4G LTE to grow fastest; Indians spend over 3 hrs per day on mobile devices: Ericsson report

Ericsson has released its Mobility Report yesterday with some interesting observations and predictions. As per the report, worldwide mobile subscriptions would grow meagrely by 5% for the period 2014 to 2020. While there were 7.1 billion mobile devices in 2014, this number would rise to 9.2 billion according to Ericsson.

GSM/EDGE-only subscriptions would decrease from the current 4 billion to 1.4 billion, a drop of 15%. Mobile LTE subscriptions, however, would grow by an overwhelming 40%. Currently, there are approximately 500 million subscribers globally, and this number is expected to touch 3.7 billion by 2020.

Monthly data traffic is also expected to rise significantly from 3.3 EB/month to a whopping 30.5 EB, a gain of 45%.

Surprisingly, the report said Indians spend over 3 hours a day on their smartphones. This stands the same as last year’s report, pointing at increased data consumption per user.

The India appendix of the Ericsson Mobility Report shows key trends and forecasts on mobile traffic, subscriptions, consumer behaviour and technology uptake in the country.

GSM/Edge subscriber base is expected to peak in 2015 and likely to decline thereafter as subscribers migrate to 3G services, the report said.

GSM/Edge technology has the widest reach in India with 95% population coverage while WCDMA/HSPA is expected to cover approximately 90% by the end of 2020. Additionally, around 40% of the population will be covered by LTE networks by 2020.

“Affordability of smartphones will drive the overall affordability of mobile broadband in India,” the report stated.

The number of smartphone subscriptions is expected to reach over 750 million by 2020, up from 130 million in 2014.

“The continued growth in smartphone subscriptions will lead to an accelerated growth in data usage. Monthly mobile data consumption is expected to increase 18-fold by the year 2020 over current levels,” the report said.

Video streaming accounts for the most used mobile data service among Indians, followed by social networking, the report noted.

Interestingly, the proportion of people aged over 50 who use smartphones quadrupled between 2013 and 2015, albeit from a small base. During the same period, there was a threefold growth in the proportion of 31-40 year-old mobile data users, it noted.

Google celebrates US astronaut Sally Ride’s 64th birth anniversary with animated doodle

Today, Google is celebrating the 64th birth anniversary of American physicist and astronaut Sally Ride with an animated Google Doodle. She worked to motivate young individuals, especially girls, to gain interest in Science and Math.

Google honored Sally Ride with the doodle and stated, “we were fortunate enough to have animator Nate Swinehart create another Behind The Doodle short to share a bit more about Sally’s life and the making of the doodle. This time narrated by the artist of the doodle, Olivia Huynh, and Tam O’Shaughnessy, author of our guest blog post.”

Sally was born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles and she grew up playing with a chemistry set and small telescope. She also enjoyed playing football in the streets with the neighborhood kids and later, she considered playing professional tennis, but decided to study science instead.

In 1977, Sally was finishing her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford University when she saw an article in the student newspaper saying that NASA was looking for astronauts, and for the first time was allowing women to apply. Sally didn’t hesitate to send in her application, and became one of six women selected as part of the new crop of astronaut candidates. On June 18, 1983, she soared into history as the first American woman in space.

A few other animations created by Google are listed below.

AAP government to offer Wi-Fi access in Delhi on limited data usage basis

The Aam Aadmi Party government has decided to provide free Wi-Fi internet on the basis of limited data usage, instead of setting a time limit. Among the prominent pre-poll promises made by AAP, the plan will be implemented by February of next year.

According to a senior official, the government will release an expression of interest by a request for proposal in June with the work to be awarded by July. Around 150 companies from around the world have expressed interest, the official said.

Senior officials also said website browsing, social media sites (Facebook /Twitter), email and Whatsapp and other basic services will remain free while a user will have to pay for watching videos, video chat and downloading content. “We will work on ensuring a minimum speed of 512 KB p/s to each user to make it a better experience. We will be very strict on user experience and uninterrupted service,” said the Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of IT, Adarsh Shastri.

Recently, the Indian government announced to soon offer free high-speed Wi-Fi in 2,500 cities and towns across the country over the next three years. The programme will involve an investment of up to Rs 7,000 crore and will be implemented by BSNL.

YouTube music streaming service not online until September this year

YouTube’s Music Key service has been pushed back once again as the heads of the project have announced that the current beta version will live on through the summer of 2015.

Presented late last year, Music Key grants unlimited, commercial free access to a vast selection of music videos in association with Google Play Music, both online and off. The service will require membership, like Spotify and Deezer, but is as of yet available as a test version only to a lucky few. These beta testers are now invited to continue making the most of this system for free until at least September 15, time for YouTube to fine-tune its offer.

Premium membership is expected to go for $9.99/month and would allow users to enjoy commercial-free content, even offline or in the background. Users should be able to search for songs by title, artist or genre, and also benefit from suggestions based on previously viewed videos. As such, the service would facilitate the broadening of users’ musical horizons.

Stiff competition

In addition to YouTube, Apple is also expected to launch its own music streaming service sometime before the fall. Because of Apple’s acquisition of Beats by Dre last year, the expectation is that the new service, possibly called Apple Music, could integrate Beats technology into iOS and include social features that would be available to artists. Others have decided not to wait as long to develop their projects.

Such is the case with Spotify, now offering, in the US at least, access to audio and video podcasts as well as an offer formatted specifically for runners. For its part, Deezer has also decided to incorporate audio podcasts into its service, further proof that the world of musical streaming is in constant evolution.

For now, the industry leader, Spotify, boasts more than 60 million active users around the world, of which 15 million are paying subscribers.

Google teams up with Twitter to add tweets in search results

Google and Twitter announced a partnership Tuesday to display tweets in search results, renewing a tieup that ended in 2011.

The move will allow Google to get more real-time results in its search queries, and help Twitter boost engagement after a period of sluggish user growth which has weighed on its stock price.

“We’re excited to team up with Google to bring Twitter’s unique, real-time content to Google’s search results,” said Twitter vice president Jana Messerschmidt.

The deal will start with search results within the Google app and mobile Web, with a desktop version coming, said Messerschmidt, adding that the feature is due to reach more countries “in the coming months.”

“For example, if you’re interested in hearing more from Taylor Swift, a quick search on Google will pull up her most recent tweets,” she said in a blog post.

“Or, if you’re a TV buff, a search for #Madmen will bring up the most relevant news and Tweets about Sunday’s series finale.”

The two firms had a similar arrangement dating back to 2009, but tweets disappeared from Google search results in 2011.

“It’s a great way to get real-time info when something is happening,” Google product manager Ardan Arac said in a separate post.

“And it’s another way for organizations and people on Twitter to reach a global audience at the most relevant moments.”

Microsoft’s Bing search engine has a similar function of integrating Twitter messages.

Danny Sullivan of the tech blog Search Engine Land said the deal calling for a graphical display of tweets may give Twitter more traffic, if not revenue.

“It’s important to note that this is NOT tweets coming into Google for the first time, or the first time since the last formal deal ended,” he said in a blog post.

“Tweets have continued to be in Google since that last deal. The new deal just allows for more of (that) and with deeper integration.”

The main reason why people are sharing less on Facebook

If you have cut down on the amount of content you share on Facebook or Twitter even as your lists of friends and followers grow, you are not alone.

A study co-authored by an Indian-origin researcher suggests that although more and more people are participating in social networking, a smaller percentage of users are actively creating and sharing content.

The findings to be published in the journal Management Science pointed out that the cheaper and easier it becomes to reach large numbers of people via social media, the fewer “content creators” choose to participate and the more cluttered the networks become.

“Social communication incentives diminish even as the reach or the span of communication increases,” said study authors Ganesh Iyer and Zsolt Katona from University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business.

Industry reports estimate that just 10% of Twitter users broadcast 90% of the network’s tweets, while only a tiny fraction of the 55 million users who blog post daily, Katona noted.

The relative scarcity of message creators has been noticed before. But what has not been understood are the mechanisms responsible for the imbalance of senders and receivers and the implications for the social networking industry.

The new researchers suggests that with expansion of the social network, receivers, who once were the recipient of messages from only a few senders, are now targeted by many senders, leading to increased competition for attention.

And the more distant the receiver, the harder it is for the sender to craft relevant messages, the researchers noted. As competition grows, some senders decide the payoff is not worth the trouble and drop out, and others decide not to enter the fray, which explains why the proportion of senders to receivers is so low.

It may also explain why some users turn away from popular social networks and are looking for more intimate places to share items with just a handful of people, the researchers noted.

After dismal 2014, Samsung charts recovery with new Galaxy phones

Tech giant Samsung Electronics likely saw January-March earnings slip for the sixth straight quarter, but investors are betting on a rebound this year on healthy chip sales and high hopes for its new flagship smartphones.

Shares in South Korea-based Samsung hit a more-than 21 month high in mid-March as brokerages raised profit forecasts and target prices on its improving business outlook. The stock rose 8.6 percent in January-March following a 12.1 percent gain in the previous period.

Investors believe the Galaxy S6 and its curved-edges variant will sell briskly when they roll out this month following positive reviews, and analysts say new mid-tier phones will boost sales, adding to expectations that the earnings slide in its handset business is ending.

The recovery is also expected to be backed by strong semiconductor sales. In addition to healthy memory chip demand, Samsung’s system chips business is seen returning to profit this year. Its home-grown Exynos processor will power the new Galaxy phones, and Samsung recently added Nvidia Corp as a contract manufacturing client.

“This is a year of recovery for Samsung,” said fund manager Park Sung-jae at LS Asset Management, which holds Samsung shares. “The stock price reflects that sentiment.”

To be sure, recovery is expected to be gradual and well shy of record profits in 2013. The median forecast from a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S survey of 41 analysts tips first-quarter operating profit at 5.3 trillion won ($4.82 billion), down 38 percent from 8.5 trillion won a year earlier as mobile earnings weakened.

The company will release its first-quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday.

But analysts say the underlying figures should show meaningful improvements, with momentum to pick up further once the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge roll out globally. BNP Paribas analyst Peter Yu expects Samsung to ship 44 million of the new phones this year, compared with an estimated 38 million units of the disappointing Galaxy S5 last year.

For the whole year, a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S survey of 51 analysts expects profits to rise to 26.5 trillion won from 25 trillion won in 2014 – a reversal from the prevailing consensus early this year for another earnings slide.

“We believe Samsung’s smartphone operations are in a full recovery phase,” Yu said in a note to clients last week, adding that there was an earnings upside of up to $1.5 billion to his 2015 profit forecast of 28.1 trillion won because of the new flagship devices.

Facebook announces Riff, a collaborative video making app for Android and iOS

After Meerkat and Twitter’s live video streaming app Periscope, social networking giant Facebook has launched a new app called called Riff, an app which allows users to create collaborative videos with their friends. The app is now available for iOS and Android.

‘Riffs’ can also be shared through Facebook or directly on the web. Josh Miller, Product Manager at Facebook says that, “Recently, a few Facebook employees stayed after-hours to work on a side project. Our hunch was that if you could make videos collaboratively, the creative process would be more fun and the final product would be cooler. Today, we are introducing Riff, a creative tool to make videos with friends.”

After installing the app, users can suggest a topic such as #AprilFools and record a video for up to 20 seconds. A user’s Facebook friend can then view the clip, and can also add in their 20-second video, thus converting a small click into a huge video, very quickly. If the project gets too large, users can easily skip clips with a fast-forward button as well. Miller toldTechCrunch that Riff was inspired by the viral spread of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, where millions around the world soaked themselves with iced water to raise money for charity. He also added that, in that scenario, ice-soaked people challenged three friends to take up the challenge at the end of their videos which led to massive viral growth.

The report also pointed out a few rules while using the app such as; a user gets only a 3-2-1 countdown and can approve their clips before posting it. There is no multi-shot recording or editing features which are seen on Instagram, Vine and other apps. There is no feature to like or comment on a Riff. The app is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and Polish.

Also, videos can only be shot from within app and cannot be imported from the Gallery on your phone. The video creator also has the rights to remove added clips from the chain. Riffs can also be shared with the URL on a large scale via emails and other social networks through the app. As of now, Facebook has no plans to directly monetize the app.

Mattel’s Wi-Fi enabled Hello Barbie doll to launch this fall for $75

Last month, Google along with toy-maker Mattel revamped the classic View-Master device, injecting it with digital-age virtual reality. Now, a report in The New York Times, reveals that Mattel is working at bringing personal digital assistant technology into the famous line of Barbie dolls.

