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  • Samsung Counter-Sues NVIDIA Over Patent Infringement

    Samsung Counter-Sues NVIDIA Over Patent Infringement

    After being accused by NVIDIA of patent infringement, it’s Samsung now who has accused NVIDIA of infringing several of its semiconductor-related patents, counter-suing after the later one filed a lawsuit against the Korean manufacturer in September.

    Samsung filed the lawsuit on Monday and is now seeking penalty for the infringement of his several technical patents. The Korean giant has also accused NVIDIA of misleading advertising when it says ‘Shield’ tablet sports the world’s fastest mobile processor, the Tegra. This was in response to NVIDIA’s accusation against Samsung and rival Qualcomm for infringing patents on its graphics-processing unit (GPU).

    “We’ll review and respond to these new claims against us, and look forward to presenting our case on how NVIDIA GPU patents are being used without a license,” said NVIDIA in a statement. The company also cited a benchmarking study that supports its claim of Tegra being the fastest mobile processor in the market.

    Earlier last year, Samsung was accused by Apple over infringement of several patented technologies, and now the Korean manufacturer is in a tiff with NVIDIA. This makes one wonder – ‘Why always Samsung’.

  • Microsoft’s Lync to be Reintroduced as ‘Skype For Business’ in Early 2015

    Microsoft’s Lync to be Reintroduced as ‘Skype For Business’ in Early 2015

    Microsoft recently announced that the company is converging Lync, professional video conferencing service with Skype which will be called Skype for Business. The company lately announced the name change as well as some target dates for the next versions of the offering.

    The move comes as a part of Microsoft’s strategy to ‘re-invent productivity’ for all, not just business. Hence, offering a unified experience across services so consumers and businesses have similar experiences.

    “Large enterprises know Lync, and consumers all know Skype,” said Gurdeep Pall, Corporate Vice President, Lync and Skype, Microsoft. “If you’re a small or medium business, you’re kind of lost. You feel, ‘Is Lync for me? Is it too heavy duty? But Skype definitely feels too light for me.’ We think that by having this one consistent brand, we are able to reach all the constituents in that spectrum.”

    sfb3

    The company promised that Skype for Business will remain an Office 365 exclusive service when it replaces Lync sometime in the first half of 2015. Microsoft Lync, earlier known as Microsoft Office Communicator, uses Microsoft Lync Server, the software infrastructure for enterprise instant messaging, Presence, VoIP, Video Conferencing, and so on. Microsoft said Skype for Business will offer a new client experience as well as a new server release.

    “We thought the most important convergence path was to feel familiar,” said Pall. “We have not yet landed on the right model for when you have two identities, and you’re trying to juggle them on the same experience. We are finding our path.”

    Skype for Business essentially uses all of the capabilities of Lync, including content sharing and telephony. Microsoft said that transferring a call now takes only one touch or click instead of three. In other words, Skype for Business will essentially be Skype with Lync’s enterprise security, compliance, and control feature.

    Back in 2011, when Microsoft bought Skype, the long-term goals of the company were unclear behind having two separate services that could do video chat. Now that the company is converging both of them, it makes a lot more sense as Skype has already become a household name in the field of video conferencing.

  • New LG AKA is a Geeky Smartphone With a Personality of its Own

    New LG AKA is a Geeky Smartphone With a Personality of its Own

    LG has announced a brand new Android smartphone called AKA. Launched in the company’s home market South Korea, the AKA is targeted at young customers, and comes with four unique cases that transform it into different characters: Eggy (yellow case), Wookie (white case), Soul (blue case) and YoYo (pink case).

    The front of the phone, when covered with theses interesting cases, shows animated eyes of the four characters. The eyes are more than simple animations as they can provide info including notifications and battery status.

    On the hardware front, the LG AKA offers a 5-inch IPS display with 720×1280 pixel resolution, LTE, 8 MP rear camera with laser auto focus, 2 MP front-facing camera, quad-core 1.2 GHz processor (unknown maker), 1.5 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of expandable memory. The handset comes with a 2610 mAh battery and weighs 135.5 grams without the front cover.

    lg_aka_back

    LG AKA’s connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, GPS, AGPS, and USB 2.0. and measures 138.7×71.9×9.9 mm. According to the official blog post, LG AKA is available starting today in South Korea via all three carriers running Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. However, there’s no word on how much the smartphone costs. It seems unlikely that the new AKA will be launched in any other market apart from South Korea.

