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E3 2014 Roundup of Major Releases

The gamers paradise is sizzling with action. The E3 or the Electronic Entertainment Expo is the biggest Gaming conference. E3 2014 had some of the biggest names having their moment on the podium and a lots of games found their way to the spotlight. We bring you the latest releases from all of them.

Microsoft:

After the mega release of the Xbox One last year, Microsoft concentrated mostly on the games for their gaming console. The Games list from Microsoft stands at:

a)      “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare”

b)      “Forza Horizon 2”

c)      “Evolve”

d)      “Assassin’s Creed: Unity”

e)      “Dragon Age Inquisition”

f)       “Sunset Overdrive”

g)      “Capcom: Dead Rising 3 DLC”

h)      “Dance Central Spotlight”

i)        “Fable Legends”

j)        “Project: Spark”

k)      “Ori and the Blind Forest”

The Announcement of Halo masterclass got a lot of folks excited

The most welcome news from Microsoft’s stable was the Halo Masterchief Collection. This will hold all the previous Halo versions plus the beta versions of upcoming versions, i.e Halo Nightfall and Halo: Guardians.

Electronic Arts(EA):

The Mega Giant of the gaming industry had some sweet surprises for the gaming enthusiasts. Some of these games were demo of future releases. It’s almost like a cool prototype you saw at an auto show and wanted to know when its coming out only to know that date don’t exist. Hopefully that won’t be the case with:

a)    Untitled first person racing games: This one will be for the Go-Pro inspired generations. Have you ever seen those epic videos that those puny little cameras have captured and thought to yourself “wish I could do that.” Well this game aims to do just that. It will let the users operate in first person a huge assortment of vehicles such as cars, ATVs, helicopters, planes, jet-skis and more.

b) Mass Effect 4 and other Bioware games

c) Star Wars Battlefront

d) Mirror’s Edge 2: This was one of the most impressive and innovative games. The new version will show Faith (the lead) continue her intense badassery and take it to a new level. The parkour in this version will be more realistic and combat. This will be one of the games to look forward to.

Apart from this the usual sports games from the EA menu are also going to be released in their yearly release. This includes FIFA, Madden and NHL. Along with the Sims 4, the medival bonanza of pop culture will be celebrated with Dragon Age : Inquisition.

A lot of Dhoom in Battlefield Hardline

If you are a fan of fast paced urban action games, then Battlefield: Hardline Demo is the game for you. It’s a crime thriller with cops and robbers Dhooming around town. Somehow the visuals reminded us of the terrible, over used Amir khan dialogues from Dhoom 3.

Ubisoft:

The French gaming conglomerate had some impressive showcase this year. Heres the Ubisoft game list for the year:

a)      Far Cry 4

b)      Just Dance 2015

c)      Tom Clancy’s The Division

d)     The Crew

e)      Assassins Creed Unity

f)       Shape Up

g)      Valiant Hearts: The Great War

h)      Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Shield

This was a safe year for Ubisoft but their product line up was varied and will impress all kinds gaming pleasure seekers.

Sony:

They released the monster last year and now it’s time to feed it. After what must have been a long wait, the company showed off its games counter and it was truly impressive. It has a healthy mix of offerings for everyone this year. Here is what you can feast on this year on your PS4’s

a)      Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

b)      The Order: 1886

c)      Infamous: First Light

d)     LittleBigPlanet 3

e)      Destiny

f)       Bloodborne

g)      No Man’s Sky

h)      Mortal Kombat X

i)        Batman: Arkham Knight

j)        Remakes and Free-to-Play

One of the biggest announcements was that Grand Theft Auto will finally make it on the PS4 by this fall. By the end of July the PS4 version of The Last of Us: Remastered will be out.

Sony also showed off some free to play games such as Kingdom Under Fire II, Planetside 2 and War Thunder just to show that it cares.

Nintendo:

The Japanese came with a plan when they unleashed their games with a kickass Robot Chicken inspired segments. Seth Green’s boys made some hilarious pieces with Nintendo characters that left the audience in splits.

Nintendo also had actual gameplay in the trailer making it a more authentic sell. They also had a good number of games for their handheld platforms Wii U and Ninendo 3DS.
Here is their Games list for 2014:

a)      Super Smash Bros.’ for Wii U and 3DS

b)      Yoshi’s Wooly World’

c)      Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker

d)      The new ‘Legend of Zelda’

e)      Pokémon Omega Ruby’ and ‘Alpha Sapphire’

f)       Bayonetta 2

g)      Hyrule Warriors

h)      Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

i)        Xenoblade Chronicles X

j)        Mario Maker

k)      Splatoon

l)        Fantasy Life

m)    Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

n)      Mario Party 10

Nintendo brought some extra fun in gaming with the Amiibos

Amiibos come in your favorite Nintendo Characters

Apart from this Nintendo also released a action figure series called Amiibo. These figures have to ability to remember the user’s stats, fighting styles and character traits and can be used with the Wii U. There a lot of possibilities

The Major players have showcased their goodies for 2014 and we look forward to bringing you more in-depth Game reviews as soon as we get to lay our hands on them.

