Now the company is planning to offer the huge internal storage in its phones and tablets that are lower in the price listings.

The new 128 GB 3-bit NAND-based eMMC 5.0 storage would adorn the future line of affordable devices from Samsung. It will also help in recording high-definition videos and multi-tasking in those smart-gadgets. This massive storage option will be a boon to multimedia hoarders who always have to depend on SD cards and Cloud storages for their content.

It is not sure as of yet as to when this technology would come to Samsung’s lower end devices. While Samsung figures out when it can bring the storage, it should also work towards bringing attractive devices that sell on their own merits, like many other devices in the affordable segment. That would help Samsung more in the long run instead of flaunting individual features.

March 20, 2015
Marvel Saves The Best For Last, New Avengers Trailer Tops The Rest

Marvel had revealed its last theatrical trailer for the second Avengers movie just a few days back. Everyone thought that those were the last footages from the movie that we’ll get to see before the pre-destined blockbuster comes to a theater near us. But Marvel knows how to keep its fans excited for their expertly crafted comical extravaganzas.

The new trailer for Avenger: Age of Ultron is released as a TV spot. This trailer reveals the premise of the movie. Tony Stark has created a new security institution after the demise of SHIELD in Captain America: Winter Soldier. Captain Steve Rogers is the head of operations while Tony’s job is to create innovations that assist the legendary team to take on their enemies. One such baby of Tony Stark is Ultron, who was designed to be a peacekeeping artificial intelligence. But Ultron goes rogue and unleashes mayhem on the humans. It’s up to the Avengers again to take on the superhuman task.

This trailer is also exciting because of the extended action sequences from the movie. While the last trailer focused on the fun elements, this trailer is all about our badass heroes kicking butt. Avengers 2 will release in India on the 24th of April, about a week before the United States. So tell your friends in America that they may have access to sweet devices before we do, but what we get is early access to the greatest action adventure flick of the year before they do.

March 20, 2015
Olympus Launches E -M5 Mark II Mirror-Less Camera For Rs.74,990

Japanese camera maker Olympus has brought a new mirrorless camera to the Indian market. The E-M5 Mark II is an interchangeable lens camera with a visually appealing retro styling.

The E-M5 Mark II uses a 16.1 Megapixels, 4/3 Live MOS Sensor system to capture the images. The sensor also comes with a 5-axis* sensor-shift image stabilisation so that the videos and images are steady and without shakes. The body and lens systems are dustproof and splashproof. Olympus says that the camera has fast autofocus to ensure that your images are always sharp and in focus.

There are also 14 art filters for the used to try out some fun snaps. There is also a feature called photo story that takes multiple images of the same scene and makes one image. It offers two HDR modes, and you can take tilt shift images through the keystone compensation.

The camera has built-in Wi-fi and allows the users top share their images with ease with Olympus Image Share. You can also control the camera with a computer based app called Olympus Capture.

The Olympus E-M5 Mark II is priced at Rs. 74,990. It’s good to see that in an attempt to be valid in the smartphone camera age, the camera makers are adding exciting features to their camera. But the market might soon discard one major electronic product, and it sure isn’t going to be the smartphones. But if the cameras keep looking as sexy as the Olympus E-M5 Mark II we might keep them around for a while.

March 20, 2015
Windows 10 Arrives for Xiaomi Mi 4 ‘Power Users’, Images Spotted Online

It was only yesterday that Microsoft made an announcement about the summer release of Windows 10 in 190 countries around the world. It was not the only news announced by the software major, and Microsoft surprised everyone with the announcement of its exclusive partnership with Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi. The multinational firm revealed the development of a Windows-based software (ROM) for Android devices that turn the Android run handsets into Windows phone, is underway.

Today, images of Xiaomi Mi 4 devices running on Windows have surfaced online. Since, Mi 4 is designed to run on Google’s Android platform, these fresh pictures speak of the Technical Preview of Windows 10 that Microsoft was talking about. The invention of a ROM that can swap the OS to Windows on Android devices is ground-breaking. However, it is uncertain how many of us would like to leave the cosmic Android arena to join the confined world of Windows on smartphones.

The new Windows 10 ROM doesn’t offer dual-boot feature and forces itself onto the installed device. Windows 10 then becomes the default OS of the smartphone. The basic idea behind the software is to give Android users an experience of Windows 10 user interface and apps.

The testing of Windows 10 ROM is limited to a selected group of Xiaomi Mi 4 users. Microsoft picked Xiaomi since it has a vast user base which provides constant feedback on their products. Microsoft aims to use Xiaomi’s already existing user base to receive suggestions by proving the latest version of Windows on their phones.

