Business Verdict

Meizu M2 Note is Now Official With A Physical Home Button and Global LTE Support Only at $130

2015-06-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

After a lot of hype, leaks and rumours, Meizu today finally announced the m2 note. Though the phone is priced exactly equal to its predecessor from the company- the m1 note, there’s more than just enough to differentiate between the two.

Meizu m2 note has a 5.5-inch full HD 1920 x 1080p display with an IGZO panel that comes from the Sharp facilities, which should be up to par with other phones, perhaps even more expensive ones. Meizu claims a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of brightness.

The Meizu m2 note phablet comes with a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6753 1.3GHz processor along with Mali-T720 MP3 GPU, 2GB RAM and 16/32GB of on-board storage.

The m2 note features a 13MP primary camera which uses a Samsung-made CMOS sensor. It’s housed behind a five-element f/2.2 lens, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. On the front you get a 5MP snapper with a 69° f/2.0 lens.

Android 5.0, overlaid with Meizu’s ’64-bit Flyme OS’ will take charge of software on the phone, with a 3100mAh battery looking after power supply. The dual SIM phone offers 4G LTE connectivity (FDD- and TD-LTE) promiseing download speeds up to 150Mbps. The phone has a microSD slot for expansion. It is, however, shared with the second SIM slot, so you can't have both at the same time.

The Meizu m2 note will be available (starting tonight) in 16GB and 32GB variants, which cost by 799 (US$130) Yuan and 999 Yuan (US$160) respectively. The phone will be available via JD.com and the official Meizu store in China.

Google Introduces My Account To Manage the Personal Info Google Collects About You

2015-06-02T02:41:00.001-07:00

Google has introduced a new dashboard called My Account to make it easier to handle your privacy and security settings within its services. The tool lets you see what information the company is collecting when using Google.com, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play, Hangouts, YouTube and others.

Everyone who has a Google account can check out the new My Account page and the checkup tools at myaccount.google.com. On the landing page of the My Account service, there are three sections: “Sign-in & security,” “Personal info & privacy” and “Account preferences.” The first two are where you’ll find the step-by-step checkups for privacy and security settings you can use to get a quick understanding of what your current privacy and security choices are. You can change your settings within the tool.

Google My Account dashboard makes your privacy management easier

The My Account dashboard has also an option to delete your entire Google account, and extract your data in the process.

Later on, we will have a detailed walk-through tutorial on how to manage and control your privacy and security on Google.

KFC Sues Three Chinese Firms for Six Wings and Eight Legs Rumors

2015-06-02T01:25:00.000-07:00

KFC, the popular fried chicken restaurant chain is suing three Chinese companies for spreading false rumors on social media about its poultry having "six wings and eight legs".

According to the Wall Street Journal, the companies targeted by the lawsuit are Ying Chen An Zhi Chenggong Culture Communications, Wei Lu Kuang Technology, and Ling Dian Technology. The lawsuit accuses the companies of “misleading the consumer” by posting the inaccurate information on social media, in photos and in articles.

The case was filed in the Shanghai Xuhui District People's court this week. The move comes shortly after Chinese authorities relaunched a campaign "to clean up what they call online rumors, negativity, and unruliness." The campaign seeks to put an end to internet marketers that manipulate "online sentiment on behalf of clients by posting false information about competitors."

A KFC restaurant in China

KFC is demanding 1.5 million yuan ($242,000) as well as an apology from each company for spreading the false information on popular mobile phone messaging app WeChat. KFC also wants the companies to "stop their infringements." KFC China's president Qu Cuirong tells the BBC, "This not only seriously misled consumers, but also hurt our brand."

KFC has been trying to reclaim its reputation in China since last year's meat scandal. In July, a number of chain restaurants in China, including KFC were sold expired meat by a supplier. Footage shows workers picking up the expired meat from the floor and throwing it into the processing machines.

OnePlus One Price Reduced To Only $249 In Flash Sales Throughout First Week Of June

2015-06-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

So after the long awaited periods, here comes a good news for the OnePlus One lovers. The only and most successful flagship killer smartphone from OnePlus will cost just $249 in flash sales throughout the first week of June.

Yesterday the announcement came from the OnePlus Forum that they are going to have a flash sale experiment. The flash sale experiment will last all week, June 1-7. Times will vary every other day, so everyone around the world will have a fair chance to buy.

OnePlus One will cost only $249

Daily Sale Schedule:

June 1 - 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
June 2 - 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
June 3 - 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
June 4 - 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
June 5 - 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
June 6 - 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
June 7 - 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)

Note that this promotion is only available on OnePlus.net. So OnePlus fans in India and Southeast Asia have to wait a bit longer until some country-specific offers pop up.

How to Add a Print Button in Blogger

2015-04-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

The most amazing feature of blogger is that you have millions ways to customize your blog for the perfect look. You can do whatever you want with some simple lines of coding. Today we will learn how to add print button in blogger.

