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YouTube’s New Kid-Friendly App is Coming to Android Devices on 23 February

Google’s video-sharing service, YouTube is attempting to expand its user base by including the tech generation kids to its audience. The company announced in a statement that it would launch an app for kids called YouTube Kids app, which will have children specific content to create a safer environment for kids.

The new app will be an entirely separate division of the main YouTube service and will include age-appropriate content (videos, channels and playlists). YouTube Kids will feature a homescreen and will have eight options including kids TV shows and more. Kids can search for videos by typing in the standard search bar and can even browse through their voice.

Richard Goldsmith, Executive Vice President, Global Distribution and International Consumer Products at Jim Henson Co. said –

The app is extremely kid-friendly and features a variety of content, including several of our series such as Sid the Science Kid, Pajanimals, and Fraggle Rock.

Google has partnered with many content providers like DreamWorks TV, National Geographic and The Jim Henson Co. to provide content. Earlier this month, it acquired mobile application maker Launchpad Toys Inc., the developer responsible for building Toontastic storytelling tool, to help provide kids with more games and services.

YouTube Kids allow parents to have a control over the content and for how long will your child be watching a particular channel. The free app will be available on Android devices through Play Store from February 23, and meanwhile, it’s limited to just US kids. The company is expected to extend the service to other nations as well. The app would be appreciated by the parents who wanted to keep their kids away from the massive inventory of non-kids friendly content on Youtube.

February 20, 2015
Samsung Z1 Successor Running on Tizen is Reportedly in Works

Clad in a plastic body and embedded with Tizen OS, Samsung Z1 was barely unique and failed to find a space for itself in the brutal smartphone marketplace. However, the Korean electronics giant seems to be standing firmly behind its operating system and is reportedly working on expanding its smartphone portfolio running on the Tizen OS.

As per Tizen Indonesia blog post, Samsung is working on the successor of Z1 that would run on the company’s Tizen OS. Rumour mills suggest that the iteration (temporarily titled Z2) would have a slightly higher display resolution of 540x960p which is a qHD display. The presently available Z1 features a 480×800 WVGA display.

Samsung claims most of the major apps are available on Tizen OS

Tizen OS was criticized for being an Android clone. In spite of the unfavorable reviews for Tizen based Z1, Samsung made a marginal profit by selling 100,000 units in India in just one month and sold 20,000 handsets in less than 30 days in Bangladesh. The reason may be the low-price device and the much hyped new operating system from a major company that led people to give it a try.

There are no more speculations about the Z2, but it will surely stand close in specs with the Z1 which has a 4-inch WVGA display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 768 MB RAM, 4 GB inbuilt storage, and 1500 mAh battery. Samsung can probably attract more audience if it adds some unique features instead of just emulating Android. The consumers have embraced new operating systems like the MIUI and Cyanogen for their varied appeal. Being Samsung, the company can afford to take a risk here as it desperately needs a popular device in the affordable segment of smartphones which is currently dominated by Indian and other Asian brands.

February 19, 2015
Microsoft Brings the Lumia 532 to India

Microsoft has today launched two new devices for the affordable segment of the Indian smartphone market. The company launched the Lumia 435 and the Lumia 532 here in Indian capital today. Lumia 532 is a dual sim device with a price tag of Rs. 6,499.

Microsoft Lumia 532 has a 4 inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and a pixel density of 233 PPI. It gets its processing might from a Quad-core 1.2 GHz, Snapdragon 200 processor along with 1 GB RAM. The internal storage of the device stands at 8 GB and can be expanded through a MicroSD card to up to 128 GB. Apart from that you also get 30 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage.

On the camera front, the device sports a 5 MP camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front. It is juiced up through a 1560 mAh. The device runs on Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 operating system and will receive the upcoming Windows 10 upgrade.

As with its younger sibling the Lumia 435, the company is also offering free 500 MB data connection from Airtel for a duration of 7 months. A 6-month Truecaller premium subscription worth Rs. 360 is also added for free with this device.

Overall, looking at the spec sheet it seems like Microsoft is trying to clear out the inventory of the devices it inherited from Nokia. There is a plus side to these devices too. As Microsoft is working towards creating a unified ecosystem with Windows 10, you can expect easier interaction between your Windows Phone and your Windows 10 based computers. But it does seem like you would have to overlook the competition that offers more features at present for a unified Microsoft ecosystem of the future.

