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Micromax launches X259, powered by Solar Energy

Micromax has announced the launch of X259 handset, which comes with a built-in solar panel. Priced at Rs. 2,499, it is the first solar phone from the company.

The built-in solar panel allows the phone to get automatically charged when exposed to sunlight. It is targeted to rural consumers, who constantly grapple with power cuts over long durations. According to the company, three hours of solar charge provides 1.5 hours of talk time on the phone.

It features a 2.4-inch QVGA screen with a resolution of 240x320p, a VGA camera, a 1000mAh Li-ion battery and dual-SIM dual-standby feature. The handset also supports Bluetooth and GPRS connectivity.

[quote]”We have been at the forefront of innovation. We have introduced many categories into this competitive Industry be it long battery life phones or dual SIM phones. With the introduction of this our intent is to get rid of the mobile phone charger by including a solar panel on the device itself,” stated Rahul Sharma, co-founder, Micromax.[/quote]

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Go Green with the Micromax X259 SOLAR PHONE

? Micromax X259 comes with solar cells which can be charged through solar energy

? 3 hours of solar charge provides 1.5 hours of talk time

New Delhi, July 12^th, 2012: Micromax Informatics Limited (“Micromax”), the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics) today announced the launch of X259, with a built-in solar panel.

Micromax has always been recognized for its innovation in its device portfolio and has created categories such as marathon battery life phones, dual SIM Phones, Life Style phone and many more. Micromax adds yet another category to its offering of unique devices. The Micromax X259 Solar Phone priced at Rs. 2499/-, it is the company’s first solar phone which enables the users to charge their phone using solar energy.

Micromax X259 comes with a solar panel technology through which the phone automatically gets charged through solar power on exposure to sunlight. With unpredictable power cuts specifically in the rural areas this handset will be the perfect solution to address the issue of recharging the phone through electricity.

Commenting on the device launch, Mr. Rahul Sharma, Co – Founder, Micromax said, “We have been at the forefront of innovation. We have introduced many categories into this competitive Industry be it long battery life phones or dual SIM phones. With the introduction of this our intent is to get rid of the mobile phone charger by including a solar panel on the device itself”.

Micromax X259 features a 2.4” QVGA screen with a resolution of 240X320. The phone is powered with a 1000mAh Li-ion battery and facilitates dual SIM dual standby feature. The users can share images, videos, music with friends through the phone’s Bluetooth connectivity.

Micromax X259 is available at Rs. 2499/- This model will be available across all leading retail outlets across India.

For more information, please visit www.micromaxinfo.com

About Micromax:

Micromax is the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics). The Indian brand is reaching out to the global frontier with innovative products that challenge the status quo that Innovation comes with a price. Micromax has sales presence across India and global presence in Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Maldives, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan and Brazil.

* Micromax holds the 3^rd position amongst the handset manufacturers in India as pre revenue with a market share of 6.9% for the FY 2011. (Source: V&D report)

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July 13, 2012
Digg sold for a mere $500,000

Digg, the “social news” site which was once the poster child for Web 2.0 and valued at up to $175m, has been sold to San Francisco incubator Betaworks for just $500,000 (£324,000) in cash plus equity.

The sale of the seven-year-old site marks a colossal loss for its former venture capital backers, who put in a total of $45m during its life as an independent.

Digg reportedly still gets more than 16 million monthly unique visitors – but it has lost its ability to drive the direction of the net’s interest as it once did.

Having once looked as though it could be the biggest driver of such social news, the site stumbled multiple times in trying to remake the way that users could vote stories up or down its front page – and lost its advantage over rivals sites such as Slashdot and Reddit.

[quote]

In a statement on its site, Betaworks said: “Digg is one of the great internet brands, and it has meant a great deal to millions of users over the years. It was a pioneer in community-driven news.

“We are turning Digg back into a startup. Low budget, small team, fast cycles. How? We have spent the last 18 months building News.me as a mobile-first social news experience. The News.me team will take Digg back to its essence: the best place to find, read and share the stories the internet is talking about. Right now.”

[/quote]

None of Digg’s remaining employees will join Betaworks as part of the acquisition. Chief Executive Matt Williams will join venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz as an entrepreneur-in-residence.

Betaworks CEO John Borthwick will become Digg’s new chief.

