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  • Quick Tip: Sync Your iPod to a New Desktop Without Losing Music

    Quick Tip: Sync Your iPod to a New Desktop Without Losing Music

    Picture this: You’ve recently bought a new computer (the last one died out on you.) Once you sync your iPod to it, all your old songs vanish. Still aching from pains of your laptop dying, losing out on all the music you’ve collected through the years – might just be too much to handle.

    There is an alternative, it’s quite a simple task to change the sync settings on your iPod. Here’s what you need to do:

     Things You’ll Need
    [icon name=”square-o”] iTunes
    [icon name=”square-o”] iPod

     Instructions

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Download and install iTunes on the new computer.

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Connect the iPod you’re syncing to the new computer using the player’s USB cable.

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Open the iTunes software. Wait a few seconds and the name of the player will appear in the left iTunes column (under “Devices”). Click the iPod name.

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Various tabs will appear listed near the top of the iTunes program

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Click the “Summary” tab. Options will be visible in the middle of iTunes.

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Click on the box that is positioned directly next to the “Manually manage music and videos” option.

    [icon type=”rectangle” size=”small” name=”e-check”]Click the “Apply” button, found under the previous mentioned options. The iPod will sync to the new computer without any damage.

  • The Z-2: Next Generation Space Suits by NASA

    The Z-2: Next Generation Space Suits by NASA

    Ever since Yuri Gagarin set a milestone for the human race in 1961, the quest for leaving the gravitational restrictions of planet earth and floating in the mammoth void of space has gained momentum. Over the last 50 years human space flight technology has taken a giant leap. Space suits are required to provide astronauts with: Protection from extreme pressure variations, protection from the Sun’s and cosmic radiation, mobility, breathable air, regulation, communication systems and the ability to collect both solid and liquid wastes of the human body.

    Clearly, space suits have to perform exceptionally in all the above aspects as they are to be entrusted with a highly trained human life. As NASA plans to set a human base on Mars in 2030, there is a race to get the technology for interplanetary travel up to speed.

    nasa-spacesuit03
    nasa-spacesuit03

    NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit is a project under the Advanced Exploration Systems Division which pioneers the development and demonstration of new technologies for future human missions beyond Earth orbit as part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

    They asked the general public to vote on three options dubbed Technology, Bio mimicry and Trends in Public. The Technology option won easily, with almost 60% votes, most likely because of its Tron-like appearance. But the picture released by NASA seems to resemble more like Gru’s(Despicable Me) Suit.

    nasa-spacesuit02

    The Z-2 will go under extensive testing sessions. Engineers will conduct multiple vacuum chamber tests, including one series at full vacuum, mimicking the lack of atmosphere found in space. The tests will take place at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab – the huge indoor pool used to train astronauts to spacewalk. Also, the rocky Martian surface tests will help evaluate the suit’s mobility, comfort and performance for the Red planet. Ultimately, all of these tests will guide engineers in designing the Z-3.

    Engineers and scientists around the world are working hard to develop super technologies. They’re hoping that astronauts will, one day, use them to live and work on Mars and return safely home after taking a giant leap for humanity.

  • World’s Most Luxurious Aircraft: A Look at Etihad’s A380

    World’s Most Luxurious Aircraft: A Look at Etihad’s A380

    Etihad Airways has reached sky limits in terms of luxury by introducing a private suite complete with a living room, double bedroom, dining table separate, and an en-suite shower room. The three-section personal cabin on their new A380 features a lounge area, a bedroom and a bathroom.

    Luxury Lobby for First class ticket holders.
    Luxury Lobby for First class ticket holders.

    Each of the Abu-Dhabi based airline will feature one residence, which can be occupied by two people. The residence bedroom features a double bed, joined to the living room by a short corridor. The living room features a two-seat leather couch, a dining table and private minibar. Both the living room and bedroom feature LCD television screens for in-flight entertainment.

    Personal Sky Suites with LCD TV and Bed
    Personal Sky Suites with LCD TV and Bed

    By the middle of next year, Etihad’s A380 servicing the Sydney-Abu Dhabi route. The prospective passengers flying to London, Melbourne,New York and Paris will next in line to get their own luxuriously equipped A380’s.

    Etihad’s aircraft’s already feature private chefs, but this is the first time any airline has offered a dedicated, skilled butler. This new aircraft will also feature nine first-class “apartments” in a 1-1 configuration on the upper deck. Six of which will have linking doors for those traveling together, and all will have access to a shower room. The first class suites will be 74 per cent larger than the existing Etihad first class product.

    Full Size beds for a hotel in air experience.
    Full size beds for a hotel-in-air experience.

