Blog

Rumor Roundup: All You Need to Know About the Samsung Galaxy F

Samsung, is working towards breaking new grounds with it’s upcoming Galaxy F (also referred to as the Galaxy S5 Prime.) This one seems to be targeted towards the ‘premium’ metal smartphone segment.

A couple of leaks for the Samsung Galaxy Galaxy F have making rounds apart from the rumors of its production. Recently, new leaked live photo of the Samsung Galaxy F emerged and it seemed to confirm that the said smartphone will in fact feature a metal frame.

In terms of looks, Galaxy F, is not exactly different from S5. The buttons, the Samsung logo, even the finger scanner, the camera hump, and heart monitor; everything is where we’re used to seeing it in the S5. The biggest change is said to be the metal back that is made with brushed aluminum, a material which has a more premium feel and better heat dissipation properties than plastic.

Reports so far also pointed out that the Galaxy F will come with a super high-res Quad HD (1440 x 2560-pixel) with screen size of 5.24 inches, but given the most recent announcement of the Korea-only S5 LTE-A with a 5.1” Quad HD panel, it seems that the Galaxy F might also come with a 5.1” screen.

With an expected fall release date, it seems like Samsung may ship the Galaxy F with the latest and most powerful Qualcomm chip – the Snapdragon 805 with the new Adreno 420.

The F is also said to have a better finger scanner than the Galaxy Tab S tablets, while we are not expecting it would be a match for fast and accurate one on the iPhone, we would still love to see how Samsung will tackle this problem.

With a visual upgrade, this device not only will be a powerful smartphone but also a good looking one. Till now, we are not sure what the price of this S5 upgrade. The Galaxy F release date is rumored to be in September. With Apple’s rumored plans to bring in the next iPhone and a 5.5-inch iPhone ‘Air’ around the same time, Samsung might reconsider their plans.

July 8, 2014
GTA 5 Preorders Begin with Major Graphical Upgrades for PS4, Xbox One and PC

Its time to get ready to unleash the adrenaline you had been patently hiding deep down. The moment you have been waiting for is right around the corner. Rockstar games blockbuster hit Grand Theft Auto Five (GTA 5) is now up for preorders.

The game has been upgraded for these new releases and there are a lot of graphical elements added to the game. These versions have increased draw distances, new wildlife, and better resolution overall.

Visual Renovation makes the game look even better.

Even the traffic and pedestrians have increased from the previous versions of the game. The makers promise a realistic feel of the elements like water, trees, the barren grounds now have grass elements. The game will render at the native 1080p.

GTA 5 is much faster and efficient as the game takes full advantage of the PC and new consoles graphical capabilities. The users will be able to take their game data from previous versions and start going forward in the new version.

With the release of the previous version of the game the makers were able to make a billion dollars in just 72 hours. Now with upgraded graphics and multiple additions the game will definitely be worth the prolonged wait for the gamers.

All three versions of the game are priced at $59.99 on GameStop. The release date has not been specified yet.

July 8, 2014
Top 5 Reminder Apps a Forgetful Person Should Download Now

Say goodbye to the outdated sticky notes and reminder boards and say hello to the Reminder Apps. With a hectic schedule and countless things to remember these could be your lifeline.

With millions using smartphones today, we have compiled a list of our favourite for Notices and Reminders to simplify your day.

5. DO-It (Tomorrow)

Do you love procrastinating? Is your motto: ‘Why do it today what you can do it tomorrow?’ That’s the spirit! This is the perfect app for you. Tasks not ticked off the previous day are automatically carried forward. Do It (Tomorrow) makes it easy for users to postpone their tasks to the next day, which makes it a very pragmatic and realistic app. The app also supports cloud syncing and has a pretty neat user interface. Though some people may face problems with the interface as the view sometimes freezes in the middle of two pages.

4. Any Do

Any DO is among the most popular reminder apps for both iOS and Android, and for good reason. Not only does it have a very neat user interface, it offers a lot of different ways of creating reminders and triggering alerts. The app supports location-based reminders, tasks that don’t have a specific time associated with them and even folders that can be helpful in keeping things well-organized. Any DO allows you to create reminders both via text input and voice commands.