The report adds that Mattel is working on the doll with a company called ToyTalk that is known for building conversational animated characters for kids that interact with several apps such as SpeakOrTreat, SpeakaLegend and others.

Mattel plans to employ the new technology into a brand-new Barbie doll. The new Wi-Fi enabled dolled named Hello Barbie will be able to respond to your child, just like Siri or Cortana would respond to its users. ToyTalk’s recognition system will be reportedly calibrated finely to childrens’ speaking voices.

Mattel’s Wi-Fi-enabled Hello Barbie doll will be available this fall for $75 that translates to approximately Rs 4,698.

Earlier this year, Google along with toy-maker Mattel had upgraded View-Master – a device unveiled in 1939 to allow people to view slides to simulate a three-dimensional experience – to become an immersive digital experience for kids. The device is priced around $30 (approx. Rs 1,879) for US consumers.

WhatsApp working on restoring chat history via Google Drive: Report

There is some good news for WhatsApp users who frequently keep changing their smartphones. WhatsApp is reportedly working on creating a way for users to backup and restore chat history via Google Drive across Android devices.

According to screenshots received by Android Police, it appears that the functions involved are for backing up a user’s chat history as well as media but not videos. This feature can be restricted to Wi-Fi only or can be used over cellular networks too. Detailed sets of images have been spotted on Droidapp.nl as well who also received this tip.

The translation string also points out that the feature is offered to users when they log into a new device. It also added that if a user does not accept, they will lose their backup from their older device. There is no information about the roll out for this feature nor any given time frame.

Currently, Android users can backup their messages by simply going to the app’s Menu > Settings > Chat settings. Users will then have to check whether the folder is located on the phone memory or microSD card. iOS users can backup and restore their chat history via iCloud.

Being on Snapchat elicits romantic jealousy

If you are on photo-sharing app Snapchat, make sure that you don’t share your more intimate photos and posts with friends.

According to a recent study, the behaviours of romantic partners on Snapchat evoked higher levels of jealousy than did the same behaviours on social networking site Facebook.

The photo-sharing app Snapchat is not yet as popular as Facebook for social networking. But the greater privacy Snapchat may offer could motivate users to share more intimate type of content for different purposes.

“Although a small preliminary study, this is an important foray into a new communication platform,” said Brenda K. Wiederhold from Interactive Media Institute in San Diego, California.

“And with the January 2015 Snapchat update which made ‘Best Friends Lists’ private, one wonders if we will now see the fire of jealousy further inflamed,” added Wiederhold, editor-in-chief of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking that published the study.

For the study, authors Sonja Utz and Nicole Muscanell from Knowledge Media Research Centre in Tubingen, Germany and Cameran Khalid from Glasgow University, Scotland compared how individuals use the two social networking apps.

They also analysed whether Snapchat, with which messages disappear after only a few seconds and are typically sent to a smaller number of people, affords more private communication and intimate, personal content that could evoke greater jealousy.

They found that romantic partners on Snapchat evoked higher levels of jealousy.

Truecaller updated for Android; brings in new ‘Auto Search’ feature

TrueCaller has updated its app (version 5.31) for Android users and has introduced a new feature called ‘Auto Search’. With this feature, users can identify any number present on social media, e-mail, text messages, and countless other places without opening the app. This indicates that users will no longer find the need to go into the app for searching an unknown number.

Truecaller announced the update on its blog and explained that a user will need to copy a number from any app or browser and a pop up message will appear on the screen with the contact’s information. The blog added that, “it can be tedious to copy the number to identify it or even save it to your contacts. We want to get rid of that extra step of opening an app. So, we made searching, calling, texting, and saving the info absolutely automatic and carefree.”

Apart from the Auto Search feature, Truecaller has also added in some other new features such as the addition of Nepalese language support, along with bug fixes and general speed improvements. There is no news as to if and when this feature will roll out for iOS users.

Facebook is reportedly testing a Truecaller rival dubbed ‘Phone’. According to a report byAndroidPolice, Facebook has accidentally sent out a new update asking users to try out the new ‘Phone’ app. It asked users to tap on install or update, but on doing so the social network pops up an error that reads, “no page found”.

Xiaomi teams up with The Mobile Store to sell Mi 4, Redmi Note 4G: Report

The Chinese phone maker, Xiaomi, entered the Indian market in August last year. It managed to woo audiences with its unique flash sales and limited stock availability per week, exclusively via Flipkart. The company has now decided to shed its ‘online-only’ image and teamed up with the retail chain ‘The Mobile Store’ to sell select Mi smartphones.

The phones on offline stores will reportedly carry the same price as they are available online. According to The Economic Times, Xiaomi’s Mi 4 and Redmi Note 4G will be available through The Mobile Store – via 55 stores in Delhi NCR – priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 9,999, respectively.

Mobile Store outlets will reportedly also work as service centres for the Xiaomi phones. Manu Jain, head of India operations at Xiaomi told the news site, “This will be the first time that we’re getting into offline trade in India. In China, about 20-30% of total sales through come from telecom operators stores while the rest comes from our online store – Mi.com.”

However, it should be noted that this isn’t the first time, the company is selling its device via brick and mortar store. If you remember, Xiaomi had teamed up with Airtel to sell its Redmi Note 4 via its stores.

In line with the reports about Xiaomi’s own e-commerce store, the Chinese handset maker has started selling accessories on its Mi India store .

So far, the company had been selling its devices only via its exclusive India partner, Flipkart. With the recent moves, it clearly shows that as Xiaomi plans to expand its lineup in India, it is also looking to partner with different distribution channels.

Google and Johnson & Johnson team up for robotic surgery

US health care giant Johnson & Johnson announced plans Friday to collaborate with Google on surgical robotics.US health care

The two companies said in a statement they would work “to create an innovative robotic-assisted surgical platform capable of integrating advanced technologies with the goal of improving health care delivery in the operating room.”

The firms said they would seek to improve techniques for robotic-assisted surgery — a minimally invasive procedure that uses technology to give surgeons greater control, access and accuracy.

In a press release, Johnson and Johnson said that ‘robotic-assisted surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery that uses technology to give surgeons greater control, access and accuracy during the surgical procedure while benefitting patients by minimizing trauma and scarring’. It also ensures accelerated post-surgical healing.

“The companies seek to develop new robotic tools and capabilities for surgeons and operating room professionals that integrate best-in-class medical device technology with leading-edge robotic systems, imaging and data analytics,” the statement said.

Robotics has been used to improve accuracy in operating rooms for around 15 years, including in heart, eye and prostate surgery.

“For more than 60 years, Ethicon has developed products and technologies that have transformed the way surgery is done,” said Gary Pruden, Worldwide Chairman, Global Surgery Group, Johnson & Johnson. “This collaboration with Google is another important step in our commitment to advancing surgical care, and together, we aim to put the best science, technology and surgical know-how in the hands of medical teams around the world.”

Truecaller updated for Android; brings in new ‘Auto Search’ feature

WhatsApp calling for iOS coming in a ‘couple of weeks’

The most recent and exciting feature of WhatsApp for Android – voice calling – will be making its way to iOS users soon.

At the Facebook F8 conference, WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton said that the messaging service is preparing to bring the voice calling feature to iOS users in the coming weeks, according to a report by VentureBeat. On further probing, he soon changed his statement to ‘several weeks’, adds the report.

At the conference, Acton was speaking on a panel with Instagram cofounder Mike Krieger and head of Facebook Messenger David Marcus. he also said how the company has spent a year ‘refining and iterating’ voice calling before finally launching it for Android.

Now, tech enthusiasts have already found out ways to activate voice calling on iPhones. However, that requires jail breaking the iPhone. With this news, iOS users will be able to soon make voice calls using their iPhone.

After multiple flip-flops, WhatsApp has finally released the voice-calling feature for all Android users. You will need to download version 2.11.528 from the Play Store or version 2.11.531 from the WhatsApp website. Voice-calling ability can be activated by receiving a call from someone whose voice-calling is already activated.

Meerkat vs Periscope: Live-streaming app battle & buzz

Download Periscope, Twitter’s just-launched live video-streaming app, and you’ll find people broadcasting all sorts of mundane stuff: waiting for AT&T to fix their wiring, getting out of bed in Silicon Valley, looking outside their office window in Chicago.

Watch the videos, and you might ask yourself, is this really the next big thing?

It could be. Check back in a few months, and you’ll likely see much more enticing content. After all, the first tweet, sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2006, simply said “just setting up my twttr.” Now nearly 300 million people tweet photos and messages every month for work, play and social commentary.

Twitter bought the company behind Periscope earlier this year for a reported $100 million. The launch comes in the heels of rival Meerkat’s breakout at the South By Southwest Interactive tech gathering in Texas. The simple app allows people to live stream anything at the touch of a button and dominated conversations at the festival. The app used to let users automatically tweet live streams too, but since buying Periscope, Twitter limited Meerkat’s access.

Meerkat, rightfully worried about becoming second fiddle so quickly, announced Thursday that it scored an additional $14 million in venture capital funding.

Here are a few things to know about the emerging trend of live video streaming.

WHY NOW?

Meerkat and Periscope are not the first live-streaming apps by any means. But they are emerging as more people are shooting video with smartphones and sharing their experiences on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and a slew of other platforms. And when it comes to business marketing, smaller, emerging services might be more effective than getting lost in the shuffle on big social networks, according to Forrester Research.

“Marketers who prioritize investments in Facebook and Twitter’s over-fished waters are missing a big opportunity to engage with customers on smaller social networks with emerging platforms like video,” Forrester’s James McQuivey and Julie Ask recently wrote.

MEERKAT VS. PERISCOPE

Meerkat was one of the big surprise hits of SXSW earlier this month. The app initially let users automatically tweet live streams to their followers, but that came to a halt after Twitter acquired Periscope and limited Meerkat’s access to its service. While the two have many similarities, the automatic linking with Twitter followers gives Periscope a big leg up.

Other differences: Meerkat streams are public-only and live-only. Periscope lets users limit who can see their broadcasts and offers viewers the opportunity to send heart icons to streamers, akin to Facebook’s “Like” button. Video streams also can be saved to replay later.

Neither app works without Twitter — you’ll need an account to get started. Facebook, so far, has been silent on this front.

POTENTIAL?

Remember when sharing a photo of your breakfast seemed like a crazy thing no one would ever want to do? It wasn’t that long ago. Live streams might seem equally crazy now, only to become second-nature in just a few months. From news broadcasts to travel adventures and birthday parties and weddings shown to far-away relatives, the possibilities are all there. All you need is a Twitter account and a solid Internet connection on your smartphone. For companies, there’s major potential for advertising and a way for brands to connect directly with customers.

Govt to launch ‘open software policy’ to enhance transparency: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The government is shortly coming out with an “open software policy” to further the process of transparency and credibility in administration, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in New Delhi.

“The Department of Posts and Common Service Centres with presence in nearly 400,000 centres are being deployed to further empower less privileged people by digitalisation,” he said speaking at the IIIrd Web Ratna Awards ceremony.

Prasad called for a collective approach of related government departments to create a friendly outlook.

He mentioned that the Digital India initiative of the government is fundamentally aimed at making government more people-friendly and to bridge the gap between haves and have-not classes through digital empowerment.

He said that with an Internet penetration of 300 million, India is only next to China in terms of reach and this number is all set to touch 500 million in a couple of years.

Also at the Web Ratna 2014 awards, the ministry of Information & Broadcasting was conferred the platinum icon award on Tuesday for its comprehensive web presence.

The award was presented by Minister for Communications & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in the presence of secretary R.S. Sharma, and was received by I&B joint secretary R. Jaya.

Recognised for marking a “significant” presence on all social media platforms, the ministry’s website meets information needs of various stakeholders by providing access to all the official policies and guidelines.

The home page of the I&B ministry website has a time-stamp that gives last update details. With a dedicated Hindi version besides one in English, the web portal also has a Google-enabled search facility, said a statement by the ministry.

The Information and Technology ministry instituted the Web Ratna Awards in 2009 to acknowledge unique initiatives and practices of various states and union territories in the realm of e-governance, the statement said.

Flipkart plans to generate two million e-commerce jobs

India’s leading e-retailer Flipkart plans to generate around two million jobs through its marketplace and ancillary services this year.

“Rapid development of e-commerce ecosystem will generate around two million direct and indirect jobs across the country in 2015 as against 500,000 jobs it created in 2014,” the city-based company said in a statement here on Wednesday.

As the company’s marketplace model has opened up opportunities in metros and cities, about 60 percent of employment will be in tier-two and tier-three cities.