July 13, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S3 / SIII Pebble Blue Unboxing

As requested by our viewers, Bharat Nagpal unboxes the Pebble Blue version of the Samsung Galaxy S3. The box contains a 2100 mAH battery, Stereo headphones with changeable earbuds and a microphone, a mains plug with USB sync charge cable, a Quick start guide and a Warranty card. The MRP of the device is INR 42,000 but is available in the market for around INR 36,000.

We will be coming out with a full in-depth review soon, so stay tuned!

Check out our unboxing, hand-on, video and image samples and launch videos here :

July 12, 2012
More Case Color Gem Lucent Black Hard Case iPhone 4/4s Unboxing

In this video Bharat Nagpal unboxes the More Color Gem Lucent Hard Case for the iPhone 4/4s. It is a bumper case and has a snap-on mechanism. The cut-outs on the case are really well spaced and accurate. The only drawback of the case is that it is only slightly raised above the surface the phone which may lead to some scratches. . It is available in the market for $29 (INR 1500)

July 12, 2012
US Court lifts Galaxy Nexus smartphone ban, tablet still blocked

A US appeals court gave Samsung a temporary reprieve Friday on the sale of its Galaxy Nexus 7 smartphones while leaving intact a court ban on US sales of its tablet computers in a patent battle with Apple.

In two rulings in the bitter patent dispute, the US Court of Appeals in the capital Washington gave one to Apple and one to Samsung, but only temporarily.

But the “stay” was just temporary until the panel receives arguments from Apple, which argues the phone infringes on patents in its iPhone.

In a separate decision, the appellate judges refused to lift Koh’s injunction on the 10-inch Galaxy Tab computer, which Apple claimed was copied from the iPad.

The court panel in Washington ordered Apple to respond by July 12, while denying a Samsung request to stay, or halt the injunction.

Both Galaxy devices are powered by Android operating software that Google makes available for free to gadget makers. Nexus is the Mountain View, California-based technology company’s own branded line.

July 12, 2012
New Nokia Phones leaked, 4 new Lumia phones indicated

Developers with access to Nokia’s Remote Device Access (RDA) tool have “discovered” a bunch of new Lumia and Belle phones. Interestingly, four of these handsets seem to be Windows Phone devices while the Belle 805 should be running on Symbian Belle.

According to Nokia Power User, the Lumia 920, 950, 1001 and Nokia 510 could be authentic or just misinformation planted by rumormongers. However, the blog believes that the Nokia 510 and Belle 805 are likely “authentic” and that the Nokia 510 could be the “cheapest Windows Phone 7.5 device” aimed at competing against Android.

We think the blog could be right because it doesn’t make any sense for Nokia to release any new high-end Windows Phone 7.5 handsets at the moment with Windows Phone 8 (WP8) expected to launch soon. However, a budget device like the Nokia 510 running the Tango update could be just the thing to maintain Nokia’s presence in the smartphone market before the WP8 mobiles arrive.

July 12, 2012
Micromax launches Superfone A80 Infinity for INR 8490

Micromax has launched another Android smartphone in the Indian market, Superfone A80 Infinity. This handset is targeted at the heavy users as it comes with a 2500mAh Li-ion battery that provides a standby time of up to 288 hours and a talk time of 7 long hours from a single charge.

Micromax A80 Infinity is a dual-SIM smartphone with features like 3.8-inch display and Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread). There is a 5.0 megapixel rear camera with flash and 0.3 megapixel front camera. Other features include 800 MHz processor, Wi-Fi, 3G and expandable memory of up to 32 GB.

Priced at Rs. 8,490, it also comes pre-loaded with voice recognition tool AISHA, which stands for Artificial Intelligence Speech Handset Assistant. It is a Siri like voice assistant that helps users to update social networking sites, figure out phone status, know horoscopes, make language translations, inquire weather conditions etc.

Check out the press release below :

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Micromax now solves the battery woes of Smartphone users

Introducing the new Superfone – A80 Infinity

?     A80 Infinity provides talk time of 7 hours and Standby Time up to 12 days!

New Delhi, July 10^th, 2012: Micromax Informatics Limited (“Micromax”), the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics) today announced the launch of A80 Infinity recreating the magic of long lasting battery.

Micromax had created a new category of phones with powerful battery backup when it launched its first phone X1i with marathon battery which standby time lasted over a month in the year 2008. With A80, Micromax again recreates that magic in its Superfone portfolio introducing A80 Infinity.

Today’s youth demand an all-in one device which integrates their communication needs. With the Smartphone evolution, mobile phones are no longer a device that is just used for calling or texting or data usage but has diverse usage. The mobile phone has evolved into a multi-functional device that is used for getting directions, social networking, finding places, checking mails and much more and so long battery life holds a great importance to provide anytime anywhere connectivity and service.