This is a great app for personal as well as business use.

3. Astrid To Do List

If you’re looking for an app with a little more options, Astrid is the app to get. It’s easy to set up and also throws in some more “advanced” options like Google task sync, priority levels, tags, timed reminders, and calendar integration. Astrid Tasks is intuitive and compact, but doesn’t skimp on flexibility or options. It has a home-screen widget, quick add function, alarms, reminders, a back-up function, tags and even a timer. Despite these multiple functions, Astrid couldn’t be simpler to use. Perhaps the only drawback is its limited widget options.

2.To Do Reminder

To Do Reminder App is quick and easy to use; you can set a task in the reminder list in mere seconds. It has an easy-to-use interface with a voice handling feature available. Additional attractive features include Synchronising birthdays from Facebook, daily-weekly or monthly repetition of a task.

Being quicker and relatively easier to use however limits the customization options and functionalities available in this app.

1. Evernote

The Top app and one of the most popularly used one when it comes to Reminders is Evernote. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go. Its key features include -In-app and email alarms, pinning notes to the top of your note list and even a web clipper (which allows you to save anything you see online).

Exceeding the limit of its download, Evernote requires a payment of a subscription fees which perhaps is its only dis-advantage.

July 8, 2014
Breaking : Google Nexus 8 spotted on Indian Import Manifest

Is this the next Nexus tablet the Nexus 8 being shipped to India? The import database shows a Nexus 8 prototype (marked as being similar to Nexus 7) shipped from USA to Bangalore via Air shipment.

No information is let out on the specifications of the device, but here are a few things we do get to know, the Nexus 8 is real and will be 8 inches, the price is estimated to be between Rs. 18,000-20,000 keeping in mind previous similar leaks and final pricing.

The manifest makes the tablet as “similar to the Nexus 7” possibly to make it easier for customs to release the device with whatever fixed charges they might have for an already established unit.

In conversation with HTC’s Faisal Siddiqui , he was mum on their work in tablets, unlike previous occasions when HTC would continue to reinforce that “they are a mobile phone company”.

Either way, with an estimated under Rs. 20,000 price for the entry level variant , an 8 inch tablet built by HTC sounds more promising. Even more than the Google Nexus 7 of 2013

July 8, 2014
India’s upcoming floating Solar Farm

India is in a major energy crisis. With the population multiplying on a daily basis the need for cheap forms of electricity have become a must. India has large plans, whether politically invoked or not; we might be one of the first few nations with a large chunk of renewable electricity sources.

About five years ago large parts of the Thar desert in Rajasthan and surrounding areas was sanctioned for subsidised privately run solar farms. The land was practically given for free, and an energy reclaim of Rs. 5/ KW (8 cents approximately) was promised to the solar energy companies that were supposed to be set up.

The project is yet to see the light of day. However, sources tell us that the work is still underway.

Meanwhile, a new project in the southern state of Kerala is said to lead the Solar energy revolution in India, thanks to the abundance of sun and large water bodies. A new 50MW plant built entirely on 1.27 million square meter floating platform in Kerala is said already to be in the works. The plant has been approved by the NHPC and will get commissioned in October of 2014. (Yes this year).

This Solar Farm project will provide cheap and renewable electricity to about 18,000 homes. After the states announcement on building two lakh megawatt of solar power generation capacity, the price of barren solar usable land rose this quarter by tenfold, building a plant on water will be cheap for the government as well as the people enjoying the electricity.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”SP Gon Choudhury” author_title=”chairman of the Renewable Energy College”]

Each station would require around 3,000 square feet of space to generate 20 kilowatt of power. There are many water bodies that could be used for this

[/quote]

The total project is estimated to cost between Rs 350 crore and Rs 400 crore, the Renewable Energy College will assist in sourcing material till commissioning of the plant.
The first phase of this Solar Farm, estimated to cost Rs 35 lakh, has been fully funded by the ministry of new and renewable energy and is expected to generate around 12 kilowatt of power to begin with by October 2014.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”SP Gon Choudhury” author_title=”Chairman of the Renewable Energy College”]

The ecology of the water body is not likely to be affected much, and it will also reduce evaporation, thus helping preserve water levels during extreme summer. Solar panels installed on land, face reduction of yield as the ground heats up. When such panels are installed on a floating platform, the heating problem is solved to a great extent

[/quote]

The yield on these panels is expected to be 20% higher than land based solar power plants. The overall capital cost for such solar projects will be around Rs 6.5 crores per megawatt, which will bring down costs of electricity to Rs 7 / unit. This price will then be further regularised by the state electricity board.

