Tag: highlights

Weekly Tech Highlights : Marshmallow, WhatsApp Web for iOS and More

This week was loaded with new product releases and announcements from around the world. We have compiled a list of news that made the rounds.

Google M Gets a Name!

We were debating over M&Ms, Malteasers and even – Malai Kulfi. However this year’s Android name is Marshmallow. This news was announced by Dave Burke, Android’s VP of Engineering via his Twitter account on Monday. Reports also suggest, that Google has released a “near-final” SDK version of the new operating system for developers.

Click here for more details.

WhatsApp Opens Up its Web Service to iOS Users – Finally!

The WhatsApp web client had been launched in January 2015 and has since been available to Google, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia operating systems. However, this is the first time it has been available for Apple’s smartphone device. This service allows you to send and receive messages on your computers and phones.

Click here to read more.

India Pricing of the Samsung S6 edge+ Revealed

The S6 Edge+ has now been launched in India as well. The smartphone is priced at Rs 57,900, and will go on sale from August 28 onwards. From what we hear, only the gold and silver colour variants with 32GB storage will be made available in India.

Click here for more info.

Apple Begins Replacing iPhone 6 Plus’ With Faulty Cameras

Apple Inc. has announced the launch of its iSight Camera replacement program for the iPhone 6 Plus. This program is said to help replace the camera module in some of the iPhone 6 Plus devices that have allegedly come with a faulty rear camera.

Click here for more info.

Upcoming Android Devices Will Come With Less Google Bloatware

Android users all around the world will soon be getting less bloatware on their phones. Therefore apps like – Google+, Google Play Games, Google Play Books and Google Newsstand will not come pre-installed.

Click here for more info.

Meet the 16 Year Old Who’s Challenging Google Search

16 year old, Anmol Tukrel is an Indian-origin Canadian citizen who is now challenging the Google search engine. He has designed a personalised search engine that he claims is 47 percent more accurate than Google and is 21 percent more accurate, on an average.

More info here.

Silent Circle Announces the Second Edition of its Super Secure Smartphone

The second edition of Silent Circle’s privacy-focused handset, called Blackphone 2 has been made official. This device is now available for pre-order, however, the price has not been announced as yet.

More details here.

Asus Deluxe Edition Zenfone 2 Comes With a Massive 256GB Internal Storage

Asus has unveiled the Deluxe Special Edition of Asus Zenfone 2 in Brazilon Friday. The feature that makes this phone truly ‘deluxe’ is the fact that it comes with a 256 GB of internal storage.

Specs and more details here.

August 23, 2015
Tech Highlights of the Week: Huawei Honor 7, Digital India Week And Much More

This week was loaded with new product releases and announcements from around the world. We have compiled a list of news that made the rounds.

Here are the top 10 highlights of the week:

Huawei Honor 7 Comes With a 20MP Camera, Priced At Rs 20,500

Huawei has unveiled their next Honor Smartphone, the Huawei Honor 7. The device comes in three variants that differ in connectivity and storage only. The three options are: A basic 16 GB model with LTE radio, another one with dual SIM dual standby LTE abilities, and the last is a flagship of the trio with 64GB of internal memory. It is priced at $322 (Rs 20,500). Click here to read more.

John Abraham Becomes HTC’s Brand Evangelist

HTC has been following the brand evangelist story for a couple of years. With Robert Downey Jr. taking the reins of the title globally, the new look and brand direction for HTC was formed. This was also a first step in their “Here’s to Change” campaign. On Tuesday, HTC unveiled its new jersey in partnership with Northeast United Football Club, a football team owned by John Abraham. The partnership goes into its second year as HTC remains the title sponsor for the team. Read about it here.

Dubai Plans On Constructing The First 3D Printed Building

Dubai, a city where something fresh is always being added to the skyline, may have found a way to make construction move even faster. On Tuesday, the Gulf commercial hub announced plans to construct the world’s first office building using 3D printer technology, adding another marvel to its collection of magnificent buildings. Read more about the epic idea here.