Micromax A80 is specifically designed for those Smartphone users who often complain of running out of battery juice due to heavy usage.

A80 Infinity features a 9.525cm full touch screen and runs on Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread). Users can enjoy undisrupted calling experience with the device which is equipped with a 2500mAh Li-ion battery thus providing a standby time of 288 hours and a talk time of 7 long hours from a single charge. This dual SIM phone is powered with an 800 MHz processor.

The phone sports a 5.0MP camera with Flash users could also share these pictures through Bluetooth connectivity or instantly upload them on social networking apps or through Wi-Fi connectivity. A80 comes with multiple camera settings such as night vision setting, multi shot option, camera censor and multiple video recording formats. The phone also sports a 0.3MP front facing camera which can be efficiently used for a video calling as the device allows 3G connectivity too. Users can store images, videos, mp3 in the phone’s memory which could also expanded up to 32GB.

Micromax A80 comes with voice recognition tool AISHA which helps users to update social networking sites, figure out phone status, operate functions of the device, find locations, know horoscopes, make language translations, view recipes, inquire date and time, weather conditions, and pose knowledge questions and a number of jobs to count on. Get live news feed through apps such as TOI. A80 provides the users with access to a plethora of apps such as Mibuddy, Mstore, What’s app and other apps from Google Play store.

Superfone A80 Infinity is available at Rs. 8490/- This model will be available across all leading retail outlets across India.

For more information, please visit www.micromaxsuperfone.com

About Micromax:

Micromax is the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics). The Indian brand is reaching out to the global frontier with innovative products that challenge the status quo that Innovation comes with a price. Micromax has sales presence across India and global presence in Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Maldives, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan and Brazil.

* Micromax holds the 3^rd position amongst the handset manufacturers in India as pre revenue with a market share of 6.9% for the FY 2011. (Source: V&D report)

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July 11, 2012
Google faces $22.5m fine over iPhone, iPad privacy breach

Google faces a $22.5m fine (£14.5m) for breaching the privacy of iPhone and iPad users after bypassing cookie rejection settings on the devices, according to reports.

If confirmed, the fine would be the largest ever imposed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against a single company – and would be the second time this year that the search giant has fallen foul of regulators in the US.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the FTC and Google are close to agreeing a settlement over the privacy breach, in which Google circumvented Apple’s protections on the iPhone and iPad against the setting of third-party “cookies” – small text files stored on the user’s device – for tracking where users went on the web.

The discovery of the circumvention, by Jonathan Mayer of Stanford University, was first revealed in February. Millions of users of Apple’s iOS software on iPhones and iPads could have been affected, said Mayer. Google declined a request from the Guardian to specify when it began the tracking.

However, Google may have escaped further prosecution for breaching an FTC consent decree over privacy that it signed in March 2011 because although the breach seems to have started in or before December 2011, the documentation in which Google explained what it would do dates back to 2009, before the decree, which covered privacy breaches caused by the Google Buzz social network, since closed.

Whether or not the FCC fines Google over the cookie infraction, it will also publish a report which would detail how it reached the decision, probably with documentation from Google about how many people were affected and for how long.

Google insisted at the time that the ad tracking was inadvertent and that the workaround to plant the Google cookie was feasible within Apple’s system. It said then: “The Safari browser contained functionality that then enabled other Google advertising cookies to be set on the browser [by other advertising companies using the DoubleClick network]. We didn’t anticipate that this would happen, and we have now started removing these advertising cookies from Safari browsers. It’s important to stress that, just as on other browsers, these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.”

Apple said at the time that “We are aware that some third parties are circumventing Safari’s privacy features and we are working to put a stop to it.”

July 11, 2012
6x Zoom Lens for iPhone 4/4s Review

We recently got our hands on a rather interesting accessory for the iPhone 4/4s, the 6x Zoom lens. It is available online at ChinaBuye at a price of $14, shipping included.

The package includes the zoom lens, a plastic case and a cleaning cloth.

When you hold the lens in your hand, the first thing you will notice is that it is light weight but well built. There are no loose parts but the plastic cover provided with the lens has a tendency to gather dust and scratch your phone.

Mounting the lens on the case is a bit difficult but once it’s on it stays put. The focus ring towards the front lens helps you adjust the focus while shooting a video or taking a photo. The focus range is 3m-infinity with a field of 9 degrees.