With the large availability of Sun energy in the country, the future may finally hold a strong supply of electricity for everyone, everywhere!

July 7, 2014
Government of India Schedules Spectrum Auctions

The Government of India (GOI) is going to auction 184MHz of spectrum in 900MHz band through the Department of Telecom(DOT). The auction will be done as 29 licences will be up for renewal in 18 telecom zones in 2015-16.

The spectrum GOI intends to auction is mostly used for 3G services. The auction will be for the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz. Based on the memorandum of understanding between DOT and the Defense Ministry, the Defense Ministry will vacate about 25 MHz in the 2100MHz spectrum. Out of the agreed upon 25 MHz, the Defense ministry has already vacated 20 MHz.

DoT is also planning to sell spectrum in the 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz bands to be used for LTE (4G) services. In 2010, the government had auctioned 2300 MHz spectrum to the operators such as Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel and Tikona for long-term evolution (LTE) services. But now they are at freedom to use the spectrum to their discretion as they are not bound to the technology.

The government has 104 MHz of spectrum on it for auctioning. This will include the 26 MHz of spectrum freed after license renewals from Idea Cellular, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India. Along with these the 78 MHz of spectrum which was left unsold in February will be up for auction.

The spectrum base prices will be set by TRAI for the 900 and 1800 MHZ spectrum. In the previous auction, the Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata circles were sold for double the base price, earning the government 610 billion Rupees.

This auction will give the companies a chance to expand their spectrum thereby expanding services like better 3G and 4G connection. But the heavy cost of the auction will definitely percolate down to the consumers. We have to wait and see if more spectrums mean better services from the companies or just higher phone bills.

July 7, 2014
Xiaomi Set to Launch its First Phone in India

In the battle field called the Indian mobile phone market, a new entrant will try to lay its claim on the throne. Beijing-based Chinese electronics company Xiaomi will launch a phone on the 11th of July to mark its arrival in the Indian market.

On its Facebook page, the company announced that it had “something special” in store for India which it will unveil on the 11th of this month. The company which is sometimes called the Apple of China will also compete with its compatriots Gionee, Oppo, Lenevo, ZTE, Huawei from China.

The company already has an Indian website which might get operational on the 8th of July. The website currently is hosting a contest for users to guess which phone the company will release in India. The winner will get to own the phone.

Like Alcatel and Motorola, Xiaomi has also said to have signed an agreement with the e-commerce giant Flipkart. As it’s just beginning in India, it might be a good step for Xiaomi to sense the water before diving in.

Launched in 2010 the company has since seen massive growth in China. It is one of the biggest manufactures in China which develops and sells Mobile phones. Along with Phones the company also sells mobile apps, routers and other consumer electronics.

Xiaomi really needs to bring some really distinguishable products to stand out in the market which is as populated as the population of India. Its colored backpaneled devices can also be a hit amongst the colorful Indians.

July 7, 2014
Microsoft to Bring Out Kinect V2 on 15th July

Microsoft has started taking pre-orders on the Microsoft Store for the Kinect V2 which will release on 15^th July. The device will feature an updated look and have better responsiveness.

The company states that the new $199 sensor will have an advanced depth sensor with 1080p resolution. With various other improvements, the sensor will also have a wider field of view.

Microsoft is encouraging developers to create Kinect based content for Windows Store and Windows Desktop. The company’s website states “The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor gives developers more of the precision, responsiveness, and intuitive capabilities they need to develop interactive voice and gesture-based applications for the Windows desktop and Windows Store.”