June 12, 2014
Oppo joins the 2K club with Find 7 and 7A Launch in India

Chinese phone manufacturers, Oppo has announced the launch of the Find 7 and its mini version the 7a. Both these phones are beautiful to look at and are LTE capable. People who love edges over curves are going to in for a treat.

General Managers Steven Shi Feng and CEO Tom Lu releasing the Find 7 and 7a

First up the Find 7 takes on the Oppo Find 5 design quotient and makes it even better. The Find 5 was one of the first phones with a 1080p display and continuing the tradition of firsts, Find 7 has a 1440p Quad HD display. The 2K space is heating up. Overall sleek and sexy looking body with steel elements is enticing to look and is an aspirational phone.

The Find 7 and Find 7a both have 5.5 inch screens. The 7a has a 1080p FHD screen. The unique feature of these devices is an erotic blue light at the bottom of the screen. Its called the Skyline notification and it starts from the center and spreads across the bottom edges. The textured Carbon fibre removable back panel is good to look at.

The Phones edgy design makes it great to look at.

On the processing power front the Find 7 boasts of 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset with 3GB of RAM. This high configuration is necessary for the stunning Quad HD screen. The 7a on the other hand has a slightly shrunk 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset.

Find 7 is powered by a 3000 MaH removable battery. The 7a holds a 2800 MaH version. Oppo has introduced a charging technology called the Multi step constant current charging (quite a mouthful ha?). This helps to go from 0 to 75% in 30 minutes. For this the phone needs to be charged with the provided charger.

The Quad HD screen of the Find 7 is a delight to look at. Its 538 ppi display is one of the best in class and was released globally before the LG G3. The Find 7 was released globally in March so that makes Oppo the first company to cross the 2K barrier.

The Find 7 has an internal storage of 32GB whereas the 7a has 16 GB storage. Both the phones have expandable memory options which will come handy if you want to play high quality audio-visual entertainment.

The Camera on the devices is 13 mega pixel shooters and are powered by the Sony IMX214 CMOS sensor. It has a wide 2.0 aperture which will help with better night and shallow focus shooting. Camera has the ability to shoot Raw and here too the expandable storage be extremely advantageous. It is also capable of 4K video recording.The camera is also capable of taking massive 50 Megapixel images. It achieves this by clicking multiple images and creating one huge 50 mpix images.

The phone currently runs on a clean looking UI. It runs on Oppo’s propriety Android 4.3 based Color OS. It has some really functional elements like the gestures feature. This feature lets you open certain apps like the camera or the torch just by making gestures on the screen. This works even when the screen is on stand-by to let you reach the Apps with ease.

Overall both devices look really enticing and we can’t wait to get our hands on them. Keep checking this spot for more.

The Find 7 is priced at Rs. 37990 and the Find 7a is priced at Rs. 31990 in India.

June 11, 2014
Barclays Introduces Wearable Credit Cards

The horror of losing our credit card haunts us every day. If you are anything like me, you surely have lost your credit cards number of times. The aftermath is even terrible with tedious process of form-filling and standing in long lines to apply for a new one. Well, Barclays, the London-based multinational banking and financial services company, found a solution for that. A wireless wearable device that can act as your virtual wallet and give cashless transactions a boost.

Called the bPay band, it is a part of a revolution where wearable technology will allow consumers to pay for a variety of services, such as coffee, travel and even gym memberships, with the single swipe of an arm.

Barclays’ bands are efficiently laden with money by users from their bank accounts, which can then be used for little purchases up to a single transaction value of £20 by swiping them over a pay point. The new bands are rubberized, waterproof and enclose a computer chip and micro-aerial to correspond with transaction terminals. Wearable 24 hours a day, bPay bands operate faster than usual plastic cards as they don’t require a four-digit pin.

The bPay bands have been already used at public events such as London Pride, where they were used to get entry and buy food and drink. The company is planing to bring the bands to the mainstream so that they can be used at 300,000 terminals and incoffee shops and newsagents , that already work with contactless debit cards.