“Cities like Jaipur in Rajasthan and Baroda in Gujarat, which have become ancillary industry hubs for cataloguing and packaging, will generate more job opportunities in the coming years,” Flipkart vice-president Ankit Nagori said on the occasion.

Asserting that logistics and warehousing segments in the e-commerce ecosystem would be major employment generators, Nagori said sellers play a vital role in job creation.

“Sellers of home products, apparels, mobile accessories and small appliances will generate maximum jobs, as each of them has potential to employ 20-25 people,” Nagori added.

E-commerce also empowers artisans and entrepreneurs to explore the e-platform to expand and grow their business.

As the business of local artisans increase, demand for manpower will also increase.

With small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopting our online model, ancillary and support services industry will witness a 30-40 percent growth, leading to 60 percent of employment creation in logistics and warehousing,” Nagori said.

With e-commerce emerging as one of the key drivers of the economy, its support facilities like merchandising, buying, packaging and cataloguing have generated over 75,000 jobs in the last 12 months.

“We offer SME training programmes across 20 cities in association with the union ministry of labour to train people for upgrading their skills and chart-out careers in verticals of their choice,” he said.

With 30,000 sellers and 30 million registered customers, the eight-year-old start-up e-retailer clocks about 10 million page visits (hits) daily, reaches 1,000 cities and delivers eight million shipments per month, with back-up support through technology and supply chain.

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge launched in India starting at Rs 49,900

Finally, Samsung has launched its latest and highly anticipated flagship smartphones, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, in India. The 32GB Galaxy S6 is priced at Rs 49,900, 64GB at Rs 55,900 and 128GB at Rs 61,900. The 32GB, 64GB and 128GB Galaxy S6 Edge have been priced at Rs 58,900, 64,900 and 70,900, respectively.

The smartphones will start shipping in India starting April 10 and is now available for pre-order. Those users who pre-book the Galaxy S6/Edge will also get benefits like one-time screen replacement along with payback points in case the company plans a trade-in cashback scheme in the future.

At the event, Samsung said that the company will be manufacturing the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in India. However, there is no time frame when it will start manufacturing here. Samsung India has over 10,000 employess in the R&D division. Asim Warsi, VP , Mobile and IT for Samsung India also disclosed that Indian R&D centers of Samsung have contibuted significantly for the tech gone into making the new Galaxy flagships.

In terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLOED display with 2560 X 1440 resolution which comes to a very high 577ppi pixel density. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge also sports a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED but with dual edge display. Both use Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have a metal frame and a glass body both on the front and back.

The devices are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. The smartphones have 3GB RAM.

Both smartphones also use the 14 namometer mobile processor with a 64-bit platform, new LPDDR4 memory system and UFS 2.0 flash memory which the company claims, will provide higher performance and enhanced memory speed with lower power consumption.

The devices run on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop and come with a 16MP rear

camera

along with a 5MP front facing camera. The Galaxy S6 has a 2,550mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 2,600mAh battery. Both support universal wireless charging. Samsung also claims that they support incredibly fast wired charging (around 1.5 times faster than the Galaxy S5) providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

In terms of connectivity, the devices support 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC and an IR Remote.

Twitter will defend its users’ voices, says CEO Dick Costolo

On the day the Supreme Court quashed Information Technology Act’s section 66A as violative of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech, Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo said here the platform will ensure that its users’ “voices” are defended, even as it would make it harder for any “abuse” to take place.

Describing the apex court’s judgement as “very exciting”, Costolo, on his first visit to India, told reporters: “We have a great reputation as a company for defending and respecting our user voices. We will defend and protect our users interests across the world.”

Apart from striking down section 66A, the apex court said it found meaningless, section 79(3)b of the act, which seeks to assign liabilities on “intermediaries” like Twitter and Facebook, for failing to remove expeditiously, while preserving the evidence of, what is considered objectionable material by the government and its agencies.

“The beauty of Twitter is that people regularly come together to show their wonderful spirit in support of causes,” said Costolo.

Asked about Twitter’s policy for dealing with terror groups like ISIS using the platform, he said: “Accounts of terror groups like ISIS are against law and service terms.”

Pointing out that Twitter has already made it “a lot easier to report abuse”, Costolo said:”We will continue to make it harder (for those who abuse). We have made it a lot easier to report abuse.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Twitter launched Twitter Samvad in collaboration with the Indian government so as to allow people to receive tweets as SMSes from government offices, including the Prime Minister’s Office.

The service was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his meeting with Costolo. The Twitter CE told media persons after the meeting that “based on Indian technological innovation, Twitter Samvad is dedicated and specially built for the largest democracy of the world”.

“As part of the prime minister’s Digital India initiative, this tweet-powered service enables citizens to be the first to know about the government’s actions by receiving political content in real-time on their mobile devices anywhere in the country.”

Moto G (second gen) price slashed by Rs 2000 on Flipkart’s Big App Shopping Days sale

At the ongoing Flipkart Big App Shopping Days sale, the e-commerce site is offering big discounts and freebies for users who shop via the mobile app.

Those looking to buy the Moto G second generation, will be able to grab the device at Rs 10,999. Flipkart has slashed the price of the new device by Rs 2,000 for the sale that runs until tomorrow.

Motorola had announced the Moto G second generation late last year at Rs 12,999 (16GB) with a larger 5-inch display, an 8MP rear camera and 2MP one on the front, which is a jump from the previous Moto G’s 5MP rear shooter and 1.3MP front camera.

The 5-inch display is protected by Gorilla Glass to shield it from scratches. Like the previous Moto G, the latest iteration has a water-resistant coat to prevent water droplets entering inside the LCD. However, it’s not fully water-proof, so it can’t be submerged in water like the Sony Xperia Z2. You can swap the back panel with colourful shells, although the battery is still non-removable.

The Moto G second gen came equipped with Android KitKat, but Motorola soon released the latest 5.0 Lollipop update. Read our first impressions of the Moto G second generation

Internet is good for spreading education in developing countries, says Pew survey

A majority of people in emerging and developing nations say the Internet is good for spreading education, reveals a new survey done across 32 countries.

A majority also see the internet as a good influence on personal relationships and the economy but offer a mixed view on other impacts, the Pew Global Attitudes survey showed.

“Once online, internet users in emerging and developing nations have embraced socialising as their most preferred type of digital activity,” the report said.

The survey found that people who have internet access are generally more positive about its influence on society. And the more highly educated people also were more likely to see the internet as beneficial.

“Majorities of internet users in all countries surveyed with large enough sample sizes to analyse say they stay in touch with friends and family online through social networking sites. Many also use cyberspace for getting information about politics, healthcare and government services,” it said.

Asked about the impact of the internet on politics, 36 percent said the internet is good, but 30 percent said it was negative. Meanwhile, 42 percent said the web is a bad influence on morality, with 29 percent saying it is positive.

Among the 32 countries surveyed, the median percentage of people online was 44 per cent.
“Internet use is highest in the wealthiest of the emerging nations, particularly in Chile and Russia, where more than seven in 10 have internet access,” the report said, noting that these rates are still behind the US percentage of 87 percent.

“The lowest internet rates are in some of the poorest countries surveyed.
“Just eight per cent of Pakistanis and 11 percent of Bangladeshis either say they access the internet at least occasionally or own a smartphone,” the report revealed.

Facebook reportedly testing ‘Phone’ Caller ID app for Android

In the bid to go all-mobile, Facebook is now said to be working on a new app that will display information about who is calling. The app dubbed ‘Phone’ will also feature automatic blocking of calls. Looks like, the company plans to launch a Truecaller competitor.

Image: AndroidPolice

According to a report by AndroidPolice, Facebook has accidentally sent out a new update asking users to try out the new ‘Phone’ app. It asked users to tap on install or update, but on doing so the social network pops up an error that reads, “no page found”. The update shows the [FB-ONLY] tag, which means it may have been slipped out accidentally and the app is still stored internally on Facebook’s intranet for security purposes.

“Phone will block calls from commonly blocked numbers and show you detailed information about incoming calls, a lot like the Whitepages Caller ID app. Presumably, Facebook will also be anonymising your incoming call data for marketing and research purposes, because why else would they want to release an app like this?” adds the report.

However, the company has confirmed to VentureBeat that it is simply one of the things the social network is testing and there is nothing to announce right now.

Recently, Facebook had also disclosed plans to add a new feature to its Messenger that allows friends to send and receive money through it. Users can tap or click a dollar icon in a new chat window to send money to their friends, after they link a Visa or MasterCard debit card issued by a US bank to their accounts. The free feature will roll out over the next few months for users in the United States who access Facebook Messenger through desktop computers or Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems on mobile devices.

Facebook to bring third-party app support for its Messenger

At the F8 developer conference, Facebook plans to announce some big changes for its Messenger app. According to The Next Digit, the social network giant plans to bring about 20 changes to the Messenger in a bid to compete with the successful messaging apps like WeChat and Line.

Facebook is said to first work on how third party developers can build ways for content and information for the Messenger. On gauging the success of these early experiments, Facebook will then introduce more utilities to the Messenger app.
It will allow third-party apps to access the company’s Messenger service and plans tie-ups with about 20 different outfits.

According to TheRegister, a person familiar with the matter said, “The 20 third party apps will work on top of Messenger.”

Among the changes will be the company’s latest announcement to bring payments through its Messenger. The social network believes the feature will be welcomed among the younger generation, however, the involvement of payment data means the company will have to step up security. The company has also hired former PayPal President David Marcus who will now head the Messenger division.

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge launched in India starting at Rs 49,900

The devices are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. The smartphones have 3GB RAM.

The devices run on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop and come with a 16MP rear camera along with a 5MP front facing camera. The Galaxy S6 has a 2,550mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 2,600mAh battery. Both support universal wireless charging. Samsung also claims that they support incredibly fast wired charging (around 1.5 times faster than the Galaxy S5) providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

In terms of connectivity, the devices support 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC and an IR Remote.

At the event, Samsung said that the company will be manufacturing the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in India. However, there is no time frame when it will start manufacturing here.

Samsung all set to launch Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge in India tomorrow

Samsung has started sending out invites for the launch of its flagship devices – Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge – in India. The launch event is slated to take place in New Delhi on Monday.

It is known that Samsung will start shipping the new Galaxy S6 models in April. So, India launch before that was expected as the company can open up pre-orders for the devices here.

Recently, Samsung Netherlands site had listed the 32GB variant of Galaxy S6 for € 699 (approximately Rs 48,400), the 64 GB version for €799 (which comes to Rs 55,300) and the Galaxy S6 Edge for 32 GB version at €849 (which comes to approximately Rs 58,800), while the 64 GB version of the S6 Edge is listed as €949 (which comes to Rs 65,700).

The price of the 128 GB version of the smartphone was not mentioned on the site, raising suspicions on whether it will be part of the initial launch phase. An earlier report had said that the 128GB version of the Galaxy S6 will cost €949, while the Galaxy S6 Edge’s 128GB variant will be priced €1049 which comes to Rs 73,300.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have a metal frame and a glass body both on the front and back.

Galaxy S6 Edge

The devices are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. The smartphones have 3GB RAM.

In terms of connectivity, the devices support LTE Cat.6 (300/50Mbps), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC and an IR Remote. To know more about the S6’s features,

Keep a watch on your phone: Android Wear watch to help users find a lost phone

Android Device Manager, launched in 2013 to help users locate and secure their Android devices, now comes to Android Wear.

“Misplaced your Android phone? No problem! Android Wear connects your phone to your wrist, and together with Android Device Manager, you can make sure it stays that way,” Google says in the official Android blog.

To start using the new feature, Android Wear usershave to simply say ‘Ok, Google. Start. Find my phone’. They can also select the ‘Find my phone’ option from the Start menu. The phone will then ring at full volume, helping you find your device.

Moreover, you don’t need to update the device in order to enable the new feature It will start rolling out to all Android Wear devices over the next few weeks.

Google has been sprucing up the Android Wear experience further, ever since Apple announced its highly anticipated Watch lately. Just ahead of the Apple Watch launch, Google released its new ad. According to a report by TheVerge, Google also plans to enable Wi-Fi and gestures with its next Android Wear update. Among the long list of features showcased for the Apple Watch, one of the highlights is support for Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Watch. Though India is not among the list of countries to get the Watch next month, it is likely to launch here by June-July for a price over Rs 30,000.

Telecom spectrum auction sees Rs 4,000 crore fall in highest bids

Commitments totaling Rs 105,000 crore were received from telecom operators at the end of bidding on Friday, the 15th day of radio frequency spectrum e-auctions, but there was a drop of Rs.4,000 crore in the collective value of the highest bids across bands from Rs.109,000 crore a day earlier.

