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Moto X Confirmed to Receive Google’s Android L Update

Ever since Google announced the amazing Android L back at Google I/O, everyone is keen to know which handsets will get this update first. While Google pointed out that Motorola handsets will be one of the first ones to get the update, now it seems like Moto X will be the first phone to get the Android L update.

Since the Moto X is more or less a year old in the smartphone market, it goes without saying that the Moto X will be taking the Android L route, where Android L is tipped for an October or November roll out later this year.

Google+ user Josh B. sent out a feeler question to the Moto X community on G+, asking whether the Android L update will be arriving, and VP of Product Management at Motorola, Punit Soni, confirmed the impending arrival of Android L on the Moto X.

Soni did not reveal any other details about Android L for Motorola devices, but considering that the company has updated many of its 2013 handsets to Google’s latest Android OS versions almost immediately after their respective launches, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Moto X gets the Android L soon.

August 5, 2014
WhatsApp Brings a New Update for Android Wear Devices

Messaging app WhatsApp has brought their fresh new update and this one has support for your Android Wear devices. With WhatsApp becoming a staple communication tool having almost replaced text messaging, it’s the right move from them.

The New version (Version 2.11.318) lets you access the app on your phone using voice controls and checking on the notifications. The update gives you options to view you entire message on the watch itself instead of just being short notifications.

You can also see all notifications individually without having to take out your phones and reply to them using the voice feature.

This new enhancement provided by Whatsapp is keeping up with the times and the app is ready for the age of the wearables. We can’t wait to see what the other app industry leaders have in store for this new world.

August 5, 2014
Xiaomi Dethrones Samsung from the Top Spot in China

Seems like a bad day for Samsung, earlier we reported that their No. 1 position in India slipped away, and sounds like they’re headed towards trouble in China as well. Xiaomi is just four years old but the way the company has taken over the market in the last quarter is remarkable.

Just last year, Xiaomi was just another dubious Chinese handset maker. Well, things certainly have changed and according to the report by research firm Canalys, Samsung is no longer the top phone manufacturer in China.

Xiaomi distributed around 15 million phones in early 2014 while Samsung is lagging behind at 13.2 million. The report published on Monday by Canalys, revealed that Xiaomi’s remarkable growth, surpassing giants like Samsung and Lenovo to become the top player in China. Because of its huge growth in China, Xiaomi became the fifth largest smartphone maker in the world.

Xiaomi is little known in Europe or in North America because it sells nearly all of its smartphones in mainland China. But strong growth in China and Indian-subcontinent (recently) was enough to get Xiaomi to a top five position among the world’s smartphone makers from nowhere the previous year.

“Over all, Xiaomi grew 240 per cent, compared with the second quarter last year, to take 14 percent of the Chinese smartphone market. Undoubtedly, this was helped by an under-strength Samsung performance during the quarter,” Canalys research analyst Jingwen Wang wrote in a statement, “But that is only half the story — Xiaomi has also executed on its strategy to grow volume shipments. It has delivered compelling products at aggressive price points, backed by effectively targeted marketing.”

To increase customer base, Xiaomi offered special software that customers cannot get with other Android devices. The company offers a customized version of Android, called MIUI, which customers can help design by giving feedback online; the company releases a new version of the operating system every Friday to keep fans excited.

Samsung reported last week its lowest quarterly profit in two years for the second quarter, partly blaming a slowdown of cheap smartphone sales in China. Samsung said it faced higher competition from local brands and weaker demand for its 3G handsets as Chinese consumers shifted to 4G smartphones.

China has highest percentage of mobile users than any other country and makes up 37% of the global phone market. Encouraged by its success at home, Xiaomi is looking to expand into other countries in the next year, including Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey.

August 5, 2014
Apple Releases iOS 8 Beta 5 to Developers

Apple today released the iOS 8 Beta 5 to developers, two weeks after releasing the fourth beta update and two months since introducing the new mobile operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference. The update, build 12A4345d, is available through Apple’s over-the-air updating mechanism on iOS devices and can also be downloaded via the iOS Developer Center. Apple has also released a new Apple TV software beta update.

iOS 8 introduces a range of new features, including improved integration with OS X through Continuity, a Health app, Family Sharing features, interactive notifications, a new QuickType Keyboard and improvements to several apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages. Each beta update thus far has brought refinements and additional features to iOS 8, with beta 4, for example, bringing a new Tips app and a redesigned Control Center, among other improvements.

Currently, iOS 8 is only available to registered developers, but the operating system is expected to be released to the public this fall after several beta iterations. We may be getting close to the end of the beta testing period, however, as one rumor has suggested iOS 8 beta 5 may be the final beta version while another indicates it’s the second-to-last beta before a golden master.

