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BlackBerry Looking To Rope In Google, Cisco, SAP For Potential Sale

Another round of big name organizations are reportedly interested in BlackBerry. According to a report in Reuters today, Cisco Systems, Google and SAP are all ‘in talks’ with BlackBerry and considering purchasing the companies assets, specifically its secure server network and patent portfolio.

In addition, the report also notes that BlackBerry ‘has asked for preliminary expressions of interest from potential strategic buyers, which also include Intel Corp and Asian companies LG and Samsung.’ This is particularly interesting as Samsung has repeatedly declared they have no interest in the Waterloo-based company.

A week ago BlackBerry announced a $4.7 billion bid from Toronto-based Fairfax Financial, but the clause still ‘entitled to go-shop’ for other potential offers. New York-based Cerberus, who apparently specializes in investing in troubled organizations, is nowhere close to closing a deal and ‘is aiming to sign a confidentiality agreement that would allow it to access BlackBerry’s private financial information.’

The WSJ also reports that there’s another ‘distressed-investing firm’ interested in snatching up BlackBerry, but the ‘person familiar with the matter’ didn’t want to disclose the name. In addition, as previously rumoured, BlackBerry co-founder, Mike Lazaridis is considering a bid for the business.

BlackBerry declined to comment on the potential investor, stating “We do not intend to disclose further developments with the respect to the process until we approve a specific transaction or otherwise conclude the review of strategic alternatives.”

October 5, 2013
BLU Products Launches a 5.5 Inch, Quad-Core MediaTek Smartphone For $179

With the ever growing technology, its not always possible to go with the high end devices available in the market. The companies like Lava, Microamax, Karbonn etc have made it easy for consumers to get products with desirable hardware in reasonable prices.

BLU Products, a company found in 2009, has launched a new phone, Studio 5.5 is one of the most affordable larged screen phone that you might have seen in a while. The device has a 5.5 inches of screen with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels and runs on Android 4.2, the BLU Studio 5.5 is priced at $179 which comes out to be approx. 11000 Indian Rupee. In this price tag the company has included a 1.2 GHz Quad-Core processor with MediaTek chipset, a 5 MP of camera with flash and LED flash(full HD video). Sports a 1 GB of RAM along with a 32 GB of expandable storage.

We love making big phones, and making them affordable to the mass market,” said Samuel Ohev-Zion, CEO, BLU Products. “We believe in the trend for larger screens, it lets you see and do everything on your smartphone as a heightened experience, and at the same time it’s becoming a fashion statement. We are doing it in style with plenty of colors for our loyal fans to choose from, in addition to our dedication and focus on performance.”

The device is contract free and comes up with dual SIM slots, this device is said to be available at ‘Amazon.com’ soon.

[toggle title=”Press Release “]MIAMI, Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — BLU Products, one of the fastest growing mobile phone manufacturers in the world announced today an addition to their popular STUDIO series of Android smartphone devices, with the Studio 5.5, now currently shipping, making way to dealers and retailers.

“We love making big phones, and making them affordable to the mass market,” said Samuel Ohev-Zion, CEO, BLU Products. “We believe in the trend for larger screens, it lets you see and do everything on your smartphone as a heightened experience, and at the same time it’s becoming a fashion statement. We are doing it in style with plenty of colors for our loyal fans to choose from, in addition to our dedication and focus on performance.”

The STUDIO 5.5 features a 5.5 inch FWVGA LCD and slim profile of just 9.5mm which makes handling the device extremely comfortable. In addition, the STUDIO 5.5 is powered by a 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor with 4G HSPA+ 42Mbs connectivity, 5.0 Mega Pixel autofocus camera with LED Flash and 1080p HD video recording, along with an expandable micro-SD slot up to 32GB, 1GB RAM, and Dual SIM functionality. Future software updates and upgrades will be automatically downloaded through BLU’s over-the-air Wireless Update Feature.