“The bidding is taking place in all bands. Brisk bidding was seen on 15th day of bidding, with activity requirement set at 100 percent. There is robust bidding going on in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands,” the Department of Telecom (DoT) said in a statement here.

Six fresh rounds of bidding were seen on Day 15.

“At the end of 92nd round, about 88 percent of the spectrum has been provisionally allocated to bidders. The provisional amount committed by bidders at the end of 92nd round is over Rs.105,000 crore,” it said.

“Majority of service areas are going at a premium over reserve price. The competitive bidding is expected to continue. There is still spectrum, which is yet to be sold. Bidding would recommence tomorrow, that is, March 21, 2015 at 9 a.m,” the statement added.

The statement, however, did not elaborate the reason behind contraction in commitment value by the bidders.

Day 14 on Thursday saw Rs.109,000 crore-worth commitments from telecom operators at the end of bidding after 86 rounds.

The central government has budgeted for Rs.43,161.72 crore from e-auctions of spectrum for the current fiscal while the reserve price for the entire spectrum on offer in the four bands, across India, was around Rs.80,000 crore.

The bids so far have well exceeded these numbers.

The maximum bids of 102 were received for Rajasthan circle with a winning amount of Rs.96.07 crore per block in the 900 MHz band. This circle saw 40 extra bids.

The second highest bids of 85 were received for Tamil Nadu circle with a winning amount of Rs.45 crore per block in the 1800 MHz band. However, this circle saw 10 less bids.

The eight telecom service providers participating in the auctions are Reliance Communications, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Tata Teleservices, Uninor, Idea Cellular and Aircel.

They have submitted earnest money of Rs.20,435 crore, which is two and a half times what had been called for.

The total spectrum put up for auction is 103.75 MHz in 800 MHz band, 177.8 MHz in 900 MHz band and 99.2 MHz in 1,800 MHz band for second generation (2G) telephony.

The government has also put up 5 MHz in the 2,100 MHz band for third generation (3G) telephony.

A reserve price of Rs.3,423 crore per MHz was fixed for 800 MHz frequency, Rs.3,399 crore for 900 MHz band and Rs.1,425 crore for the 1,800 MHz band. The government also fixed a reserve price of Rs.3,511 crore per megahertz for the frequency for 3G spectrum.

Samsung to launch Galaxy S6, S6 Edge in India on Monday: Here’s what you need to know

Samsung is all set to launch its new flagship models, the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge, inIndia on Monday. With the new models, Samsung has taken a quantum leap in design (Galaxy S6 Edge) and also given the phones some spruced up user experience. The devices aren’t just plastic now and boast of metal and glass.

Apart from the refreshing dual edge display design, both Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge sport a similar display size,

camera

and most other features are also exactly the same. However, the S6 Edge puts the edges to good use with features like the edge lights up each time someone calls, allowing you to assign specific colour for various callers. The notifications and other shortcuts have been accommodated on the sides. The UI is more customized and it also get a bigger battery, obviously you will also be paying slighter higher.

With the devices all set to reach Indian shores, here’s a quick look at what you need to know about the new Samsung flagship models.

Design – A premium-looking device is finally here

For years, everyone has been complaining about how Samsung’s premium S series is built with cheap materials. But falling sales have forced Samsung to give user feedback some serious thought. Finally, the not-so-plush looking leather back is replaced with glass and the sides are built using metal, just like the Note 4. It now looks premium and more durable. With dual edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge has a great design, which is bot refreshing and different.

Display – Gets a thumbs up, again

Samsung gets it right with the display again. The new Galaxy S6 models feature a 5.1-inch 2K display, which means a whopping 2560 x 1440 pixels. The pixel density goes up to 572ppi, which is way higher than the 326ppi seen in the iPhone 6. Needless to say, its an AMOLED display.

Camera – Bump up in performance

Though Samsung has maintained the same 16MP sensor seen in the Galaxy Note 4, it does get a useful update. Samsung now employs faster lens that has never been seen in the previous models. The Galaxy S6 comes with an f/1.9 lens. This would mean a bigger aperture. The device is now capable of capturing more light, and eventually one will get better photos. This also means good low light photography. In fact, Samsung employs the same f/1.9 lens for the 5MP front-facing camera too.

Processor – Goes ahead with Exynos

This time around, Samsung has decided to go ahead with its own Exynos chip (Though, India always got the Exynos variant). The new Exynos comes with the much-talked about 14 nanometre (nm) architecture for efficient performance. however, it also plans some Qualcomm Snapdragon variants of the Galaxy S6. For now, expect Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively, coupled with 3GB RAM.

RAM

The new Galaxy S6 has employed the super-fast LPDDR4 RAM. The large 3GB of the could help the device run without too many lags. Along with the new Exynos chip, it could also help deal better with the TouchWiz.

TouchWiz

Yes, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 models will retain the TouchWiz UI. However, it is believed to be less cluttered. based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, it is now streamlined for quick and better usage. The company hasn’t bid goodbye to S Voice or S Finder, but you will find the rumoured new entrants like Microsoft’s OneDrive and OneNote. The S6 Edge gets further customization options.

Wireless charging

The Galaxy S6 has ditched the replaceable battery found in the Galaxy S5, but now allows you to charge the smartphone wirelessly. It supports WPC and PMA wireless charging using Samsung’s own charging pad. On using a traditional microUSB cable, Samsung promises to get 50 percent battery capacity in a half hour. It comes fitted with a 2,550mAh battery.

No swappable battery
With the introduction of improved wireless charging on the Galaxy S6, the company also decided to fit in a non-removable battery. A change that most users may not like.

No Expandable storage
The company’s minimum storage capacity model is upgraded from 16GB to 32GB. In a not-so-consumer-friendly move, Samsung has also pulled out support for microSD card slot. It has been a feature that set Samsung phones apart from the iPhone. We hope Samsung has compensated well for the removal of these features.

Wireless payments

Finally, Samsung also rolled out its own mobile payments to take on Apple Pay. For now its will be launched with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but it will support others Samsung phones in the future. It will let you use your debit/credit cards and pay for goods using your smartphones. It will use NFC as well as a technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission. So, vendors won’t need to upgrade their existing payment systems to support Samsung Pay.Click here to know more about Samsung’s payment system. Though, we don’t expect the company to launch its payments services anytime soon.

Pricing and availability

Samsung is expected to start shipping the new Galaxy S6 models in April. Though there is no word on the pricing in India, Samsung Netherlands site had listed the 32GB variant of Galaxy S6 for € 699 (approximately Rs 48,400), the 64 GB version for €799 (which comes to Rs 55,300) and the Galaxy S6 Edge for 32 GB version at €849 (which comes to approximately Rs 58,800), while the 64 GB version of the S6 Edge is listed as €949 (which comes to Rs 65,700).

Google resorted to anticompetitive tactics to improve its search results: Report

Key staff members at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission were in favor of suing Google for violating antitrust rules before the agency settled its investigation in 2013, according a confidential report cited by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

bureau argued that the owner of the world’s No. 1 Internet search engine illegally took information from rival websites to improve its own search results and placed restrictions on websites and advertisers. The report recommended suing Google for several of its business practices.

The FTC settled its multiyear investigation of Google in 2013, concluding that the company had not manipulated its search results to hurt rivals.

Details of the report, which the Journal said were inadvertently disclosed in an open-records request, come as European antitrust regulators decide their next steps in a four-year investigation of Google.

Google said in a statement that “after an exhaustive 19-month review, covering 9 million pages of documents and many hours of testimony, the FTC staff and all five commissioner agreed that there was no need to take action on how we rank and display search results.”

“Speculation about potential consumer and competitor harm turned out to be entirely wrong,” Google said.

A representative of the FTC said the agency had no comment on the report.

Becoming Steve Jobs: Jony Ive was almost fired, Disney CEO Iger knew about Jobs’ pancreatic cancer

The new biography by Brent Schlender (who had interviewed Jobs frequently) and Fast Company executive editor Rick Tetzeli titled “Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader”, will be out on March 24.

According to the new book, Disney CEO Bob Iger was among the first people to learn about Steve Jobs’ pancreatic cancer in 2006, reveals FastCompany. Iger learnt about Jobs’ illness just 30 minutes before the $7.4 billion deal between Pixar and Disney was sealed on January 24, 2006.

“My cancer is back. I’m telling you because I’m giving you a chance to back out of the deal,” Jobs told Iger. he decided not to tell anyone about it, except Disney’s VP Alan Braverman, and the deal went through.

The books also talks about how Jony Ive was almost fired. “He came over to the studio, I think, essentially to fire me,” Ive told the book’s authors. The reason was the products that were being shipped at that time weren’t good.

However, the report adds, “You know Jony. He’s kind of a cherub. I liked him right away. And I could tell after that first meeting that [former Apple CEO Gil Amelio] had wasted his talent,” Jobs later told Schlender.

The book also talks about how musician Neil Young tried to make peace with Jobs. “In Young’s worldview, analog recorded music is unequivocally the best, and the shift from records to CDs to compressed audio files has led to inferior sound fidelity. And he certainly wasn’t shy when it came to speaking his mind about the iPod and iTunes,” adds the report.

However, Jobs took the criticism quite seriously. “Young tried to quash the beef by offering him a set of remastered vinyl editions of every album in his catalog,” Schlender reportedlywrites in the book.

Google Translate plans to add 400,000 new Bangla words

The Bangladesh government will add 400,000 new Bangla/Bengali words to Google Translate on its Independence Day on March 26 in a bid to enrich the language on the Internet, media reported on Friday.

“To put Bangla on top of everything, we’re going to create history on the Independence Day,” said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak, according to a bdnews24.com report.

“We’ll take Bangla on top by adding 400,000 words to Google Translate on March 26 with participation from everyone from home and abroad,” he said.

The initiative, christened “Banglar Jonnyo Char Lakh” (400,000 for Bangla), is being jointly organised by Bangladesh’s ICT division, Bangladesh Computer Council and Google Developer Group Bangla.

Palak said that the inclusion of so many words on the Internet in a single day would be a new record.

The state minister said that 65,000 Bangla words were added to Google Translate on February 21, the second highest after Spanish on that day.

Bangladesh Open Source Network’s general secretary Munir Hossain said that anyone could add new words or sentences to it by going to the Google Translate website.

Google Translate is a free online language translation service that supports 90 languages, according to Google.

Palak said that about 4,000 people would directly work at more than 50 points across Bangladesh on March 26 to add Bangla words to Google Translate.

Volunteers from Australia, Portugal, the US, Britain and other countries will also join the effort.

Those interested to join the efforts will have to get themselves registered.

Anyone who could add 1,000 new Bangla words would get an electronic certificate from Google, Palak said, adding that the search engine giant would publish the number of Bangla words added to it on March 26.

Moreover, Google will also take the person, who will add the maximum number of Bangla words between February 21 and April 14, on a three-day study tour to its Singapore office.

“(The) collection of Bangla words on the Internet is not that rich even though it is the seventh most spoken language in the world,” Palak said.

“We can easily enrich Bangla on the Internet by adding new words to Google Translate,” he added.

Sony launches PlayStation Vue online TV service at $50/month

Sony launched its PlayStation Vue Web video service in three cities, targeting customers looking for cheaper alternatives to cable with packages starting at $50.

The Web and cloud-based television service, which allows users to access live TV and on-demand video, has been in test mode since November. Sony joins several new competitors in online video services with one of the largest packages of channels.

Vue will be available initially on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia starting Wednesday, then expand to other cities and for iPad users shortly.

Sony’s service will have more than 85 channels, including programming from three major networks, CBS, Fox and NBC Universal in addition to media companies Discovery Communications , Scripps Networks Interactive, Turner Broadcasting and Viacom. The $50-per-month starter package offers over 50 channels.

AMC Network content will also be available from April, said Eric Lempel, vice president of business and operations, Americas at Sony Network Entertainment. More content deals were in the works, he added.

Viewers can also opt for a $60-a-month package that also includes local sports channels. A $70-a-month service adds some music, lifestyle and family channels, Sony said.

PlayStation Vue will compete with Dish Network Corp, which unveiled a $20-a-month video streaming service, named Sling TV, targeted at younger consumers who shun pricey cable and satellite subscriptions. Netflix and Amazon have been offering on-demand online video content through licensing deals with media networks for years.

Wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc is gearing up to launch its own online video service this summer.

