The day has arrived. Microsoft, had previously announced that it would be “restructuring” its business to make it better and nimble. To do this, the company decided to cut 18,000 jobs. This was the biggest job cut in the company’s history. So as planned, the company is slowly cutting its fat down and has now handed pink slips to 2100 employees.
In July this year, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella had sent out a memo to its employees stating that they would be cutting jobs to make “fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways, to accelerate the flow of information and decision-making.” Most of these jobs came from the newly acquired Nokia’s stable.
ZDNet reports that 747 of the employees were situated in Washington, 160 were in California. Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Research arm has also been shut down effective today. There will be one more major job loss coming up. The company had recently got bad press for offering Nokia 630 to workers at the Nokia plant in China for quitting their job.
Microsoft has to take on a whole new world if it wants to be a name that can be a part of the future. It is still the biggest corporation with the Windows operating system holding a monopoly over the computers around the world. But the world is fast moving towards mobile and to succeed in this market, Microsoft has to strive hard.
The job cuts do make business sense, but they will hurt the folks who were dependent on the job for their bread. For now, we can just wait and watch if the biggest job cut in Microsoft’s history actually amounts to anything for the company.
Panasonic’s Lumix LX series includes some of the best cameras in the market, however, recently they’ve taken a backseat with the launch of some large-censored compact cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 and the Fujfilm X100S. Now, the LX series is coming back with a big sensor of its own.
The new Lumix DMC-LX100 is a remarkable improvement from its LX7 predecessor and probably the most sophisticated compact the Japanese company has ever built. One of main highlights of this camera is it’s Micro Four Thirds-sized, 12.8-megapixel MOS chip which is twice as big as the 1-inch-type sensor in Sony’s RX cameras and the Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras.
The LX100’s F1.7 aperture at the wide-angle end of its 3X zoom (24mm to 75mm) which helps it in harnessing even more light. Also, the LX100 is able to capture 11 shots per second in burst mode. A maximum ISO setting of 25,600 should help low-light shooting even more, and that astronomical setting might even be halfway usable at that sensor size.
It’s also got a fast Leica 24-75mm (35mm equivalent) f/1.7-2.8 lens, a wide-screen, 2,764K dot LVF (live viewfinder) and 4K video capture. The LX100 is also one of the first pocket cameras that captures 4K video footage. Some of those specs put it on par with the company’s flagship GH4, and well ahead of all its other interchangeable MFT models.
Other features include Wi-Fi, NFC capability for easier smartphone pairing, in-camera RAW to JPEG conversion and an external flash. It has a “multi-aspect” feature that allows 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 angles of view, which reduces the usable area of the sensor.
This premium point-and-shoot camera is due at the end of October. It’s expected to cost between $800 and $900, which makes it a direct competitor of the APS-C-sensored Fujifilm X100s and 1-inch-sensored Sony RX100 III.
Apple’s flagship is now available for anyone who has got the money for it. The phone got polarising reviews with Apple fans sticking by their device and Android fans turning social media against the new iPhones using tons of memes. As always, it is now time to rip apart and unveil all the secret sauces that went into making the new jewel in Apple’s crown. The tear down of both phones showed us that they are pretty interesting on the inside.
First up, the iPhone 6 with a 4.7 inch display. A Japanese blog called ‘Mac Otakara’ disassembled the phone. They found that the 1810 mAh battery on the device was fastened to the chassis with adhesive tabs. The phone has received some internal tweaks to adapt to the slimmer design. It has a linear oscillating type vibrating motor that sits on the right with the battery. The phone is said to have 1GB RAM.
The Phones were torn down by IFixit and Mac Otakara
The iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, was unraveled by iFixit who are known for surgically removing all the organs of devices and laying them side by side. The battery on Apple’s biggest iPhone yet stands at 2915 mAh. The battery is bigger in comparison to Samsung’s S5 (2800mAh) which was released earlier this year. Like the Samsung flagship, the iPhone 6 Plus has a full HD(1920X1080) display.
iFixit confirmed that the device holds an Elpida 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM. It is an entire gigabyte less than Samsung’s S5 and 2 gigabyte less than the Note 4. The company also confirmed that the smaller sibling, iPhone 6 also carries the same amount of RAM. The devices are powered by Apple’s A8 chipset.