Running on stock Android Jelly Bean v4.2, The Studio 5.5 smartphone device will be available in 5 different colors at just $179.00 retail, as the company focuses on assisting the “Bring Your Own Device” no-contract movement in the U.S. and will be sold unlocked at major retailers such as Amazon.com and Best Buy, as well as thousands of Operator and MVNO Dealer stores throughout the U.S.

Furthermore, the Studio 5.5 will also be available throughout 30 countries in Latin America, including Brazil and Mexico with several operator and retailer partners.

Full Specifications Include:

STUDIO 5.5

Network: 2.5G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/1900, 850/2100
Display: TFT Capacitive Touchscreen, with 5.5 inch 480 x 854 pixel LCD
Processor: MediaTek MT6589 Quad-Core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
OS: Android v4.2 Jelly Bean
Camera: Rear – 5.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, Front – VGA, Video Record 1080p @ 30fps, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR, image stabilization
Connectivity: WiFi b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyro
Memory: 4GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 32GB, 1GB RAM
Dimensions: 157 x 79.5 x 9.5, 184 grams
Battery: Li-Ion 2250mAh
Colors: Slate-Grey, Cyan-Blue, Neon-Yellow, Fashion-Fuchsia, Ceramic-White[/toggle]

October 5, 2013
Adobe Hacked, Millions of Consumer Data Compromised
Adobe announced on Thursday that it has been the target of a major security breach in which sensitive and personal data about millions of its customers have been put at risk.

Brad Arkin, senior director of security for Adobe products and services, explained in a post that the attack concerns both customer information and illegal access to source codes for “numerous Adobe products.” As the hackers have obtained access to a large swath of Adobe customer IDs and encrypted passwords.

Brad specified that removed sensitive information about approximately 2.9 million Adobe customers. He added that investigators don’t “believe the attackers removed decrypted credit or debit card numbers” from Adobe’s systems.

While Adobe claims in a blog that they are taking the following steps:
- As a precaution, we are resetting relevant customer passwords to help prevent unauthorized access to Adobe ID accounts. If your user ID and password were involved, you will receive an email notification from us with information on how to change your password. We also recommend that you change your passwords on any website where you may have used the same user ID and password.
- We are in the process of notifying customers whose credit or debit card information we believe to be involved in the incident. If your information was involved, you will receive a notification letter from us with additional information on steps you can take to help protect yourself against potential misuse of personal information about you. Adobe is also offering customers, whose credit or debit card information was involved, the option of enrolling in a one-year complimentary credit monitoring membership where available.
- We have notified the banks processing customer payments for Adobe, so that they can work with the payment card companies and card-issuing banks to help protect customers’ accounts.
- We have contacted federal law enforcement and are assisting in their investigation.
[via,via]
October 5, 2013
Nokia Lumia 1020 Now Up For PreOrder at a Price of 49999 INR

Nokia recently launched its flagship phone in India, the Nokia Lumia 1020 comes up with a 41 MP sensor and is now available for preorder on Nokia’s website and on other online shopping websites as well.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 has a 4.5 inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with Pure Motion HD+ technology along with a resolution of 1280 × 768 pixels. The Lumia 1020 includes a 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. While, the device is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU and a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Chipset, it runs on the latest Windows Phone 8 OS along with Amber update.

The Lumia 1020 has a 41 MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization, Xenon flash and also LED flash for video recording. The device has a 1.2 MP front-facing camera with wide angle lens and can make HD video. The device includes a 2000 mAh battery and supports wireless charging just like some of its old Lumia brothers.

When and if you preorder the device from Nokia’s website you will find EMI options and a free gift which is a Nokia WH-530 stereo headphones worth 2999 INR. However, the device is available in three colors Yellow, white and Black and will be available in the market by the third week of October.