Sling TV is available through Internet-connected devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Google’s Nexus Player for TVs, tablets, computers and smartphones and includes TV programming from ABC, ESPN and Maker Studios, Time Warner’s TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel.

Apple is in talks with programmers to offer a slimmed-down bundle of about 25 channels, including ABC, CBS and Fox networks this fall, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

That would be available across all devices powered by Apple’s iOS operating system, including iPhones, iPads and Apple TV set-top boxes, the newspaper said.

Facebook offers payments through Messenger app; coming soon to Android, iOS

Facebook said it is adding a new feature to its messaging app that allows friends to send and receive money through it.

Users can tap or click a dollar icon in a new chat window to send money to their friends, after they link a Visa or MasterCard debit card issued by a U.S. bank to their accounts.

The free feature will roll out over the next few months for users in the United States who access Facebook Messenger through desktop computers or Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems on mobile devices.

Users can create a PIN or enable Touch ID if they have an iPhone to add a level of security to the payments.

Snapchat had launched a similar service last November, called Snapcash.

The mobile messaging company partnered with online payments company Square to allow Snapchat users to link their debit cards to their account and quickly send money to a contact by starting a chat on a smartphone.

Clean Reader, an app to get rid of cuss words from e-books

If you want to read a best-selling novel, but don’t like the cuss words in it, this app is for you. The new app called Clean Reader scans books to get rid of any words readers might find “offensive”.

It comes with three settings – “clean”, “cleaner” and “squeaky clean”. The app has been developed by Idaho couple Jared and Kirsten Maughan.

The idea struck them when they had trouble finding books on their daughter’s reading level that didn’t contain “pretty significant swear words.

“In order to challenge her as a reader we had to present her with books that were a little bit older,” Jared was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

The Maughans thought that with all the technology that exists today, there had to be an app for that. But much to their disappointment, there wasn’t one.

That’s when the couple decided to make an app that their daughter, and potentially millions of others would use.

The app is currently available for free in both the App Store and Google Play. But one will have to purchase any of the books they want “cleaned” inside the app.

It has more than one million titles to offer.

“We believe there are lots of people around the world that would rather read books without seeing excessive profanity. These are exactly the people we hope to serve with Clean Reader,” Jared added.

Apple plans to launch online TV service in September: Report

Apple is in talks with programmers to offer a slimmed-down bundle of TV networks this fall, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The service would have about 25 channels, anchored by broadcasters such as ABC, CBS and Fox, and be available across all devices powered by Apple’s iOS operating system, including iPhones, iPads and Apple TV set-top boxes, the newspaper said.

Apple has been talking to Walt Disney Co, CBS Corp, and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc and other media companies to offer a “skinny” bundle with well-known channels like CBS, ESPN and FX, leaving out the many smaller networks in the standard cable TV package, the Journal said.

The service is expected to be launched in September.

The talks do not involve NBCUniversal, owner of the NBC broadcast network and cable channels like USA and Bravo, because of a falling-out between Apple and NBCUniversal parent company Comcast Corp, the newspaper said.

Apple and Comcast were in early-stage discussions last year to offer a streaming-television service that would allow Apple set-top boxes to bypass congestion on the web.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said the company does not comment on rumor and speculation. Fox and CBS declined to comment.

WhatsApp voice-calling feature is now available to all Android users

Update]: The invite feature has been disabled for the time being. So all those who have WhatsApp calling activated, can make WhatsApp calls to their family and friends, but will not be able to activate the calling feature on those phones.

According to AndroidPolice, the voice-calling can be activated is by receiving a call from someone whose voice-calling is already activated. After you get the call, you need to close and then reopen the app. After that, instead of seeing the most recent chats, you will get three tabs namely Calls, Chats and Contacts. The call tab shows incoming, outgoing and missed calls at the precise times.

This time around WhatsApp has decided to keep the invite-window open for longer duration. Unlike some weeks back when WhatsApp had kept the invite-window open only for a couple of hours.

WhatsApp has been beta-testing the voice-calling feature for quite a while now. We had earlier seen, how WhatsApp was testing this calling feature in India. A Reddit userpradnesh07, even got the feature activated on his phone. According to the images posted, users who receive the voice-calling feature will notice an icon for it, beside the Chats and Contacts tabs. The call interface seems to quite similar to a smartphone’s contact directory. The app keeps a record of recent WhatsApp calls as well.

Last week we read about a malware which was promising access to the WhatsApp voice-calling feature. According to the Daily Star, if users clicked on a link, they were taken to another website where they were asked to take a survey on behalf of the popular messaging service. However, the survey forces people to download applications and software that might contain dangerous malware.

Facebook to buy TheFind; will help make its ads more relevant for users

Facebook

says it bought shopping search engine TheFind to help boost its advertising business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the next fewweeks.

TheFind, which was founded in 2006, will shut down and some of its key employees will work at the social media company. TheFind lets users search for items to buy from websites or in local stores. It is based in Mountain View, California.

In a statement Friday, Facebook said that TheFind will help make its ads more relevant and better for its users.

Shares of Facebook Inc., based in Menlo Park, California, slipped 5 cents to $78 after thestock market closed.

Earlier this year, Facebook bought video startup QuickFire that helps view high-quality video with low bandwidth. Facebook’s acquisition of the video technology company came a day after it said in a blog it averaged more than 1 billion video views every day since June 2014. The social network revealed that video posts per user are up by 75 percent around the world, and 94 percent in the US.

Official: WhatsApp voice-calling feature now available for Android users

According to AndroidPolice, the voice-calling can be activated is by receiving a call from someone whose voice-calling is already activated. After you get the call, you need to closeand then reopen the app. After that, instead of seeing the most recent chats, you will get three tabs namely Calls, Chats and Contacts. The call tab shows incoming, outgoing and missed calls at the precise times.

This time around WhatsApp has decided to keep the invite-window open for longer duration. Unlike some weeks back when WhatsApp had kept the invite-window open only for a couple of hours.

Google to open first UK ‘garage’ to fix small firms’ web problems

Google launched its first “digital garage”, a multi-million pound project it said would help 200,000 small British businesses harness the Internet to grow.

The U.S. company, which has been under fire in Europe for its dominance in search and other digital services, said last month it would train 1 million Europeans in Internet skills by 2016, including building an online hub to support small enterprises.

Its first “garage” – a drop-in centre that will advise on building a mobile website, developing e-commerce and optimising internet search rankings – will open in the northern English city of Leeds on March 30 for six months, before moving to the next of five British cities in total.

Eileen Naughton, Google’s managing director of UK and Ireland, said less than 30 percent of small businesses had an effective online presence, and Google wanted to “jump start” the other 70 percent.

“We understand (small businesses) don’t have the benefit of large IT tech infrastructure and development, and they need our assistance in this area disproportionately more than a large business would,” she said in an interview.

“We’ve never set up an outpost in a city – in a garage – as we have here in Leeds, and offered these services openly. For us, it’s an exciting experiment.”

Xiaomi launches MiPad in India at Rs 12,999; to go on sale on 24 March

Along with the Xiaomi Redmi 2, the company also launched their MiPad in India. The device is priced at Rs 12,999. For now, only the white model will be available. The device will go on sale on March 24 and unlike previous flash sales, this device does not require any prior registrations.

The MiPad has a 7.9-inch Sharp display with an eye-popping resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels and a pixel density of 324 ppi. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The device is powered by a 2.2 GHz NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor with 192-core Kepler GPU and runs on Android-based MIUI ROM optimized for tablets. It is paired with 2GB of RAM.

The device has an 8MP rear

camera

with a Sony BSI sensor along with a 5MP front-facing

camera

. It has an internal storage of 16GB and can be further expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.

In terms of connectivity, the device supports WiFi 802.11/b/g/n/ac Dual Band (2X2 MIMO) and Bluetooth. The device is powered by a 6,700 mAh battery and is available in Black, White, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow colour variants. The tablet measures 135.4 x 202.1 x 8.5mm and weighs 360 grams.

Xiaomi to begin production in India within 12 to 18 months

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi said it would invest further and begin local production within 12 to 18 months in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing markets and currently dominated by Samsung and local firms like Micromax.

The five-year-old Chinese company, whose name means “little rice,” entered the Indianmarket in July last year and its low-priced but feature-rich smartphones have proved a big hit, with sales of over a million phones within five months.

We want to invest deeply in this market, we want to have a significant amount of research and development done here – not only for India but the rest of the world,” Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s vice president of international operations, said.

Xiaomi, already the fifth-largest phone company in the Indian market, is evaluating various locations to set up a manufacturing unit and is in talks with local partners and state governments, Barra said, adding that the process is likely to take at least a year.

Barra’s comments highlight how important the India market is regarded by Xiaomi, valued at $45 billion after a December funding round, said Neil Shah, a Mumbai-based research director for devices at Counterpoint Research.

Barra did not say how much Xiaomi might be prepared to invest in India, its largest market outside China, but the company is looking to put money into start-ups and rolling out service centres.

“The fundamental point is we want to build deeply rooted Indian products because this is a hugely important market for us and there is nothing more powerful than being a local business,” he said, adding that India could also serve as an export hub.

“We are looking at (serving) the domestic market to start with but as we expand into other markets, particularly other markets in south Asia, it could make sense to export,” he said.

In December Swedish telecoms equipment firm Ericsson obtained a court order temporarily halting Xiaomi’s shipments to India, claiming the Chinese company had not been paying royalties on its patents. The matter is pending in an Indian court.

However, speaking at the launch of its latest smartphone in India, Barra said it was “business as usual” for Xiaomi, which sold upwards of 60,000 phones a week last year.

The company, which sells its phones primarily through flash sales on online retailerFlipkart.com, also said it will open 100 stores in India this year to help consumers “experience” the company’s devices, but will not sell them at these stores.

“They will have to go with physical distribution if they want to go beyond the urban consumers who are just buying online and the setting up of a local manufacturing facility would be a step in that direction,” Shah said.

Snapdeal opens storefront with shared computers in Dharavi, Mumbai

For viewers of Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”, Mumbai’s vast Dharavi slum is a byword for poverty, but to online retailer Snapdeal.com it is a battleground for new customers and, it hopes, a source of better margins.

The company’s aspirations are backed up by serious investment from the likes of Japan’s Softbank Corp, which ploughed $627 million into Snapdeal last October, and could soon get a boost from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, which is in talks for another cash investment, a source told Reuters on Wednesday.

Snapdeal trails Flipkart in India’s $12 billion online shopping market, with Amazon.com Inc’s India unit close behind in third place, as measured by gross merchandise volume.

The three are already fighting over India’s 300 million-strong urban middle class, who have come to expect price wars and great deals on everything from mattresses to motors, but as competition intensifies, Snapdeal has begun chasing a different demographic.

It tied up with remittance provider FINO PayTech in November to set up online shoppingservices in semi-urban, rural and low-income residential areas across India.

In Dharavi, India’s largest slum and home to as many as a million people packed into a dense collection of shacks, Snapdeal’s storefront is in an 8 foot by 10 foot concrete room it shares with FINO.

On most days it draws only a couple of visitors, a FINO worker said, while the store next door selling subsidized cooking gas did a brisker trade.

Among slum dwellers, who can place orders on shared computers, popular items include low-end mobile phones and accessories, dishes and shoes.

Because residents have no official address, Snapdeal delivers to the Dharavi center, where buyers pick up their orders and typically pay cash on delivery, said FINO vice president Ashish Ahuja.

BEYOND THE MEGACITIES

Snapdeal is planning to set up such outlets across 65 cities and over 70,000 rural areas by the end of this year as it tries to steal a march on rivals with this poor but vast market segment. Research firm Etailing India estimates the online market will be worth $100 billion by 2021, with 60 percent of that business coming from India’s small towns and cities.

“The metro cities are not the majority sales contributors for us anymore; it is the non-metro cities that bring more sales,” said Sandeep Komaravelly, senior vice president of marketing at Snapdeal.

Komaravelly said partnerships like the one in Dharavi contributed only a tiny share ofcurrent revenue, but the company was drawn to the untapped potential.

Amazon India and Flipkart are also looking beyond the big cities of Delhi and Mumbai for the next round of growth.

Amazon’s India head, Amit Agarwal, said the company was expanding its next-day and two-day delivery services to hundreds of new neighborhoods, and tying up with corner stores and kiosks to act as pick-up points.

Flipkart, which has expanded delivery to remote areas and partnered with the Indian postal system for reach in remote towns and cities, was not available to comment.

The company, backed by Accel Partners and Tiger Global, is valued at $11 billion currently, according to investors. Snapdeal is looking for a valuation of around $7 billion.