The company is still working with various retailers, merchants and consumers for the greater acceptance of the technology. Company website mentioned that, it will be possible to pay for journeys on all buses, tubes and trains inside London by swiping bPay bands across terminals from later this year.

June 11, 2014
Top 5 Chrome Extensions Everyone Should Add

Many people use Google Chrome as their major web-browser on their PCs, tablets and phones these days. It’s a great, swift and feature-packed cross-platform browser that’s easy. Google Chrome also provides abundant apps and extensions to make your internet experience even more pleasant. Though picking the ones you need may be tricky. Most people never even hear about the extensions that may work extremely well for them. Well, we’ve listed 5 really useful Google Chrome extensions for you to check out:

1. Clearly

‘Cleary’ by Evernote is a very helpful extension, particularly if you’re a student, writer or just someone who spends a lot of time doing research on the internet. It helps you focus only on the reading the important part of the article, blog or news; blocking out everything that is redundant. You can even save the sources to Evernote for later study. ‘Clearly’ also makes it probable to put in order the saved articles by tags, add footnotes or even let the extension read the material back to you. You can even change the background or font size of the materials. It is a very useful app, but you should know that it might not work on all websites.

2. Faces.im

This handy little tool brings Chat Heads to the desktop, enabling you to keep track of your Facebook messages in the simplest manner. It offers you notifications with small, modest head popups like the mobile app. And when they do show up , this could simply mean a new Facebook message is pending. The pop up circle displays your friend’s photo just like the Messenger app, their name, and recent message they sent when you hover the mouse pointer over their photo.

3. Agora

If you want to get the most out of your money, then use this comparison shopping service. Agora for Chrome aims to provide a clever solution. It gives you your personal workstation where you can append products to your dashboard, put them in order and make comparisons in order to make the best purchasing choice. Although still in early beta, the service works absolutely flawlessly.

4.TL;DR

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is a clever extension, it creates a summary of any web article you don’t have time to read fully. It allows you to choose between four different summary lengths, depending on the amount of time you have. With the summaries found on tl;dr, you can easily select what you really want to read and save precious time. Read only what matters, skim the rest.

5. Ginger

It is an online spelling and grammar checker extension. Ginger proofreads your typing and cleans up your mistakes with a simple click. The extension integrates itself with the browser’s interface and works in text input fields. Whether you type in a misspelled word or use bad grammar, the extension underlines the mistake. Right-click the word, and a small popup will open, listing alternate word suggestions for incorrectly spelled words or the correct word itself, in the event that you’ve used the wrong tense.

June 11, 2014
Top Tech-Toys For a Perfect Father’s Day Gift
Father’s Day is only a couple of days away, so this should act as the perfect reminder. If you aren’t already, then you really should be thinking about what to gift your father this year. If your dad is as tech-savvy as mine, you have come to the right place. Gifting your dad a gadget is a great idea especially when he loves his tech-toys more than anything. So,we have come up with a list of gadgets that cover all budgets and which make for excellent gifts for your dad this Father’s day.

Smartphones

Smartphones are an essentials these day, be it a house wife or student or your dad, everyone depends on their smartphones. Gifting one is a great idea but which one? If you’re willing to empty your pockets, then there is a range of Smartphones. Click on the links and read our full reviews.
- HTC Desire 816: The HTC Desire 816 is a good mix of looks, brain and brawn. It’s powerful processor and beautiful screen will make it your dad’s best gadget. Price- INR 25,000 (approx)
- Gionee Elife S5.5: If your dad goed for looks than performance, then the Slimmest Phone in the world will be a perfect gift for your father. It is a decent phone with exceptionally good look. Price- INR 20,000 (approx)
- HTC One M8: It’s metal and splash proof body is perfect if your dad is little clumsy and seems to destroy every piece of hardware he owns. Price- INR 46,000 (approx)
- Galaxy S5: It has water and dust resistant body and rocking two Quad Core processors, making it one of the best buys. Price- INR 38,000 (approx)
And if your budget doesn’t allow you to spend a lot, you can also gift him smartphones which fall under under Rs15,000
- Moto E It is the one of the best budget phone available in market. It comes with a wide range of colored back panels options. At the price, it is so awesome that you can always have this one as a backup phone. But it is one of the fastest selling phone in India, so hurry up! Price- 7,000 (approx)
- Moto G Another Motorola budget phone with best features in it’s segment. The phone have everything for a professional dad. In fact it is the most bang for buck phone out there. Price- INR 12,500 (approx)
Cameras

If your dad is a photography enthusiast then what is a better gift than a camera. If not then you can encourage him to take up photography by gifting him one, it will be a hobby which will relieve him from his daily stress. Check out our of list best pocket camera that are worth gifting you dad on Father’s day. We’ve picked the best onen available in the market these days. Some of them maybe be a little pricey but the quality is incomparable.