    The South Korean electronic giant on Monday started rolling out its KizON wristband in Europe, which was launched in July. LG KizON is a wearable device exclusively designed to help parents track their pre-school and primary school children.

  • Here’s How You Can Deceive WhatsApp’s Blue Tick

    Here’s How You Can Deceive WhatsApp’s Blue Tick

    In a recent attempt to intrude our private lives, WhatsApp added another layer of unnecessary information in the form of blue check marks, indicating that the recipient has indeed read the message.

    The addition of the blue check marks is utterly unwanted in our opinion, given that this brings back the social pressure to reply – what most users consider an interruption of privacy. In the interest of privacy, WhatsApp earlier added the choice to conceal the ‘last seen’ notification that informs the other party when that person was last available on the messaging platform.

    Well, there is a way around to avoid this new feature. Rahul Banker, a blogger and head of India’s Google Developers Group, has revealed the method to avoid this feature in a blogpost.

    whatsapp-convo

    Basically, when you read the message you received on WhatsApp, the app uses your Wi-Fi or Data connection to notify the sender that the message has been read via blue tick marks. So, if you read the message offline, the app won’t be able to send the information to the sender.

    So, if you don’t want the sender to know whether you have read the message or not, you just need to switch off your internet and Wi-Fi connections, then open WhatsApp and read the message. Close the app, reconnect to your data or Wi-Fi, and the check marks remain grey.

  • New Halo 5: Guardians is a Mix of All the Right Ingredients That Made Halo So Epic

    New Halo 5: Guardians is a Mix of All the Right Ingredients That Made Halo So Epic

    One of the most awaited Xbox One exclusive – Halo: The Master Chief Collection will hit the stores today. The game will include four full campaigns and over 100 multiplayer maps including the debut of Halo 2: Anniversary. The upcoming Halo has enormous gameplay value this holiday season, though the whole package won’t be available at the launch. Microsoft and 343 Industries have confirmed that they are going to give everyone an access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta who buys a copy of The Master Chief Collection.

    Meanwhile, a video footage of Halo 5 appeared online. The video was barely a few seconds, though it sent shock waves across the Internet community, especially Halo fanatics. Some Halo fans were expressing concern as the video reveals a player sprinting and aiming down sights, skills that were not included in the early Halo games. This disappointed Halo fans as they perceived that 343 Industries has buckled under the pressure of an evolving FPS ecosystem, however, Executive Producer at developer 343 Industries Josh Holmes took to Twitter to relieve his fans.

    Halo fans got a chance to see how the Halo 5 multiplayer looks like during the HaloFest yesterday. The beta for the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians has all the elements that made Halo one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time. Some would argue that Halo 5: Guardians beta is actually a step backwards, but in our opinion, this is what made Halo one of the most popular games. Developers have done a great job by simplifying gameplay mechanics and fine tuning certain aspects. The beta feels like a perfect blend of what previous Halo games were known for.

    The three-week Halo 5: Guardians beta kicks off from 29th December, delivering three maps and seven modes to a whole lot of Halo fans. Don’t miss out the world premiere of Halo 5 multiplayer gameplay below:

  • Moto X and Moto G First in Line to Get Android Lollipop Update

    Moto X and Moto G First in Line to Get Android Lollipop Update

    Surprisingly, according to the recent reports, some 2014 Moto X users have already received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update notification. It is said that the company posted and then pulled out documents for the Moto X and Moto G Lollipop update on its website.

    “The very first Moto X variant getting the update is the ‘Pure Edition’ — an unlocked version of the phone, and for right now it’s going out to people who signed up for the ‘soak test’ — a limited rollout in preparation of a wider release,” Ars Technica reports. “Next up for Moto will be making sure none of the soak testers report major problems over the next day or two and getting carriers on board to approve the update.”

    Earlier, Motorola announced that they will be rolling out Android 5.0 update for Moto X and Moto G devices soon, and the company may roll out the official update for these handsets soon after upgrades for Google’s own Nexus devices.

    Meanwhile, Ar Technica pointed out that there hasn’t been any Lollipop update for Google’s Nexus devices, presumably because Google didn’t want to steal the Nexus 6’s thunder, which will be released on November 12.

  • Motorola’s Mystery Smartphone Speculated to Come with 4G Support

    Motorola’s Mystery Smartphone Speculated to Come with 4G Support

    Since the announcement of the Gen 2 Moto X and Moto G, we have been expecting that the Lenovo subsidiary, Motorola Mobility, might launch an updated Moto G with 4G support. Well, the news might come true as a handset codenamed ‘Motorola TBD’ has made an appearance at Geekbench Browser revealing similar specifications.