Conversations with investors are increasingly revolving around how to increase margins, which would eventually mean e-commerce sellers would have to do away with the deep discounts that have fueled their growth, private equity sources said.

“There is enough money now, but it will soon dry up,” said an executive at a private equity firm that has invested in Indian e-commerce companies.

“There is definitely investor pressure to increase margins. The sentiment is that if the tide turns, will the companies be able to sustain themselves?”

Xiaomi Redmi 2 vs Motorola Moto E second gen vs Lenovo A6000: Battle of the budget phones

he real battle of the budget smartphones in India has just begun. The year kicked off withLenovo launching the A6000, and this week both Motorola and Xiaomi bring their much-talked-about new budget smartphones to India. Interestingly, all three smartphones are priced at Rs 6,999. We’ve put them in the ring, to check which one emerges as the winner, at least on paper.

Xiaomi Redmi 2

Redmi 2 to go on sale on March 24

As expected, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 2 that will hit store shelves on March 24 via the usual flash sale. The smartphone sports a 4.7-inch HD IPS display with 1280 x 720 pixels of resolution, with a pixel density that goes up to 312ppi. It is 9.4mm thin with matte touch backcover, along with fingerprint and grease resistance. Under the hood, it comes powered by a 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor paired with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 306 GPU. The Redmi 2 is a 4G dual-SIM handset where both the slots support 4G. It comes with USB OTG and runs on Xiaomi’s own MIUI 6 skin over Android 4.4 KitKat.Some other specs include 8GB onboard storage, 8MP rear

camera

, 2MP front-facing and supportfor Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS besides 4G LTE (TDD/FDD) network support. It will be available in pink, yellow, green, grey and white colour variants.The company also plans to launch a Limited Edition soon with 16GB storage and 2GB RAM.

Moto E second generation

Moto E second gen now in India

The all-new Moto E sports a 4.5-inch display with 540 x 960 pixels resolution, and runs the latest Android flavor – 5.0 Lollipop. The 3G version of the Moto E is powered by 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 32-bit processor and a 400MHz Adreno 302 GPU. It also includes 1GB of RAM. It comes with an internal storage of 8GB that can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card slot. In terms of camera, it gets a 5MP rear snapper along with an auto focus sensor and includes features like geo-tagging, panorama, and HDR. It also comes with a front-facing VGA camera.The LTE version has a 1.2GHz quad-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and a 400MHz Adreno 306 GPU. The 4G LTE version is expected to be launched in India by May. Check out our first impressions of the new Moto E.

Lenovo A6000

Lenovo A6000!

The Lenovo A6000 comes with a large 5-inch 720p HD display and is powered by a 64-bit, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, paired with 1GB of RAM. The A6000 is a dual-SIM smartphone, which supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, and weighs 128 grams. The Lenovo A6000 comes with stereo speakers, which work on Dolby Digital Plus technology. It has an internal storage of 8GB, expandable up to 32GB. It also gets an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, which sports the Vibe UI 2.0 skin. It comes with a 2,300mAh battery, which Lenovo claims can provide up to 13 hours of calls and up to 11.5 days on standby. Check out our first impressions of the new Lenovo A6000.

Micromax launches two 4K UHD TVs starting from Rs 39,990 for the 42-inch mode

Micromax has some new announcement in the TV segment. It is launching 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) TVs. The TVs will come in two variants – the 42-inch Micromax 42C0050UHD and the 49-inch Micromax 50K2330UHD.

The unique aspect of these new launches are their pricing. The 42-inch one will cost Rs 39,990 and the 49-inch one will come at Rs 49,990. As far as 4K UHD TVs go, these are the lowest prices we have seen.

Both the TVs will be selling exclusively on Flipkart from 13th March onwards. The 49-inch TV comes with a golden-coloured metal frame and glass-finish back and has 2x HDMI and 3x USB ports whereas the 42-inch TV comes with 3x HDMI and 3x USB ports. Both TVs will have a native resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.

Micromax has also ensured that both the TVs are smart TVs thanks to the fact that both TVs run Android OS. The 42-incher runs Android 4.2 whereas the 49-inch one runs Android 4.4. Both TVs will have access to the Google Play Store. It will also come with pre-loaded apps such as

Facebook

. Twitter, Gmail and so on.

Navigation will be via a Smart Somato-Sensory remote control, which works similar to the air mouse. This makes navigation around the smart TV easy and also works as a controller for a lot of the pre-installed

games

The TVs come with a 2.2GB of internal storage, which is expandable to 32GB. It houses a dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. Other features include DLNA, Wi-fi, screen mirroring, USB connectivity and HDMI ports.

Samsung Electronics raises production target for new Galaxy phones - Electronic Times

(Reuters) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) has raised its production target for the new flagship Galaxy smartphones following positive market reception, the Electronic Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The South Korean paper, citing an unnamed source, said Samsung increased its total production target for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge devices to 8 million units for April from 7 million previously. The company's production target for March remained unchanged at 5 million units, according to the paper.

A Samsung spokeswoman said the company did not comment on rumours or speculation.

Designed from scratch in an operation dubbed "Project Zero", the Galaxy S6 and its curved-edges variant are critical for Samsung's plans to reverse plunging smartphone revenues that led to its first annual earnings fall in three years in 2014.

The new phones have been well-received for the revamped design and various technological improvements, prompting some brokerages to increase shipments forecasts for Samsung smartphones this year. They will start selling in 20 countries on April 10.

Microsoft launches Lumia 435 exchange offer for Nokia Asha users

In an attempt to boost sales of the low-cost Lumia 435 Windows smartphone, Microsoft today announced the Smart Exchange offer for existing Nokia Asha smartphone users. The Smart Exchange offer is valid for existing consumers of Asha 305, Asha 306, Asha 308, Asha 309, Asha 310, Asha 311, Asha 500, Asha 501, Asha 502 and Asha 503.

The Smart Exchange offer is valid till April 15 or till stocks last. Existing consumers of Asha 500, Asha 501, Asha 502 and Asha 503 will get an assured discount of Rs 1,500 and an assured discount of Rs 1,000 for Asha 305, Asha 306, Asha 308, Asha 309, Asha 310 and Asha 311 users. This discount is applicable on MRP of Lumia 435 which is Rs 5,999.

Also, mobile payments service Paytm will offer all Lumia 435 owners Rs 1,250 cashback of recharges through the Paytm app during the offer period (Rs 250 per transaction).

Specs of Lumia 435:

Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim

4-inch WVGA 800×480 screen

1560 mAh battery

Dual Core Snapdragon 200 processor

Main camera- 2 MP, Lumia Camera

Front facing camera- VGA 0.3 MP

1GB RAM

Memory- 8GB + up to 30 GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB

Android rolls out 5.1 update to Lollipop; improves stability and performance

Google announced that they are rolling out Android 5.1 Lollipop, an update which improves stability and performance along with a couple of new features such as support for multiple SIM cards, Device Protection and high definition (HD) voice on compatible phones. This would be the first major update to Android Lollipop since its release.

Google made the announcement on their Official Android Blog where they mentioned that Android 5.1 Lollipop will also provide enhancements such as the ability to join Wi-Fi networks and control paired Bluetooth devices directly from Quick Settings as well. It also added that with Android Lollipop 5.1, users can now use more than one SIM card on a device with multiple SIM slots.

An additional feature called Device Protection has also been added in situations where if you lose your phone or if its stolen, it will remain locked until you sign in with your Google account, even if someone resets your device to factory settings. According to the blog, this feature will be available on most Android phones and tablets shipped with Android 5.1 in addition to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.

The Android 5.1 Lollipop update will also bring in high definition voice calling on mobilephones. Dave Burke, VP of Android Platform posted on the blog that users will get crystal clear calling with HD Voice between compatible Android 5.1 devices like the Nexus 6 on carriers such as T-Mobile or Verizon.

This is no iPhone: Tech experts declare Apple Watch ‘confusing’

Apple unveiled their highly anticipated device, The Apple Watch, at an event held last night.

Though the device was first announced back in September, Apple did not allow anyone to have a closer look at it, until now. So what’s the initial verdict? We take a look.

To begin with the basics, the Apple Watch is available in two sizes -38mm and 42mm – which are specially designed for men and women, keeping wrist size and choice in mind. In terms of design, the company hasn’t made any changes from when they revealed the device last September.

But neat-and-clean hardware aside, a few tech experts seem to have experienced some issues while using the device.

A hands-on article on the Apple Watch by Nilay Patel from The Verge complained that, “it is really confusing to have both the Digital Crown and the communications button next to each other on the side.” He also added that, “As I tried to navigate the Watch interface, I found myself pressing one or both several times, without knowing which one would take me to the home screen, back out of an app, or launch a feature.”

He felt that not being able to intuitively navigate an Apple device was strange. Although Patel admits that the difficulties he faced with the device may just be rank unfamiliarity which could improve once users spend more time with the device.

The question he raises however, could be a critical one for Apple: Is it worth having this device on your wrist at all times?

Patel’s doubts were shared by Business Insider’s Matt Rosoff, who said his initial impression of the device was, “Its complicated”. And this was despite the fact that he sat through an hour of watching Apple employees demonstrate the new Watch which was followed by a 15 minute demonstration on his own wrist. He says a lot of the confusion could stem from the fact that users will need to scroll up and down with their fingers and sometimes use the digital crown. H

Rosoff is of the view that Apple Store employees will have to spend some real time with customers explaining what the device can actually do apart from merely demonstrating it to the public.

He is not alone in this assessment of the device. Confusion seemed to be a common theme for most of the reporters who had the chance to try out the Apple Watch.

Chris Velazco from Engadget praised the Watch for its elegant design and occasionally its modes of interaction, but also added that the device was just not as immediately easy to wrap around your hand as the iPhone was. He was pleased to know that Apple is planning a very ‘hands-on approach’ in the trying-and-buying process for the Watch, given that he himself mostly found himself pausing from time to time while using the device.

On the contrary, TechCrunch’s Darrell Etherington offered some positive insights for Apple’s latest gadget, or as Tim Cook would call it, “a companion”. He mentioned that Apple’s ‘taptic’ touch engine works wonderfully in the new wearable. He added that various apps such as the health and fitness software along with the camera remote make good use of the limited screen space and the input system ensures that you are never more than a couple taps away from sending messages to friends or loading up Apple Pay to use at a compatible retailer.

A very interesting point pointed out in the report was that, Apple’s biggest strength with the Watch is just how much it feels like a regular watch. He said that it was rather surprising how many smartwaches miss this seemingly modest target.

Apple Watch will be available to consumers in a month’s time, which is 10th April. Only then will we know how useful and appealing it is to the crowd.

WhatsApp scam: Do not accept invitation to try the new ‘calling feature’

WhatsApp users across the world are being targeted by cyber scammers who are circulating fake messages inviting users to test the new calling feature that fills the phone with dangerous malware.

According to the Daily Star, if users click on the link, they are taken to another website where they are asked to take a survey on behalf of the popular messaging service.

However, the survey forces people to download applications and software that might contain dangerous malware.

WhatsApp has not announced the calling feature officially. However, some users claim to have used it.

WhatsApp calling feature is one which is eagerly being looked forward to by everyone. We have read news about how WhatsApp is testing this feature in India. Also WhatsApp hadactivated the invite-feature for some users for a short period of time last month, so those users can still use WhatsApp calling feature. It has however, not been officially rolled out. By that limited time invite method, a person could activate their friends’ WhatsApp calling feature by giving them a call via WhatsApp. This feature has since been disabled.

It seems like WhatsApp has become a hotbed for cyber scammers. Back in January, one of our team members had got a random message with a contact card to call a certain ‘Diya’, whose number gave an Ivory Coast address. Using pictures of women and sending spam links on social media is a fairly tried and tested method of ensuring chaos on the Internet. Very often gullible users tend to fall for such scams and might even go on to add such a person on WhatsApp, which is dangerous as this person could try and get personal information such as bank account details, email passwords by trying to be friends them.

Back in 2012, another message was doing the rounds which promised lifetime free WhatsApp usage provided the user sent a message to 10 other friends and so on.

Internet should be open to all, says Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Terming India as an important player in Internet governance, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the future architecture of the Web should not be a prerogative of a few and should be open to all.

“India is an important player on international stage of Internet governance. I am happy that USA has decided that the entire oversight mechanism must end by September 2015 or year end,” Prasad said during an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers event here.

A non-profit organisation, ICANN is responsible for technical maintenance work of central Internet address pools. Last year in March, the US government had announced that it was ready to transfer its stewardship of the important Internet technical functions to the global Internet community.