February 19, 2015
Microsoft Launches the Affordable Lumia 435 in India For Rs.5,999

Microsoft is a giving a push to its smartphone business in the affordable segment of the market. The company has launched the Lumia 435 in India to strengthen its portfolio at the lower end of the smartphone market.

The Lumia 435 sports a 4 inch display with a resolution of 480×800 pixels with a pixel density of 233 PPI. It is powered by a Dual-core 1.2 GHz, Snapdragon 200 processor along with 1 GB RAM. It has 8 GB internal storage but can be expanded up to a massive 128 GB that is great for a budget device.

This device has a 2 MP camera on the back and a VGA camera at the front. It gets its juice from a 1560 mAh battery. The device runs on Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 and will be upgraded to Windows 10 in the coming future.

To attract the customers to its ecosystem, Microsoft is offering a 500 MB data connection from Airtel for 7 months. Along with the data connection, the company is also offering a 6 months premium package of Truecaller.

The device is priced at Rs. 5,999 which is identical pricing for the Moto E, which offers a 4.3 inch qHD ( 540 x 960) display and will also be getting the latest Android Lollipop update soon. The 435’a expandable storage and the free data plans are its only attractive features, so it remains to be seen how many takers it manages to find in the Indian market.

February 19, 2015
OnePlus Finally Brings the 16GB Variant of the One to India

OnePlus has announced that the 16GB Silk White variant of the OnePlus One will be go up on sale in India by next week. Though, the exact date or day of the release and the price is still unknown, the company has opened up a contest for first invites for the smartphone which would require the buyers to fill in a form and answer a question. The winners of the contest will receive their invites on February 23^rd, which may indicate the approximate date of arrival of the device.

16GB Silk White is coming soon to @amazonIN! Enter our contest to win invites: http://t.co/0R97pAlmb5 pic.twitter.com/pjI4xtv4Tc

— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 19, 2015

The OnePlus One 16GB variant will be put up against the Xiaomi Mi4 16GB, which was launched in India for Rs 19,999.

OnePlus One features a 5.5 inch Full HD (1080×1920 pixels) IPS LCD Display and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Processor with 3GB of RAM. For graphics it has Adreno 330 GPU.

It comes with a 13 megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor and f/2.0 aperture rear camera with LED flash. It also comes with a 5 Megapixel front camera. It comes in 16 GB and 64GB variants, but doesn’t have the option of expanding storage via microSD. It packs a 3,000 mAh battery. The 16 GB variant will be exclusive to Amazon and will be sold via India Specific invites only.

February 19, 2015
Drone Technology to Help Transform the Agriculture Industry in India

When the consumer drones first came into prominence, no one would have thought how it could lend a helping hand in almost every sector. Today drones are delivering parcels, are likely to reach moon to make way for rovers, and can be put to use for many commercial purposes. In India, these drones are now being put to use to learn about crop diseases and help to gather data to help agriculture in the country.

Agriculture Insurance Company (AIC) of India along with Skymet, weather forecasting company, conducted a brief demo in parts of Gujarat to test how drones can be supportive in the agriculture sector. The test led to the conclusion that drones allow the observation of agronomic indicators for every square meter, something a satellite cannot do.

Skymet CEO Jatin Singh more details about the plan saying:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Jatin Singh” author_title=”CEO, Skymet”]

Remote sensing through unmanned aerial vehicles allows nondestructive sampling to observe agronomic indicators every square metre. We did a pilot project last year and will increase its coverage across Rajasthan and Gujarat this year.

[/quote]

Jatin further commented that at a time when land holdings are less and there is multi-cropping, they will be able to help Gujarat government in monitoring agricultural area and crop yield. The data could help AIC in giving farmers their insurance claims.

The drones are better suited for detailed analysis of the fields in comparison to satellites.

The unnamed aerial vehicles cover an area of 5 sq. km. in a single flight and send geo referenced images every five seconds together with. The images will help the specialists to identify the issues with the land and the crops and will assist them in finding solutions for them.