October 5, 2013
Facebook App for Windows Phone now allows multi-photo uploads and unfriending

The Facebook app for Windows Phone has been updated to add two of the most essential features to any modern Facebook user. Photography enthusiasts will love the fact that now from their Windows phone they can upload multiple photos at the same time, essential for all those Lumia 1020 buyers.

The new update also allows users to be able to unfriend and unlike people and posts, a simple yet essential feature for Facebook users. The Facebook app for Windows Phone update brings more to the table than just the two updates mentioned above, such as inline @ tagging and speed boosts for both posts and check-ins.

If you dawn a Windows Phone and are an avid Facebook user then getting the Facebook app for Windows Phone update might help you be a little more social, but at the same time keep your : fren-emies in check.

October 5, 2013
BlackBerry Q5 Review

Build Quality and Design

Unlike the BlackBerry Q10 model, the casing of BlackBerry’s Q5 is made of polycarbonate. At first glance the BlackBerry Q5 could fit well into the Curve line thanks to the classic BlackBerry design and separated Curve-style keys, but once started up it’s obvious this is a new device for a new set of BlackBerry users.

It’s immediately obvious that this isn’t a premium device, with a sizeable bezel above and below the screen, and then a chunk of plastic below the keyboard too. This is utilitarian design sends the message that this smartphone is a workhorse, not a peacock.

The casing is sealed, so you can’t get at the battery, but there’s a flap at the side for swapping your SIM and microSD cards. The volume buttons on the side flank a button that activates voice control. There’s also a power/sleep button and 3.5mm headphone jack on top and a microUSB power/sync port on the side.

Overall, the build quality is solid, but the design feels dated.

Hardware

What you get on the BlackBerry Q5 is the same, oddly proportioned 3.1-inch, 720p IPS LCD display you find on the BlackBerry Q10, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, microSD slot, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G and a 2180mAh battery.

Of course below that rather square screen you’ll also find a 35-key physical QWERTY keyboard, which sports isolated keys instead of the side by side layout on the BlackBerry Q10.

Display and Multimedia

As opposed to the SuperAMOLED screen of the Q10, the BlackBerry Q5 has an LCD screen which is what we’ve been accustomed to in the past.

Because the screen is square, you can’t turn the phone on its side to improve your browsing or video-watching experience either, as you can with most other smartphones.

The resolution of the BlackBerry Q5 screen is 720 by 720 pixels (329ppi), which is why everything on it, from graphics and photos to small text in web pages, looks sharp and detailed. The colour representation is neutral, which is actually a good thing as all hues are as saturated as they should be.

All the standard features for consuming music, video and photos are included on the BlackBerry Q5, so you won’t be left completely in the lurch here. The music player app may not feature any of the bells and whistles you’ll find on some other smartphones, it’s a functional and intuitive offering.

The BlackBerry Q5 does come with a dedicated video app, which thankfully means you don’t have to scrabble around in the gallery to find your clips – and its basic, unfussy design makes it easy to find what you want.

Once again where BlackBerry 10 seems to excel is in the web surfing department, and while the BlackBerry Q5 may not be quite as fast as the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10, it still puts in a decent performance that it can be proud of.

Camera

The Canadian manufacturer makes cutbacks in the primary camera and installs a 5 MP lens. Although it also features an f/2.4 aperture as well as autofocus and LED flash like the Q10, the picture quality is not satisfying. The pictures exhibit intense image noise, look milky and lack focus and brilliant colors even in well-lit rooms. All in all, the camera modules cannot compete with the contenders.

The front-facing camera rings in at just 2MP – just barely enough for decent Skype or BBM Video and maybe a selfie or two. The short of it – don’t expect too much from the cameras on the BlackBerry Q5.

Calling And Networks

In terms of call quality, the BlackBerry Q5 has a decent volume, meaning you shouldn’t have trouble hearing the person at the other end of the line, even if you’re in noisy surroundings.

The clarity of voice did become a little distorted as the earpiece volume was turned up, although we were still able to understand what was being said.