    According to the Geekbench 3 listing, the unnamed phone packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8916) 410 chipset clocked at 1.19 GHz. Notably, the Snapdragon 410 is both 32-bit and 64-bit capable. It comes with 1 GB of RAM. The device has scored a 434 and 1148 points under single and multi-core benchmarks.

    NEW_MOTO_G_0

    It is a pretty decent score for a budget smartphone, but there are some confusions about what device it refers to. Many tech blogs say it might be the second generation Moto E (aka Moto E2), while others suggest that this may be the advanced version of the recently released Moto G (Gen 2.). The former one is highly unlikely to receive the update, considering the price bracket Moto E belongs to.

    Moreover, if past Motorola device launch history is any indication, we strongly believe the mystery device is the 4G-LTE variant of the second generation Moto G, unless the company is working on whole new other budget handsets. Also, the use of Snapdragon 410 series chipset makes sense over 400 series 3G based Moto G (Gen 2), if Motorola wants to get hold of the developed markets like USA and Europe.

    Motorola earlier launched the Moto G (Gen 1) 4G-LTE in European and American markets, almost three months after the 3G model made its debut. As for now, there is no official word on any such device, hence, the report should be treated as pure speculation.

  • President Obama Stands by Net Neutrality; Asks for Stricter Protection

    President Obama Stands by Net Neutrality; Asks for Stricter Protection

    Net Neutrality is one of the most important issues being discussed in the United States. The path taken by FCC will set a precedence that can be used by all other service providers across the world. The future of the free internet stands is at stake and hence it’s important to save it. Luckily amongst the supporters of the Net Neutrality is an important figure; none other than the President of the United States.

    Net neutrality principle states that all data that is being transmitted on the internet is equal, and service providers cannot prioritize any data packets.

    President Barack Obama in a video address asked the Federal Communications Commission to formulate more stringent rules that protect the net neutrality principle. He expressly stated in the video address, “It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information — whether a phone call or a packet of data.”

    FCC had previously called on for public comment on the issue that attracted over four million comments from the public. The majority of these comments were in favor of stronger rules. Even the big internet companies like Google, Netflix, Kickstarter and Vimeo along with others joined hands in support of net neutrality.

     

    The biggest hindrance in the passing of the new rules is the heavy money might of the corporations who have lobbied proactively to gut the net neutrality principle. The telecom companies are not at all a fan of government regulation of the internet. Even the Republican Party, which won control of the two legislative bodies of the US Congress is in favor of diluting Net Neutrality. The stance of the party is evident from this tweet from one of the foremost voices of the Republican side of Congress.


    The internet is a phenomenal tool and an essential utility. By diluting net neutrality, companies will be able to charge a premium on specific content like certain sites or charge extra for video streaming. In countries like India, where the telecom providers are known for giving low-grade services at high prices, the issue of net neutrality should be of concern. Using the ignorance of laws, the telecom companies might try to gut the principle outrightly.

    If you like the way your internet feels, however slow or unsatisfactory it may feel in its present state, it is still a million times better than what the telecom companies are planning to do with it. So if you like the access to unlimited database of cute animals and babies and all the other awesome stuff in the world, then keep a vigilant eye for whenever you hear the term Net Neutrality.

  • XOLO Announces Q1020, a Budget Smartphone with a 5-inch Display and 13MP Camera

    XOLO Announces Q1020, a Budget Smartphone with a 5-inch Display and 13MP Camera

    XOLO has added a new smartphone to its Q series lineup, the XOLO Q1020. The device was launched via a Facebook post for Rs. 11,499. Listed on the company’s website, there is no word regarding its availability.

    The new XOLO Q1020 features a 5-inch HD IPS display with a 1280×720 pixel resolution and comes with scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood, it is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor coupled with a Mali 450 GPU and 1 GB of RAM. It runs the Android KitKat OS with dual-SIM capabilities.

    xolo-Q1020

    In terms of memory, the Q1020 comes with 8 GB of in-built storage expandable up to 32 GB via a memory card. Optics includes a 13MP rear shooter with Exmor RS sensor, LED flash along with a 2MP selfie cam. The camera app comes with features like scene detection, Panorama, geo-tagging, best shot, smile shot, and HDR options.

    Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Micro-USB, A-GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM radio. The phone has a 2100mAh battery which is claimed to deliver up to 13 hours of talk time on 3G, and up to 454 hours of standby time on 2G. The phone will be available in black and white colour variants.

    The XOLO Q1020 comes with a wooden finish at the edges.

  • 65,000 Xiaomi Redmi 1S Handsets to Go on Sale Today

    65,000 Xiaomi Redmi 1S Handsets to Go on Sale Today

    The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is holding its tenth flash sale for Redmi 1S in India. The sale will kick off today at 2pm for registered users on Flipkart.

    According to a tweet from the official account of the company, 65,000 Redmi 1S handsets will be up for sale. However, the company will not provide complimentary screen guards and micro-SIM card adapter with the handset in this sale, unlike previous sales.

    The Flipkart registration page notes that only one smartphone will be available for sale for single email ID and as usual, advises users to log in at least 2 hours before the flash sale begins. It’s worth noticing that Flipkart’s procedure requires people to just add the handset to their cart for it to be classified as ‘sold out’, and people are given additional time to complete their purchase.

    The last flash sale saw 1,00,000 Redmi 1S units going on sale, which was an increase of 40,000 units compared to the last flash sale that saw 60,000 units being made available.

    Despite being in controversies regarding privacy concerns, Xiaomi has become the world’s third-biggest smartphone maker replacing Huawei. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the smartphone maker has tripled the shipment since last year.

  • Microsoft Officially Launches the First Lumia Without Nokia Branding

    Microsoft Officially Launches the First Lumia Without Nokia Branding

    We all knew it was coming. But today finally, Microsoft has officially unveiled the first Lumia device without the Nokia branding. The new Microsoft Lumia 535 is essentially an entry-level device and is somewhat similar to the Nokia devices that have come before it.

    One of the most evident differences is that the handset has dropped the Nokia branding in favour of Microsoft at the rear and front, and a company logo has been incorporated on the colourful removable shell. All future Lumia devices will be launched with Microsoft branding, and the existing Lumia phones with Nokia moniker will continue to be known as Nokia handsets.

    Microsoft Lumia 535 has been designed as an alternative of Nokia Lumia 530 and will be targeting users from Russia, India, China and other parts of Asia. It is clear that the company wants to push Lumia sales and Windows Phone market share by betting on this low-end  device.

    Even though, Lumia 535 comes with a low-end specification, Microsoft has tweaked the handset with some considerable changes which, according to the company, will not compromise their experience as much as some other budget Lumia devices. The Lumia 535 comes with 5-inch qHD display with the insufficient resolution of 960×540 pixels. The company claims that it has tweaked the display for outdoor readability. Even if it is true, the miserly pixel count is pretty hard to ignore.

    Lumia-535-hero1-jpg

    Microsoft has added 1 GB RAM in the Lumia 535 instead of the usual 512 MB, which is an appreciable move as many users, especially Windows Phone gamers, have been complaining about low RAM in their devices. Microsoft has also included auto-brightness, and a 5-megapixel forward-facing camera. The front-facing  camera includes a wide-angle lens with a 24 mm focal length, just like the Lumia 730/735.

    The Lumia 535 runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and a 1,905mAh battery. There’s 8 GB of onboard storage, coupled with a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB of extra capacity. Like all other Lumia devices, Lumia 535 is available in many colour options – green, cyan, orange, black and white. The backplates of this handset are interchangeable and Microsoft will be offering flip covers in matching shades for those who like to give their handsets a little extra protection.

    Microsoft said that the Lumia 535 will launch later this month in Asia-Pacific territories, with Russia, India and China at top of the list, ahead of Africa and Europe. The handset will sell for roughly around Rs. 8,000 (the price will vary between countries).

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  • Microsoft Plans to Use ‘White Space’ Tech to Deliver Free Internet Across India

    Microsoft Plans to Use ‘White Space’ Tech to Deliver Free Internet Across India

    Microsoft India is all set to provide free last-mile internet connectivity across the country. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Microsoft India is seeking approvals to deploy a project that will enable Internet connectivity using ‘White Space’ spectrum that is currently used for television transmission by Doordarshan.

     The company has asked permission to initiate a pilot project in two districts, after which it will be rolled out all across the country. The chairman of Microsoft India, Bhaskar Pramanik, said that Microsoft has sought clearance for a pilot program in two districts for its white space initiative. White space technology has previously been deployed in South Africa, Ghana, and the UK, although to this point, white space broadband hasn’t been deployed at a commercially meaningful scale.

