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Google Working On A Plan To Eradicate Child Porn On The Web

Google may have found the ultimate weapon in the fight against child porn on the Web. The company told The Daily Telegraph that it has built a new way for Web companies to share information about child abuse images.

Photos and videos of child pornography on the Web have multiplied at an alarming rate over the past few years. In 2011, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said it received 17.3 million images and videos of suspected child abuse, which is four times more than 2007.

“Behind these images are real, vulnerable kids who are sexually victimized and victimized further through the distribution of their images,” Google Giving director Jacquelline Fuller wrote in a blog post on Saturday. “It is critical that we take action as a community — as concerned parents, guardians, teachers and companies — to help combat this problem.”

Google’s plan is to build a database of child porn images that can be shared with other tech companies, law enforcement, and charities around the world. The database will let these groups swap information, collaborate, and remove the images from the Web.

Google will use a technique called “hashing” to build the particular data base. The “hashing” will help the firm tag images featuring sexual abuse of children with unique identification codes.

Google has also announced that it is donating $5 million for the cause of fighting child pornography. Part of the aid will go to global child protection partners like NCMEC and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation

The fight to remove these images from the internet is a global one, and we hope these measures will help in that important battle

June 17, 2013
Jay-Z Magna Carta Holy Grail Album Coming To Galaxy Devices For Free

Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” album will be available to a million Samsung Galaxy users via an app that can be accessed June 24 on Google Play. “Magna Carta Holy Grail” will be ready for download through the app on July 4, three days before its scheduled release.

During the fifth game of the NBA finals a commercial aired which showed Jay-Z in a room with super producers, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell Williams, Rick Rubin and Timbaland.

The commercial, though, was actually a Samsung commercial. The tech giant and the mogul rapper have teamed up on an ambitious business plan which will see Samsung purchase 1 million copies of the upcoming Jay-Z album.

The first 1 million Galaxy S III, Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note II users that download the customized mobile app on June 24, can get Jay Z’s new Magna Carta Holy Grail album gratis.

Jay-Z is quoted at www.magnacartaholygrail.com stating, “We need to write the new rules.”

Under those rules, you can share the app with other Galaxy others via Twitter, Facebook or the wireless S Beam feature on the phones. The album will be “unlocked” at 12:01 a.m. ET on July 4, three days before it is released for sale to everyone else.

Magna Carta Holy Grail will be Jay-Z’s follow-up to The Blueprint 3, which was released about four years ago. A behind-the-scenes video about the album reveals Jay-Z has worked with all-star producers and musicians including Rick Rubin, Pharell, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz on the new record.

Check out the video below for more.

[youtube id=”B–ZARCwSIE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

June 17, 2013
Maruti Suzuki India launches CNG Ertiga called the Ertiga Green

Rumours of Maruti’s plans of launching a CNG variant of the Ertiga have been doing the rounds for a few weeks, and now we can confirm that Maruti has launched India’s first CNG-equipped MPV. The Ertiga Green is available only in the LXi and VXi trims.

Maruti claims that the Ertiga Green has a mileage of 22.80km/kg. Bookings for the car are on for a price of Rs 10,000, with deliveries in 15 to 20 days. The Ertiga Green’s exteriors and interiors remain unchanged.

We continuously work to offer products that are high on fuel efficiency and low on overall cost of ownership. Ertiga Green, with a factory-fitted CNG system, is another step of Maruti Suzuki to meet today’s need of our customers

– Manohar Bhat, Vice-President, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India

The LXi variant comes with a price tag of Rs 6.52 lakh, while the VXi variant costs Rs 7.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Ertiga has been a success with over 87,000 units sold since its launch in April, 2012.

Ertiga Green is the sixth vehicle from Maruti Suzuki India with factory-fitted CNG kits. Alto, Wagon R, Eeco, SX4 and Estilo are already offered with factory-fitted CNG option. The new vehicle will be available in states with CNG infrastructure, including Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Mumbai, Pune, and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the company said.

June 16, 2013
2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe Revealed

Less than two hours after the first images of the 2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe leaked onto the Internet, BMW has gone ahead and revealed the car themselves. The 2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe was first revealed in concept form at the Detroit Motor Show in January, and is a replacement for the 3 Series Coupe.