We found the BlackBerry Q5 was able to hold onto signal pretty well, with no dropped calls experienced during our review period.

Battery Life

The 2180mAh battery in the Q5 is one of the largest to date in a BlackBerry and it’s big enough that most days we don’t need to worry about swapping a battery anyway (not that we can). We found that it kept going even on our busiest days.

Conclusion

If you’re a diehard Qwerty fan looking for a mid-range device, the BlackBerry Q5 may hold some interest. The screen is sharp and sensitive, even if it’s an unusual shape. The keyboard is excellent for messaging and the BlackBerry 10 OS is fast, slick and easy to get the hang of.

However, build quality isn’t inspiring and while BlackBerry 10 is smooth with good features, a shortage of apps remains a downfall. The BlackBerry Q5 obviously won’t be competing with more modern devices, but for BlackBerry users on a budget or those looking to get started with BlackBerry 10, the Q5 is a good option.

October 4, 2013
Whoops! Chrome For iOS’s Incognito Mode Isn’t Really Incognito!

If you’re a regular user of Google Chrome, you know how important its incognito mode can be to save some unnecessary embarrassment when you decide you need to search for something completely strange you would rather not let your family, friends or roommates be aware of. That’s why we thought you should know if you rely on the privacy of incognito mode in Google Chrome on your iOS device running iOS 7, you might want to hold off on using it for the time being.

As TechCrunch reports, a new update for Chrome for iOS adds iOS 7 support, but there’s also a big flaw as discovered by UK development and design firm Parallax. It turns out that when you use the search/address bar in Incognito mode in Chrome, that history will show up when you return to standard browsing in Google’s mobile website search bar.

[youtube id=”61SzHpGGFRs” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

The above video is rather swift, and has no commentary, but what it shows is erasing history to start with a clean slate, entering Incognito Mode, visiting a website, returning to normal browsing and then viewing search history at Google – where the supposed private web session shows up.

Note that you do need to visit Google to see the history: it doesn’t show up when simply using the combined URL/search bar.

October 4, 2013
BlackBerry Q10 Review

Build Quality And Design

At a time when every major manufacturer has shifted its focus towards touchscreen phones, Blackberry remains adamant on providing the QWERTY experience to their customers that they were once famous for. Hence, the Blackberry Q10.

In terms of its design, the Blackberry Q10 will remind you instantly of any other QWERTY Blackberry ever made. It ditches the trackball/trackpad of the older BlackBerry devices in favor of a touchscreen display that works pretty well, though we still really miss the hardware buttons.

The Blackberry Q10 is a compact phone, sporting a small display with a keyboard underneath. With a soft, rubbery rear case and a plastic band along the sides, the Blackberry Q10 shares obvious design cues with BlackBerry’s other new device, the full touchscreen Z10.

Surrounding the square screen is a thin bezel on the bottom and sides, while above the screen is where you’ll find a BlackBerry logo, front-facing camera and its speaker. Below the screen is the star of the show, the QWERTY keyboard.

The back panel of the black Blackberry Q10 has a carbon weave texture which Blackberry claims is unique to each device.

Overall, it looks and feels elegant, refined and professional.

Keyboard

Moving on to the keyboard, one thing to note is that the once curved keyboard has now been straightened out and the metallic frets separating the rows of characters are now slightly raised for improved tactile feedback – in other words you should be able to feel where your thumbs are on the board more easily. The break in the keys is a nice clean look however and the overall size of the keyboard is similar to previous devices.

Specifications And Hardware

The Blackberry Q10 is equipped with the famous Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC, operating at 1.5 GHz, and the integrated Qualcomm Adreno 225 graphics card with 400 MHz core frequency and 2 GB of RAM. It has a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, albeit with a square 720 x 720 resolution rather than a widescreen aspect like a typical touchscreen phone. 16 GB flash memory and LTE round up the specifications of the Blackberry Q10. You can reach the entire specs list at the top.