The 269 MB download, which can be accessed via the iOS Developer Center, is just the latest in a string of developer updates for iOS 8 since it was first released a couple of months ago.

What are you looking forward to most in the final Beta version of iOS 8?

August 5, 2014
Micromax Outsells Samsung to Become India’s No.1 Mobile Vendor

Micromax has overtaken Samsung to become the largest mobile phone supplier in India in Q2 2014, according to independent market research and consulting firm, CounterPoint Research.

As per the report, Micromax’s handset shipments share was 16.6% in the quarter while Samsung’s share was 14.4%. This is the first time that Samsung has been usurped from the pole position. Nokia was at the third position with a 10.9% shipments share, followed by domestic brands Karbonn and Lava which had a 9.5% and 5.6% share, respectively.

Rank India Handset Shipment Share(%) Q2 2014(%age)

1 Micromax 16.6%

2 Samsung 14.4%

3 Nokia 10.9%

4 Karbonn 9.5%

5 Lava 5.6%

6 Others 43%

Total 100%

Micromax also became the leading feature phone supplier overtaking Nokia for the first time. Micromax became the 10th largest handset brand globally in terms of mobile phone shipment volumes in the quarter and has 2.3% market share. This is the first time Micromax enters into the top 10 rankings.

After a highly disappointing launch of the Samsung S5, things continue to get from bad to worse for Samsung as Micromax overtook Samsung to become leading mobile phone supplier brand in India in Q2 2014 . It will be interesting to observe how Samsung will retaliate and what stratergy they will employ to regain the Number 1 position they have held so proudly in the past.

At the same time Micromax through its rigorous publicity and successful launch of the Canvas Series have taken this throne from Samsung. KUDOS to Micromax!

August 5, 2014
Samsung Slashes Note 3 Prices

Samsung’s much awaited Note 4 which is expected to release next month will be again Samsung’s high shelf device. Samsung which has recently faced some serious consumer bashing for not innovating in accordance with the competition and its identical looking devices might want to bring back those users back to its side. The Note 4 would be a good opportunity for Samsung to show off its innovation muscle, especially when the competition is getting really tough with LG’s G3 and Apple’s new iPhone 6 being under constant limelight.

The 5.7 inch Super AMOLED display laced Galaxy Note 3 came with a 1.9GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa chipset with 3GB of RAM was released at Rs. 49,990. The device is now available on Flipkart for to Rs 37,983.

Besides the Note 3, its mini version, the Note 3 Neo also saw a major price cut. The device was launched in the market in February this year for a price of Rs 40,900. It features a 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display with Exynos hexacore processor paired with 2GB of RAM. The price of the device after the cut stands at Rs 27,249, talk about a massive cut.

There is though not a lot known about the Samsung’s big release, the Note 4. It is expected to help Samsung gain back some lost trust and prove to competitors of Samsung’s formidability in the smartphone market. The new Note 4 might have a 5.7-inch Quad HD display keeping in line with 2K flagship displays with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. According to the various rumors, the device might also feature an eye-scanner and might also be powered by a new 64-bit processor. Hopefully Samsung will take a departure from Exynos Chipset for this one and bring in something which will let the Note 4 access its full capabilities.

August 4, 2014
Images of the Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Alpha Leaked

The new Samsung Galaxy Alpha will soon be officially unveiled. The metal-clad phone has been taking rounds on internet and now photos of the white version of the Galaxy Alpha have leaked from the micro-blogging website Weibo.

The metallic side looks more polished on this model. According to various reports, the Galaxy Alpha might be segmented as a high-end device. It is expected to sport a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED 720p display (same as Galaxy S III), Exynos 5433 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, a fingerprint and heart rate sensor, 32 GB of non-expandable storage and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

The Galaxy Alpha will be a step above the Galaxy S5 mini and will actually be sold as another watered-down variant of the Galaxy S5. There will also be an LTE-A variant, which is affirmed by an image leaked on a Vietnamese tech blog showing the device in the powered on state, and we’re guessing the LTE-A variant could be powered by Samsung’s recently announced Exynos ModAP processor, which brings support for 150 Mbps LTE-A speeds.

Unfortunately, there are no more details on other features and hardware, but more info should start popping up as we approach the rumored launch of the Galaxy Alpha. As rumors have suggested, the Galaxy Alpha could see a limited release.

Earlier, some pictures of black version of Samsung Galaxy Alpha were also released by Sammobile. The images confirm earlier reports that the Galaxy Alpha will sport a 4.7-inch screen and a metallic construction, though Samsung has opted to use aluminium on the sides while keeping the faux leather back that we’ve seen on the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 3. This should help in offering both a solid grip and a premium feel.