The midsize coupe is both wider and longer than its predecessor. BMW says the wheelbase on the 4 Series is 50mm longer than the old two-door’s, plus the new car is 26mm longer overall, with the track widened by 45mm at the front and 81mm at the rear. The roofline is also 16mm lower than before, and combined with the lowered suspension, the 4 Series Coupe has the lowest centre of gravity of any BMW currently on sale. That should make it quite nice to drive fast in the corners, better maybe than the current 3 Series. To add to this, BMW has tuned the springs, dampers and camber angles to make the car more responsive, while tweaking the the rear axle as well.

The 4 Series Coupe gets the same lower grille as the dramatic 4 Series concept, which wraps around each of the foglights. The Air Breather mounted on each front wing was something else seen first on the concept before appearing on the 3 GT and new X5. It looks a lot like its 4-door brother, but the width provides a nice stance giving the car well balanced look and feel.

Internationally, BMW will offer the 4 Series with 3 petrol and 3 diesel engine options. Kicking off the diesel range is the 420d, with the same 2.0-litre engine as the 320d saloon. This produces 181 bhp and goes from 0-100 kmph in 7.5 seconds. The 420i is the entry-level petrol model, with the same 181bhp output. Further up the range are the 3.0-litre six-cylinder 430d, with 254bhp, and the petrol-powered 428i and 435i, with 242bhp and 302bhp respectively. A 309bhp 435d model is the flagship, but is only available with the xDrive four-wheel-drive system. The 420i and 420d can also be fitted with four-wheel drive. No information on the engine lineup in India is available right now.

The 4 Series Coupe will be available in three different trim lines – Luxury, Sport and M Sport. The Luxury line focuses more on overall amenities and upscale appearance, while the Sport and M Sport models are meant to offer much more performance-based kit and additions to make for a slightly more aggressive exterior. The M Sport model will offer stiffer suspension and upgraded brakes but an Adaptive M Sport set-up featuring adjustable dampers as well as 18-and 19-inch wheels are options on all models. The cabin doesn’t look all that different from the 3 Series, incorporating the same line of toys and creature comforts, and is offered in a variety of shades.

The new 4 Series goes on sale later this summer, and BMW has already confirmed pricing for some countries. In the US it will start at $41,425 and the range-topping 435i xDrive will set you back $48,925. In the UK, the base model will cost £31,575 and the 435i xDrive Luxury priced at £40,795. Watch this space for updates on its launch and pricing in India!

Image credit: BMW

June 16, 2013
Ford EcoSport Bookings open at Rs. 50,000

Bookings for the highly anticipated compact SUV, the Ford EcoSport, are finally open. While there has been no official announcement, the Ford EcoSport is expected to be launched in the last week of June, and according to the official Ford EcoSport Facebook page, those interested can now book it after paying a sum of Rs 50,000. There’s no word however on the vehicle’s pricing, and there’s a Rs 3,000 cancellation fee in case you change your mind later for whatever reason.

First showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, the EcoSport is one of the most awaited cars this year. An endless delay in the SUV’s launch has begun to take a toll on customer patience with several angry fans making their opinions heard on the car’s Facebook page, slamming Ford for the lack of clarity on the SUV’s launch date and price. In response, Ford said that prices will be announced in a couple of weeks.

The Ford EcoSport will be the first car in India offering the excellent 1.0- litre EcoBoost engine produced by the American manufacturer. The same engine has won the famed Engine of the Year Award two years on the trot now. The Ford EcoSport will be available in four trims (Ambiente, Trend, Titanium and Titanium Optional) and three engine options: the 1.0-litre petrol EcoBoost, and the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines from the Fiesta. All three engines come mated to the standard 5-speed manual gearbox also employed in the Fiesta though the 1.5-litre petrol can also be specified with the six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. Ford claims a fuel efficiency figure of 18.9kmpl for the EcoBoost-powered version.

Read more about the different features of the Ford EcoSport here.

June 15, 2013
2014 S63 AMG ‘unintentionally’ revealed by Mercedes Benz

Just a day after starting production of the 2014 S-Class at its main plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, Mercedes Benz has unintentionally given the world a sneak peek at the 2014 S63 model. An official promotional video showing the production line of cars has gone viral, after it was noticed that one of the featured cars just happened to be the high performance S63 variant.

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

The latest S63 AMG model is yet to be officially revealed, though clearly the cars are already in production. This video, posted up by Czech website Auto Forum, shows the S63 AMG with its front fully revealed.