While testing it outside, we noticed that getting a steady image from the lens is a very tough task and it would be better to use it by mounting your device on a tripod stand. However, the lens does provide a very considerable zoom and is ideal for shooting far-placed objects. The only drawback we found was the shakiness of the lens.

Overall, given its cost, the zoom lens is a good purchase.

Check out the video review below :-

July 10, 2012
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Source Code Revealed

Jean-Baptiste Queru the technical lead for the Android Open Source project has announced the source for the newest version of the OS, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be available today. Currently, binaries are available for the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus, with Nexus S and Motorola Xoom versions promised soon.

[quote]We’re releasing Android 4.1 in AOSP today. The name of the tagged release is android-4.1.1_r1. The name of the development branch is jb-dev. We recommend that you create new clients, even if you’re working in the master branch. It’ll make your clients smaller and faster to sync. Proprietary binaries are available for Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus. Nexus S and Xoom will follow.

-Jean-Baptiste Queru[/quote]

With the code now available developers will be able to flash their devices much faster, and create custom ROMs etc for rooted phones and tablets.

[Android Building Google Group]

July 10, 2012
Scientists Create Molecule to Make Teeth Cavity-proof

Scientists have discovered a new molecule that will make your teeth cavity-proof, the formula has been dubber “Keep 32” and can kill cavity producing bacteria in 60 seconds. The researchers claim that the flexibility of the molecule allows it to be added to any substance like toothpaste or mouthwash, even chewing gum and candies.

The scientists have said that the product/formula needs to be in your mouth for at least 60 seconds for it to make your teeth cavity proof. It will eliminate the dreadful cavity causing Streptococcus Mutans and will prevent its regeneration for many hours.

The research on the molecule began in 2005 and has now been fully developed, the scientists plan to license the formula to companies like Colgate, PnG etc. They will also be licensing it to candy companies.

[VIA]

July 10, 2012
Now Download BitTorrent files through your Browser

BitTorrent just announced Torque, a new JavaScript interface that’ll let you download BitTorrent files right from your browser making the process much easier now.

N o more need of pesky desktop clients for torrenting anymore but the possibilities of BitTorrent in the browser don’t just end there. Web Developers will be able to make tools like torrent video streaming, drag and drop file transfer, social sharing and more once Torque is completed. It’s BitTorrent finally modernized for the browser and potentially a lot easier to use. Torque is only in alpha right now but it could lead to a huge shift in Torrents.

July 9, 2012
It’s a table! It’s a chair! It’s a storage unit! Oh wait, it’s all of these!

In Al-Hamad’s Little Oyster, you have a beautiful table that doubles up as a seat and a storage unit in case that one extra person pops up!

As cool as the fold up chair is, that’s not the only secret hiding in this boxy, wood-grain piece. You see, lift up that seat again and you have a compartment for storing things (Blankets anyone?). Also, it also has a lighting system at the rear! Phew!

July 9, 2012
Twitter Search gets smarter!

Twitter said on Friday that it was upgrading its search functions to include ‘autocomplete’ and spelling correction features.

The new Twitter search will also anticipate when users are looking for posts by people they follow, and offer related suggestions. The search will also see improvements when it comes to related terms, hashtags and accounts. “If you search for a topic for which people use multiple terms,” says engineer Frost Li, “we will provide relevant suggestions for terms where the majority of that conversation is happening on Twitter.”

And finally, once your search is complete, you have a new option to narrow it down: click on tweets from people you follow. This will appear next to the regular search filter options, “top” and “all.” In other words, if you want to forget the rest of Twitter exists outside your circle of follows, the company just made it a lot easier.

July 9, 2012
Your Canon Camera may cause an allergic reaction!

Canon has just released a statement saying the front rubber grips of some Canon T4i DSLR cameras may cause an allergic reaction. The grips could also turn white after a short period of time, which combined with the possibility of allergies, can cause big problems for users.

According to Cannon’s statement, the front rubber grips of some EOS REBEL T4i units produced in certain lots during the sixteen-day period between May 31st through June 15th, 2012 may turn white after a short period of time due to the presence of the substance zinc bis (N,N’-dimethyldithiocarbamate) is what causes the rubber surface to turn white. the quantity of rubber accelerator used in the affected production lots was slightly higher than usual.

Zinc bis is what can cause allergic skin reactions. To find out if your T4i is affected, you’ll have to plug in your serial number into Canon’s website. You’ll only need to do this if the sixth digit of the serial number is “1”.

July 9, 2012