Tablet

Add tablet to your dad’s gadget collection, your dad would love you for it. Gift him the best tablet available in market and that, without any doubt, is Apple’s iPad. Apple provides you with various variants of iPad like Retina display, iPad Air and iPad mini.
June 11, 2014
Microsoft to Kinect Up the Next Windows Phone

The Verge has reported that Microsoft is in the process of inducting Kinect features in its next Windows phone, code named “Mclaren”. The Mclaren was introduced to the world through phone tripsters EVLeaks.

The phone will be a successor to the Lumia 1020 and will boast propriety technology like 3D touch and Real Motion. These features will assist in interaction with the phone without actually touching the display.

Kinect is now integral to the Xbox experience

Kinect was reveled at the 2010 E3 conference. Kinect made sense on a large screen system like the Xbox. Its features which made technology invisible was appreciated by people. The question that everyone seems to be asking is whether a phone version of Kinect will actually have some benefits or will be just another gimmicky add-on.

Some of the reported features include the ability to answer a phone call by just bringing it to your ears or cutting a call when the phone is dropped back in the pocket. The phone can also be put on a table to start an speakerphone conversation. These features have to be utility based or else they will end up as the Air Gestures in the Samsung phones.

The phone will also be fitted with pressure sensing instruments on the sides to detect changes in grip. They want to make external buttons completely obsolete. One of the way this can be used is gripping the phone can power on the device. Even the Camera can be zoomed in and out just by doing the usual pinching motions near the device.

These features were originally intended to be used on the Windows 8.1 powered Nokia Goldfinger phones. This phone is now being pushed back for a later release, while the Mclaren is being given priority. This is one more way in which Microsoft is pushing the Nokia name off the edge. Some have said that Nokia’s innovations are being stripped for profitable parts in Microsoft’s research labs.

The new UI will be inspired by Zune Mixview

The phones will also have a tiny UI renovation with the Kinect induction. When pointed above a tile it will open multiple floating tiles. This is inspired by the Zune Mixview. The tech makes sense on a big screen where there was minimum learning curve, but in a small screen it will be a whole different story. Microsoft would have had to go back to the drawing board to make the technology featurable on a handheld device.

Now as these are still leaks and we’d have to wait for the device to come in our hands before we comment on the functionality of these features. This of course will be a good experiment to look forward to. Microsoft Xbox’s Kinectic abilities suit it well for a home entertainment system, but it has to take some real efforts to convince people that hovering fingers over your phone is as good as having a touch response.

June 10, 2014
#LetsTalkShop with HTC India head Faisal Siddiqui

This week in Lets Talk Shop we speak to HTC India country head Faisal Siddiqui. The man has been heading HTC in India for many a years and offers a bit of understanding on how they run shop in India.

The three most important products for HTC this year are the HTC One M8, the HTC Desire 816 and the Desire 210, with the desire 210 being the most unique product from HTC as it is the first HTC phone to have been launched under the Rs. 10,000 price bracket.

Faisal promises that the build quality and HTC lineage follows through even in the Desire 210 while most of the top end features including blink feed, quick OTA updates etc will also be seen in this entry level handset.

The Desire 816 will be getting more colors including a “fuchsia pink” apart from the white, black and orange available presently. He claims that people now like color options when buying smartphones and HTC wants to provide that option.

HTC has always been strong headed about staying away from tablets, and in the past they have remained focused with their smartphones. However, unlike previous meetings, Faisal was keen on not comment on the Tablet agenda for the company , which could mean that HTC may finally be planning tablets or that the new Nexus 8 being made by HTC rumors may be true after all.

HTC is strongly focused on building an experience in India, whether its their concept stores or their service centers. Including basic infrastructure, like Air conditioning, drinking water and a systematic approach HTC feels they can break down the long list of issues that go on with providing service in India.

As far as functioning goes, Faisal does feel that there are some major issues in running shop in India, but getting past them is what makes the challenge interesting.

If you ever want to head/run your own company, Faisal’s advice:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Faisal Siddiqui” author_title=”HTC India”]

Always hire the right people, if you have the right team, reaching your objective is that much simpler.

[/quote]

June 10, 2014
DARPA’s Z-Man Makes Spiderman a Reality

YAHOOOOO!!