Narendra Modi Flags Digital India Campaign with Digital India Week

‘Make in India’ is an initiative that was started back in September 2014 by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The principal objective of this initiative is to build manufacturing firms within India to generate more job opportunities and improve the skills of the people of India across different sectors like automobile, aviation, biotechnology, defence manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, ports, railways, textile and much more.

Narendra Modi has been named as the chairman of the Digital India Week, where he also unveiled the official logo of the campaign that seeks to transform India into a digital powerhouse. Read more about it here.

This Newly Developed 3D Fingerprint Scanning Technology Can Redefine Mobile Security

The world that we live in is surrounded by constant cyber threats and crimes, especially in the case of smartphones. You never know when your handset might get picked out from your pocket and be misused in many ways. Tech companies are aware of this fact, hence they are coming out with new innovations to prevent that from happening. We have retina scanning devices, highly secured passcodes, location tracking and more such measures. However, this new security technique will take smartphone security to another level. Read more about the epic 3D Fingerprint scanner here.

India to Become The Second Largest Smartphone Market By 2017

India, the world’s 7th largest country and with the second largest population in the world, may soon have one more tag to its name. According to a study conducted by Strategy Analytics, an international research firm, India is on the road to becoming the second largest smartphone market in the world by 2017. Click here to know more.

Xiaomi Is On A Roll; Sells 34.7 Million Smartphones In H1 2015

Xiaomi, from January to June 2015, has sold 34.7 million smartphones, thus proving to the world that it is more than just a company that is manufacturing generic slabs of hardware to the world. This number beat last years’ number by 33%, thus proving to its competitors that Xiaomi is here to stay, and for a long time. Read more here.

Apple Music Is Available For Rs 120 For A Single User In India

A few days back, Apple released the much-awaited iOS 8.4, and along with It, the much talked about Apple Music. The service arrived in India along with the iOS update, along with 100 more countries. Unexpectedly, the service is available in India for very low rates, especially when you compare it to what Apple is charging in the US. The streaming service has been priced at Rs.120 per month for a single user. You can also opt for a family with maximum six member plan at a discounted subscription of Rs.190 per month. In comparison, US subscribers will have to pay $9.99 (Rs.637) per month or $14.99 (Rs 918) per month for a family account. To know more, click here.

OnePlus Two May Sport a New Metal Body, Teases OnePlus CEO Liu Zuohu

In three weeks, OnePlus will launch its latest flagship phone, OnePlus Two. By now, we’ve seen many rumors and confirmed specifications for OnePlus Two. Today, on a post on Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging website, OnePlus CEO Liu Zuohu has asked his followers to define “full metal”. While this could mean anything, the timing of this post seems to indicate a metal body for OnePlus Two. Click here to know more.

The Next iPhone May Finally Drop 16GB Base Model In Favor of 32GB

Given the fact that Apple does not include a microSD slot for expanding memory, a 16GB iPhone can get really cranked up with just a handful of games, apps and music. Apple also has issues regarding the iOS updates, which require an immense amount of free space to install. The company is even going to drastic measures to ensure that its entry-level devices can upgrade to newer versions of iOS by removing apps before installation to reclaim disk space, and then reinstalling them after the iOS update has ended. Rumor is, Apple is planning on dropping the 16GB model with the next iPhone. Read more about it here.

July 5, 2015
Tech Highlights of the Week : E3, LG G4, Apple Watch 2 and More
This week was loaded with new product releases and announcements from the most-awaited annual gaming show, E3. We have compiled a list of news that made the rounds.

Here are the top 10 highlights of the week:
1. LG Launches the G4 Flagship in India
Finally, LG brought its latest flagship, the G4, to India. The premium leather-clad handset is priced at Rs. 51,000. Sporting a 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS LCD display, the phone comes with a 1.8GHz Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor with Adreno 418 GPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage space. The phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. A 16MP shooter is fitted at it back, while the front is an 8MP camera. A 3,000mAh powers the smartphone.
1. Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7
The Korean firm launched two mid-range phones – Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J5. The smartphones are priced at CNY 1,798 (Rs. 18,400 approx.) and CNY 1,398 (Rs. 14,300 approx.) respectively. The Galaxy J5 features a 5-inch HD TFT display (1280x720p resolution). It is backed by 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC coupled with 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, which is expandable. With a battery capacity of 2600mAh battery, it sports a camera of 13MP at the back and a 5MP camera at the front.