The company will hold a Virtual Event for the developers to teach them how to program for the Kinect Hardwares. By bringing out the Kinect SDK, Microsoft plans to widen the content library for Kinect-centric apps and games. During the virtual events, the developers apart from the technical aspects, will also get to learn the process of Face Tracking, HD Face, and Kinect Fusion along with Kinect Studio and Visual Gesture Builder.

If Microsoft got this right, then it will be a cool new way of interacting with a personal computer. Especially if there is more Kinect-able content available.

July 7, 2014
Motorola Releases KitKat 4.4.4 Update in India

Motorola is surely in it to win it. The brand with its fierce product placement is ruthlessly being a thorn in the eye of the competition. After being the first company to bring Kitkat to all price points, the company will become one of the firsts to have the Kitkat 4.4.4 running on all its devices.

We’ve begun rolling out Android, KitKat, 4.4.4 for Moto E, Moto G & Moto X this week in India! Expect an update on your #Moto soon!

— Motorola India (@MotorolaIndia) July 5, 2014

Motorola informed the users through its twitter account. The company claims that this new update will add an extra layer of security for web browsing. The company also stated that the new update will fix several stability, framework and OpenSSL-related issues. The phones will get a new phone dialer.

Android KitKat 4.4.4 update will give you all the features of Android KitKat 4.4.3 with an extra layer of security for browsing web (1/2)

— Motorola India (@MotorolaIndia) July 7, 2014

(2/2) content on your #Moto. The rollout is a gradual process and all your handsets will receive the update soon. Thanks for your patience.

— Motorola India (@MotorolaIndia) July 7, 2014

Motorola phones presently are the most feature-packed and competitively priced devices. All three phones have successfully become the leaders and have ushered speed in delivering updates in an update starved market. The company had released a 4.4.3 update just last month.

July 7, 2014
Android Wear Based Samsung Galaxy Gear Live Now Available in India

If you were waiting for the Android Wear based smartwatches then your wait is over. Samsung has released its Android smartwatch OS based Galaxy Gear Live at the Play Store for Rs15,900.

Android Wear was one of the most exciting announcements at this year’s Google I/O. The OS has a number of good features. The Galaxy Gear Live was introduced along with the LG G watch and the MOTO 360 watches.

The watch sports a 1.63 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with 278 ppi. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz processor and a 512 MB RAM. The phone sports a 4 GB internal storage which is good enough for the functions it offers.

The Gear Live has a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and the best part, it is water and dust resistant. The watch takes its juice from a 300 mAh battery.

The Android Wear has a lot of features right out of the box. It is voice controlled device and lets you access and reply to important notifications from your phone. It is almost a portable control for your phone with health monitoring features of its own. It can be used for checking messages and emails, doing online searches, navigation and a lot more.

The Android wearables will definitely get a boost with the Android Wear. Presently the Moto 360 with its round display looks the most alluring but its other first generation Android wear siblings don’t fall too far behind.

July 7, 2014
Russian Scientists Working to Reconstruct The Tesla Tower

Nikola Tesla without a doubt was one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century. He is responsible for inventing the foundation for most of our present day technology. Stuff like Alternate Current(AC), Radio, remote controls radar, X-rays, and many more that we take for granted have benefitted from the brilliance of Mr.Tesla. Now two Russian physicists, Leonid and Sergey Plekhanov, are working to recreate his famous Wardenclyffe tower (Aka Tesla Tower) experiment which aims to transmit electrical energy wirelessly. They intend to do the experiment in the fall of 2014.

Technology has come a long way since the experiment was conducted by Tesla back in 1900’s. The original wood-framed tower was 186 feet (57 m) tall and the cupola 68 feet (21 m) in diameter. It had a 55-ton steel (some report it was a better conducting material, such as copper) hemispherical structure at the top (referred to as a cupola). Though his tower had only 2% efficiency and it never became completely operational, it was a brilliant thought none the less.

Flash forward to 2014, we now have better knowledge of science; have better equipment and material than 100 years ago. The researchers claim that they have tested their models on computer simulations and they have been successful. They state that the with their technology the 55 ton hemisphere can be scaled down to 2 tonnes.