Display, Performance And Multimedia

The 720 x 720 pixel, 3.1-inch square screen doesn’t feel too small at first glance, especially since the narrow bezel allows the screen to command maximum attention when it’s on. It’s also pixel dense, a key factor in readability. BlackBerry 10 defaults to a text size of 8 and small fonts need to be crisp to be legible.

The Super AMOLED touchscreen isn’t as bright as we’d like, yet is good enough for sunlight visibility. Colors pop and blacks are deep, as we’d expect with AMOLED. Viewing angles are generally good, though off-center a blue tinge creeps in that’s really noticeable on light backgrounds.

Just as with the Z10, the BlackBerry Q10 is powerful enough to run BlackBerry 10 smoothly with no lag or performance hiccups. If anything, the Q10 feels faster, potentially because the smaller screen requires less oomph or the update to version 10.1 sped things up all around.

The square screen means that videos on the BlackBerry Q10 are letter-boxed, which is disappointing. Playback though is quite smooth.

The speaker that sits on the bottom edge of the Q10 is well-placed; you’re unlikely to muffle with your hands. Overall audio quality is decent for a smartphone and loud enough to be heard over some background noise.

Camera

The BlackBerry Q10 has the same 8-megapixel camera as the BlackBerry Z10. While it has some neat features that allows you to choose the best photo, the actual quality of the pictures left a lot to be desired. It’s just not on the same level with pictures we shoot with other smartphones from this price segment.

There’s more noise in mixed light shots and little crispness or detail in outdoor pictures. We’re glad that the BlackBerry 10.1 update brought HDR to the feature set since there aren’t many at hand. It balances shadow and bright light better than Auto but requires a very steady hand. There’s no shutter icon in the camera app; to snap a picture you have to tap the display or press the space bar.

Battery Life

Battery wise, the Q10 is great. It requires less power to run than its Z10 cousin, but includes a larger 2100 mAH battery. With this size battery, the Q10 easily lasts all day and with regular usage, it can round out the day with around 15-20% of battery life left.

Calling And Network

During calls, voices came through the earpiece and speaker clearly and we only encountered a bit of static in a low bar area. Our voice came through loud and clear on the other end as well in quiet and semi-noisy situations. The phone though is able to latch on to cellular networks even in weak signal areas.

Conclusion

There are a million touchscreen smartphones in the world. There aren’t many phones with good physical keyboards (and the competition mainly consists of other BlackBerry devices). The BlackBerry Q10 too serves those people who still feel the need for a physical keyboard and for those who are still BlackBerry purists.

The actual BB10 operating system is great and its implementation is clean. For people who prioritize this above everything else, including good apps, the BlackBerry Q10 is a decent buy, but the pricing of the device is too high for most.

October 4, 2013
Microsoft and HTC in Talks to Put Windows on Android Phones

After buying Nokia’s windows devices, the Lumia range and services business, it seems that Microsoft is now planning to grow the windows phone market.

As reported by Bloomberg, Microsoft is talking to HTC about adding its Windows operating system to HTC’s Android-based smartphones at little or no cost, people with knowledge of the matter said, evidence of the software maker’s struggle to gain ground in the mobile market.

The report also claims Microsoft operating systems chief Terry Myerson discussed lowering the license fee or dropping it entirely as an incentive. The sources is not clear on whether the devices might run both operating systems at once, or let users choose just one. Terry Myerson was planning to visit Asia this month and meet with senior executives at Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC to discuss his proposal, as per the source.

October 4, 2013
Gionee Elife E6 Unboxing Black and White

Gionee yesterday launched the new Elife E6 in India for a price of Rs. 22990. The new handset is available in two colors white and black, while the white is slightly glossy the black color is matte and both have been thought thoroughly it seems.

The unibody shell of the Elife E6 is very identical to the iPhone in overall appeal, however most people seem more intrigued by this infront of an iPhone. The polycarbonate shell is beautiful and fits in the hands really well, which makes the form factor of this device a great overall selling point.