    The A380 is the world’s largest airliner, measuring 72-metres long and with a wingspan of just under 80 metres. It’ll carry 498 passengers, with two residence guests, nine first class, 70 business class and 417 economy class passengers. The size of the A380 has allowed Etihad to do dabble around with the interiors, which was impossible before. Singapore Airlines, the first airline to take delivery of A380s, set the precedent by creating private “suites” in its first class cabin. Emirates, too, broke new ground with its A380 by becoming the first airline to install showers on-board.

    First plane to provide Showers In-Flight.
    First plane to provide Showers In-Flight.

    The price has not yet announced officially , but considering the amount of money and effort they have put in  for this service, it is speculated to be approximately $20,000.

    Carriers in the Middle-East and Asia are competing on their finest hand-outs in order to draw high-end travelers. The airlines in other parts of the world, including Qantas, have reduced the number of planes offering first class seats to put a focus on mid-range premium economy travel.

  • LG G Pro 2 Launched in India for Rs 51,500, won’t have 4G

    LG G Pro 2 Launched in India for Rs 51,500, won’t have 4G

    LG continues to bring handsets to the Indian market quicker than before, and the recently released LG G Pro 2 is next on the list. Priced at a whopping Rs. 51,500 the LG G Pro still houses the dated Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, while many now use the 801.

    The front has a large 5.9 inch 1920 x 1080p IPS display along with the usual knocking capabilities. The front design follows up on the G2 and has a 3.3 mm narrow bezel, making it very close to edge-to-edge in appearance.

    lg g pro 2 9

    The 13 Mp camera at the back is capable of 4K video and has inbuilt Optical Image Stabilization carried again from younger brother the G2. While others are using many ways to promote selfies, the G Pro 2 has a flash for selfie mode, often seen on phones a couple of years back, also a prevalent Mac feature when using photo booth.

    lg g pro 2 16

    Funnily enough the phone will not sport 4G capabilities and will only have 3G/HSPA+ Network capability.  Other specs include 

    • A Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (2.26 GHz Quad-Core) GPU: Qualcomm Technologies Chipset
    • 16 GB/32 GB e MMC ROM, 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
    • 5.9 inch Full HD IPS(1920×1080), Slim Bezel
    • 13 MP OIS+ (Rear), 2.1 MP (Front) Camera
    • 3,200 mAh removable Battery
    • Bluetooth Smart Ready (BT4.0) USB, Wi-Fi, NFC and SlimPort
    • Android 4.4 KitKat OS
    • 157.9×81.9×8.3 mm Size
    • White and Titan Black colours available
    • A microSD Slot expandable upto 64GB

    lg g pro 2 2

    LG had announced the G Pro 2 at the MWC 2014 held in Barcelona earlier this year, the handset meant to be a bigger brother of the G2, has added a few features like 4K video capture Android 4.4. KitKat out of the box and more.

    Stay tuned for a full review.

     

  • Meet Rajeev Suri – As He Takes On The Reigns of Nokia

    Meet Rajeev Suri – As He Takes On The Reigns of Nokia

    The Legend has fallen, sounds like a Transformers title, but in Nokia’s case it’s true.

    After an indomitable hegemony in the mobile phones market for more than a decade, the company sold its mobile phone division to Microsoft corporation in a $7.2 billion takeover. The takeover happened because of continued losses during the last 3 years, so much so that the company was forced to sell their headquarters and lease the premises. Now the company has decided to put strong efforts in hopes for a turnaround. It has decided to concentrate on its Network, Softwares and Maps divisions. Nokia also has a huge patents division which might help it reclaim its lost throne, unfortunately though they don’t have any dragons.

    For this task they have recruited the Indian born, Singaporean Citizen Rajeev Suri as Nokia’s CEO. In the past couple of years, Suri was responsible for the turnaround of  Nokia’s main telecoms network business. He took his chair on the 1st of May replacing their Ex-CEO Stephen Elop who is directly blamed for Nokia Mobile’s demise.

    Rajeev Suri did his graduation in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, India (class of 1989). This school’s other famous alumni includes Microsoft’s present CEO, Satya Nadella. This must be a proud moment for the institution’s history.

    Mr. Suri who joined Nokia in 1995, previously headed the networks division and it proved to be profitable for the company under his leadership. He has extensive experience in the fields of strategy, mergers & acquisitions, product marketing, sales, major account leadership, regional and business unit leadership and has lived all across the northern hemisphere except the America.

    Suri also stands apart from the others because he is one of the rare few to reach such great career heights without an MBA or PG degree under his belt. So if your parents are pressuring you to get another diploma in higher education, you now know whose example you should quote.

    He is definitely going to face some challenges as the CEO. Even though Nokia’s networks division accounted for about 90 percent of sales from the group’s continuing businesses last year, it faces tough challenges from companies who still have deep pockets in game like Ericson and Huawei. Also he will have to take some tough decisions to bring down the debt by 2 billion.

    The entire world will have their eye on this guy to see if he can recreate the magic he showcased as the head of the networks division. We at iGyaan, wish him the best and hope he will be the savior that Nokia desperately needs.