For electricity generation the researchers say that an area of 316 by 316 kilometers, which is roughly 100,000 square kilometers, if laid with solar panels, can create more energy than the amount that is utilized by the countries around the world in one year. But here the fact is that the solar panels currently are expensive and not mass produced. Also the efficiency of the panels is still not up to the desired limits.

The physicists are currently looking for funds on indiegogo worth $800,000. They have claimed to have done thorough research of Nikola Tesla’s notes and calculations and state that Tesla’s science was going in the right direction. But some physicists disagree with the basic premise of the technology. They say that power goes out evenly in all directions and only a super small fraction can ever be captured again. It is like turning on a bare light-bulb and expecting to capture a useful amount of its light output from a mile away. But the Russian physicists seem confident of their plans and have opened all their research for investors to scrutinize.

The real reason to get excited about this technology is that researchers all around the world now are getting actively involved in energy research. The revival of Tesla tower, or even an inquiry into its effectiveness will enhance our knowledge about it. According to a new report in the past 10 years the number of countries with renewable energy policies has increased to 144 in 2014 from just 15 in 2005. That is a massive 10 fold increase and it shows the seriousness of the nations on the subject. Seems like the green energy revolution has finally begun.

July 7, 2014
SCiO : A Chemical Scanner That Will Change The Way You Shop
Thanks to government laws, we have nutritional labels on packaging on most store-bought food. They give you a quick run down of their contents: fat, sugar, calories, and so on. But what about the melon in your fridge or the fresh cheese you bought from supermarket or the RO water in your glass?

A new handheld gadget called SCiO takes the guesswork out of analyzing your food. The device can be used to scan almost any food or beverage, analyze its chemical make-up and send the data to your phone.

SCiO contains a tiny optical sensor, called a spectrometer, which reads the molecular fingerprint of an object by shining an infrared light on it. The gadget then sends the data to the cloud for analysis and forwards the results to your phone, all in seconds. An accompanying SCiO app, which can be downloaded, then displays fat, protein and carbohydrate levels down to the milligram.

Touted as the world’s first affordable molecular sensor, it fits in the palm of your hand. The same technology has been used for decades by corporations in quality control of oil and chemicals, although SCiO is being pitched as the first portable spectrometer for consumers. The sensor can only detect materials and objects that were previously uploaded to its database. But the device is so smart that the more items you scan with it, the more it learns to recognize items and their ingredients.

Company highlighted some use of the this portable sensors like:
- Get nutritional facts about different kinds of food: salad dressings, sauces, fruits, cheeses, and much more.
- See how ripe an Avocado is, through the peel!
- Find out the quality of your cooking oil.
- Know the well being of your plants.
- Analyze soil or hydroponic solutions.
- Authenticate medications or supplements.
SCiO was one of the biggest project on Kickstarter, where its creators pledged for $200,000 and reached their goal within 24 hours. They eventually raised more than $2.7 million, and have promised to deliver the first SCiOs, for $149 apiece, to early backers by the end of the year.
July 7, 2014
Neil Young’s Music Player is Designed to Deliver Quality Sound

Writing in his book Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young expressed concern about digital audio quality, criticizing in particular the quality offered by Apple‘s iTunes Store. The Canadian Musician wrote, “My goal is to try and rescue the art form that I’ve been practicing for the past 50 years”

The Canadian Musician talking about Pono

Acting his part as a music legend, he has come up with revolutionary new music system called ‘Pono’ that promises the best possible experience when listening to your favorite music. The idea comes from the mind of musician Neil Young who founded the company by the same name back in 2012. The goal here is to use the FLAC format in order to provide listeners with “the finest quality, highest-resolution digital music from both major labels and prominent independent labels.”

For digital music, sound files get compressed to make them take up less storage space, squeezing out some of the music’s more finer details. It is a triangle-shaped music player, set to be released later this year, that will bring the quality of hi-fi stereo sound back to the mainstream in the age of the iPod. At first glance Pono Music seems to be just a regular mp3 player, but the technology behind it is what makes it truly special. The digital filter used in the PonoPlayer has minimal phase, and no unnatural (digital sounding) pre-ringing.