The Camera Module with OIS is beautiful to look at.
The camera modules on the phones were impressive to see. This new cameras has optical image stabilization, and it sure looks beautiful on the inside.
The 128GB NAND flash memory has been supplied by SK Hynix. Other features that were found inside include the Wi-Fi module supplied by Murata, touch screen controller by Broadcom, power amplifier module by TriQuint and gyroscope and accelerometer combo supplied by InvenSense.
Apple has claimed that the new devices have better battery life and are faster than the previous generations. Considering its higher end phones have the same amount of RAM as there is in the Moto E, it will be interesting to see how the phones handle the new additions such as the much-touted interconnectivity features.
With the new Apple iOS 8 update, Twitter app for the iPhone just got slicker. Earlier layout of the Twitter app for iOS was clustered and has been criticised for not being user friendly. With the new updated look, Twitter seems have used the earlier feedback to make the new and improver interface more user friendly and declustered.
The updated app has got a brand new design for profiles, which brings your bio front and center. Earlier users had to swipe the user name window to see the bio. Also, the company has added different timelines for tweets, pictures/GIF uploaded and favorite tweets for easy reading.
The new profile layout will show up on both iOS 7 and iOS 8. So, if you haven’t upgraded yet to the new iOS, you can still enjoy the new layout in your iPhone. However, you get some extra perks with iOS 8 such as the power to retweet, follow and favorite posts right from the notification center.
Samsung has already announced that the US release of the eagerly-anticipated Galaxy Note 4 will be on October 17th. Now, it seems it will release in India ahead of the US sometime during the first week of October. Samsung, the Korean electronic major, is said to be the pioneer of the phablet trend, blending tablet and smartphone features in one device. The pre-orders in the US already started on last Friday.
“Samsung created the large screen smartphone category with the Galaxy Note and we are on our fourth generation, a category others are just entering,” the company said in a statement. “The Galaxy Note 4 delivers a refined Note experience, and the latest technology that consumers want in their smartphone.”
The Note 4 boasts a 5.7-inch high definition screen, improved front and rear cameras, speedy charging, and an “S Pen” to write, draw or edit on the touch screen more naturally. The Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16 MP camera on the back with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS.) With the OIS, Samsung claims, you’ll get professional quality HD videos with minimum jitters.
The company has gone out of its way to bring a superior selfie experience, and it was truly innovative of them. The 3.7 MP front camera has a wide f/1.9 iris which will ensure brightness of the image. The device gets its juice from a 3220 mAh battery which is a slight increase over the predecessor. Samsung claims that with advanced optimization of their product, the battery will last longer than before. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 also comes with 50 GB of Dropbox storage for two years.
It has also been said that the new Galaxy Note 4 will only be available on offline stores and not through any online e-commerce websites. It is a result of recent boycott by Indian retailers over the pricing issue. The dealers said that they would stop stocking Samsung phones unless the South Korean tech giant takes steps to narrow the wide gap in pricing between its phones sold at various offline outlets and on e-commerce sites.
iOS is finally here! According to Apple, the iOS 8 is the biggest iOS upgrade since Apple store’s origin. The new upgrade includes better photo-centric features with Photos app for the smarter shutterbug; messages with capability to share video and audio messages directly. However, the best feature to debut with iOS 8 is third-party keyboard apps support.
There will be a wave of new Keyboard software apps in coming months but ahead of them some app already made their debut. We have rounded up 5 keyboard apps for iOS 8, to let you decide which one suits you better.
Swype is already very popular with the Android community, with some manufacturers use Swype for their devices’ default keyboard. It was one of the first keyboards to let you drag your finger around on the screen, connecting the letters in a word, to type, instead of pecking at the screen. The app costs you 99 cents, and is also available for iPad, provides further customization options with five different themes.