The chairman and managing director of AIC, P. J. Joseph pointed out its use in maintaining land records saying:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”P J Joseph ” author_title=”Managing Director, AIC”]

It’s a beneficial technology for states that have digitized land records or are in the process of digitizing. Pictures clicked by the unmanned aerial vehicles can be superimposed on digital maps of states and we can identify farms and crops sown.

[/quote]

The drone will help keep a track on crop position, control farm subsidies, detect pests, monitor nutritional and water stress on the crops, and they can even spray fertilizer and pesticides on the crops from above. Drone technology has found massive utility in the US and other developed nations. The use of this 21st century technology for the sake of agriculture is commendable and it will directly help farmers in the long run. We might find a lot of drones flying over the agricultural fields in the coming future and it will also double as a scarecrow.

February 19, 2015
Former GM Boss Says Apple Should Refrain From Making Cars

Former General Motors(GM) boss, Dan Akerson has warned Apple to stay away from manufacturing their own car, instead he advised the Cupertino based giant to focus on making in-car technology (something like CarPlay). He also suggested that profit margins on cars are relatively meager in comparison to iPhone which is practically a money minting machine.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Dan Akerson” author_title=”Fomer GM Boss”]

A lot of people who don’t ever operate in it(automobile manufacturing) don’t understand and have a tendency to underestimate. They’d better think carefully if they want to get into the hard-core manufacturing. We take steel, raw steel, and turn it into car. They have no idea what they’re getting into if they get into that.

[/quote]

Reports of Apple prepping its own electric vehicle surfaced last week. The report further stated that the Cupertino-based giant has a team of up to 1,000 employees working on a secret project code-named ‘Titan’. Anonymous sources also suggest the possibility of a car that resembles a minivan.

Meanwhile, earlier it was also reported that Apple’s market value stands at a whopping $745 billion, making it the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization, could be a factor that prompted CEO Tim Cook to venture into a new territory.

February 19, 2015
Sony May Quit Smartphone and TV Segment in a Bid to Multiply Profits

The consumer electronics company Sony is not enjoying a good time it used to before. There’s a steep decline in company’s revenue in past few years and resultantly, Sony has decided to compensate the loss by focusing on camera sensors, entertainment and PlayStations entirely. The Japanese firm announced that it could shut down the audio and video business in order to boost 25-fold profit within three years.

Sony CEO and President Kazuo Hirai showcased an isolated picture the company’s future saying that it could exit smartphone and TV sector. He made a remark at the corporate strategy meeting –

The strategy starting from the next business year will be about generating profit and investing for growth.

As per Kazuo, Sony is not at all making money with their high-end smartphones and has been dragged back by Samsung, Apple and some cheaper Asian rivals.

Kazuo put forth the statistics of a profitable tomorrow saying that the spinoffs will raise the profits of the company by 500 billion yen ($4.2 billion) by the end of 2018, a massive leap from the 20 billion yen in previous forecasts. It’s yet not clear if Sony will not be dealing in the TV sector any more as the firm recently unveiled an Android-powered TV at CES 2015.

If Hirai is considering to cut out the smartphones and TVs division, Sony will be left out with three main businesses – Sony Pictures Entertainment; a major film studio in Hollywood, PlayStation; which has turned profitable for the company recently with its next-gen consoles; and the last one is the image sensors unit that is completely dependent on Apple for retailing camera sensors for its iPhones. The last one doesn’t seem to have long term dependency as Apple may anytime lose interest in Sony sensors and can move to other firms or decide to manufacture its own sensors. So the focus towards the PlayStation ecosystem is Sony’s best bet towards profitability.

The PlayStation business is Sony’s best bet towards profitability.

If Sony cuts off smartphone and TV business, it would probably be the end of Sony as a major and prominent electronics company. Meanwhile, the personal computer unit, VAIO, has already been sold out and if Sony Pictures is still reeling from the massive hacking attacks of last year. These are trying times for the Japanese electronics company and might have to take some calls to prevent following the path of Nokia.