August 4, 2014
Microsoft Offers Football Fans an Improved Experience on Xbox One and Windows 8

The start of a new NFL season is just around the corner, and Microsoft’s been working hard to improve the experience for football fans on the Xbox One. A new version of the NFL app for Xbox One, coming out later this month, is how the company plans to do it.

There are a lot of new features, with Fantasy Football and NFL Now, the league’s upcoming online video service, is playing a huge role in the refreshed version. First and foremost, Microsoft wants its NFL app to feel like your own, which is why it lets you personalize it with content from team and players you’re interested in, as well as different media provided by NFL Network, NFL RedZone, NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL Now.

The new version has an updated Snap mode that shows a stream of plays made by your fantasy players. And instead of navigating menus to play highlights, you’ll be able to set global Xbox One notifications for when fantasy players make big plays. Just hold the Xbox button and a replay will Snap to the side of the screen alongside whatever you’re doing. Perhaps most importantly, the new app will work with more fantasy football leagues beyond NFL.com. Microsoft representatives confirmed that ESPN is on board, and work is underway to bring Yahoo and CBS into the fold.

The new app is a fruitful result of NFL and Microsoft’s $400 million, multi-year partnership. It’s worth noting that you won’t have to buy an Xbox One to get most of these features. The NFL app will be one of the very first “universal” apps on the console. That means the same app will work both on Xbox Ones and Windows 8 PCs — a feat made possible by the fact that the game console partially runs on Windows. Of course, the advantage of having a Xbox is that you can pass your cable feed directly through the console and use the NFL app side-by-side with live games.

To go along with the introduction of a new NFL app for Xbox One and Windows 8, the software giant has also planned to help professional coaches and players during games with Surface Pro 2 tablets. It allows NFL teams to review plays instantly on the sidelines.

August 4, 2014
Microsoft Rolls Out Major Updates of it Office Suite for iPad Users
Microsoft released the first major update to its Office suite for the iPad. Labeled as version 1.1, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint each received several new features that were widely requested since the suite was released on March 27, 2014.

Although both PowerPoint and Excel received their own unique updates, several features were added to all three apps, including the frequently requested ability to export documents as PDF files. Users can also manually crop photos and images in all three apps using a new crop tool that allows you to choose from a list of popular preset sizes, or create your own. (A reset button is also included.) Finally, Office for iPad also has the ability to import external fonts.

Word for iPad (1.1 update):
- Now you can send Word files as PDFs.
- Picture Tools: Crop to focus on just the right part of a photo, or reset to undo your changes.
- Fonts: Third-party fonts are now available in the Fonts menu.
Excel for iPad (1.1 update):
- Now you can send Excel files as PDFs.
- Flick to Select: Flick a cell’s selection handle in any direction to quickly and easily select all the data in a row or column.
- External Keyboard Support: Using an external keyboard is even easier. Use the same keys to input data and move around a worksheet as you would on your PC or Mac.
- PivotTables: Interact with PivotTables that have source data in the same workbook.
- Print Options: More paper sizes and scaling options give you more control over the layout when printing your workbooks.
- Picture Tools: Crop to focus on just the right part of the photo, or reset to undo your changes.
- Fonts: Third-party fonts are now available in the Fonts menu.
PowerPoint for iPad (1.1 update):
- Presenter View: View and edit speaker notes, see your next slide, or jump to other slides while presenting.
- Play Media: Play videos, sound effects, and background music while presenting.
- Insert Video: Insert videos from your Camera Roll.
- Picture Tools: Crop to focus on just the right part of the photo, or reset to undo your changes.
- Presenter Tools: Now you can erase highlights and drawings on your presentation.
- Send PDFs: Send PowerPoint files as PDFs.
- Hyperlinks: Add links to your presentation or edit existing ones.
- Fonts: Third-party fonts are now available in the Fonts menu.
This update is the second major update the Office software has gotten since its March release. Back in April, the three apps gained some important features that had been missing since the launch, including the ability to print directly from the apps. Microsoft’s Office for iPad apps have proven to be highly successful for the company. During its Q4 earnings call in July, Microsoft announced that its Office for iPad software had been downloaded more than 35 million times.

Microsoft has committed to continually improving its Office for iPad apps, which now directly compete with Apple’s own iWork suite including Numbers, Keynote, and Pages. “As this wave of updates hopefully shows, we’re making good on our commitment to delivering continuous updates and improvements to the Office for iPad apps,” reads the company’s blog post on the new update.