Swiftkey is another keyboard app which has been a favorite of Android users. The app is loved for its predictive-typing, adaptability and getting smarter the more you use it. It also incorporates a lot of flair with colorful skins, emojis, and multiple keyboard layouts. It also supports swipe-style input (called SwiftKey Flow). The free app is cloud-connected, so it can remember your personal language patterns and preferences across devices.
Fleksy almost same as the Swiftkey with its predictive-typing features, which try to understand what you want to type before you even tap the screen. In Android community, Fleksy is known as “world’s fastest keyboard”. It supports gesture-based typing, but also allows users to choose between small- or large-size keyboards.The $0.99 app comes with 800 of its own emojis, and amazing 40 languages support.
Well, Ginger is little bit different from others in this list. It helps you improve your grammar and writing style as you type. Apart from basic text prediction, it is packed with tools to proofread, check your grammar, find synonyms, rephrase awkward sentences, and translate texts into other languages. There’s also a dictionary that you can customize with names, locations, slang, and unique words. It comes with a colourful theme, which is customisable too. However, the app is still in its process to come to the App Store.
PopKey is one of a kind emoji-style keyboard app which is solely dedicated to GIFs. The app will allow users to quickly find and message their favorite GIFs with just a few taps. The GIFs will include dozens of themed categories that get updated in real-time with the latest trending topics and events.
Data storage for long had been a major headache for everyone. But in the last decade storage technologies have evolved astronomically. We now have a wide array of storage options from SD cards to hard drives to even high capacity RAID drives. It won’t be wrong to say that the storage revolution has brought the internet age to its maximum potential and fueled a new age economy. Now Sandisk has performed a feat that will find a place in the history books.
Sandisk has launched a SD Card that has an incredible storage capacity of 512 GB. This card will be a boon to camera professionals as they can shoot their high data-intensive 4K videos with ease. It will also come in handy to photographers who want to do high-speed photography.
Back in 2003, Sandisk had unveiled the first 512 MB card. Now 11 years later the company is ready to create a storm with its new 512GB SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I card. So in just a decade the storage capacity has almost increased a 1000 times. That is a great achievement in itself.
The card provides write speeds up to 90 MB/s* and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) recording speed for high resolution, real-world color and stutter-free 4K Ultra HD video. The transfer speeds up to 95 MB/s provided by the card helps to move data quickly for efficient post-production workflows.
Sandisk claims that the microSD UHS-I card is the fastest in the world.
Along with this Sandisk also released the 64GB SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-I card which it claims is the fastest card in the world. These cards provide transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s and also hold Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) ratings.
As the amount of data stored is high on the cards, the company claims it offers multiple safety features. The cards have Built for and tested in harsh conditions; they are temperature-proof, waterproof, shock-proof, and x-ray proof. Sandisk also offers RescuePRO Deluxe, which is a data recovery software. And if all this is not enough, the card comes with lifetime limited warranty.
The 64 GB Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-I cards are available in capacities of 32GB and 64GB and range in pricing from Rs. 4,900 and Rs. 9,700. The Sandisk 512 GB SD card will be priced at Rs.51,990.
The cards are clearly not meant for the general public as of yet. But these cards will help to bring great content for the booming high-resolution mobile screens and Ultra HD TV market. These will also be great for phones which offer 4K video recording like Sony Z3, Note 4, LG G3, etc. Hopefully in the next decade we’ll see 512 TB cards or does that sound to audacious? We’ll check back with Sandisk for the answers, 11 years from now.
UPDATE: We had previously reported that the Moto X and Moto 360 will be arriving by the beginning of October. It appears that the Moto X as well as the Moto 360 will be coming out in the last week of September.
The Moto 360 has been one of the most-awaited wearables in the market. The Smartwatch was unveiled at the beginning of this month, and it was impressive in many aspects. Now sources close to iGyaan reveal that the Moto 360 will be available in India starting next month.