ICANN’s contract with the US Government expires in September this year. It is currently working on the transition proposal and has welcomed comments of governments, private sector, civil society, and other Internet organisations from over the world on the future architecture of Internet.

“What shall be the future architecture, we are discussing, we are debating, lot of inputs are coming. Since it is in a stage of evolution, I have to await my final call on it,” Prasad said.

He added that Internet must be equitable, effective, open for all and no one should be able to claim early arrival benefit. “Internet is one of the finest creations of human mind. It can’t become a prerogative of few. Internet has to connect with local to become global,” he said.

ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade said India is central to what the Internet is at the global level.

“I know everyone speaks about Digital India, but digital world without Digital India simply loses its digital way. India is not simply getting into the digital world, India is already an incumbent, a driver in the Digital world in every sense of the word,” he said.

He said he came to India in October 2013, but since then India’s place at the global level has taken a new energy that is remarkable.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Watch: Design, features, price and availability

Finally, Apple’s highly anticipated Watch is here! There has been a lot of talk about what features it may adopt and what may be given a miss in the first iteration of the Apple ever since the Watch was announced last year in September. As the device is ready to hit store shelves in April, here’s all you need to know about the Watch.

Design and display

The Apple Watch features a squarish screen and will be coming in three distinct collections and two different sizes. The Watch is crafted from custom alloys of polished or space black stainless steel (Apple Watch), space gray or silver anodized aluminum (Apple Watch Sport) and 18-karat rose or yellow gold (Apple Watch Edition). The two different screen sizes are 38 mm and 42 mm. The 38 mm: 21.2 x 26.5 mm, 33.5 mm (1.32 in) diagonally, 272 x 340 pixels; while 42 mm: 24.3 x 30.5 mm, 39 mm (1.5 in) diagonally, 312 x 390 pixels.

With two sizes and three different editions, Apple has also introduced six different straps. These are a sports band; the Milanese Loop as Apple has named which has a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh; there’s the Leather Loop which has a magnet for quick fastening; the leather Modern Buckle, which closes with a solid metal clasp; the leather Classic Buckle; and the stainless steel Link Bracelet.

The Sports band will come in black, blue, green, pink and white. The Classic Buckle comes in black and midnight blue. The leather Loop comes in bright blue, light brown and stone. The Modern Buckle in midnight blue, brown, soft pink, rose gray and bright red. The Milanese Loop is stainless steel and the Link Bracelet in brushed stainless steel and polished space black.

Apple Watch Sport sports a lightweight anodized aluminum case in silver and space gray with a Retina display protected by strengthened Ion-X glass along with fluoroelastomer Sport Band in five colors. The Apple Watch collection comes with polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases with a Retina display protected by sapphire crystal. The Apple Watch collection will be available in three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band. Apple Watch Edition crafted from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys are said to be twice as hard as standard gold, a Retina display protected by polished sapphire crystal and offers a choice of straps and bands with 18-karat gold clasps, buckles or pins.

Software and features

Apple Watch serves as a timepiece and can be personalised with watch faces ranging from traditional analog such as the Chronograph face, Modular face, animated butterflies and jellyfish on the Motion face. It goes beyond telling time with specialised functions on the watch face such as the sunrise/sunset, upcoming calendar events or daily activity level. Users can simply swipe up from the watch face for ‘Glances’ that quickly show you information you care about. It could be anything from weather forecast and current location to the music you’re listening to.

Apart from a timepiece, the Apple Watch serves as a communication device to sendmessages, read email and answer calls to your iPhone directly from the wrist. It comes with Taptic Engine that sends notification alerts. Users can also send a sketch, a tap or even the rhythm of your heartbeat. Using the Apple Watch, one can pay for coffee using Apple Pay, board a plane with a Passbook boarding pass, or just raise your wrist to ask Siri for turn-by-turn directions in Maps.

The UI can be controlled using the ‘Digital Crown’. This wheel allows users to scroll and browse through the user interface. There’s Bluetooth 4.0 support, Wi-Fi and Magsafe wireless charging. A custom-designed S1 chip has been used inside the Apple Watch.

For health and fitness, it comes with the Activity app that gives simple visual snapshot of your daily activity with three rings that measure active calories burned, brisk activity and how often you stand or take a break. Using the Workout app, it also provides detailed metrics required during workout sessions for activities like walking, running and cycling. It supports accelerometer, built-in heart rate sensor, GPS and Wi-Fi from the iPhone. The Activity app on iPhone collects your activity and workout data from Apple Watch and uses this history to suggest personalized activity goals.

The Watch lets users request an Uber, check American Airlines flight, remotely control the Honeywell Lyric thermostat and more. It also supports popular apps such as Instagram, Nike+ Running, OpenTable, Shazam, Twitter, WeChat and more. Apple Watch promises to deliver up to 18 hours of battery life. It combines Apple’s MagSafe technology with inductive charging for a quick connection.

Compatibility

Apple Watch works with iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 8.2 or later. iOS 8.2 is available for download.

Pricing

Apple Watch will be available in three collections – The Apple Watch Sport priced at $349 (approx Rs 21,908) and $399 (approx Rs 25,000), Apple Watch priced between $549 (approx Rs 34,400) and $1,099 (approx Rs 68,800) and the Apple Watch Edition built from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys starting at $10,000 (approx Rs 6,27,500).

Availability

Starting April 10, the Apple Watch will be available for preview, try-on by appointment at Apple’s retail stores and also available for pre-order through the Apple’s online store in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US. On April 24, it will be available online or by reservation in Apple’s retail stores and select Apple authorized resellers in China and Japan. Customers who purchase online or in-store from Apple will be offered Personal Setup to customize and pair Apple Watch with their iPhone.

Here’s why 2015 could be the year of wireless chargers

“Got a phone charger you can lend me? No, I need the new type…. Oh, forget it.”

To ease the stress of a dying mobile phone battery and the hassle of bundling wires into your bag, designers are hoping to make 2015 the year of the wireless charger.

Companies at the Mobile World Congress, a top telecom fair which wrapped up in Barcelona, Spain, promised that soon you will just place your phone on a table or lamp stand for it to absorb electricity through a wireless surface.

South Korean giant Samsung included wireless charging capability in its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, unveiled on March 1 in Barcelona. “This is probably the year of the wireless charger,” said Kevin Curran, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers, ahead of the mobile fair.

“A lot of the top-end phones now by default are coming with a wireless charger. You just have to put the phone onto a mat or onto a stand.”

If a phone has a wireless charging receptor, just placing it over the charging pad on one of these items will transfer power to it. The piece of furniture itself is not wireless, drawing its power from the mains, but no wire is needed to plug into the phone.

Standard adapters

Different rival technologies for wireless charging have emerged over recent years.

For their devices, Samsung and Ikea opted for the Qi standard — a system developed by the Wireless Power Consortium, an alliance of 200 different companies founded in 2008. The Qi consortium claims its standard is the most widely used in the world with charging points in 3,000 hotels, restaurants, airports and public spaces. It says its system can be used in 80 models of mobile phone and various types of car.

The product announcements at the Barcelona show “will allow a big step forward,” eventually freeing users of cumbersome charging wires, said Inge Tauber of the German company L&P Automotive, part of the Qi project.

“People have no need to fear that their chargers will become obsolete, because these bases will be compatible with the new generations of smartphone.” Even smartphones that were not made with a wireless charging receptor can be fitted with adaptors in the form of an outer case or other minor accessory costing from about 10 euros ($11).

Wireless charging race

Qi is competing with two other standards, PMA and A4WP, which between them group some 200 other telecom, computing and electronics firms.

The PMA and A4WP camps will merge in mid-2015 “to accelerate the growth of this nascent market,” they said in a statement. Tauber denied this competition would hold back the industry from developing a common standard for compatible charging pads. She reckoned it would drive it towards a “homogenous standard”.

Makers of smartphones have so far failed to find a common standard for any kind of charger, despite attempts such as the European Union’s bid to impose universal chargers by 2016.

Analysts said it was tricky to estimate the potential value of the market for wireless chargers.

The Wireless Power Consortium estimates that 50 million chargers were sold in 2014. According to technology consultancy Gartner, in that year consumers bought 1.8 billion handsets — which typically come with a charger included.

“In the next few years they will all have wireless chargers in-built,” Curran said.

Google making an Android version to power virtual reality apps: Report

nternet giant Google is making a version of its Android operating system to power virtual reality apps, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The California-based company has set up a team of “tens of engineers” to build the version of the operating system that can be integrated in future devices, the Journal said Friday, citing two sources familiar with the project.

It added that Google plans to distribute it for free, much as it did with Android in a move that made it the most popular operating system for smartphones. However, Google’s project faces fierce competition from

Facebook

, owner of virtual reality headgear star Oculus Rift, among others.

The technology made headlines early in the week as headgear makers took center stage at a Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. On Wednesday,

Sony

unveiled a new-generation prototype of its “Morpheus” virtual reality headgear and said a version for consumers is on track for release in the first half of next year.

Smartphone maker HTC and Microsoft with its HoloLens are also heavy hitters in the headgear industry.

Windows PCs also vulnerable to ‘Freak’ attacks, warns Microsoft

Hundreds of millions of Windows PC users are vulnerable to attacks exploiting the recently uncovered “Freak” security vulnerability, which was initially believed to only threaten mobiledevices and Mac computers, Microsoft Corp warned.

News of the vulnerability surfaced on Tuesday when a group of nine security experts disclosed that ubiquitous Internet encryption technology could make devices running Apple’s iOS and Mac operating systems, along with Google Inc’s Android browser vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Microsoft released a security advisory on Thursday warning customers that their PCs were also vulnerable to the “Freak” vulnerability.

The weakness could allow attacks on PCs that connect with Web servers configured to use encryption technology intentionally weakened to comply with U.S. government regulations banning exports of the strongest encryption.

If hackers are successful, they could spy on communications as well as infect PCs with malicious software, the researchers who uncovered the threat said on Tuesday.

The Washington Post on Tuesday reported that whitehouse.gov and fbi.gov were among the sites vulnerable to these attacks, but that the government had secured them. (wapo.st/18KaxIA)

Security experts said the vulnerability was relatively difficult to exploit because hackers would need to use hours of computer time to crack the encryption before launching an attack.

“I don’t think this is a terribly big issue, but only because you have to have many ducks in a row,” said Ivan Ristic, director of engineering for cybersecurity firm Qualys Inc.

That includes finding a vulnerable web server, breaking the key, finding a vulnerable PC or mobile device, then gaining access to that device.

Microsoft advised system administrators to employ a workaround to disable settings on Windows servers that allow use of the weaker encryption. It said it was investigating the threat and had not yet developed a security update that would automatically protect Windows PC users from the threat.

Apple said it had developed a software update to address the vulnerability, which would be pushed out to customers next week.

Google said it had also developed a patch, which it provided to partners that make and distribute Android devices.

Zuckerberg’s Internet.org is unfair: Facebook founder’s pet project faces ire from Airtel, Vodafone

Facebook

’s initiative of offering free internet services for apps and services which have partnered with Facebook and various service providers.

In India Facebook has tied up with Reliance Communications in an effort to bring Internet.org to smartphone as well as feature phone users. But at the Mobile World Congress, telecom service providers such as Vodafone, Airtel and Telenor have made their discomfort clear when it comes to offering free Internet services over expensive telecom networks.

According to a report in The Times of India, there was a disagreement between Zuckerberg and a lot of telcos regarding distribution of free internet services at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The main bone of contention is the billions of dollars worth of investment made by telcos for spectrum acquisition and increasing cellphone tower reach. The main argument leveled by telcos present at the event is that Zuckerberg is serving his own personal business interests by providing free internet access over telecom networks.

At his MWC keynote, Zuckerberg had said, “Our mission is to help people connect. This will help people stay close to their loved ones, and get access to services like health and education.”Internet.org which is available to smartphone as well as feature phone users, does succeed to an extent on that front as it offers free internet services if you are a Reliance Communications subscriber (in India). At the moment, only 33 websites and services are available to users. The bouquet of services span across genres having a healthy mix of news websites such as BBC News, IBNLive, Times of India; educational services such as Wikipedia, Translator, wikiHow; sports websites; Health and welfare services such as BabyCentre, iLearn, Socialblood and so on.

Vodafone chief Vittorio Colao was quoted as saying that Internet.org wasn’t fair. “It is almost like Zuckerberg does philanthrophy, but with my money,” he said. Considering Facebook hasn’t partnered with Vodafone, it is not clear what Colao means when he says ‘with my money’. One can only assume he is referring to the potential loss of customers who may be opting for free internet.org over Vodafone data plans.