White Color Box Contents

On the hardware front Gionee Elife E6 is packed with a Quad Core 1.5 Ghz Mediatek chipset ARM Cortex A7 CPU and a PowerVR SGX544MP GPU. The device has a 5 inch AMOLED display with full HD screen 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. The screen is vivid and bright, it has a 441 pixels per inch pixel density along with OGS technology.

Black Color Box Contents

The Gionee Elife E6 comes with a 13 MP rear camera with a second generation BSI sensor and a 5 MP front-facing camera with a 28 mm lens, both cameras support full HD video recording. The device is powered by a 2020 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, it also sports 2 GB of RAM along with 32 GB of inbuilt storage.

While we unboxed both units, each different color unit has matching accessories in the box. The White Elife E6 has white wall charger, USB cable, headsets and flip cover and the Black colored Elife E6 has the same accessories but in black color. Watch our making and Hands on video below and our Unboxing video above.

[youtube id=”wEiyxYVT9hM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Gionee Elife E6 White Color:

Gionee Elife E6 Black Color:

October 4, 2013
Report : LG G Flex To Come With A Flexible Display, Will Launch In November
LG is reportedly planning to launch the LG G Flex, a smartphone with a curved display.

According to CNET, which has got its hands on the design sketch seen below, the LG G Flex is set for a November launch and will feature a 6in curved plastic OLED display.

The LG G Flex seems to be the commercial name of the LG Z device that ZDNet Korea reported on yesterday. LG Z could be just an internal codename for the project, though the final name is allegedly still on the table.

LG touted this technology in a press release in May and introduced a curved 55-inch OLED TV panel and 5-inch plastic OLED panel as a demonstration at a trade show.

As AndroidAuthority reports, a Japanese blog identified a device codenamed LG-F340L that fits the description of LG G Flex/LG Z in the GFXBench benchmark database. Here are the possible specs:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 @ 2.3GHz
- HD resolution ( 1280 x 720)
- Model info: lge / z_lgu_kr / zee: 4.2.2/JDQ39B/F340L_LAP8974JMR1R130820.1376962998: userdebug / test-keys
- LTE-Advanced/W-CDMA/GSM
- Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Other specifics remain unknown, but with Samsung and LG now both racing to be the first to bring a smartphone with a flexible display to market, it shouldn’t be too long before we actually start to see some in the flesh.
October 3, 2013
Google Acquires ‘Flutter’ the Company Which Builds Gesture Recognition Technology

Google acquires Flutter, a company which builds gesture recognition technology for computers. This came up an year back as Flutter started to build software allowing users to control their computers by making gestures in front of their webcams.

This technology can be used in the company’s Chromebook line of laptops. This is what the company says after being acquired by Google:

When we started three years ago, our dream to build a ubiquitous and power-efficient gesture recognition technology was considered by many as just “a dream”, not a real possibility. Since then, we have strived to build the best machine vision algorithms and a delightful user experience.

Even after we launched our first app, we didn’t stop our research; your enthusiasm and support pushed us to continue to do better. We’re inspired everyday when we hear, for example, that Flutter makes you feel like a superhero — because any sufficiently advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic, right?

Today, we are thrilled to announce that we will be continuing our research at Google. We share Google’s passion for 10x thinking, and we’re excited to add their rocket fuel to our journey.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to all of our users; your feedback and evangelism inspire us every day. Flutter users will be able to continue to use the app, and stay tuned for future updates.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the deal to the media, “We’re really impressed by the Flutter team’s ability to design new technology based on cutting-edge research. We look forward to supporting and collaborating on their research efforts at Google.”

This deal might bring up the Gmail motion live, the company released a video long back in 2011 showing this technology:

[youtube id=”Bu927_ul_X0″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

October 3, 2013
Google Launches Street View For Monuments in India: Will Start With 100 Monuments

The Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) has partnered with Google to create a 360 degree imagery of India’s important heritage sites, which will include Taj Mahal, Khajuraho and Ajanta and Ellora caves.