    “Wi-Fi has a range of only about 100 metres, whereas the 200-300 MHz spectrum band available in the white space can reach up to 10 km,” said Bhaskar Pramanik. “This spectrum belongs mainly to Doordarshan and the government and is not used at all. We have sought clearance for a pilot project in two districts.”

    The company said if the pilots are successful, the project will be turned nationwide and could give a huge boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative, which proposes to use technology to deliver authority to every citizen of India, even in remote areas.

    “The challenge is the lack of digital infrastructure across India. This initiative addresses this challenge in a cost-effective manner and creates an eco-system that will benefit everyone, including manufacturers of routers and other technology devices, other technology companies, besides Microsoft,” Pramanik further elaborated.

    However, the technology hasn’t been widely adopted anywhere in the world, but experts believe it can lead to a spurt in broadband connectivity in countries such as India. Engineers at Microsoft Development Centres in India have adapted this unlicensed technology for this country.

  • Twitter Joins Hands With Women Advocacy Group to Fight Online Harassment

    Twitter Joins Hands With Women Advocacy Group to Fight Online Harassment

    We all know the depreciational quality of any online conversation with another human being. There’s something about the mode of online communication that leaves us shielded from other person’s emotions, leading us to create a lot of nasty content over the internet. The information super highway was meant for the world to unite and share ideas, instead, we have turned it into a septic tank of human nastiness. One of the worst issues online is the issue of online harassment. It is especially a common occurrence on social media. Now Twitter will be taking steps to prevent harassment on its pages.

    Twitter has joined hands with a non-profit advocacy organization Women, Action, and the Media (WAM) to take on online harassment. It is reported through a PEW survey that as many as 25% of women aged between 18-24 have been stalked online, while 26% have been on the receiving end of online sexual harassment.

    Using an online form you can report specifics of the harassment, you're facing.
    Twitter said that it works with multiple partners to take on online harassment.

    These are troubling figures as it creates a malignant atmosphere for women online. In the garb of anonymity, insensitive elements create a havoc on the person they are targeting. WAM will work towards making it easier for Twitter to take actions against these unscrupulous troublemakers.

    WAM has created an online form which can be used to report abuses. It is an anti-gender harassment campaign, and so the form can be used by women and men both. WAM has made it clear that they will use the complaints received to direct Twitter to take action, but ultimate authority lies with Twitter.

    Recently, a major Twitter scandal unfolded in the Tech world with the exposure of #gamergate, where certain female gamers were being harassed by gamers. They were forced to speak out against gender discrimination against females in gaming. After facing tremendous pushback from mainstream attention, the gamergate movement is now dying a silent death.

    The safety features might come in handy for reporting abuses, but what is really necessary to end this menace is accountability. The people who indulge in harassment of others leads to more controls on expression, which just spoils the fun for everyone. It’s important that the abusers face the consequences of their actions. But most importantly, we need to have an online culture conversation. The online world is an ecosystem of its own, and it is still discovering itself, constantly evolving. We need to create a civilisational grammar for this new society and make it a place to have real developmental interactions.

  • Tizen-Based Samsung Smartphones Expected to Debut in India First

    Tizen-Based Samsung Smartphones Expected to Debut in India First

    India is likely to be the first country that will see the launch of a new range of budget devices. Lately, Samsung featured its own in-house mobile operating system Tizen. According to reports, the South Korean manufacturer is expected to launch a smartphone within a month in India that runs on the Tizen OS.

    Based on the Linux platform, Samsung is doing all that it can do to make their OS popular among consumers. The company launched the operating system with their wearable platform and did manage to get a positive response. Reports also suggest that the latest Tizen-based handset will be competing against the smartphones under Rs. 10,000. It is rumoured to have a 4-inch touchscreen, dual-SIM ability, a 3.2MP camera and 512 MB RAM with standard connectivity features. In terms of memory, it is rumored to have 4 GB of internal memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card.

    Experts are quite skeptical over the launch of the new mobile operating system, as Android still rules the roost with almost 3/4th of the market share. The low cost Firefox OS phones did manage to do quite well, though primarily for their inexpensive pricing. India being a major playground for smartphone manufacturers, the ploy could turn the tide in favour of Samsung, who has reportedly lost five percent share from the last quarter.

    The likes of Xiaomi and Huawei have captured a huge amount of market share after launching budget Android handsets. Recently, Google also announced its budget Android One devices for India. Will this strategy work out in Samsung’s favour, is something we have to wait and watch.

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