Airtel’s Sunil Mittal was also said to have had dinner with Zuckerberg, but had not been impressed with the Facebook founder’s idea of offering free internet calls. This is quite interesting, considering Airtel is the telco Facebook has partnered with in Zambia for internet.org.

That Facebook’s Internet.org programme is in clear violation of the concept of net neutrality, which believes in equal access to all services to everyone, is already under debate. When doing our hands on with the Internet.org website,under the social media section we just saw Facebook, which left out other social media services such as Twitter or Google+.

Even within Facebook, you could only read status messages, like and comment. If you wanted to view photographs on Facebook, you were prompted to buy one of the many plans offered by Reliance Communications. The very concept of having a limited number of partners or web services, immediately puts competing services or apps at a disadvantage.

Telcos on the other hand are already facing pressure thanks to messaging and VoIP calling apps which have hit their SMS and call revenues. Opposing free internet on a telecom network, is a natural progression for them. Not long ago, Airtel had come out with a circular to have a separate data plan for VoIP calling, but later retracted it. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is supposed to release a consultation paper on issues relating to services offered by OTT (over the top content) players including VoIP services.

As far as India is concerned, it is still early days as far as Internet.org is concerned as it was just launched last month. Telcos other than Reliance Communications might face issues in rural areas where users might just opt for free internet plans using internet.org. The net neutrality debate will keep rearing its head because as philanthrophic as it may sound, there is no denying the fact that Facebook will get more users thanks to Internet.org.

Airtel to double 4G network by next fiscal: Sunil Mittal

Flush with an investment outlay of $3 billion a year on networks, telecom firm Bharti Airtel Ltd plans to double its 4G (fourth generation) network by next fiscal as it gears up to take on competition, including the much-awaited foray of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries group.

“We have decided to roll out (4G). We have 20,000 base station now, in March, and we will be doing another 20,000 next year,” Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said in Barcelona. Mittal said funds would not be a constraint for the company’s expansion plans as it is spending $3 billion every year on networks alone, excluding spectrum, and its 2G (second generation) and 3G (third generation) roll-outs are among the most expensive in the country.

The company will be rolling out mobile tower sites to use its 20 megahertz (MHz) broadband wireless access spectrum, which Mittal said is “life saving” as 3G networks are now choking in metros and tier 1 cities. Companies, including Airtel, at present have only 5 MHz of 3G spectrum in select parts of country and the government has put another 5 MHz on the block of 3G spectrum in the ongoing auction. Speaking on the sidelines of recently held Mobile World Congress, Mittal said Airtel, through its newly inked partnership with China Mobile, will try to bring down price of the smartphones that can support all networks, to below Rs.6,000 apiece in a year to push usage of networks.

“In my view, in 12 months time you will have $100 smartphones. You already have $100 smartphones. What I am saying is it should be multi-mode, multi-band. Customer says give me good speed, good quality network so if he drops from 4G, he must connect to 3G and if he drops from 3G he must connect to 2G,” Mittal said. He said the partnership with China Mobile gives Airtel an “economy of scale” and it will be able to lower its capital expenditure significantly.

Mittal said driving down cost of equipments, devices, setting up standards for next generation technology like 5G (fifth generation) and exchange of best practices are main objectives of this partnership without any equity transaction. “Funding is not a constraint. Every year we are spending $3 billion into networks other than spectrum. Our roll-outs of 3G, 2G are the most expensive roll-out in the country,” he said. On the growth potential of 4G networks in the country, Mittal said Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm put together will be 10% of China Mobile’s 4G network by 2015-16.

Xiaomi may launch Redmi 2 budget smartphone in India soon

Xiaomi’s latest budget smartphone, Redmi 2, may enter the Indian market this month.

The company has started running a contest on its Facebook page that shows a word puzzle. Users who manage to find the three key features will get a priority pass to buy the company’s upcoming smartphone.

This puzzle includes words like ‘Snapdragon,’ ‘QuickCharge’ and ‘expandable’. These features point at the possibility of the Redmi 2 as the Mi Note doesn’t support expandable storage. Considering the Moto E announcement and discontinuation of the Redmi 1s, it is quite likely that Xiaomi will be looking to bring another entry-level device to India. Given the timing of the contest, it is speculated that the new device may hit store shelves in the coming weeks.

In terms of specifications, the Redmi 2 has a 4.7 inch HD IPS display at 1280 x 720 resolution along with a 312ppi.

The phone runs on a 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor paired with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 306 GPU. It also includes 8GB internal storage which can be further expanded to 32GB via microSD card.

The dual-SIM smartphone runs on Xiaomi’s own MIUI 6 skin over Android 4.4 KitKat. It features a 8MP rear

camera

along with 2MP front-facing

camera

. It is backed by a 2200mAh battery.

In terms of connectivity, it includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS besides 4G LTE (TDD/FDD) network support. It comes dipped in five colours namely yellow, pink, green, white and black.

Apple Watch details surface ahead of launch: Battery life, Reserve mode, and apps revealed

ust ahead of Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event on March 9, some sources with hands-on experience with the Watch have disclosed vital details to 9To5Mac. The sources have divulged details about the battery performance, apps, touchscreen and more.

Earlier, there were reports about how the company will not achieve the target it set for the battery life. Now, Apple has reportedly improved the device’s battery life, and it spruced up to handle 5 hours of fairly heavy application usage. The report further states that the wearable won’t run out of battery during a typical day of mixed active and passive usage. The sources have now confirmed to the news site that the Apple Watch will require to be charged nightly, and definitely not last through a second full day.

Image: 9To5Mac

Apple is also known to come with a Power Reserve Mode that will cut optional services and preserve the wearable’s core functionality. The new report adds that the Power Reserve Mode can be activated using ‘a Battery Glance that’s accessible at any time, or via the Apple Watch’s Settings application’. The Battery Glance displays the percentage of battery life available, time since the last full charge, and also a button that can be used to activate Power Reserve Mode.

Now, the Reserve mode can be accessed even when the battery life shows 100 percent charge. As soon as one activates the mode, it dims the display, slows down communication with the iPhone and even puts the display to sleep after about two seconds of inactivity. “One unit tested allowed access to all Apple Watch functions while in Power Reserve mode, while another unit was limited to the Clock face. We’re told that some test units took between four and five hours to charge up to 100% from 0% via the wall-attached MagSafe charger. This is a notable improvement, we’re told, from fall 2014 prototype,” adds the report.

Talking about the Heart Rate Glance, it is a new feature that will let users see their Beats/minute anytime. The Glance option will show a heart image and one has to tap a button that will start updating the screen with BPM reading. According to the report, the sources who tested this feature told that the reading were displayed instantly and ‘seemed accurate’. We’ve been hearing about the heart rate sensor communication feature, and these readings can also be transferred on the iPhone. The Glances reportedly installed on the Apple Watch by default include Fitness Stats, Activity, Clock, Weather, Music, Quick Settings, Calendar and Maps.

Apple Watch will be out in March.

The report further confirms it comes with a notifications center, just like the iPhone. The notifications can be accessed by simply swiping down the screen. The report further adds that the Clock faces come with an ‘insane’ level of detailing and customizing, and calls the quality of faces ‘incredible’. Each face is supposedly like an app and the company won’t yet allow third-party faces. “The source also said that the astronomy Watch Face is smart: in one mode you can use the crown to scroll through time and see planetary alignments for the whole

solar

system,” it further adds.

Apple watch may most likely support 8GB storage, just like the prototype watches. It will let users store music and play even when unlinked to an iPhone.

As per 9To5Mac, the Watch will come with settings for individual Apple Watch applications that can be controlled by a Companion application on the iPhone. The Companion app with a dark black user interface will allow to control the various settings, music storage and also with re-arranging the icons on the Apple Watch’s homescreen. “This can be done from the Watch itself as well via a long press, just like on the iPhone and iPad. When a user downloads an iPhone application from the App Store with a WatchKit component, the Watch app is automatically installed on the Watch,” it further adds.

According to the report, the sources with the hands-on with the Watch have praised the force-sensing touchscreen interface. They reportedly said “the screen feels like a giant button than you just want to press in the manner needed for Force Touch.” The Watch comes with a Digital Crown input. There is no keyboard input at all. “All forms of input are handled with pre-populated options and voice dictation,” adds the report further. All voice control features are labeled ‘Voice Control, instead of Siri. This version of the Watch doesn’t support replying to emails (no voice support either), and one has to send all replies from the iPhone.

Apple Watch collection

The S1 chip in the Watch is comparable to the Apple A5 chip, as the sources told the news site that the Watch feels very fast. “The sources say that the display will light up when the iPhone is locked for all of the phone’s notifications, but if the iPhone is unlocked, the Watch will not light up for new alerts,” says the report. The report also talks a designer who claims that the Apple watch screen is the best ever like a vibrant digital paper and doesn’t look rendered.

Apple’s Sport Band, the default on the $349 aluminum Apple Watch, will “take time” to get used to, says the report. Apple watch doesn’t come fitted with a ‘power off’ button and reportedly one can do so by long-pressing the ‘communications button’ seen on the right side. It also gets the option to Force Quit an unstable app using the same shut down screen. The Settings app brings the toggle option between Bluetooth and Airplane mode. Wi-Fi doesn’t get a dedicated settings panel and needs to be controlled on the iPhone.

Latest News

News

Sunday, 8 March 2015

Technology

4G LTE to grow fastest; Indians spend over 3 hrs per day on mobile devices: Ericsson report

Google celebrates US astronaut Sally Ride’s 64th birth anniversary with animated doodle

YouTube music streaming service not online until September this year

Google teams up with Twitter to add tweets in search results

The main reason why people are sharing less on Facebook

After dismal 2014, Samsung charts recovery with new Galaxy phones

Facebook announces Riff, a collaborative video making app for Android and iOS

Mattel’s Wi-Fi enabled Hello Barbie doll to launch this fall for $75

WhatsApp working on restoring chat history via Google Drive: Report

Being on Snapchat elicits romantic jealousy

Truecaller updated for Android; brings in new ‘Auto Search’ feature

Xiaomi teams up with The Mobile Store to sell Mi 4, Redmi Note 4G: Report

Google and Johnson & Johnson team up for robotic surgery

Truecaller updated for Android; brings in new ‘Auto Search’ feature

WhatsApp calling for iOS coming in a ‘couple of weeks’

Meerkat vs Periscope: Live-streaming app battle & buzz

Govt to launch ‘open software policy’ to enhance transparency: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Flipkart plans to generate two million e-commerce jobs

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge launched in India starting at Rs 49,900

Twitter will defend its users’ voices, says CEO Dick Costolo

Moto G (second gen) price slashed by Rs 2000 on Flipkart’s Big App Shopping Days sale

Internet is good for spreading education in developing countries, says Pew survey

Facebook reportedly testing ‘Phone’ Caller ID app for Android

Facebook to bring third-party app support for its Messenger

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge launched in India starting at Rs 49,900

Samsung all set to launch Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge in India tomorrow

Keep a watch on your phone: Android Wear watch to help users find a lost phone

Telecom spectrum auction sees Rs 4,000 crore fall in highest bids

Samsung to launch Galaxy S6, S6 Edge in India on Monday: Here’s what you need to know

Google resorted to anticompetitive tactics to improve its search results: Report

Becoming Steve Jobs: Jony Ive was almost fired, Disney CEO Iger knew about Jobs’ pancreatic cancer

Google Translate plans to add 400,000 new Bangla words

Sony launches PlayStation Vue online TV service at $50/month

Facebook offers payments through Messenger app; coming soon to Android, iOS

Clean Reader, an app to get rid of cuss words from e-books

Apple plans to launch online TV service in September: Report

WhatsApp voice-calling feature is now available to all Android users

Facebook to buy TheFind; will help make its ads more relevant for users

Official: WhatsApp voice-calling feature now available for Android users

Google to open first UK ‘garage’ to fix small firms’ web problems

Xiaomi launches MiPad in India at Rs 12,999; to go on sale on 24 March

Xiaomi to begin production in India within 12 to 18 months

Snapdeal opens storefront with shared computers in Dharavi, Mumbai

Xiaomi Redmi 2 vs Motorola Moto E second gen vs Lenovo A6000: Battle of the budget phones

Micromax launches two 4K UHD TVs starting from Rs 39,990 for the 42-inch mode

Samsung Electronics raises production target for new Galaxy phones - Electronic Times

Microsoft launches Lumia 435 exchange offer for Nokia Asha users

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