All sounds made (including music) always have reflections and/or echoes after the initial sound. There is no sound in nature that has any echo or reflection before the sound, which is what conventional linear-phase digital filters do. This is one reason that digital sound has a reputation for sounding “unnatural” and harsh.”

Though its $399 price tag might be troublesome for the consumers.The Kickstarter project to fund the device raised $6.2 million; the 3rd biggest campaign in the crowdfunding site’s history.

The player is said to have about 6 times more musical information than a typical MP3, which explains why all the songs sound better with Pono Music. The service is supported by all major labels and some independents ones across all genres.

July 6, 2014
Skully Brings Augmented Reality On-Road for a Safer Ride
Augmented reality has become a revelation in the gaming world; with products like Sony’s Project Morpheus and the Oculus Rift promising to make play time more entertaining and interactive. Furthermore Google Glass has opened up a new possibility with respect to augmented reality.

Skully, a San Francisco-based start-up, has given this technology a new meaning.

Skully AR-1, as the company claims proudly, is the world’s first augmented-reality motorcycle helmet. It is an anti-fog, anti-glare and face shield helmet, features a heads-up display that shows blind spots, GPS mapping, weather with other additional features. Skully also features Internet connectivity and a Bluetooth smartphone connection. The Skully AR-1 allows you to control the interface with your voice. You can control your music, send texts, make calls and change your GPS destination, all hands-free. Never before has riding been so connected.

With Synapse(TM) integrated Heads-Up Display (HUD), Skully provides an advanced situational awareness system, showing navigation and blind spot data, allowing you to stay focused on the most important part of your ride – The Road. Skully AR-1 has a patented integrated rear view camera system with a 180 degree viewing angle. The rear view camera feeds video to the HUD to provide complete situational awareness.

Skully AR-1 is already making waves in the tech world. The helmet won the coveted SXSW Accelerator Award in the Wearable Technology in Austin, Texas this year.

Key Features include-
- Lightweight, aerodynamic shell
- 3D laser-cut foam for a perfect fit
- Fully adjustable flow-through ventilation
- Anti-fog, anti-scratch, anti-glare face shield
- Quick release chin strap and visor
- SKULLY SYNAPSE (TM) Heads Up Display system with voice control
- Visual GPS navigation
- 180 degree wide angle rearview camera
- Bluetooth connectivity to smartphone
- Internet connectivity via smartphone
Presently, Skully AR-1 is not available for commercial sale. However you can apply to become an approved beta-tester for the Skully AR-1. Approved beta-testers may get to test a pre-released version of the AR-1 before the official release date.
July 5, 2014
Top 5 Phones Most Likely To Run The Android L When it Launches

The Android L is one of the most comprehensive updates to the Android operating systems. Google went down to the rudimentary pieces of the OS and reimagined the functioning of the Android system. Now as everyone is eagerly waiting to take a spin on the Android L, we bring a list of phones that will be the first to get the L update. You can buy these phones today as they are all future proof.

So here we go:

5.Samsung Galaxy s5

Samsung’s present flagship will be the first to get the Android L release in the Galaxy stable.

4. LG G2/ LG G Pro2 /LG G3/ LG G Flex

LG in an exclusive conversation with iGyaan hinted that they will release it on these four phones once Android L hits the market. These phones are already LG’s best sellers and they would be a good bet for now.

3. Moto X/Moto E/Moto G

As Moto’s awesome revival is dedicated to Android based X, G and E, these phones will surely get updated to the latest Android L. They will be the first phones after the Nexus devices to get the updates.

2. HTC Flagship

HTC is the most eager company to induct the Android L across all its Blinkfeed running devices. This is a great news for current HTC users. Phones like HTC One M8, M7, the One Mini and the HTC Desire line of kitkat phones will be the first to evolve into Android L as soon as possible.

1. Nexus 5 – Developer Preview Out Now

Nexus 5 already has the developer preview out for Android L and Boy, does it look good. We’ve been having lots of fun with the L and you can get it right away too. Even though its a beta testing version, its still very stable, has brilliant performance and excellent battery life thanks to Project Volta.

July 5, 2014