The base model of the device is expected to be launched in the first week. It is going to be priced at Rs. 17,999. A steel band variant will follow soon after this launch. It is expected to come with a price tag of Rs. 19,999.
The Base model will arrive first and will be followed by a steel strap variant.
The Moto 360 provides some great watch faces and by being one of the two round devices. The other one being LG’s G watch R which is also expected to come later this year. The G watch R has a more authentic watch like feel, but it comes at an expensive price tag.
The main issue with the device is that even though it is shaped round, the Android Wear OS running on it is designed for rectangle devices. So round screen just end up cutting the corners of the content. Another issue with the 360 is the battery life. Motorola claims it lasts a day, but professional testing shows the Smartwatch losing power by the half day point. The wireless charger that comes with it is really cool, but the thing about wearables is that we don’t want to worry about their batteries. The battery woes might disappoint a lot of folks who have been waiting around for the device for a long while.
The Moto 360 still stands out as a unique device. It also comes from a company which has gained a lot of goodwill amongst the users. The 1st generation of the 360 does have some pretty visible flaws. Motorola had a lot of time on their hands to mend the issues. Hopefully, now that the flaws are apparent in the market, Motorola will fix them in their next versions or provide software tweaks to make the 360 better so that it stands true to the Moto Brand. We just have to wait and watch for this Smartwatch.
As promised we are giving away a Xiaomi Redmi 1S. Every Tuesday, the smartphone sells out within mere seconds on Flipkart. So here’s a chance you might win one instead. Simply enter the sweepstakes.
Follow the Instructions carefully and read the terms and conditions on the form as well as given here. This Giveaway is open only for residents of India.
Apple is rolling out the new iOS 8 update tonight and the iPhone 6 devices are all prepped to be shipped. According to The Verge, the company appears to be expecting that a lot of people will be switching from Samsung, HTC, and other devices to their new iPhone.
To help users switch from Android to Apple devices, the company has provided a handy guide for moving all your digital documents from Android to an iOS device. The guide explains how Android users can transfer their important data including contacts, pictures, music, documents, and calendars from their old device to their new one.
It is said that users can move information over through iTunes and iCloud. However, it seems that the company hasn’t come up with any tools moving data between operating systems. The company also pointed out user ‘probably’ find the apps they like, but they’ll need to head to the Apple’s App Store and find them on their own.
The two new phones by Apple – the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, announced last week, went up for pre-order on 12th September. Apple reports that within the first 24 hours they recorded more than 4 million orders.
Well, Motorola has already launched the new version of the blockbuster Moto G. At the same event, the company had also announced the next gen Moto X and Moto 360, which the company said will go on sale by late September. Now, a source told iGyaan that the new gen Moto X may go on sale next week.
The smartphone’s Flipkart profile has already been uploaded which says ‘Coming Soon’. You can sign up for the newsletter, if you want to be among the first ones to get your hands on the smartphone.
The new Moto X is bulkier and boasts a number of new features and designs that should definitely increase the X’s demand.
The new Moto X is not much bigger than the previous one, with a 5.2 inch AMOLED display and it is still protected by Gorilla Glass. Moto X 2nd gen is about 0.5 inch wider than last year’s X. However, the refreshed model sports a 1080p full HD display instead of a 720p one. At the back, it has an updated 13-megapixel camera lens with 4x zoom and a ring flash. The camera has the ability to capture 4K video instead of just 1080p and it’s also got a new feature called Best Shot.
The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, an Adreno 330 578MHz GPU and 2GB of RAM. It is powered by 2,300 mAh battery which Motorola claims will last a full day. The new Moto X has four microphones to help reduce background noise, and comes in a “splash guard” water repellent coating and will be available in both 16GB and 32GB variants.
The handset will be go on sale at end of the next week as mentioned above. The company at the launch event said that they will have enough stock this time. Pricing details have not yet been revealed by the company.