March 19, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Official India Launch Slated for 23rd March

Samsung is rolling out the sixth-generation flagship smartphones, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, to more countries of the world. The South Korean firm showcased the handsets in MWC 2015, and now we have learnt that Samsung will launch the devices in India on 23^rdof this month.

While the company will be holding a special event on the coming Monday, they will not go on sale until April 10, as earlier stated by the company. Along with Galaxy S6 and the curvy S6 Edge, the Samsung event is expected to see the release of accessories as well, which includes flip cases and covers.

Samsung may also launch the new virtual reality headset for Galaxy S6. This headset is different from the VR Gear released for Galaxy Note and is specially designed to fit the smaller screen of the S6.

As far as the pricing is concerned, the Galaxy S6 will cost somewhere around Rs. 52,999, while its curvy counterpart is likely to get a price tag of Rs. 61,999.

Both the Galaxy S6 and its curvy companion are power packs and feature almost similar specifications. Both the handsets sports 5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED with 577ppi resolution. The S6 is equipped with a 64-bit Exynos octa-core processor (1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A-53 and 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex A-57), while the edgier S6 is powered by the 2.5 GHz Exynos octa-core processor. The RAM of either of the devices stands same at 3GB, and both of them run on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.

Both S6 and S6 Edge come in three variants with inbuilt memory – 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The devices don’t have external memory support. Optics of the S6 and S6 Edge are identical at 16MP rear with F1.9 and 5MP front camera. In case you missed the hands-on video, check the video below:

March 19, 2015
Meizu Gets Ready To Bring the M1 Note To India

The Chinese smartphone companies have taken the Indian market by storm. Apart from bigshots like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Lenovo, there are several smaller brand who are trying to woo Indian customers. Now another major Chinese smartphone brand, Meizu is getting ready to try its luck in the brutal landscape of the Indian market.

Meizu is getting ready to bring the M1 Note to India. The company has begun the marketing process for the new smartphone. A Facebook page for Meizu India is now online, and the company is hosting a giveaway on their page. The winner of the first contest will be declared on 21st of March.

The Meizu M1 Note flaunts an impressive spec sheet. It features a 5.5” Full HD display with a pixel density of 408 PPI. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device is powered by a 1.7 Ghz Mediatek octa-core processor along with 2 GB RAM. The handset is juiced up by a 3140 mAh battery. The M1 Note is available in 16 and 32 GB variants. Unfortunately, there is expandability option.

The smartphone is great on the camera front too. It offers a 13MP Samsung camera on the back which is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The main camera is capable of taking 30 photos per second. On the front is a 5 MP snapper which offers enhancement features for selfies. The handset runs Flyme 4 UI, which is based on Android 4.4.4.

The phone has visually appealing design features and with aggressive pricing, it can be a hit.

Meizu M1 Note looks good on paper and has received favorable reviews in markets where it has been launched. It is priced at around $160 (Approx Rs.10,000) in China which is a competitive price tag. The lack of expandable storage though would bother potential buyers, and they would have to depend on cloud storage for their excess data storage. The device looks fantastic, and its aggressive pricing will ensure that it will attract a good number of takers in the Indian market.

March 19, 2015
About 40 Percent of iPhone Users Willing to Buy Apple Watch: Reuters Poll

Apple devoted a huge amount of time and thought to bring out a smartwatch that can outshine all other gadgets in the wearables category. The Apple Watch is a distinctive piece and sports many features like digital crown and Force Touch that are not found in any other smartwatch. But is it really getting the traction expected by the company? International news agency, Reuters, did a survey to find out the demand for the Watch and discovered that around 40 percent of the American iPhone users are interested in buying the Apple Watch.

The poll includes adult iPhone owners of the US of age 18 years and above. The primary reason to consider iPhone users in the first place was that Apple Watch requires iPhone for most of its functions. So, iPhone users automatically come into the picture to be the initial buyers of the product.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a survey between March 9 and March 17 in which a total of 2,469 American adults of 18 years and above took part. It was found that 24 percent of the participants showed interest in Apple Watch, out of which 10 percent described themselves as very interested. Another survey of 788 iPhone users across the globe by the same firm speaks of 39 percent interested buyers, out of which 17 percent are ‘very interested’ in the product.

These numbers from the survey might not look uplifting at this moment for Apple, but considering the 100 million active users of iPhone in the US, and nearly half a billion in the whole world, the resultant buyers may turn out to be a huge number. According to Reuters, Analyst Walter Piecyk of BTIG marketing firm considers the survey inspiring, “The survey was “pretty encouraging” for a product that has not been seen in shops, even if it was unclear how much of the interest would translate into purchases.”