The enlarged air intakes in the front bar, and bigger AMG-spec wheels are a clear indication of the focus on performance. The V8 bi-turbo lettering on the sides and the S63 badge on the trunk lid leave no doubt that the AMG spec variant of the luxurious sedan will soon hit the markets. Other upgrades such as quad-exhaust pipes, larger brake discs and lowered suspension were quite evident in spy shots released earlier this year.

However, in line with other recently launched AMG models like the 2014 CLA45 AMG and 2014 E63 AMG, the 2014 S63 AMG too seems slightly restrained. None of the visual upgrades seem as aggressive as those of older AMGs. Have no doubt though, the 2014 S63 AMG is still a gorgeous car.

Official details aren’t available yet, but we expect the S63 AMG to pack Mercedes Benz’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 producing about 550 hp in the base model. Like the new E-Class, an S model will likely be offered. The seven speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive will likely be part of the S63 AMG package, too.

[autoforumCZ via YouTube, Motor Authority]

June 15, 2013
BenQ GW2760 HS Flicker Free Monitor Full Review

Build Quality and Design

The BenQ GW2760 HS comes in an all black design with glossy plastics used for the bezel and stand. The bezel measures a slim ~11.5 along all the sides. The screen looks pretty neat and attractive and has a smooth feel to the overall shape. The panel coating is a light anti-glare (AG) offering. The display has a native resolution of 1,920-by-1,080.

The BenQ GW2760 HS also has a ‘flicker free backlight’, indicating that PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) is not used to dim it.

The base is a oval shaped plastic block, again in a glossy black plastic. It’s quite a task to get it in place, and can pick up dust and finger prints quite easily.

The stand offers decent stability and we had no real problems with it as such. Our main disappointment though were the limited ergonomic options, with only tilting being possible.

The back of the screen is a squared off matte black plastic, with a texture pattern in the middle.There are 4 screw holes for VESA 100 x 100 mounting if needed.

In addition to a menu button that launches the OSD (on screen display) system there are hot keys for changing the input source, all of which lie towards the back of the display and offer decent tactile feedback. This is presumably a design feature to try to keep the bottom bezel as thin as possible.

I/O ports are scarce; DVI, HDMI or D-SUB (VGA) inputs are located at the rear of the cabinet, but that’s all you get with this model. There are no USB ports.

Display Panel And Backlighting

At the heart of it the BenQ GW2760 HS has a 27” LED-backlit AU Optronics (AUO) VA (Vertical Alignment) panel with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 300 cd/m2 typical max brightness. The monitor is designed to cover the sRGB colour space (so is standard gamut) and features true 8-bit colour per channel without dithering.

Responsiveness is certainly something AUO and BenQ have improved in recent times. A 4ms grey to grey response time is being quoted for this model which may be a tad optimistic but is similar to their other models which perform admirably in practice. Interestingly a 3000:1 contrast ratio is specified which is certainly strong in the grand scheme of things but lower than the 5000:1 static ratio often specified. This seems to be down to something BenQ have dubbed ‘Color Shift-free Technology’.

At 178 degrees vertically and horizontally, the viewing angles are likewise pretty good and the matte screen reduces reflections from any direction. Backlight bleed is virtually non-existent and blacks very deep.

Senseye® Reading Mode

The BenQ GW2760 HS is mainly being marketed as an office desktop, with a special Reading Mode being integrated into it. What it does is that it increases the temperature of the colours, and reduces brightness a bit, which makes reading text easier on your eyes.

Speakers

As mentioned above, the BenQ GW2760 HS features 2x1W integrated speakers, which as expected lack bass and volume. So if you’re going to use this display for gaming or other multimedia use, we advise you to invest in a decent set of speakers.

Conclusion

The BenQ GW2760 HS is an excellent monitor. It has great viewing angles, good colour reproduction, and the flicker free panel is a joy for all those sore eyes. The only drawbacks are the weak speakers and the lack of a USB port, but the black depth and contrast ratio were excellent.

The BenQ GW2760 HS has been priced at Rs. 20,000/- in the Indian market and we feel that it is one of the best monitors you can get for that price point.

Video Review

[youtube id=”Lu0QJppmM5E” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

June 15, 2013
Rumour : Facebook RSS Reader Set For June 20 Launch

Facebook sent out press invitations via snail mail for a launch event, possibly for a Facebook RSS Feed or news reader, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on June 20.