  • Snapchat Update: Video Chat and Texting Features Added

    Snapchat Update: Video Chat and Texting Features Added

    Snapchat claims that over 700 million pictures are shared everyday on their service, which would make it the most-used photo-sharing app — compared to Facebook, WhatsApp, and others. And now they have come up with new feature by which you can text and video chat as well. Staying true to their philosophy the text messages disappear as soon as the conversation is over. They hope to make video chats feel unforeseen, attempting to reproduce momentary meets on a street corner. Unlike Skype calls, which always prove to be tedious to plan out with friends.

    snapchat23-year-old CEO, Evan Spiegel in an interview with ‘The Verge’ said that the reason none of his friends video call each other on a daily basis is because “calling” was born of an era where software needed to imitate real-world tools. “What does a phone look like without a ringer?” he asks. He sums up his idea more neatly. “For Snapchat, the closer we can get to ‘I want to talk to you’ — that emotion of wanting to see you and then seeing you — the better and better our product and our view of the world will be.” To Spiegel, the future of communication isn’t about rethinking or upgrading phone calls as Skype, FaceTime, and Hangouts have done. It’s about imagining a future that leaves the phone metaphor behind entirely.

    Snapchat stripped out conventional texting-app features like read receipts, typing indicators, online statuses, and photo attachments. “Typing and read receipts make a lot of sense for messaging,” says Spiegel. “You write a letter, you put it in an envelope, you send it to a friend, and you want to know when they get it.” According to Spiegel, a modern chat app should feel like you’re really in the same room as the person you’re talking to.

    It started with sharing short-lived pictures, but Spiegel’s vision is faraway from just photos. You can call it anything — social network, utility, future-phone — Snapchat has managed to stick around, though it’s addictive features are still not so easy to classify. He’s trying to produce digital spaces with the identical closeness and immediateness we get in actual world conversations. Smartphones have altered the way we all commune with one another. But if Spiegel can achieve his vision, Snapchat could be the app that changes it back.

  • Websites We Wish We Had in India

    Websites We Wish We Had in India

    The last decade saw the entrance of e-commerce giants Ebay and Amazon, in India. The interest of overseas websites in the Indian market has consistently increased. Undeniably, our country has a huge untapped market of online users. Yet we’re still waiting and wishing to experience some amazing websites, which are a part of everyday lives abroad.

    Here’s a list of websites, we’re hoping launch here soon:

    Television and Movies

    Netflix

    netflix

    Netflix, Inc. is an American supplier of on-demand Internet streaming media accessible to viewers in North and South America, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. They also have a service of flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States, where mailed DVDs are sent via Permit Reply Mail. Whenever you try to access Netflix India, they crush your hopes and send you a notification informing you that it is not available in India. Though, they ask you to register and promise to inform you when it launches.

    Hulu

    hulu

    Hulu is a website subscription service offering on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, TBS, WWE, and many other major networks and studios. Hulu videos are currently offered only to users in the United States, its overseas territories and Japan.
    Earlier many people outside the US used to access Hulu from their respective nations. But now TV streaming service supplier is functioning on rigid rules to make sure that people out of the country are not able to access its program library. Going a step further. the company is now trying to make sure that it is able to stop anyone trying to access its library from virtual private network (VPN) or through proxy.

    Red Box Instant

    redbox

    Redbox Automated Retail, LLC is a contributory of Outerwall, Inc. specializing in DVD, Blu-ray Discs, and video game rentals via computerized retail kiosks. As of the end of November 2012, Redbox had over 42,000 kiosks at more than 34,000 locations. Redbox titles can be rented or purchased, in SD or HD quality. Redbox is also cheaper than Netflix. For $8(Rs 480 approx) a month, Redbox Instant provides unlimited streaming of movies and lets you borrow four DVDs. When customers rent a title, they have 30 days to begin watching it and then 48 hours to watch it as many times as they like. It seems like we are a long way from seeing Redbox kiosks or any similar services in India.

    Music

    Spotify

    spotify-logo

    Spotify is a profitable music streaming service providing digital rights management-restricted content from record labels including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal. Music can be browsed by artist, album, genre, playlist, or record label, as well as by direct searches. Spotify was launched in 2008, and now it is available in over 40 countries all over the world, however India is not a part of that exclusive list. 

    There are many websites and apps which are tagged as ‘Indian Spotify’  such as Saavn,  Dhingaana and Gaana but none of the as good as Spotify. These websites are trying hard to compete with each other, but none of them have impressive music lists or social media integration – which Spotify  is known for.

    Vevo

    Screenshot-75

    Vevo is a video hosting service owned and operated by a joint undertaking of Universal Music Group, Google, Sony Music Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Media. It launched on December 8, 2009. The videos on Vevo are syndicated across the web, with Google and Vevo sharing the advertising revenue. 