February 19, 2015
Moto Maxx Likely to Launch in India Exclusively on Flipkart

Online retailer Flipkart has teased an image which in all probability looks like a new Motorola smartphone launch in India soon. The teaser image doesn’t reveal the name of the smartphone, though it does suggest that it might be a device crammed with high-end specs. While, Flipkart has tweeted the teaser describing it only as a ‘Moto Beast’, it’s safe to assume the upcoming smartphone is likely the Moto Maxx.

There’s a Moto beast coming your way… exclusively on Flipkart. Stay tuned for more details. #MotoOnFlipkart pic.twitter.com/9FHIoJOEZH

— Flipkart (@Flipkart) February 19, 2015

In addition, the teaser image also says “Get Your Life Turbocharged. Accelerate performance, Ballistic Nylon fairing, and revving in soon.” The Moto Maxx is a global variant of the Droid Turbo that comes with a unique back panel which Motorola calls the ‘Ballistic Nylon’.

In addition to the unique back panel, the smartphone also packs a massive 3,900 mAh battery, which is compatible with Motorola’s turbo charger and is claimed to provide 8 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.

Other specs include a 5.2-inch QHD (2560×1440 pixels) display with a pixel density of 565ppi, and is powered by a 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. While on the software front, it runs on Android KitKat, which has been updated to Lollipop.

In terms of optics, the smartphone has a 21-megapixel rear autofocus camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash, 2-megapixel front camera. The smartphone comes with a massive 64GB internal storage and includes connectivity options LTE support, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.

February 19, 2015
Qualcomm Brings Out New Processors in the Snapdragon 600 and 400 Series

One of the most trusted makers of smartphone chipsets, Qualcomm has launched four new processors for smartphones. These processors are part of the company’s Snapdragon 600 and 400 series.

Qualcomm launched Snapdragon 620, 618, 425 and the 415

The processors will help to broaden the reach of LTE capabilities of devices in the mid and the affordable range of smartphones. In the 600 series, Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 620 and 618. These chips are integrated with 64-bit ARM Cortex A-72 CPUs and the new X8 LTE modem. The company says that with these launches, the mid-range segment of the handsets will get functionalities that were only available on the top tier 800 series.

Qualcomm has also introduced Snapdragon 425 and 415 in the 400 series. These will be the first octa-core chipsets in the 400 series. The Snapdragon 425 will be clocked at 1.7GHz, whereas the 415 is clocked at 1.4GHz.

These chipsets will provide higher value to the cost-conscious consumers. Qualcomm also says that these processors will offer higher volume. The 415 is expected to show up in the devices launched in the first half of this year, while the rest might be seen in the later part of the year.

February 19, 2015
Dragon Brings Back The First 3D Printed Tools From Space

3D printing is the ultimate technology revolution. It will give people the ability to create, customize and print out almost anything they need. One major arena, where the technology will bring immense convenience, is space travel. Instead of storing a massive inventory of tools and supplies, the astronauts can just print out what they require, when they need it. The testing of 3D printers capabilities in space is underway at the International Space Station(ISS). Now the tools made in space are being brought back to earth for research purposes.

The tools are being brought back to Earth in SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship in its fifth resupply mission. These tools will help the researchers understand the nitty gritty of printing in space. After heavy study, the researchers will validate if the technology is dependable for long duration human flights like a trip to Mars.

Zero-G Printer from Made in Space was used to create these the tools at the ISS.

The Zero-G printer experiments are a joint project between Nasa and Made in Space. It uses a low-temperature plastic stock. To finish the experimental phase at the ISS, a ratchet wrench was printed, and the designs were fed to the printer directly from the ground station. The lessons learnt from this research will help to further strengthen the utility of 3D printing in the microgravity of space.

3D printing will make access to travel more accessible and economical. Nasa is already testing the technology for creating essential engine bits for its rockets. The technology surely will have a bigger role to play in the field of space travel in the coming future

February 19, 2015
Facebook Confirms of Designing Virtual Reality Apps

Last March, Facebook acquired virtual reality (VR) headset maker Oculus with a vision of introducing the world to futuristic social media experience. The social media giant hasn’t taken a break since then and is coming up with one or the other breakthrough. Lately, Facebook has confirmed that it is working on virtual reality apps that will assist users in creating and viewing VR content.

In a conference today, Chris Cox, Chief Product Officer of Facebook, stamped the news saying that they’re working on apps for VR.