It is yet uncertain how many interested buyers will convert into purchasers, as the price of the smartwatch is the major roadblock. Its price ranges from $350 for a regular edition to $17000 for the 18-karat gold edition, which makes it the most expensive smartwatch yet.

March 19, 2015
OnePlus One Price Hiked In Europe, Update For India To Follow Soon

On Wednesday, OnePlus announced a hike in the price for the One in the European market. The company cited the decline in value of the Euro as the reason for increase in the price of the handset. OnePlus also mentioned in its press statement there would soon be an announcement about the pricing strategy of the One in the Indian market.

At present, the pricing of the 16GB OnePlus One in Europe will be €299 (Rs 20,000), which currently is at €269 (Rs 18,000). The 64GB variant will be up for €349 (Rs 23,500) from the present €299 (Rs 21,999). The change in price will come in effect from 25th March onwards. Until that date, the handsets will be available at their current prices. The company stated that the instability of Euro is the biggest reason for the price hike. The company has been selling the products at a loss in Europe following the fall in the price of the Euro. In the light of the rate changes, OnePlus has hiked up the price in markets that use Euro as currency.

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

As you may know, the Euro is quite unstable at the moment. Last year, many other companies insured themselves against this volatility by launching devices with higher prices in Europe than in other markets. This is something that we opted not to do, as we are committed to maintaining razor-thin margins in order to give the most value back to our fans. Unfortunately, as the value of the Euro continued to drop, our razor-thin margins began to turn into 0 margins. Due to the current value of the Euro, we are now selling devices at a loss in the EU. In the light of these exchange rate shifts and trends, we will be making some changes to our pricing structure for the One in markets that use the Euro as currency

[/quote]

The OnePlus accessories won’t be affected by the hike and will be priced as before. The details on future pricing of the OnePlus handsets in India has not yet been released but the company asked to expect an announcement soon. To bring back to mind, the 16GB Silk White OnePlus One is presently selling in India at Rs. 18,999 while the 64GB variant is priced at Rs. 21,999.

March 19, 2015
Get Your New OnePlus One Without An Invite Between 1-2 PM Today

If you were looking forward to buying the OnePlus One but were finding it hard to score an invite, well today is your lucky day. Between 1.00 – 2.00 PM today you will get a chance to own the original flagship killer without an invite.

This is a part of Amazon India’s Happy Hour Deal today. Amazon India has recommended the interested buyers to be signed in before the start of the sale. The e-commerce site also asked the users to update their delivery address and payment details ready as the stocks are expected to fly off the shelves really fast.

The next Happy Hour Deal will take place on the 24th of March where you will be able to to buy the OnePlus One without an invite. So if you end up missing your chance today, there is still chance for you in the next sale. The 16 GB variant of the One is available for 18,999 while the 64GB variant comes at a price of Rs 21,999.

OnePlus has said that the smartphone will be getting an Android Lollipop update and the new Oxygen OS by the end of March. So if you were waiting for the right moment to buy the kickass device, well now is the best time to go for it.

March 19, 2015
TAG Heuer Collaborates with Google, Plots its Way Through the World of Smartwatches

Tag Heuer, the world renowned high-end watch making company, will soon be announcing that it is working on building its own smartwatch. Chief Executive Office, Jean-Claude Biver told Bloomsberg in an interview that the company will be officially making a statement tomorrow about its partnership with Google and Intel. As Switzerland lacks the necessary resources in technology, the partnership with Silicon Valley giants will only benefit the company.

Intel has been signed to supply the processor, while there is no official word on how Google will be of help. It’s an easy assumption to make that the company would be incharge of providing a seamless OS experience, with Android Wear. Tag Heuer has taken us the mammoth responsibility of designing the watch-case and crown. Biver is also suggesting a Tag Heuer smart watch may come with dials, such as an analog watch.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Stéphane Linder” author_title=”CEO, TAG Heuer”]

I don’t see us taking a big risk unless we find a way to make luxury watches looking like real luxury watches that provide very easy-to-use, smart information that isn’t complicated—and don’t just replicate the mobile phone.

[/quote]

Tag Heuer stated that the craftsmanship of making this particular model will be very different than its traditional watches. Hence, the Research and the Development Business department has been split up into two.

In this age of Smartwatches, traditional Swiss Watch industries might be heading towards extinction. Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock has said that the Apple Watch might put a lot of pressure on traditional watchmakers in Switzerland, and he anticipates an ice age for the industry.

We could be looking at a luxury Android Wear smart watch. Its availability and price have not been revealed. We will have to wait till tomorrow to find out the answers of these questions.