    Since launching in 2009, Vevo has become the go-to place for watching music videos online. But it hasn’t been available everywhere. Though you can watch most of Vevo videos on its YouTube channel,  it doesn’t have the entire collection of videos launched by them.

    Pandora Radio

    pandora-radio

    Pandora Radio is a music streaming and automated music recommendation service operated by Pandora Media, Inc. It is only available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It is a feedback-based music recommendation in which the user  provides positive or negative feedback for songs chosen by the service, which are taken into account when Pandora selects future songs. While listening, users are offered the ability to buy the songs or albums at various online retailers. Over 400 different musical attributes are considered when selecting the next song.

    India’s internet market, not only misses Pandora, it currently has no such service available. Last.fm has similar features, but it is not as user-friendly as Pandora Radio. 

  • Paperfold is prototype for a Foldable Smartphone

    Paperfold is prototype for a Foldable Smartphone

    The Human Media Lab at Canada’s Queen’s University has designed a prototype of a smartphone, that can not only fold, but transform from one form factor to another. The future of unified devices may simply lie in a design like this. The “Paperfold” uses three snap – E-Ink displays to create one large display.

    The Human media lab claims that the inspiration came from paper, and that the device will have a lot of possible future uses.  The hinges also act as buttons allowing you to switch between modes and tasks depending on your usage and application.

    Although we are notoriously far from the project reaching commercial availability, it seems that the next logical step in transformation of devices could and may as well be devices like the Paperfold. Watch the video below for more.

  • Print Goes Pocket Size

    Print Goes Pocket Size

    Some people say print is dead. With pendrives and cloud sharing, printing documents and pictures seems unnecessary. But what if you could carry a printer in your pocket or you bag. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

    the-pocket-printer-07-570x490

    ZUtA Pocket Printer is a simple, softball sized and is compatible with any electronic device and can be used anywhere, anytime. The idea was born when a team of students in Jerusalem College of Technology got together to add some innovation to the printing industry. As students they finishes assignments in library’s, trains, parks, and cafes. Once their work was done, they always had a hard time finding a place to print. Hence, they came up with the idea of  this portable printer. 

    Since it doesn’t necessitate any special drivers, it can be accessed via computers, smart phones or tablets, by using the traditional print function or an app. It will work with paper of any size and will print roughly 1,000 sheets of paper on a standard, disposable ink cartridge. The printer will last for up to an hour on full battery and can be recharged via a USB cable.

    Its teardrop design allow users to line it up with the angle of the paper to make sure their documents come out straight. It then rolls athwart the blank sheet on small, multi-directional wheels while ejecting ink. The printer is intended not only for smaller documents, such as tickets or notes from a meeting, but also for larger documents with multiple pages. It will be designed to wait for the user to place it on a new sheet of paper before continuing the job. An average page of text will be able to print in approximately 40-45 second.

    feaa91817c70831f55aeb41e84108a1b_large

    The design for the ZUtA Pocket Printer was stimulated by private inevitability. Elbaum, co-founder of ZUtA Labs, said that as an entrepreneur he has often found himself functioning on the go and it befuddled him that, given everything else we can do, we still can’t print from mobile devices. Other devices advertised as portable are constrained to the size of the paper they use, which means that they can’t be nearly as mobile as the ZUtA product.

    The Kickstarter campaign for the ZUtA Pocket Printer has been widely successful. It has raised more than $450,000 out of a $400,000 goal with 12 days still on the clock. The device, which will retail for about $240, is expected to go to production in September and be shipped to Kickstarter backers in January.

     

  • Major Tech Blunders of the Last Decade

    Major Tech Blunders of the Last Decade

    If you are a 90’s kid or have lived through them, you’ve had the wonderful opportunity to witness the physical evolution of the electronic devices in front of your very own eyes. I remember being 13 and having access to internet for the first time. It was a thrill to wait 30 minutes to wait for a single image to load. We saw the transition from pagers to cellphones to smartphones. The noughties was an era of innovation explosion, almost reminiscent of the gold rush.

    As with every new innovation, the success path is paved through by a series of failures. So here is a list of some of the major tech blunders of the past decade:

    1. Microsoft Zune:

    zuneYou may ask, “what’s a Zune?”, well, that’s exactly the point we’re trying to make. Microsoft’s “iPod killer” was no match for Steve Jobs’ marvel contribution to consumer electronics. The device wasn’t as bad as it has been played out to be, it just wasn’t any different from the iPod. In fact, the Zune HD was appreciated by a lot of people. The problem could be that it was launched way late into the game – while the iPod was released in 2001, Zune was released in 2006. By that time Apple had settles comfortably into the market, with large number of existing consumers. It also trampled Zune’s reputation by launching massive marketing campaigns to ridicule it across various medias.  In 2011 Microsoft finally gave up and pulled the plug on it.