All of the updates to the new Office apps are currently available and can be downloaded from the App Store for free. While the apps can be accessed for free, unlocking full capabilities, including editing and creating documents, requires an Office 365 subscription. Adding to that, Microsoft’s OneNote app for iPad has also been updated.
August 4, 2014
Motorola Climbs Over Nokia in Q2 Market Standings

With its mighty good year in the Indian market and a new-found loyal fan following, Motorola has risen again. After a few years of moving around and working with multiple owners such as Google, the brand is currently settling with Lenovo. Analyst group Canalys has brought out a report that shows Motorola taking Nokia’s spot on the market standings.

The Canalys report states that in the Q2 of 2014, Motorola sent out 955,650 smartphones for the period while Nokia did 633,720. In just the previous quarter, the situation was almost the opposite with Nokia leading with 583,160 smartphones, compared to Motorola’s 379,310.

With the power of Moto G and E, Motorola took over Nokia

This is a remarkable jump for the Motorola. The credit of course goes out to Motorola’s two stars that changed the way the market viewed its products. First came the Moto G, which created a new power center at the Rs 10,000 – 15,000 range. Then came the younger sibling, Moto E, which challenged the dominance of Indian smartphone companies on their home turf. The phones got the companies to reorganize their strategy and forced them to bring out a number of Moto Killer devices.

But it seems now that Motorola has some series competition from the Chinese infiltrators in the Indian mobile market. Xiaomi and Asus have caused some major upheaval in the mobile markets. Their high speced – low priced products have taken the market by storm and even caused Motorola to slash its price of the Moto G by Rs. 2000.

In the current standings, Motorola currently holds on its own behind Samsung, Micromax and Karbonn with their shipments of 4.4 million, 3.1 million and 1.07 million smartphones respectively. The Indian Smartphone market grew by 9% quarter on quarter. The figures might look even better in the coming holiday seasons and with fierce competition in the market. Overall it is turning out to be a good year for the phone makers and the buyers.

August 4, 2014
Check Out the Redesigned Typo 2 Physical Keyboard for iPhones

After being accused of being similar to BlackBerry keyboards, the Typo 2 physical keyboard for iPhone has been redesigned in a new second-generation model that will begin shipping in mid-September. The Ryan Seacrest-backed product aimed to give iPhone 5 and 5s owners a case that would give them a physical keyboard. BlackBerry sued Typo and eventually won a sales ban on the accessory. Apparently that didn’t deter Typo, as the company recently introduced a new model of its iPhone case.

Typo 2 is out for pre-order now, and it’s meant for the iPhone 5 and 5S. Priced at $99, this iPhone accessory will start shipping to customers during mid-September. According to its makers, it has been aimed at those who carry around two phones, one of which is used for typing and the other, for everything else (an iPhone).

With Typo 2 the company aimed to create a keyboard and case that would add the absolute minimum additional length and thickness to the iPhone, while still providing protection to the phone and smooth typing experience.

The product description reads:

The result is Typo 2, which adds just short of a 1/4 inch in thickness and a less than 3/4 inch in total length to the iPhone, while still providing an unrivaled typing experience. This is made possible by miniaturizing the components on our circuit board, using our patented TYPOTouch keyboard technology and one of the world’s smallest Lithium-ion battery, measuring at just 1mm in thickness.

The people behind Typo believe that physical keyboards are superior to the virtual buttons featured on Apple’s iPhone. Their product was in development for two years, and the company calls it “an indespensible business tool that people simply can’t live without.”

August 4, 2014
Internet’s Most Prominent Leakster, Evleaks Calls it Quits

Evan Blass from the Evleaks fame who has been reporting on major gadget leaks over the last two years has finally decided to retire from the game. This can be a major disappointment to many tech blogs who depended on him for what has become a new news genre, the leak beat.

Yesterday Evan made his retirement public with a tweet. Evan had leaked information on many potential products from major manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Microsoft along with others. He had a high success rate in his reporting and so became the go to guy for information on upcoming products.

All good things must come to an end. Thank you for an amazing two years. [RETIREMENT]

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 3, 2014

In an interview with The Next Web Evan explained his retirement. He says that taking cues from him, there has been an explosion of leaksters on twitter and that doesn’t help in a sustainable living. He also said that this is a final goodbye to the leaking world and he will be looking for a career change.

Before becoming a professional leakster, Evan had worked at the editorial department of Engadget and PocketNow. He also has a website, but he doesn’t seem sure about the future of the website post his retirement.

He also, in a way named his successor to the leakster throne. He says TK O’Connor, of TK Tech News can easily take his spot as a menace to the manufacturers. Overall Evan through his @evleaks twitter handle has given a lot of important information on upcoming smartphones. This has not just helped customers but also assisted the companies in creating a hype before their devices came to the market.