Sorry, the kid inside me just wanted to get his emotions out. If you were close to me when I heard the news, you would have lost your hearing for a while, like my fellow mates did. Now this is what me and my kind have been waiting for. Z-man is in the house!

With Z-man everyone can get the Spideman experience.

The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has created a pair of paddles that lets anybody climb glass walls. You can’t shoot webs though, so maybe this may be closer to what Tom Cruise used to scale the massive Burj Al-Kalifah in Dubai in Mission Impossible 4.

With the Z-man, a 99 KG climber was able to climb and descend a 7.6 meter vertical glass wall. In one trial the climber carried 22.6 KG’s of extra weight too.

The inspiration for the design comes from the Gecko. Geckos are cute little lizards who come in all kinds of colors and have an annoying voice which gives them their name. Come to think of it, they are pretty self-obsessed calling out their own names all day long. Listen to this and tell me it’s not annoying to hear:

Coming back to the how they inspired DARPA, is their expertise in climbing almost any surface in the world. They have tiny bristles on their feets called Satae which give them the ability to stick on anything they desire from living room walls to even the walls of International Space Station. This adhesive property doesn’t need any kind of liquid and is also self-cleaning. It can literally balance its entire body on one toe. This ability is present in almost 60% of Gecko species.

Geckos incredible ability to climb any surface was the inspiration of Z-Man

The military had one major issue with climbing technology. It’s old, really old. Ropes have been used by combatants for thousands of years and are still being used today. A bit of investment in these would have made life easier for thousands of warriors, instead of making useless and extremely expensive Nuclear weapons.

Z-man takes inspiration from the natural forces and with the help of nanotechnology and bio mechanics to give Gecko-like ability to humans. There will also be everyday uses of the technology. This can be used by Glass cleaners in offices around the world. DARPA is working for more consumer intergration of the technology too.

Z-man currently is a work in progress and it will take a while to fully induct the technology in the armed forces. This might be a boon during urban combat.

If we get technologies like this right, we can handle situations like a Chitauri Invasion without the Avengers. But yes can we please have real life Avengers already? Come on DARPA, why don’t we have a real-life Captain America or Spiderman already?

June 10, 2014
10 Things You Don’t Know About Twitter (But Should)

Recently, we’ve been paying quite a bit of attention to this powerful social media forum. Why shouldn’t we? It is used by millions everyday, and we especially love the way it helps us stay connected. Twitter needs to be given credit for being one of the first sites which helped us communicate with famous names. Everyone starting from Barack Obama to Shah Rukh Khan use this microblogging service. Companies also use this service to keep in contact with their customers.

Yesterday, we explained the 10 easy steps you can use to become a Twitter Pro. Carrying on the series, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Twitter:

1. Narendra Modi’s Tweet Created History

India has won! ???? ?? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2014

On 16th May 2014, the Indian election results confirmed a huge victory for the Bhartiya Janata Party. On the same day, @NarendraModi’s victory tweet, created record history by becoming the most retweeted and favourited tweet from India.

2. You Can Use Twitter to Share Files

Log onto Filesocial.com with your Twitter ID, upload a file and it will automatically be shared on your twitter account. You can upload PDFs and documents, as well. It’ll appear as a regular post on your feed; anyone can see, comment and even download that file.

3. Get Your Entire Twitter History Emailed to You

At the bottom of your Account Settings page, there is a tab labeled ‘Request Your Archive’. Click on it to request a file containing all your information, which goes back to your first Tweet. Twitter emails you a link from where you can download the file that includes a detailed document with timestamps, tweets, retweets and URLS.

4. You Can Create Secret Lists

It’s fairly simple, when you click on the tab to create a new list, click on the option of making the list private. Now no one other than you would be able to view that list. Twitter lists can be used de-clutter your account. Once you have a large number of followers or if you’re following too many people, you can sort out the by organising them into lists which are only visible to you. Lists can be organized on the basis of location, topics being discussed, job profiles, or your closest friends.

5. The Blue Bird Has a Name

Twitter’s famous mascot is named “Larry”. Larry the Bird has been reportedly named after Larry Bird, a former professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics.

6. People Buy Followers on Twitter

Okay, most of you might already know this. Similar to buying ‘likes’ on Facebook, you can buy followers on Twitter. There are a ton of sites available which claim to give you cheap rates to increase your followers. This might be a good idea if you’re building a brand and promoting it through Twitter, however you should know that these followers will not be an active audience. They’re not going to be interested in your brand or tweets, they’re only an added number.