The Facebook launch event invitation postcards request that reporters come and see the “big idea” that their “small team” has been working on, Mashable’s Emily Price reported.

The dead-tree invitation features a printed coffee cup stain ring and the words “A small team has been working on a big idea. Join us for coffee and learn about a new product.”

With Facebook having launched hashtags, which is still technically in its early trial-and-error phase, this new product might have something to do with that new feature. But what we’re guessing is that the product announcement just might have to do with the discovery of an Facebook RSS reader hidden inside of Facebook’s Graph API code. Facebook hasn’t commented on the bit of code alluding to an RSS reader that was found, and come July 1, Google Reader will officially be killed off. The timing lines up pretty well.

If Facebook does have a new Facebook RSS reader, the move would fit in with the company’s strategy of trying to become the go-to place for internet users looking to know what is going on in the world, a strategy Mark Zuckerberg pointed to at the March launch of Facebook’s revamped news feed.

June 15, 2013
Xbox One Games To Cost The Same As 360, No Price Hike

Xbox One first-party titles will be $59.99, as confirmed by a Microsoft representative speaking to Kotaku. Activision, EA, and Ubisoft have not announced game pricing for the next-generation console.

In an official statement to gaming-exclusive sister site of The Verge, a Microsoft representative tells Polygon that pricing for Xbox One games published by Microsoft Studios will remain the same at $59.99: “I can confirm that Microsoft Studios games on Xbox One will be $59.99,” the representative told Polygon.

With every release of a new generation of consoles, gamers and enthusiasts alike often wonder what kind of, if any, price increase they’ll be seeing in the gaming market. When Microsoft and Sony unveiled their previous generation of new consoles, games saw a pretty substantial price increase.

It comes to many as a relief that there won’t be a price increase for Xbox One titles, despite the added cost of development for new consoles. Truly a win for the hardcore and casual gamers who work hard to buy multiple titles each and every month.

While that is good news for some, what about PS4 gamers? Can they expect the same treatment? After all a $100 difference in console pricing means nothing if the price of games will just end up covering the difference, right? While Sony has yet to confirm the pricing, an earlier report in February, Sony announced that the maximum price for PS4 games should be $60 too. Although Kotaku emphasized that Sony representatives were quiet on this topic at E3.

June 15, 2013
Google Announces ‘Project Loon’, Giant Balloons For Affordable Internet

Google has a truly sky-high idea for connecting billions of people to the internet – 19 kilometres in the air to be exact – through giant helium balloons circling the globe that are equipped to beam Wi-Fi signals down below.

According to Google, two of every three individuals on Earth either do not have access to the Internet, or don’t have access to a connection that is both fast and within their financial means – in some areas, individuals are faced with prices equal to more than a month’s paycheck. This issue isn’t going to resolve itself without thinking outside of the box, according to the company, and that is where the balloons come in. It was the culmination of 18 months’ work on what Google calls Project Loon.

In addition to providing access to the two out of every three people on earth Google says don’t have access to affordable broadband, another goal of the Google[x] team behind Project Loon is to help with maintaining communications following natural disasters.

The solar-powered, remote-controlled balloons would navigate stratospheric winds 20 kilometers above the surface of the earth, well above the altitude where most planes travel. Similar to the way satellite internet works, the balloons would communicate with special antennas and receiver stations on the ground.

The balloons also represent another of Google’s forays into the telecommunications business. The company has been setting up Google Fibre internet connections in Kansas City, Austin, Texas and elsewhere that offer speeds 100 times faster than what most consumers have today.

[youtube id=”m96tYpEk1Ao” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

June 15, 2013
Micromax Teases Next Canvas : is this the Canvas 4?
Micromax is clearly working on the next version of their popular Canvas series and has already started teasing it on TV. A small teaser caught between morning sessions of cricket tells us that another version of the Canvas is headed our way.

While there is no real news on the “Micromax Canvas 4” (expected name) we expect the following specs :
- 5 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p Display
- The Mediatek 6589 chipset (Quad core)
- 8 – 16 GB inbuilt storage
- 2 GB RAM
- 13 MP camera
- 2-5 MP front camera
- Dual Sim capability
- Android 4.2.2
But these seem to be only speculations until we get real word from the Indian mobile giant on what they are working on next. Stay tuned for more, till then see an exclusive picture of what the design of the Canvas 4 may be. The phone will be aggressively priced as the company will expect to do large numbers in terms of sale. Micromax presently moves out over 300,000 units of their canvas series on a monthly basis, a device like this priced around the 15,000 Rupee price mark could easily increase that by 50%.