The company claims that the mission is to make information more accessible, as Google hopes to help make more of India’s heritage accessible to people around the world and also to preserve the history for the coming generation. Starting today Google will work with the ASI to bring the street view trekker, a wearable bag like designed device with a camera system on top, check it out in the image below.

Street View Trekker

This trekker is designed to capture images in remote sites or places that are only accessible by foot. Once published, this imagery of the Indian heritage will be available on Google Maps and on World Wonders Site. Part of Google Culture Institute, the Google Worlds Wonders Project is a platform which brings online the major world heritage sites of the modern and ancient worlds. At the launch vice president and managing director of Google India said:

In a country like India, where we have the world’s second largest population and 5,000 years of history, rich and cultural diversity, technology can help us share the Indian experience with the rest of the world – and each other- more effectively than ever before. We’re honored to be working with the ASI to help make these important Indian heritage sites available for the world to experience online.”

The Union Minister of Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch said during the launch:

India’s historical and archaeological sites are an important part of the world’s knowledge, and through this partnership with Google we hope to engage more people, both around the world and here in India, in discovering and learning about our country’s rich history.”

October 3, 2013
iGyaan Gift Guide Guide : Smart Phones

The festival season is just around the corner and you want to spend some money on your loved ones. Here we bring you the recommended list of Smartphones that you can gift to your near and dear ones.

1- Samsung Galaxy Star:

This is a basic phone from Samsung which powered by a 1200 mAh battery and runs on a 1 GHz A5 chipset, along with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The Galaxy Star also has a 2 MP camera at the back and a 3 inch capacitive touchsrceen in the front along with Bluetooth 4.0. This budget device is available for about 4875 INR. You can check ou the full specs here.

2-Sony Xperia E:

The Sony made Xperia E smartphone has a 3.5 inch screen and is powered by a 1 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, the phone also has a 3.2 MP camera and comes loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device is priced at 7799 INR. Watch our hands on here.

3- Nokia Lumia 520:

This is a budget Windows phone available at a price of around 8650 INR, the device comes up with 4 inch screen size along with a 5 MP camera. The device also comes up with 7 GB of skydrive storage and runs in Windows phone 8 OS. You can see our review here.

4- Micromax Canvas 2:

This device is one of the best sellers from Micromax, it comes up with a 4.9 inch display along with a 8 MP rear and VGA front facing cameras. The Canvas 2 runs on Android 4.0 is powered by a 1 Ghz dual-core processor. Watch our unboxing here.

5- Samsung Galaxy Core:

This device has a 4.3 inch display and works on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Galaxy core is powered by 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor and features a 5 MP main and VGA secondary Camera, the device is available for 13240 INR. You can see the detailed specs here.

6- HTC One V

The HTC One V has a 3.7 inch screen and is powered by a 1 Ghz processor, the device has a 5 MP primary camera and is capable of doing HD videos. It is priced at 13990 INR. You can watch our unboxing here.

7- XOLO Play:

Xolo play is high on specification if compared to the same priced phones, as this phone comes with 4.7 inch HD screen, and is powered by 1.5 GHz NVIDIA Tegra Quad-Core along with a 12-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU. The Xolo Play also has an 8 MP Primary and 2 MP secondary Camera, the device runs on Android 4.1. Watch our unboxing and hands on here.

8- Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro:

This Dual SIM device from Samsung has a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A5, Quad Core processor, the device has a 5 MP primary and VGA Secondary camera. Grand Quattro is priced at 15499 INR. You can see our Unboxing and Hands on here.

9- Nokia Lumia 720:

This Windows phone from Nokia has a 4.29 inch screen and is powered by a 1 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Processor. Lumia 720 has a 6.7 MP primary and 1.3 MP secondary camera. Watch our full review here.