7. The Most Followed Person on Twitter is..

With more than 53 million followers, Katy Perry has been reigning on top since November 2013. She is followed closely by Justin Bieber (52.2 million) and then President Barack Obama (43.5 million). Says a lot about where the world’s priorities lie. The most followed Indian is Amitabh Bachchan, with more than 9 million followers.

8. Twitter’s Current CEO Was a Professional Comedian.

Their previous COO and current CEO Dick Costolo, in an interview revealed that he tried his hand at stand-up comedy and failed. According to Business Insider, his stakes at Twitter are now worth $430 Million. We’re pretty sure he has no regrets.

9. You Can Send Tweets Via Text Messages

In fact, this is the site’s foundation stone. Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey had initially pictured it as an SMS-based communication platform. Though Twitter is a free service, your mobile carrier service might charge you according to your chosen messaging plan. If you have an unlimited texting plan you won’t get charged, if you have a pay-per-message then the regular charges will apply.

10. Facebook Almost Bought Twitter

According to the tech grapevine, sometime around October 2008 Mark Zuckerberg offered to pay $500 million to buy out Twitter. He was dealing directly with Jack Dorsey. The deal came to a crashing halt when Dorsey was yanked from his position as CEO, and assigned the position of a Chairman with zero operational control.

June 10, 2014
Google ‘Accidentally’ Leaks Their Next Android Phone

Google Nexus 5 was one of the best phones in the market in 2013. Recently, there has been quite a few of rumors regarding Google’s plans of discarding the Nexus for a new Silver program. But a tweet by Android’s official account shows an unknown smartphone, which looks almost like the Nexus 5 with minute changes.

#Android makes even the most difficult grocery store choices simple. #OKGoogle pic.twitter.com/Ucu5alBtQE

— Android (@Android) June 5, 2014

This promotional tweet was intended to endorse a new feature in Google Now (the ability to see recipe checklists while shopping), exposed a new-looking phone. The photo shows that the alleged Nexus 6 doesn’t have the speaker grill or the camera on the front. The screen also appears to be larger and the bezels are slightly smaller.

This is not the first time Google has “accidentally” leaked a photo of a yet impromptu device either. Back in November last year, Google posted a promotional photo of a new Nexus tablet and it created a lot of talk about the Nexus 8 tablet. More recently, a header on Google’s micro website revealed an unknown tablet, which subsequently sparked Nexus 8 rumors. Infact, the first look of the Nexus 5 was accidentally revealed when Google posted and subsequently deleted a video on YouTube.

Seems like we have enough reasons to believe that this may be the Google’s next Android phone. We’re just not sure if this was an intentional move or just a goof-up.

June 10, 2014
Microsoft’s Xbox One Finally Set to Launch in India

Well the wait is over, Microsoft has officially confirmed that Xbox One will be available in India on 23^rd Sept 2014 starting at INR 39,990. They will also launch Xbox One with Kinect at INR 45,990. Both bundles will include the Xbox One console with a 500GB hard drive, Xbox One Wireless Controller, and a free 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold for new members.

Microsoft had announced a rough September timeline for India launch (along with 25 other countries) back in March. Conspicuously, Sony launched the PS4 in India (at the same Rs. 39,990 price) in January making Microsoft lag behind by 9 months.

The owners of Xbox One with Kinect will be able to experience a number of games and entertainment experiences special to Xbox such as gesture controls, biometric sign-in, controller paring, Skype video calls, direct personalization, instant scanning of QR codes, and improved features only available with Kinect in games such “Kinect Sports Rivals,” “Dead Rising 3,” and “Project Spark.”

Both the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 use an incorporated CPU-GPU design by AMD, including an 8-core low power x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” CPU. The Xbox One’s CPU cores runs at 1.75GHz, compared to the Sony PlayStation 4’s 1.6GHz. Although, it doesn’t make any tangible difference.

Xbox One is packed with features like the Game DVR/Upload which lets you capture and record your greatest game moments and through ‘Upload Studio’ you can easily edit and share clips with your friends and community. It also offers many apps such as Skype which is specially designed for Xbox One, Internet Explorer, OneDrive, Twitch, Machinima and IGN integrated flawlessly with your games and TV experience.

Back in 2013 when it was launched in USA, Microsoft sold approximately 2 million units of Xbox One gaming consoles in its first 18 days on sale. It is too early to say that Microsoft will match its success in India, but it surely will give a tough competition to Sony’s PS 4.

June 10, 2014
Ethanol: From Corn to Your Car

Alternative fuel is the talk of the town. With the environment degrading with each passing day and more and more people joining the sane club of those who accept the climate change reality. The race to find the next best fuel is intense. Ethanol seems to be the immediate answer to the issue.