The Galaxy J7, on the other hand, boasts the same 5.5-inch TFT HD display with an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with four cores clocked at 1.4GHz and the four cores running at 1GHz. The Galaxy J7 fits a 3000mAh battery.
1. Nokia Confirmed to Re-Enter Smartphone Market by 2016
Finnish electronics firm Nokia, once a leader in smartphone manufacturing, has made an official declaration saying that it will again start designing and licensing smartphones. Once again, users will come across Nokia-branded smartphones in retail shops as well as online. The firm will restart with the same old strategy of just designing the handsets, and not manufacturing them. Nokia is looking for suitable partners to fulfil the task.
1. Apple Watch 2 is Already Under Development
Apple is planning on developing the next-generation watch, Apple Watch 2. Sources close to Apple disclosed its plans of launching an improved iWatch version, which is said to reduce the dependence of the wearable on the iPhone. The next Apple Watch will sport a camera on top of the watch bezel, to provide users with the facility of video calling. Watch owners can make or receive FaceTime calls while on the go, and there is no need to slip an extra gadget in your pocket.

Replacing the currently embedded Wi-Fi, a chip with the potential to locate a user’s location will be installed. Things like ordinary conversation can take place with the integration of a dynamic wireless chipset, but substantial actions such as software updates, media files synchronization, and few more will indeed require iPhone support.
1. iPhone 6s will be Stronger, Wider and Larger
The inclusion of Force Touch technology was reported to find space on the next iPhone. It is speculated to increase the dimensions of the phone by 0.15 millimetres crosswise as well as in length, and 0.2mm in thickness. Apple will also employ Series 7000 Aluminium, introduced with Apple Watch, on the next-generation iPhones. The custom metal is 60 percent stronger than the regular aluminium and has just one-third the density of stainless steel.
1. OnePlus Two Will Come with Snapdragon 810
OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau, revealed a crucial detail about the next OnePlus flagship. As stated by Lau, Snapdragon 810 v2.1 will administer the processing demands of the phone. The processor is capable of streaming 4K Ultra HD videos, high-resolution 3D games and has an enhanced battery life. The forum also read that the overheating issue of the processor has also been resolved with the new version of the SoC. This will increase the price of the smartphone by around Rs. 3,000. Pete Lau stated since Snapdragon 810 v2.1 costs 60% more than the Snapdragon used in the OnePlus One, the handset may cost roughly around Rs. 25,000.
1. Epic E3 Titles Released at E3
Sony, Microsoft, Disney, Activision, and more stepped onto the podium of E3 to showcase what they have to offer this year. The Last Guardian, Holographic version of Minecraft, Call of Duty: Back Ops 3, Hitman and a few more wooed the game fanatics, compelling them to give developers a standing ovation. The titles will release either later this year or in 2016.

Click here to read more.
1. Xbox Elite Controller
This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) saw the release of a new Xbox controller, and it is definitely a beast in its own terms. Described as the ‘Elite Controller for Elite gamers’, the new Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller has been added with many new features. The analog sticks and directional pad can be swapped out with different grips — concave, convex, textured, or whichever accessory creators come up with. Every button can be remapped and reset using a companion smartphone app that will be released for Xbox One and Windows 10. You can even control the sensitivity level of the triggers on the back and analog sticks. The Elite Wireless Controller comes out in October and is priced at $150 (Rs 9,623 approx.)
1. Micromax Canvas Sliver 5
A couple of days back, Micromax unveiled a slim smartphone, Canvas Sliver 5, holding a thickness of 5.1mm. Weighing a mere 97 grams, the handset accommodates Aircraft grade aluminium and integrated touch sensitivity. The 4G/LTE enabled phone is powered by a 64-bit quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB DDR3 RAM. The display size stands at 4.8-inch HD AMOLED with 720p resolution. The device, running on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, comes with 16GB internal storage space with no expandability option. Priced at Rs. 17,999, the phone boasts an 8MP shooter at the back and a 5MP camera in the front.
June 21, 2015