March 19, 2015
Yahoo is Closing Shop in China, Hundreds of Employees to Lose Jobs

Once the top portal on the internet, Yahoo has not seen good days in the recent past. But recently, since the arrival of new age apps and features, Yahoo has somewhat faded into the background. The company is now pulling out from China where it had to shut down its web portal in 2013. This move will result in a loss of jobs of 200 employees.

The consumer side businesses of Yahoo such as the Web portal, Yahoo Music and email service has already been shut down. Yahoo’s only office in Beijing was then transformed into a research facility. Now the company is pulling the curtain down on its entire show in China by shutting down the Beijing facility.

Yahoo’s Chinese business was overseen by Alibaba group. The Beijing facility though was directly controlled by Yahoo and the company employed over 350 employees there. The shutdown will lead to massive layoffs in terms of hundreds. Yahoo has intimated the employees about the shutdown. Yahoo had laid off about 2000 employees in 2012 citing financial woes.

Yahoo’s present CEO Marissa Mayer has been instrumental in turning the company around by taking some unpopular decisions. Her first task in the office as CEO was to shut shop in South Korea. As the services were being ignored for newer services outside US, she decided to bring focus back to America. There were also several layoff’s in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East. In total, the company has cut between 700-900 jobs since October last year.

The wages were also cited as reasons for the shutdown. Yahoo China employees get twice the salary of their Indian counterparts. Considering there are no consumer side application in the country, it made sense for the company to cut the costs there.

March 19, 2015
Xiaomi’s E-Store Goes Live in India, Sells Accessories But Not Smartphones

Till date, Xiaomi was dependent on its exclusive online partner Flipkart to sell its products in India, but not anymore. The Chinese electronics producer has finally opened an official Mi Store in India from where one can order products. The online store grasps the absolute authority Flipkart used to enjoy over the large chunk of Xiaomi followers in the country.

As stated by the firm, Xiaomi will only sell accessories in India and not smartphones. The exclusive rights to sell Mi handsets still remain with the e-commerce website. Meanwhile, potential customers can grab protective cases, earphones and power banks; the last one being out remains out as of now.

However, the company hasn’t turned down the fact that other products may appear on the online store in the future. This means that more products by Xiaomi like Yi camera and Mi Band (fitness tracker) arrive in the Indian market in coming months.

In three short years Xiaomi has established itself as a tech beast. The electronics enterprise conquered China few months back as the biggest smartphone vendor and lately, it defeated Apple and Samsung in India and became the biggest seller of 4G devices for January. Its smartphones have done a total sale of over a million since July last year, and considering its affordable price policy, Xiaomi seems to be breaking all records.

The organization came out with Note series in January and launched Mi Note and Mi Note Pro. The latest addition to the series is the Bamboo edition of Mi Note. It is also heard that another flagship called Mi Note Plus is next in line to release.

March 19, 2015
3D Printing Becomes a Lot of Faster with Carbon 3D

3D printing is the technology revolution that will revolutionize the manufacturing process in the near future. The technology can be used to create almost anything under the sun. It has already been used to print human body parts to engine bits from rockets. The only hitch with this incredible feat of engineering is that at present the process of printing an object is a bit slow. A usual printer may take a few hours to complete its tasks. A California-based company called Carbon 3D has brought out a 3D printer technology which seems to address this issue. According to the company, an object can be created 25-100 times faster than the conventional printers.

Carbon 3D’s technology is called Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP). This technique uses laser and oxygen to control the process of creation of the object that is faster than ever before. Unlike the conventional 3D printers where the process of creation of the object happens layer by layer, this printer forms the entire three-dimensional object at once.

The process works like this; the machine creates an oxygen window which allows it to mix the laser light and oxygen in precise amounts in the resulting resin. A variation in this mixtures leads to the change in shapes. Though it is transparent to light, it allows oxygen to pass through it.

Below is the promotional video from Carbon 3D. The video doesn’t have an audio track, but we would suggest you play the Terminator 2 soundtrack to really get the feel of creation. It will totally remind you of the famous scene where the T-1000 rises after being frozen and blown into pieces.

The objects built by CLIP technology is also said to be stronger than its layered counterparts. The makers say that objects created by this technique almost resemble injection moulded parts which have consistent, predictable mechanical properties. The parts created are smooth on the outside and solid on the inside. The range of materials will also be broadened with CLIP. It can be used to create anything, from sports shoes to parts for automobiles.

Technologies like CLIP will ensure the mass scalability of 3D printing. It will help to build objects faster and stronger. Carbon 3D may have just put the 3D printing revolution on the fast track.

If you want to learn about the basics and more about 3D Printing check out our new show right here:

March 18, 2015