Update : it is now confirmed that the phone will be called Micromax Canvas 4 and will be available June 28th. See below image from Micromax Canvas 4 Facebook Page
June 15, 2013
Sony Xperia L Full Review
Design And Build Quality

At first glance, the Sony Xperia L is quite reminiscent of the Xperia Arc, with it’s arched back and a large screen towards the front.

A noticeably plastic finish greets you when you pick up the handset, but it feels sturdy and there was little flex in the body – meaning the Xperia L doesn’t feel too cheap.

The removable back cover has a soft rubber finish which makes the phone easy to grip and free from finger prints. On the contrary, the front panel is a magnet for fingerprints.

All of the Sony Xperia L ‘s buttons are on the right side of the device. The volume rocker is at the very top, while the power button (the same distinctive power/lock key found on various other Xperia devices) is lower down, almost in the middle of the device. Down at the bottom of the device is the hardware camera button. There is a micro-USB port on the left while the headphone jack sits square in the middle of the top of the device. At the bottom there is that famous light that glows beneath the display, letting the user know if they had any notifications waiting.

Overall, we were really impressed with the build quality of the device.

Specifications And Hardware

On the specifications front, Sony Xperia L sports a 4.3-inch display with 480×854 pixel resolution and is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8230 dual-core processor. It runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system and packs 1GB RAM along with 8GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
The handset supports WIFI, DLNA, 3G, GPS and Micro-USB and packs 1750mAh battery gives up to eight and a half hours of talktime and standby time of up to 498 hours. The device comes equipped with an 8-megapixel front camera with Exmor RS and a VGA front facing camera.

Display And Multimedia

The front of the Xperia L is dominated by its 4.3-inch FWVGA display with the standard Android keys appearing onscreen instead of below it. Again, its 854×480 resolution is pretty standard for a phone at this price, and you have to zoom in to read text on web pages, but we saw bright whites and punchy colours.

The Xperia L’s LCD display doesn’t have the true blacks of an AMOLED screen, but blacks are still very deep. It’s a high-quality display for a relatively inexpensive handset. Viewing angles are really decent as well.

Sound quality on the Sony Xperia L is excellent, loud and clear. Couple that with it’s display quality and you have a really capable multimedia device in front of you. On-screen buttons disappear while you watch videos freeing all the screen space for your viewing pleasure.

One area where the Sony Xperia L disappoints though is the browsing experience. We tried various browsers and performance on each was equally dismal. Pages took a lot of time load up and there was a lot of lag while zooming and scrolling.

Gaming on this device is excellent, and while games like N.O.V.A and Fifa 12 were not compatible with the device, it delivered the ones that were excellently.

[youtube id=”2gMcZdXuv5U” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Camera

In terms of photographic ability Sony has equipped the Sony Xperia L with an impressive 8MP rear facing camera which also boasts a single LED flash, 720p video recording and HDR and panorama modes.

One of the benefits of having a large sensor is low light performance and the Xperia L takes some of the best low-light photos we’ve seen in the segment. Outdoor images though were just about decent with slightly washed out colours. Looking at fine detail you’d often notice images turn out soft and spongy.

The camera experience is somewhat hampered by the slow and buggy camera app. Focusing takes a lot of time and the app takes a moment or two to process the image, resulting in blurry motion shots.

Sample Images :

The 720p video capture suffers from the some of the same issues, although not quite as much as still photos do. The auto-brightness is very aggressive, so expect some very noticeable shifting in your brightness, especially if the subject is backlit.

Performance

With a 1 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset, Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB of RAM, the hardware inside the Sony Xperia L is nothing we haven’t seen before, so we had a fairly good idea of what to expect.

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

The Sony Xperia L scored 10104 in AnTuTu Benchmark, 60.2 fps in NenaMark2 and 4064 in Quadrant. Impressive for the hardware the device is powered by.

Software And User Interface

Sony has applied its own layer of gloss to Jelly Bean, with its a homescreen editor function allowing you to quickly and easily manage your widgets, apps and shortcuts as well as changing the phone’s theme and wallpaper – making it that bit more personal. Lovely.

Sony has given greater presence to its own services like the great WALKMAN app but also to more clunky offerings like the Sony Select application.