    2. HD-DVD by Toshiba:

    HDDVD It was called the war of the HD Discs. The reason for the war was to find the right media forward for high definition content. Blu Ray won the war easily. One of the major reasons for the HD-DVD shutdown was Sony. The company used its production studio might to convince all other major studios to back Blu-Ray and help it become the release standard for High definition content. The final blow to HD-DVD was Warner Bros. and WalMart siding with Blu-Ray. Toshiba ended up losing a billion dollar because of this attempted venture.

    3. Palm:

    webos-phonePalm were the manufactures of portable wireless devices and operating systems. They were the creators of the WebOS, an innovative and cutting edge operating system. They were also one of the first manufacturers of smartphones. By 2009 they started dealing with multiple production delays  and the company was slow to realize that consumers wanted wireless voice and data combined in one device. Palm was taken over by HP, who after just eight months of marketing the new devices based on the webOS, shut down the program and sold the webOS to LG. Now LG has incorporated the OS in their new line of Smart + TV’s.

    4. Windows Vista:

    Windows-vistaNot to be too hard on Microsoft, but they brought this upon themselves. Vista was heavy on the processor, took 50% computing power to run the OS and was even incompatible with a lot of older systems. Vista was marketed as 6 different versions, further confusing the users who decided to stick with their Windows XP. There were regular glitches with the Vista which further persuaded users to stick with the XP. Most of the issues of the Vista were later corrected in the Windows 7 operating systems. The famous Justin Long featured Apple commercials also did major perceptional damage to the Vista.

    5. Nokia N-Gage:

    N gageThis was a dream phone of every teenager which burst as soon as they got their hands on it. It was novel idea during the time of its release but the lack of game selections and crummy design spelled its doom. If it was planned better it could have become one of the top selling gaming phones and would have given a real competition to the PSP or Game Boy Advance. Instead here is a poorly designed phone which was priced twice as much as a PSP.

    6. Apple Cube:

    apple cubeThis would probably be Steve Jobs biggest blunder. Apple Power Mac G4 Cube was a Cube shaped personal computer suspended in an impressive acrylic glass casing. While it got rave reviews for its design, the system was impractical to upgrade. Also, there were numerous complains about cracks in the clear plastic casings. The product was only sold for a year before being shut down to put more emphasis on the iMacs.

    7. Segway:

    SegwayYou might remember Akshay Kumar riding it in Desi Boyz or if you are a Marvel fanboy like me, you would have seen the most badass Iron Man villain, Jeff Bridges, riding it in the first movie. It was prompted as the replacement of “Walking”, yes that biological function that can be done for free, while on the other hand a Segway could set you back $5000. It was supposed to prevent the rider from falling which was proved wrong when the former US president George W Bush fell off it. The plan was to sell 50,000 to 100,000 units in the first year, instead only 30,000 Segways were sold between 2001 to 2007. Now its mostly used by mall and airport security.

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Nokia-Microsoft Deal

    They were once the Titans of the industry. They made more cell phones than all the other companies combined and even now, having shipped around 250 million phones in 2013, they’re the second biggest manufacturer of mobile phones . From 1998 to 2011 this company was the undefeated champion. Nokia was a brand name trusted by all. This Finnish giant now sold its legendary (now struggling) mobile phones unit to the Microsoft Corporation in a $7.2 billion takeover.

    microsoft-nokia-deaAs of 25th April 2014, Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia has been approved by Nokia shareholders and by governmental regulatory agencies around the world. Under the Nokia-Microsoft deal, Microsoft will take possession of the Lumia smartphone brand, along with the company’s lower-end Asha phone line and the new Android-based Nokia X phones. With this, they will also inherited 25,000 new employees.

    Windows Phone is the fastest-growing ecosystem in the smartphone market, and its portfolio of award-winning devices continues to expand. In the fourth quarter of 2013, according to IDC, Windows Phone reinforced its position as a top three smartphone operating system and was the fastest-growing platform among the leading operating systems with 91 percent year-over-year gain. Furthermore, Microsoft intends to target the affordable mobile devices market, a $50 billion annual opportunity.

    This deal marks the death of a brand which had become synonymous with mobile phones in India. Even in the smallest villages, people took pride in owning a Nokia. To us, it sounds rather counter intuitive to get rid of a brand with such a strong identity. Now, everybody will have an eye set on how the Microsoft CEO, Mr. Nadella, and Vice President Mr Elop decide to take it forward.

    The tech world is abuzz with all kinds of speculations about the proceedings of this deal. One of the most common assumptions is of a Machiavellian takeover by Microsoft, after the talks of Windows OS for Nokia broke down in 2009. Nokia intended to improve the functionality of the Symbian and were also working on the MeeGo OS. Nokia had made its disinterest in the Windows OS clear and that’s when Stephen Elop, a former Microsoft employee, went on to become the CEO of Nokia. Many critics, especially in Finland, started to speculate that Elop could be a Trojan horse, whose mission was to prepare Nokia for a future acquisition by Microsoft.