You realize, when you’re in it, that you’re looking at the future, and it’s going to be awesome. When you’re in Facebook, you’re just sending around these bits of experience — a photo, a video, a thought, whereas with VR, you could be sending a fuller picture.

According to Cox, the users will be able to create VR content of their own and share the surrounding environment with other app users. Though, he didn’t elaborate what all apps are in the progression and how are they going to work.

Facebook exhibited a small demo of the boundless platform at Sundance Film Festival this year. The company stepped forward and premiered its first short piece titled ‘Lost‘. It also confirmed to release five more flicks this year.

This step by Facebook is commendable. It would be exciting to see the apps that would give users freedom to create VR content of their choice and share it. This will give social media whole new space to grow.

February 18, 2015
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Recieves OTA MIUI 6 Update in India

During the Mi 4 launch event in India last month, Xiaomi India had confirmed that all the Xiaomi smartphones released in India will be receiving the MIUI 6 update in the coming weeks.

Xiaomi’s 2013 flagship phone, the Mi 3, received the MIUI 6 update in January. Now its the turn of the Redmi Note 4G to receive the latest MIUI update. According to user reports, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G has started receiving the MIUI 6 v6.3.5.0 update over-the-air in India and Taiwan, a few days after the first week of February, as promised by the company.

According to TheNextDigit, the MIUI 6 update for the Redmi Note 4G is available for download and is about 577MB in size. This update primarily fixes bugs for the lagging in the camera and music playback issue, plus other performance improvements including enhanced notifications, better security functions, improved email app, upgraded notifications shade and UI improvements.

Considering the fact that Xiaomi is rolling out the MIUI 6 update based on Android KitKat, the Android 5.0 Lollipop update may take some more time to reach the handsets. Redmi 1S and Redmi Note 3G are set to receive the update in early March.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, priced at Rs. 9,999, is available via a flash sale model for online sales of the smartphone in India, and via an offline sales model through exclusive Airtel stores.

February 18, 2015
With About $19 Billion Valuation, Snapchat To Become Third Most Valued Startup

Snapchat, the service that lets you send self-destructing text and picture messages is going places. In the latest round of funding, the company seems positive to raise its valuation to $16-19 billion. With this funding round, the company will become the third most valued startup after Xiaomi and Uber.

Last year, Snapchat raised $485 Million and was then valued at $10 Billion. This time around the company is targeting $500 million and is expected to be valued between $16-19 Billion. The company will over all raise $1 Billion after proposed funding.

Snapchat needs the funding as it plans to purchase the recording label Big Machine. This purchase is expected to cost Snapdeal a massive sum of $350 million. To raise its funds further, the company has said that it will be introducing ads on the platform.

Snapchat has been gaining popularity and is said to have acquired up to 200 Million monthly active users. For comparison, Instagram has over 300 Million subscribers while Whatsapp, the most popular of the messaging app has a user base of over 700 million.

February 18, 2015
Apple’s Upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air May Feature Touch ID Fingerprint Scanner

The highly anticipated next generation MacBook Air is said to boast a 12-inch display along with Intel Broadwell chipsets, but its other specs are still behind the veil. A Taiwanese website Apple.club.tw has made an announcement that the Cupertino-based giant will embed the future MacBooks and desktops with Touch ID fingerprint scanner. This includes the rumoured 12-inch MacBook Air as well.

According to the source, Apple will infuse the Touch ID in the trackpad of the purposed 12-inch laptop and next-gen MacBook Pro. As for desktops, the fingerprint scanner is likely to be implanted in the Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.

The website also stated that the next sleek and thin MacBook Air may come in three colour variants – silver, space grey, and gold. The colours may remind you of the last released iPhones and iPads.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that these are just rumours, and the company hasn’t come forward with any statement confirming these reports. If the speculations turn out to be true, then it may give a push to the company’s payment system, Apple Pay. The users will be allowed to make safe online purchases using Apple Pay. The mobile payment, as for now, is limited to the two top-end handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. In future, it will be compatible with iPhone 5 series when paired with Apple Watch.

The reported 12-inch MacBook is said to be thinner than its predecessor and will come with a Retina display. It is expected to launch this year by the end of the second quarter.

February 18, 2015