Now is the time for Alternative fuels

There are many contenders for the title of the best alternative fuel. There is everyone’s favorite; Solar energy. This is in fact the cleanest and the best fuel for our civilization. There have been massive investments around the world to substitute solar power as an alternative to coal based power.

There are Wind and Geothermal energy options which are also seen as good long term solutions for the global energy crisis. These options are great for electricity solutions but we still have major issue of pollution from automobiles around the world. These gas based monsters will take forever to replace to electric car systems which are still in developmental phase. The alternatives are not yet efficient enough as their internal combustion engine counterparts.

So how do we take on the menace of fossil fuel powered, greenhouse gas emitting vehicles which have become so essential for our lives that it’s hard to imagine a life without them. As India imports around 70% of its petroleum needs, the need to find alternatives is extremely important. The immediate solution can be found in Ethanol.

Source: Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, Government of India (GOI)

As seen by the official Government of India figures, India’s fuel bill has been rising yearly. The sector that consumes the most fuel is transportation. Urgent steps need to be taken to reduce the massive expenditure on fuel or else we would have shortage of funds for developmental initiatives for education, healthcare and social improvements.

Ethanol is an organic compound that can be made with corn starch, sugar cane, sugar beet, grain, barley, hemp, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, sunflower, fruit, grain, wheat, straw, cotton, other biomass and many more. It can also be made from the by-products of sugar processing plants. Considering the amount of sugar that is in our food today, it seems there is a lot of sugar waste (molasses) out there. Currently most of it goes into the production of alcohol (Hail Old Monk).

Ethanol can be blended in with the petrol to make it more environmental friendly. Not just that, it can help to battle the meteoric rise in fuel prices. It needs an extra step in the distillation process and for this sugar plants can be retrofitted for an Ethanol treatment facility.

There are many blending options. There is e10 with 10% blend to e85 which is an 85% blend of Ethanol to petrol. The e10 can work in any vehical that was made after 1980 and e85 works with flexible fuel cars. Ethanol has about 35% oxygen which helps burn up completely thereby emitting less toxic gases.

Indian Transport and Shipping minister wants to encourage Ethanol blending

Recently the new Transport Minister of India, Nitin Gadkari declared an initiative to blend ethanol to save foreign exchange. Indian oil companies have expressed a desire to buy ethanol but they can’t find enough supply here. One of the prime reasons for this is that alcohol companies give higher prices for molasses than Ethanol producers.

According to Nitin Gadkari’s company Purti group; which is a producer of Ethanol, if 140 crore litre of ethanol can be procured in an year, it can save about Rs. 63000 Crores of precious foreign exchange on petrol.

This action, while commended for being an economically directed initiative is also being berated for its short sightedness. India has been facing the wrath of food inflation for a while. If there is a shift in the agricultural sector from food crops to fuel crops it can severely increase food prices. Also as there is an acute shortage of talented agricultural scientists, educating the farmers on increasing the efficiency will be an issue.

Currently in the world market US and Brazil are the top manufacturers of ethanol. They produce around 90% of the world’s ethanol. While US’s production is more grain based, Brazil opts for Sugarcane. As India is the second highest producer of the sugarcane, it can easily exploit that statistic in its favor. India has a biofuel policy but what is really required is long term commitments from the top brass. Investment in education of farmers to manage sustainability between food and fuel crops should also be a parallel priority.

There is also a major issue with Ethanol, if a sustainable plan isn’t worked out, farmers will dedicate a lot of land and may even clear forests for its production. This will negate whatever benefit is gained from blending it with petrol. In fact, cutting down forests adds more greenhouse gases than any other source.

Recently a group of Stanford University scientists have discovered a process by which Ethanol can be harvested without using plant agricultural resources. The process involves passing Carbon monoxide through an “oxide-derived” copper electrode. The team is now looking into making the process more efficient so that land resources can remain just for food instead of being pressurized into fueling stomachs as well as fuel tanks. This kind of developmental research and innovation should be encouraged by the governments everywhere.

Solar Powered Electric Cars are our best bet for a sustainable future

Overall the major issue with Ethanol still is that it is a short term action plan and we have to focus on long term solutions. One sure shot solution that comes to mind is Electric Vehicles. EV’s technology unknown to many is about a 100 years old. They were abandoned because of malicious campaigns against it and the cheap availability of fossil fuels in that era.

We are now close to exhausting accessible fossil fuels reserves. Exploring new places to extract oil from earth comes at a cost like the incident with BP’s Deep Water Horizon. The need for alternative transportation investment is extremely crucial right now. The time for inaction is long past gone.