Check out our Hands on with the Moto X (Gen 2) below:
The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are expected to do well in India, especially considering the launch date which falls just shy of major festivals of our country. Oct 17th (the official launch of both big iPhones in India) is also just 4 days prior to the mega festival of “Dhanteras” which celebrates gold and anything that represents gold. A few days post that is the biggest festival of India, Diwali/Deepavali, which again brings about the act of gifting, shopping and spending money like there is no tomorrow. And finally “Bhai Duj” which again ensures that people are buying gifts for their respective brothers and sisters.
In 2013, Apple launched the gold color iPhone 5s, which was sold out within hours and remained out of stock for many a days. It is assumed that there was a high demand of the gold color due to the excitement around the time of the above stated festivals. However, the way the iPhone was launched in India was the complete opposite of how Apple does things globally.
Apple in India, unfortunately does not have any of its own stores, no online store, no flagship stores and well nothing close to a “5th Ave” store. The company has its distribution tied up with Indian distributers “Ingram” and “Reddington”, who make a spectacle of the launch, by making available “limited” number of phone in limited cities. This redundant process has left people who actually want to buy an iPhone with a horrible taste.
Poorly Orchestrated iPhone 5s Launch
The launch is nothing close to what happens, for example, at a US store (or any other Apple store). There is this strange coupon system that lets you stand in line to buy an iPhone. Then there is a “special” coupon that lets you skip the line and jump ahead to a “special” area for VIP guests of big distributers i.e. Ingram, Reddington and networks like Airtel.
The standard line is essentially made up of store owners and employees of store owners, who want to essentially get stock that they can then sell from their respective stores to their respective “best clients”. There is a huge inflation of price of the iPhone as well. The same day as the launch of the gold iPhone 5s for (Rs. 54,500 for the 16GB variant), the phone was available at most dealers and brick mortar stores for as high as Rs. 70,000. An inflated price you had to pay for not standing in line.
There are a few who actually brave it and stand in line, but their numbers are limited and their wait times are catastrophically high. The event itself is loud and disorganized, usually outdoors and in the open (except a few), leading to long wait times and a chaotic atmosphere. The company also tries to build in live music and unnecessary shows with loud emcees making it look like a typical Indian fair (mela).
Despite claiming that the gold color had reached “out of stock” status, Apple India warehouses were full of them, and Apple chose not to sell anymore gold colored iPhone 5s, because it was affecting the sales of the other colors.
Why does it have to be so difficult, and complicated for a user to buy a phone that they want to pay money for. Apple needs to bring their user experience to India, considering India is an important market for them. Apple is planning to officially be in India by next year, that means that the company will finally set up shop which may end all these theatrics. However if there are limited number of handsets to sell, a simple pre-order system should suffice, or a registration system which lets actual buyers who want to own these phones buy them. Apple asks for identification and credit cards at the time of purchase in the US and also limits the sale to a maximum of two handsets.
However in India, most purchases are made by cash and why should the company care about identification as long as phones are getting sold? To make matters worse, the people who are supposedly selling you the phones have not been trained as you would expect at a “genius bar”, they have been debriefed a few hours prior to the launch and know basic things like “turning on the iPhone” and “inserting a sim card”. They usually freeze up if you ask them questions around “iCloud” or some new elements like “handoff”.
The one good thing out of all of this is the fact that Apple has made the phones available in India early, unlike the iPhone 4s which was launched a good 9-10 months later, the iPhone 6 will launch a month after the US launch. However, this year expect the problems to be big, or well “bigger than bigger”. #BigFailSale anyone?
LG has launched the new LG G3 Beat in India for the price of Rs. 25,000. The smartphone which was announced earlier this year is essentially a mid-tier variant of the flagship G3. The new LG G3 Beat will be available across the country retail outlets as well as on e-commerce websites.
LG Electronics India MD, Mr. Swoon Koon in a statement said,”Mobile communications needs to serve the requirements of a growing segment of consumers who are looking for a balance between style, design, features, and great performance, combined together at a favorable price. The LG G3 Beat represents our commitment to the mid-tier smartphone market that demands mature technology, proven performance, great innovation and an attractive price, all in a single device.”