August 4, 2014
#LetsTalkShop with LG’s Amit Gujral

LG has put them selves on the map in the past couple of years. Taken as a company known for “cheap” products, LG has managed to quickly change their public image and their product lineup to match their image.

Amit Gujral, who has spent well over a decade and a half with the company, heads the marketing for the Mobile division of LG and sits out of the large and lavish Greater Noida HQ which also doubles up as a factory for home appliances.

The LG G3 is being pushed by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as an “Endorser”, Amit Gujral claims the campaign is simply to push a “legend by a legend”. The company is not interested in playing a catch up game, and wants to go beyond the thinking of its competition.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Amit Gujral” author_title=”Marketing Head – LG Mobile India”]

We don’t want to play catch up!

[/quote]

LG is also working on a tablet that they will launch shortly, said Amit coyly. Giving us another opportunity to sit with him to discuss details. The company has understood that there is very little need between a large phone and a tablet for consumption of content.

Amit claims that Social Media availability for a brand is a must, and the trend in the market is more “we” than “me”. LG is available for the consumers on Social Media and is arming up operations to be available in a better fashion.

Software is key and mostly all our phones are running KitKat, from mid to High segment , said Amit. Going forward LG will continue supporting updates for products.

Watch the full video below for the juicy bits.

August 4, 2014
NASA Tested a No-Fuel Microwave Based Thruster, and it Worked!

NASA scientists tested a new theoretical thruster model and too their surprise, the model works. Nasa has been working on a lot of propulsion and thruster models to make space flight cheaper, faster and more convenient. Currently reaching space is still a high-investment-high-risk affair. The new model shows hopes that we may have the answers to our woes closer than we thought.

The paper submitted earlier this week at a conference in Cleveland, scientists from NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories in Houston, Texas, presented a paper which indicated that they had achieved small levels of thrust from a container which contained no traditional fuels. So what generated the trust? The answer is Microwaves bouncing all about the container. Now this is interesting development. Apparently NASA didn’t have a lot of trust in these thrusters and this is more of an accidental find.

The model is called Cannae Drive. The thought behind the model is to allow multiple microwaves free to bounce end to end in a specially designed container. The container is shaped in an uneven pattern which aids in the dispersion of the microwaves.

The Cannae Drive might also make satellites more efficient.

The Cannae Drive experiment is just at the beginning stage and there is no knowledge yet if it can be scaled up to power spaceships. Though it is estimated that if it becomes fully functional, the distance between Earth and Mars can be covered in terms of a few weeks instead of the several months it takes now. It will also make satellites more efficient and easier to manage.

But by now you might be asking that this sounds too good to be true. Well there are a couple of issues with the technique. NASA’s team had built two Cannae Drives, one of which was designed to fail, and instead it worked. The scientists indicated their surprise find by writing in their paper abstract: “Thrust was observed on both test articles, even though one of the test articles was designed with the expectation that it would not produce thrust.” That suggests the drive is “producing a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon.” They are assuming that the interaction is occurring in the quantum vacuum, which is the lowest energetic state. The scientists don’t have much evidence to support their idea yet.

The Cannae drive is a close enough idea to a technique called ‘Emdrive’ which has been tested by Argentine and Chinese scientists. The Emdrive trials have proved successful in small scale models.

Space travel needs a constant heavy intellectual interest and innovative ideas that have never been tried before. Experiments like this show how ignorant we still are to the massive potential nature can offer us to further our sciences. Sometimes the greatest inventions are made when we least expect them.

August 2, 2014
Android Released the Google Now Launcher for Everyone

If you were one of them who were waiting for Google Nexus device like ability to have a Google Now Launcher on your Android phones, you’re going to be really happy today. Google has released the Google Now launcher for all Android 4.1 devices and above. Though some phones might not support it yet.

This update allows Android users to access a left panel which opens into Google Now. It also allows you to use the “OK Google” hot word on the main screen. This option is currently compatible with HTC One M8, One E8, One Mini 2, Desire 816, Huawei Ascend P7 and LG G3, among others.

Proprietary systems like HTC’s Blinkfeed get replaced after installing this update and instead you have the Google Now panel which is customizable to your liking. This will be a good addition for folks with stock Android devices who want a customizable information panel easily accessible with one swipe.

This is one more offering from Google that is now finding a wider user base. Google’s minimalistic looking apps also provide great functionality and that’s why they are preferred.

You can download the app from the Play store: [button link=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher” size=”small” text_size=”gamma” newtab=”on”]Google Now LAuncher[/button]

August 2, 2014