10- Sony Xperia SP:

The Xperia SP runs on Android 4.1 and comes with a 4.6 inch HD display. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor and has a 8 MP primary and VGA secondary Camera. Xperia SP is priced at 22490 INR. Watch our full review here.

11- Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8:

This device comes with a mega display of 5.8 inches and is powered by 1.4 GHz Dual Core Processor. The Mega 5.8 has a 8 MP primary and 2 MP secondary camera, the device runs on Android 4.2.2. Watch our hands on here.

12- BlackBerry Q5:

This Blackberry phone runs on BlackBerry OS 10.1 and has a 3.1 inch touch scren along with QWERTY keypad. Q5 has a 5 MP primary and 2 MP secondary Camera, the camera does full HD recording. You can see our review here.

13- Samsung Galaxy Note 2:

This device is powered by 1.6 GHz Quad Core Cortex-A9 Processor, Note 2 has built in stylus support- S-pen. The device has a 8 MP primary and 2 MP secondary camera, the device is priced at 30,000 INR. Watch our Unboxing here.

This festive season you might also want to pamper yourself with a smartphone, gift yourself with these latest premium phones:

14- Samsung Galaxy S4:

The S4 is the latest edition in the Galaxy S series after the S3, the device is lighter and thinner than the predecessor. The Galaxy S4 comes with a 13 MP main camera, and has a Full HD screen, Dual video recording along with Hand gestures support. The device is priced at 39000 INR. Watch our unboxing and hands on review here.

15- LG G2:

LG G2 is the latest flagship from the company, the device features a new layout of buttons at the back, which make it unique in terms of appearance. The device has a 5.2 inch screen and runs on Android 4.2.2. The G2 has a 13 MP primary camera along with 2.1 MP secondary camera. Watch our unboxing here.

16- Sony Xperia Z1:

Xperia Z1 is the latest flagship from Sony, the device has an amazing 20.7 MP primary and 2 MP cameras. The 5 inched device is powered by 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad Core Processor. This is also completely Water resistant and dust proof, the only phone in the category with these features. Watch our unboxing and hands on video here.

17- Samsung Galaxy Note 3:

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Note 3 features a 5.7 inch full HD Super AMOLED screen. The device has a 13 MP primary camera and does full HD recording, Note 3 is powered by Octa Core Processor by Samsung(1.9 GHz Quad + 1.3 GHz Quad) and 3 GB RAM. You can see our unboxing and quick review here.

Stay tuned for more guides: Happy Gifting!

October 3, 2013
LG G2 Giveaway : iGyaan

The LG G2 is LG’s latest heavy weight entrant into the Smartphone marketplace and iGyaan is giving away one to one lucky winner. Just like our contests in the past you need to follow basic set of rules to be a part of the giveaway.

LG’s G2 has a 1080 P 5.2 inch IPS display,a 13 MP camera with OIS at the back to help you capture those special moments alongside a 2.1 MP front facing camera. There is 3000 mAh non removable battery to keep the device charged. Unfortunately there is no Micro SD slot for memory expansion but the device does come in a 32 GB variant.

So if you have your eye on this smartphone then simply take part below, and spread the word using Facebook, twitter and Google Plus.

Terms and Conditions

The Result is now Out!

Name: Subecha Pradhan

Q: LG G2 is a device made after learning from you. If there is one quality in you, that you would like the LG G2 to learn, what would it be?

Answer: I would like the LG G2 to learn everything about me, my irregular wake up time included. I would fall in love with the Lg G2 if it could learn and tell me everytime I get lost on my way and then guide me back on track. If it could sense that I am in a restaurant and tell me to click the dessert and instagram it before I gulp it all in. If the G2 could learn when I’am sitting idle and update me with the latest news as well as the whereabouts of my dear ones. Basically, if the LG G2 could learn and adapt to my irregular and sporadic self, the LG G2 would be my closest friend.

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October 2, 2013