On the hardware side, the G3 Beat fashions a 5-inch HD 720p display and is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM. Also included is 8GB of internal storage that can be further expanded using a microSD card. It is powered by 2540mAh battery and runs on Android 4.4.
The LG G3 Beat features the same ‘Floating Arc Design’ as seen on the LG G3, featuring smooth curved sides and gradually tapered edges. The highlight of the G3 Beat is its 8-megapixel rear camera which comes with the Laser Autofocus feature, same as the G3. However, it has a 1.3-megapixel front camera. Connectivity options on the LG G3 Beat include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPRS/ EDGE, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Micro-USB, 3G and 4G LTE support
The device weighs 134 grams and will be available in black, white and gold. At this price point, the LG G3 Beat will be up against the likes of the Sony Xperia T3, Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, and the Oppo N1 mini.
Selfies are big right now, and seems like their popularity is only going to grow. It became a major fad after the big Oscar push from Ellen Degeneres. That selfie was the single most viewed picture around the world and was taken from a Samsung phone. Now Samsung is getting ready to bring a selfie friendly phone.
Seems like the company worked hard on perfecting the selfie. The recently released Note 4 has some amazing features for clicking self-portraits. The phone has a wide 90-degree shooting angle and can take even wider 120-degree snaps. The new phone Samsung plans to unveil will be probably called Galaxy Grand Prime (quite a mouthful.)
The phone is seen running the latest TouchWiz UI
The phone is expected to get a 5 MP front camera, which is a decent offering. The Grand Prime also offers an 8 MP camera on the back. The spec table for the Grand Prime is probably better than previous Samsung offerings. The phone has a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC with 1 GB of RAM. It comes with 8 GB of internal storage and is expandable up to 64 GB, which is welcome. It is powered by a 2600 mAh battery which will give it a good battery life. The device is expected to be priced at $236 which converts to approximately Rs. 14,400. It is expected to come out in October.
Samsung is also expected to be bring out a metal clad phone called SM-A500 that seems to be its new design model. The company received a lot of flak for its plastic bodies. After bringing the Galaxy Alpha and the metal casing on Note 4, the SM-A500 will be the next in line to get the metal on.
The SM-A500 might come with 13 MP back camera and a 5 MP front camera. It is expected to get a 5-inch (1280×720) Super AMOLED screen. It will be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and will get its juice from a 2330 mAh battery. The phone seems to be running the latest Touchwiz UI. Some have called the device a mini Galaxy Alpha. The SM-A500 also has fingerprint and heart rate sensors and might include the ultra power saving mode from the Galaxy S5 and Note 4.
There are already many selfie focused phones in the market. Lava recently brought out the X5 that came with a front flash. Samsung has to provide something better to make its mark back in the mid segment. It seems they have finally stopped being thrifty with the spec sheets and decided to take on its competition. We can just wait till the phone comes out to see where it stands in the selfie business.
Apple users have been eagerly waiting for the latest iOS 8 software update. Following the announcement of the latest iPhones and smartwatch, Apple has now announced it will be rolling out the iOS 8 update this month and it is finally going to launch tonight after 10.30pm IST.
It will, of course, come pre-loaded on Apple’s new iPhone 6, but if you have no plans to upgrade your smartphone, you’re in luck. Current Apple phones users after the iPhone 4s model can upgrade to iOS 8. Read about all the new features of the iOS 8 here.
The devices which are compatible with the new upgrade include the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S. The 5th generation iPod touch and all iPads except for the original one are also compatible with the iOS 8 update.
According to Apple, the iOS 8 is the biggest iOS upgrade since Apple store’s origin. The new upgrade includes better photo-centric features with Photos app for the smarter shutterbug; messages with capability to share video and audio messages directly (aka Whatsapp). Notifications have been given a major facelift as well to aid better iOS experience for iPhone/iPad users. Also third-party keyboard apps will be supported in iOS 8 for typing convenience.