    Nokia copy
    As seen from the graph above the company was on an incline throughout the last decade. Stephen Elop took the Chair of CEO Nokia on September 2010.  The 3 years Elop was Nokia CEO, its revenues fell 40%, its profits fell 95%, its market share collapsed in smartphones from 34% to 3.4%, Nokia’s credit rating went from A to junk, it’s share price dropped 60% in value and Nokia’s market capitalization lost 13 billion dollars in value. For this exemplary work he was featured in the Worst CEO list. Not just that, towards the end Nokia was so strapped for cash that they had to sell their HQ in Finland and lease the premises. It seems like Elop came with a mission and accomplished it too.

    It has also been observed by many that the Microsoft strategy of acquisition was almost similar to the 1.2 billion US dollars HP–Palm deal. Palm were smartphone manufacturers who were the creators of the cutting-edge webOS. The webOS was a mobile operating system which  HP abandoned merely months after acquisition and a couple months after launching the WebOS based Mobile devices including Touchpad and Pre 3. LG later bought the OS in 2013 and is now inducting it into its Smart+ TV’s. This was a clear example of how multibillion takeovers are not always done for the best of reasons.

    25762 copyThe most disappointing aspect of the demise of Nokia and several other major brands such as Motorola is the effective centralization of majority of innovation in the hands of a few large multinational corporations that lock knowledge in a safe. Competition is necessary for innovation. Accumulation of progressive ideas in the hands of the few would lead to monopolization and will be a major hindrance to development.

    In terms of India, this deal is not good news for the employees of the Nokia facility in Chennai. This facility couldn’t be transferred because of the tax liens on Nokia property. According to the Nokia India Employees union, there are around 8,000 direct and over 20,000 indirect employees working for the manufacturing facility. The facility will work on contract basis for a limited period, without specifying any time frame, under present deal. Many of the higher level employees have decided to jump ships, while around 730 trainees have accepted the VRS scheme provided by Nokia. The VRS is opposed by the Union.

    As Nokia loyalists, you wouldn’t have a lot to worry about. As a part of the transaction, Microsoft will honor all existing Nokia customer warranties for existing devices, beginning April 25, 2014. As the plans for the new brand are still in progress, we do hope that Microsoft builds upon the massive Nokia stable and give the users the same sturdy and trustworthy experience.

    Hopefully, the second fiddle brands such as Micromax, Gionee and others will take charge of bringing quality innovation in the hands of the next billion before the hording multinationals get to it.

  • Decoded: Top 5 Cloud Storage Services

    Decoded: Top 5 Cloud Storage Services

    Juggling between smartphones, desktops, laptops and tablets makes it increasingly hard to keep track of all our files. For example, as easy it is to snap a picture, the harder its become to keep tabs of the every-growing bulk of images. We tend to keep scattered folders for our pictures on various storage devices and laptops. Cloud storage rescues us from these restraints, ensuring that the files we need are available where and when we want them. Clearly, it should now be a fundamental part of our modern, mobile lives.

    The ultimate advantage? You never have depend on your gadgets or fear losing any important data. We review the best cloud storage services and see what each of them have to offer:

    Dropbox

    9dfac0a1-f48a-128f-bbe2-c70fd89c9d80-mzl.fezmebazDropbox is the only online storage solutions to offer clients for Linux and Blackberry, along with the usual Windows, Mac OS X, Android and iOS standards – even though an official Windows Phone app still remains indefinable. This goes a long way to ensuring that your data can be with you, no matter what kind of technology you want to use. The basic free account provides a with a somewhat small – in contrast to competitor services – 2GB of storage. For documents, this amount works, however if you want to store any kind of media – photos, music, or video – it will fade away very fast. You have an option of investing and upgrading to the 100GB plan. Dropbox also offers 500MB of additional free storage for each friend you get to sign up to the service – with a limit of 16GB.

    Overall it is an excellent cross-platform service, a benchmark which is hard to compete. It may lack several services which others provide, but its user-friendly interface and multi-technology compatibility makes it one of the most popular choices.

    Google Drive

    google_drive_logo_39631 Google drive is a heart of various services Google currently offers. It offers 15 GB of free space on signup or when you link it with your old Google account. Drive works in the same fashion as most cloud storage solutions, with a local folder on your PC linked to a replica for cloud version. The interface across the apps is smart and simple to navigate, with a basic file tree showing where your data is kept. You can choose specific files to be available offline on the mobile versions, and these can be edited – if they were created in Google Docs – then synced when you return online.

    Google Drive is the most munificent of all the services in this category. If you live in the Google universe then it actually is an brilliant storage option, predominantly if you use Google Docs a lot.

    Streem

    streem

    Our Favourite find! The lesser known Streem is a cloud-based hard drive that offers unlimited storage space for your files. All files are securely stored in the cloud and streamed to you on-demand, saving you terabytes of space on your devices. Unlike other cloud storage services, you are not require to store your files on your hard drive and sync them to the cloud. All your files are securely stored on the servers and streamed to you on-demand.