If only farts could power vehicles, we Indians would have had free energy for life.

June 10, 2014
Rumor : iPhone 6 to Have Wireless Charging and a Bigger Screen

Apple’s much talked iPhone 6 has developing rumors which need updating almost everyday. The recent leaked pictures and supply chain chatter has revealed that iPhone 6 is going to carry some awesome new features.

The latest claims states that the next iPhone is now in the testing stage and the handset is tipped to deliver some mobile device capabilities that were absent from the previous models.

It is said to feature a significantly larger screen that will take up relatively more area on the front of the phone. The hardware border around the screen will be smaller than on previous iPhones. There is also a possibility that iPhone 6 will be equipped with wireless charging. Venture Beat reported that the back panel of the device is equipped with an inductive charging component that likely will pair with a companion plate for charging it up.

According to VentureBeat, the iPhone 6 will contain several highly-anticipated features, including near field communication (NFC), wireless charging, a better 4G antenna, and a much bigger screen. Apple is nearly finished creating its next iPhone and is now testing the handset for qualities such as “speed, durability, and network performance,” wrote VentureBeat, which claims to have spoken with a source close to the situation.

Apple was already including Near Field Communication (NFC) radio in its previous iPhones, but the company decided against it because the emerging mobile payments ecosystem was too stratified and still in its infant stage. Apple is now ready to include NFC in their devices. An NFC radio has been designed into the iPhone 6 which will enable mobile payments in the way that Android phones using Google Wallet already do.

Headlining the fresh batch of iPhone 6 rumors is the latest wireless internet technology that will be known as Category 6 LTE radio chip. It will be an upgrade of Category 4 LTE that came with the iPhone 5S. This upgrade means that from a maximum wireless broadband speed of 150 megabits per second (mbps) that previous iPhone offers, its descendant will boast of twice the bandwidth capacity, at 300mbps.

Also, some new allegedly leaked pictures of the iPhone 6 back panel appeared to expose a cut-out Apple logo that in the final cut of the device will set off flashing light patterns to indicate specific notifications.

The iPhone 6 is expected to debut around the September, perhaps initially with the rumored 4.7-inch model while an even larger 5.5-inch model may arrive after several months. Apple is said to be releasing iOS 8 to the public at around the same time, while the Apple’s iWatch is tentatively targeted for an October unveiling.

June 9, 2014
Rumor : Apple to Include Beats Earphones With The New iPhone

Now this is just the kind of news that all the prospective iPhone buyers were waiting for. We have learnt that after the major 3.2 billion dollar acquisition of Beats by Apple, the company is going to include their earphones with the next iPhone.

The Dr.Dre and Jimmy Lovine created brand of music gear has become the staple across the music scene. This was Apple’s biggest acquisition till date as they remain conservative with their spending. This conservative approach helps them to put resources in R&D which then helps them to stand out from the crowd.

Apple had made it clear that it is not going to combine the brand. This is a good step as Beats has massive visibility and brand recognition especially its association with the Doctor of the Hip Hop world. Apple was already selling Beats gear at its store but it will reach a lot more people since one of the most recognized brands (Apple) starts selling it along with its most recognized gadget (iPhone).

Along with this, Apple might also try to bring some kind of integration with the Beats music service, which will be appreciated by many. The service lets you personalize music based on listening habits and recommendations from expert music curators. Though this is only a speculation at the moment but a Beats music integration with iTunes might help Apple to reclaim its youthful appeal.

Now as the Apple-Beats deal has been confirmed so the chances of a Beats earphones coming to you with your next iPhone box has increased. So if you were contemplating an iPhone purchase you might want to wait a couple of months, to get your BEATS on !

June 9, 2014
More Rumors Fly In About The iWatch

Last week, we told you about production of iWatch starting. Now there are several new stories emerging regarding the device. The company has begun accelerating work on the project as it tries to expand its family of mobile devices to the wrist.

Apple has already started work on trademarking the name in a number of countries in preparation for a late 2014 launch, perhaps in October, and the device was said to be in production as of the second quarter.

The Rumors illustrate that the new iWatch will be a round device similar to Moto 360 smart watch. Apple is also said to be using a capacitive touch screen making it smooth to function. The earlier report told us that this smart watch’s screen will be made of rounded organic light-emitting diode (OLED) which will help the iWatch track our important body functions like calorie consumption, blood glucose, sleep activity and blood oxygen levels.

As Apple ventures into a new territory, hopes since the iWatch might be launched along with much-awaited iPhone 6 and iOS 8.

June 9, 2014