Onboard Sony firmware clearly has an impact on the advertised 8GB of internal storage which is 5.8GB.

Phone Calls and Connectivity

The phone networks are consistent and of good strength, no issues with connectivity to data and voice services. Overall network performance is impressive and voice handling good thanks to decent microphones and speakers in the Sony Xperia L .The dialler has also been tweaked by Sony.

Messaging was decent as well due to the large screen and the well laid keyboard.

Battery

[tabgroup][tab title=”Connections Off”]
- Talk Time 3G network(data off): 5 Hours
- Talk Time 2g (data off) : 6 hours
- Internet : N/A
- Music : 8 Hours
- Video : 6 hours
[/tab][tab title=”Connections On”]
- Talk Time 3G network(data on): 4.5 Hours
- Talk Time 2g (data on) : 5.5 hours
- Internet : 6 Hours
- Music : 8 Hours
- Video : 4.5 hours
[/tab][tab title=”Wifi Only”]
- Talk Time 3G network(data off): 4.5 Hours
- Talk Time 2g (data off) : 6 hours
- Internet : 6.5 Hours
- Music : 8 Hours
- Video : 5 hours
[/tab][/tabgroup]

Conclusion

Generally the Sony Xperia L copes with everything pretty well and while there is a hint of slow down every now and then that’s expected from cheaper handsets. What should help it stand out in its fairly crowded category are its looks and design.
June 14, 2013
Microsoft Office Mobile For iPhone Is Now Official

Microsoft has released the Office Mobile application for the iPhone, enabling users to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from virtually anywhere. It is free to download but requires an Office 365 subscription.

According to the Office Mobile app page on iTunes, Microsoft has carefully optimised the app for the iPhone’s 4-inch display and, as usual with Microsoft’s software, it features full integration with SkyDrive and Sharepoint.

It’s also synchronised to the extent that there is a ‘Recent Documents’ list for quick access and if you left reading a document on a computer or tablet the iOS app will pick up on exactly the same page via SkyDrive.

Offline editing will sync with your documents saved in the cloud when a connection becomes available. The app is also tailored to work with documents sent as email attachments.

Microsoft believes iPad users are better served by the Office 365 web apps anyway and hasn’t (yet) announced this app for the tablet.

The new app might suggest a closer collaboration between Microsoft and Apple, especially following the slightly hidden announcement at WWDC that the default search engine for Siri will be Bing, not Google.

Subscribers to Office 365 will get the Office Mobile app to use on up to five iPhones for free, although the service is currently only available in the US. Microsoft have confirmed that they will continue to roll out the service across 136 markets in 29 different languages in the coming days.

June 14, 2013
LG Optimus L3 II Dual Full Review

Build Quality And Hardware

At just 102mm long and 61mm wide, the LG Optimus L3 II Dual is a really snug fit for anybody’s hand. It is made up entirely of plastic and has a glossy black finish both at the front and the back, which we feel makes it very scratch and smudge prone.

The overall design of the phone is really well, bland, to be honest. It has rounded corners, and a grey bezel runs around the phone. Under the 3.2-inch display there are 4 touch capacitive buttons, namely back, home, menu and a SIM switch button.

At the top you have your power button along with a headphone jack, a microphone and Micro-USB port at the bottom, and your volume rocker towards the left.

Remove the back cover of the LG Optimus L3 II Dual and you’ll see the battery, below which, there are two SIM cad slots. Also, the micro-SD card slot is located to the left of the battery compartment, which in our opinion is a bit flawed as you’ll have to remove the battery cover every time, if you wish to take out your micro-SD card. Also, you really have to wrestle the phone to get the back cover off.

Build quality though is solid, but the lack of thought put into the design leaves us slightly disappointed.

Specifications And Hardware

LG Optimus L3 II Dual is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes with 3.2-inch QVGA IPS display. It houses a 1,540mAh battery. It is powered by a 1GHz single core processor with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 3-megapixel camera.

The device runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) out of the box and connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth and aGPS. There is a 3-megapixel rear fixed focus camera on the smartphone.

Display And Multimedia

LG Optimus L3 II Dual has a 3.2-inch screen that has a resolution of 240×320 pixels. Thus, the screen has a low, 125 ppi pixel density, which leads to unclear text and obvious difficulty while browsing. The screen has a high contrast and decent brightness though. As it is an IPS display, the viewing angles are pretty good and outdoor visibility is one of the best in this segment.