    The edge about this storage service is that they give you free unlimited storage and that you don’t have to keep a copy on all of your computers in order to access them. As long as you have an internet connection, you’re set.

    Box

    BoxSometimes mistaken for the similarly named Dropbox, Box is the eldest of it’s competitors, having launched in 2005. It’s major focus is cloud computing for business side of the market and has impressive enterprise reputation.

    Box still offers solid personal storage options, however, with a generous 10GB of space for any new account. However Box limits the file size to 250MB, which is a major drawback. This is noticeably lower than the 10GB limits of both Google Drive and Dropbox, with OneDrive’s 2GB limit still plenty for most people. Of course 250MB is more than sufficient for most documents and spreadsheets, but if large media files – especially videos – are part of your plan then this could be a problem.

    OneDrive

    onedrive

    Much of the functionality of OneDrive (previously SkyDrive) is equivalent to Dropbox, with its apps available to Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and of course, Windows Phone users. Microsoft to attract more users launched as offer whereby users gain 500MB of storage for every friend that signs up to an account through them.There’s also an added 3GB offered if you link OneDrive to your mobile phone’s camera roll, enabling it to routinely back up your photos online.

    The OneDrive interface is similar to Windows 8’s Modern UI design. You have a choice between the boxy style or a more traditional file tree. Folders and files can be created on the web, including Office and OneNote formats thanks to tight Office Online integration. They’ve also added a social element to the web version – a range of popular messaging services are accessible to be connected to your OneDrive account.


  • 7 Simple Tips To Keep Your Gadgets New

    7 Simple Tips To Keep Your Gadgets New

    Our gadgets are now a necessary part of our everyday life. We honestly believe they deserve their own section on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We do want to get the most out of them, but often they give us serious heart aches by dying out too soon. There are certain precautions you can take to ensure they manage to surpass their average life of 12-18 months.

    Use these tips to service your gadgets routinely:

    1. Cleaning:

    Like everything else, your gadgets also require regular clean ups. For touchscreens ideally use a microfiber cloth, the same one used for sunglasses, or you can substitute it with a soft cotton cloth. It is extremely important to avoid over rubbing. Make it a point and regularly clean your gadget to avoid the build up of grime.

    2. Battery Management:

    This is one important area of focus as its the life of our gadgets. The batteries have faced the brunt of high performance machines which are released one after the other. Turn off the services you don’t need – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, cellular data and high screen brightness are the major juice drainers. You can use a few credible battery apps as well. They help to increase efficiency and enhance the battery backup by automatically closing unwanted applications.

    3.Upgrades:

    Upgrades are cheaper and more efficient than investing in whole new equipment. Scan through the available ones available from time to time, to figure out the best add-ons and upgrades to keep your system efficient. Powerbanks are also a good idea if you don’t find time to regularly charge your phone.

     4. Buy Genuine:

    Whichever accessory you wish to add to your device, it’s important to make sure that it is compatible as well as genuine. Fake accessories have the potential to cause harm to your expensive gadgets. There is also an added value of warranties/replaceability when you’re buying original products.

     5. Maintaining the OS:

    The operating system is  the essence of every device, it is the basis of our interaction with the device. There are several diagnostics and maintenance tools available on the OS which should be used regularly. Unwanted clutter, such as multiple copies of the same file and unnecessary softwares, slows down the system. Take out time every few weeeks to clean up the mess.

    6. Protectors:

    With the increased delicateness of our gadgets, added protection is necessary. Starting with the stage, a.k.a the screen, where it all happens – a protector is required. Invest in high quality anti-glare and anti-scratch protectors, they are worth the extra cost. Also a body guard or a protective case which can protect the gadget from dust as well as impact is always advisable.

     7. Banana:

    Yes, a Banana. We were equally vary of the fact that a fruit might be useful. Just to be cautious, we checked out a few tutorials before trying it out ourselves.  If you want your device squeaky clean, all you need to do is spread a layer of Banana on the surface.  Keep caution about any openings: concentrate only on the screen. Use the banana peel to wipe the surface after a while. Follow it up with glass cleaning liquid on a cotton cloth.

     

  • Top 5 Best Portable Speakers

    Top 5 Best Portable Speakers

    Towels? Check. Food? Check. Alcohol? Check.

    You’ve almost got everything ready for your pool party. Guests may start pouring in any second, but you along with your usually reliable electrician are still struggling to plug in speakers on the outside deck.

    Between juggling wires and extension cords, heavy music systems are now considered an unnecessary headache. Nowadays, its all about the new-age range of portable speakers  – they’re practical, Bluetooth-enabled, and deliver excellent sound-quality. So, be it a terrace party, beach holiday or a barbecue; you can easily play your favorite playlist from your phone/MP3 with uncompromising sound. Say hello to a whole new world of portable speakers:

    1. Bose Sound-link Mini

    bose

    Price: INR  17,000 (approx)
    Bose known for its unrivaled sound quality consistently manages to stay on top of every list. These speakers hold no exception to that rule. They weigh close to 700gm and hence are an extremely practical buy. Considering its size and sound, these speakers are the unworldly best in its category. A must have for music lovers who love to jet set. The price may lighten your wallet, but then again, its quality and durability will not let you complain.

    2. JBL Pulse

    JBL-Pluse

    Price: INR 12,000 (approx)
    JBL Pulse stands out in the category of portable speakers for one single reason: its super fancy Light Show Impressions. The fascinating LED lights wrap the speakers neatly and respond to the beats of the music being played. This attention-grabbing detail somehow manages to avoid looking cheap and promises to liven up your party. Its battery backup is really good and it also comes with a portable charger. The speakers are relatively heavier than the bose, so you might think twice before taking it outside with you.

    3. Creative D-200

    creative

    Price: INR 8000 (approx)
    This one is the best option if you’re looking  to invest in a low-budget set. Like the rest, it is light and portable, but the Creative D-200 also has surprisingly very good sound quality.  That’s the upside, on the down low – the battery backup may not last for more than three hours. So, if you’re planning a camping trip, don’t bother being weighed down by these speakers.

    4. Sony SRS-BT M8

    sony

    Price: INR 5500 (approx)
    Sony SRS-BT M8 comes with a handle on top, which makes it easy to carry around everywhere. Another feature Sony has included in these speakers is the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. For owners of NFC-enabled smartphones, it’ll help you avoid the hassle of connecting via Bluetooth. You simple need to tap your phone onto the NFC button located on the handle and you’ll be connected in the matter of seconds. The useful handbag shape and its relatively low price makes it a smart buy.

    5. Skullcandy Ringer 2XL

    skullcandy

    Price: INR 1100 (approx)
    The smallest and cheapest portable speaker available in market right now. Ringer is one of those products that looks good, but may not deliver the best quality. Considering its low price, buy them only for personal use – it’ll help you amplify music in your room. The sound quality is not up to the mark and its Bluetooth connection disconnects itself repeatedly.

  • Top 5 Music Apps to Tune Your Mood

    Top 5 Music Apps to Tune Your Mood

    Music is undoubtedly one of the most important functions of our mobile phones now. The phones have definitely gotten better for the task with the countless number of specialized apps in the market. Though Soundcloud, Beatport, Last.fm have been giving a staple supply of fresh and innovative music, many more cutting edge apps have cropped up to give music lovers a wider range of music.

    Today we’ve compiled a list of 5 must have apps for music lovers who take pride in exploring new genres.

    1. Stereodose

    stereodoseThis is one heck of a app, where you just have to select the kind of stimulant and mood you prefer and Voila, you get a never ending playlist to keep you hooked. Though it started with this simplistic premise, it has now evolved into a full blown playlist creation app where users don’t have to just listen to the random tracks but create their own playlist and share with fellow “dosers”. It is one of the best tools for finding some fresh artists and tracks.

    2. Moodagent

    moodagentThe Big daddy of Mood Music Apps. It is perfect for Hindi music lovers who cannot find a Hindi streaming service. This app syncs the available music on your device and creates the playlist according to the mood you create using its interactive bars. There are five bars for Sensual, Tender, Happy, Angry and Tempo. These bars can be used individually or in relation with each other. My only disappointment with the app was that even after fully raising the bar on Happy, it never played Pharell’s Happy.

    3. Moodstream

    moodstreamA tiny service from getty images where they give controls to create a feel, it then pulls up images and videos from the getty songs to create the mood you seek. This has got manual controls to set the transition effects, amount of vocals in the songs you desire to hear, image duration and various mood sliders. If you don’t want to go through all that trouble you can simply use the easy preset wheel

    4. Stereomood

     stereomoodStereomood has a refreshing approach to music making. All the user needs to do is select from over a 100 playlist options, updated daily. Some of the tags are: Melancholy, Optimistic, Bohemian, Untroubled and of course, Space trip. I personally preferred the Work tag as it just made the work day fun. The user interface is really interactive and engaging, however there were a few times the app crashed. A minor glitch in an otherwise great app. Overall it has some great tracks and great ways to find them.

    5.TuneIn Radio

    tunein This is one of the most trusted internet radio for me. Not only does it help you listen to possibly every single radiocast from music, sports, news, talk, comedy and much more, it also has the biggest library of music genres to listen to. Even the most niche genres have dedicated statios on the service. Find a station which specializes in your genre and you will have an all-night stream. You don’t have to be an enthusiast, you will find something that meets your taste even if you are an average listener just looking for some tunes. At TuneIn, theres a tune for everybody.

     

     

     

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