Now we obviously wouldn’t expect a stellar screen from a device of this segment, but we did expect better in terms of the pixel count.

Video experience on the device is hampered by the screen size and resolution, and so is gaming. So if these are your major criteria while choosing a phone, we suggest you give this one a miss.

Audio on the LG Optimus L3 II Dual is nice and loud. We were really satisfied with the quality of the sound.

The phone can connect to the internet, using 2G, 3G or Wi-Fi, with a maximum download speed of 3.6 Mbps on 3G. The web browsing capability on the LG Optimus L3 II Dual is dire, yes, dire. Pages take loads of time to load up, pinch to zoom is very choppy and laggy as well and it isn’t the best in this segment and also, the low-res screen makes it difficult to read online content.

Software And UI

The LG Optimus L3 II Dual comes loaded with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) along with, as expected, LG’s Optimus 3.0 UI. Apps like Gallery and Music have been given a makeover by LG, and we were happy that LG paid attention to such small details when it came to the software on the phone. It gets the same lock screen transition and other animations that some of it bigger siblings get.

You have 5 lock screens along with various themes to choose from. The drop down windows has a set of toggles on the top, which can be customised and adjusted according to your needs. The lock screen too can be customised by using various shortcuts and clock/calender widgets.

The LG Optimus L3 II also comes pre-loaded with some of LG’s custom applications like the QuickMemo app that lets users scribble notes on a blank page or on top of a screen shot. Others include ones for Backup, Cell Broadcast, File Manager, a Memo app, Polaris Viewer, LG’s service related apps, SmartWorld, and a Task Manager.

Safe to say, this phone has one of the best software detailing in this segment. Well done LG.

Camera

The LG Optimus L3 II Dual comes with a 3.2 megapixel fixed focus camera without flash which in our opinion is a bit substandard and the image quality is average at best. Even with such a low quality camera, you have 3 shooting modes to choose from- Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Sunset and Night modes, along with settings for ISO, White Balance, Colour effects, and exposure.

Sample Shots :

Pictures were hazy, and grainy. In low-light conditions, images are barely visible. Likewise, videos can be recorded as QVGA videos. Not good enough by any means.

Phone, Messaging and Network

The dialer is nice and easy and like any other android phone cleverly integrates contacts and groups.

Call clarity was decent throughout our use, with neither us nor those on the other end of the line having any issues being heard. We had no dropped calls either. The phone is a dual-SIM GSM phone with support for one active and the other in standby mode.

The keyboard is fairly accurate and responsive. The keyboard works well in both landscape and portrait mode and the biggest surprise of all, it also has handwriting recognition! The handwriting recognition feature is as accurate as we’ve seen on any device. Impressive.

Conclusion

We’re not sure what LG was aiming for with the LG Optimus L3 II Dual. It lacks a USP. The only impressive feature of this device, and a big one that too, is the attention paid to the software aspect of this device. The custom apps, handwriting recognition etc. puts this device head and shoulders above the competition in this segment as far as software is concerned.

In contrast to that, the hardware of the phone is powered by seems dated and below this price point. Phones like the Micromax Canvas A110 offer way better specs at just a few 100 rupees more.

June 14, 2013
Xbox One Will Only Work In Certain Countries At Launch Excluding India

If you were thinking about ordering the Xbox One via a relative/friend abroad and use it in India before it officially launches here, Microsoft wants you to forget about it.

Just when you thought Microsoft couldn’t go a day without some new anti-consumer disaster it’s been revealed that the Xbox One is so reliant on its online connection that it won’t even turn on in some countries, no matter where you buy it from.

Microsoft’s Xbox One preorder information page states that the console will only support Live in only 21 countries at launch, and therefore presumably won’t work anywhere else.

The problem is there are only 21 supported countries at launch (depending on who you ask there are around 206 countries in the world) and that doesn’t include Portugal, Poland and most of Eastern Europe, or Japan and the rest of Asia (including India).

The full list of supported countries is Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Microsoft have described this as a “staged approach” to marketing their new console. Their regional vice president for sales and marketing in Asia stated that they were still working on allowing Asian gamers a “great experience”, including localised content.

The only alternative for people residing in India (or the other countries omitted) would be to create a new Xbox Live account that pretended to be based in a supported region

In contrast, Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 will be region-free, like the PlayStation 3.

June 14, 2013