Although nowadays all modern browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Internet Explorer provide the flexibility to print a web page by going to “Print” in their "Options" or "File" menu or by pressing "CTRL+P", allowing users to print blog posts with just a single click is something that is pretty cool. When users can print blog posts with just one click then why they should be doing some complicated processes? In this article, we will learn how to add a print button in blogger.

The First thing you have to do is to log into your Blogger Dashboard. Now After logging in, go to your blog >> Template >> Edit HTML >> Search for <div class='post-footer'> and just above it paste the following code. Once everything is done, press “Save Template” button to conclude the process.


<div style="float: left; padding-left: 10px;">
<a href="javascript:window.print()" rel="nofollow">Print this Article</a></div>

But, it 's a very simple text button. I think you will like some customization too. To give your button a beautiful touch, you need to edit your blogger template with a bit of CSS. You can create any kind of image using any popular photo editing or deigning tool Like Photoshop (or you can simply download a copyright free image from Google too!) and apply CSS to make it work. Here is a small example of how you can stylize your print it button.

<div style="float: left; padding-left: 10px;">
<a href="javascript:window.print()" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ilAK0t4_uCc/VDSPVHyZUGI/AAAAAAAAEys/iE6vT4P_9kI/w85-h24-no/printButton.gif" /></a></div>

Now, lets see what we have done in Business Verdict. You can see that we have placed our print button right after the time stamp.

How to add a print button in blogger

For this print button, we actually have used the wide icon gallery of the popular "Font-Awesome" font. What we have done is that we have embedded the font in the blogger template and placed the icon in the right place and Baam! It's done!!
So first put this code before <b:skin> (To find <b:skin>, press CTRL+F and paste <b:skin> in the search box and hit Enter).

<link href='http://weloveiconfonts.com/api/?family=fontawesome' rel='stylesheet'/>

And then paste the following code wherever you want the print button to appear.

<a href='javascript:window.print()' rel='nofollow'><i class='fontawesome-print'/></a>

That's it. Now you have learned how to add print button in blogger. By the way, what do you think about the print button in your blog? Is it really helpful for the blog users or it is just a waste of space? Let us know.

Check out our other blogger tutorials.

Happy coding! Happy blogging!!

Apple's New Trade-in Offer: Change Your Existing Android Smartphone With An iPhone Now

2015-03-31T06:51:00.000-07:00

Apple, the world's top smartphone manufacturer launched its first trade-in program for non-iPhones in its Apple Retail Stores today. The program allows users of selected Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry phones to bring in their devices and receive credit toward the immediate purchase of a new iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus smartphone (although customers will not get an Apple Watch as a part of the deal).

To qualify for the Apple trade-in offer, the devices must be in good shape and not more than a few years old. Based on the condition of the device, the accessories and its age, Apple will dictate the credit value. The programme is run through Brightstar, which explains why Apple is willing to take non-iPhones for its trade-in.

Change Your Existing Android Smartphone With An iPhone Now

With this announcement, Apple expands its standard iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in program started in 2013.Apple, the premium smartphone vendor made today’s announcement on the individual retail store pages, indicating that the program is so far now available in the U.S., France, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Italy, and multiple retail sources say that the program has indeed gone live today. According to 9to5Mac, a version of the iPhone trade-in program that does not support non-iPhones is launching this week in China.

Katrina Kaif Rare & Unseen Photos

2015-03-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif is a British-Indian film actress and model. Primarily known for her work in Bollywood films, Kaif has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. In addition to being one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses, she is known as one of India's most attractive celebrities by the media.

Kate Middleton Stuns in Pink for Her Last Official Appearance Before Baby

2015-03-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

We’re down to the wire for the birth of Kate Middleton‘s second child! The Duchess of Cambridge, who is reportedly due towards the end of April, is maintaining her track of stylish maternity ensembles through her last public appearances.

Kate Middleton's Last Appearance Before Baby

The Duchess of Cambridge showed off her glow in a bright pink Mulberry coat and black pumps as she toured the Stephen Lawrence Centre in London for her final official event before Prince George’s sibling arrives. She and husband Prince William spent the day at the center for community learning and social research to assist young people and later visited Gipsy Hill and Sydenham in South London to see two projects run by XLP, a charity working with disadvantaged children and young adults.

Middleton wore the style last December on a visit to the September 11 Memorial during her tour of New York City. And this is the second time this month that she has opted for a pink ensemble: On Commonwealth Day she wore a pastel pink Alexander McQueen coat with a Peter Pan collar, paired with a fascinator, minaudière, and pumps in the same hue. Is she hinting at the arrival of a little princess? While that would be lovely, the Duchess also wore a pink coat during her first pregnancy so it’s no sure sign.

Source: Instyle

Olio's Smartwatch Comes with Amazing Features

2015-03-27T05:14:00.001-07:00

It’s not every day I’m impressed by a smartwatch. Plenty of Android Wear and Pebble devices have come and gone and aside from a brief “Huh” I haven’t really let any of them capture my attention. Olio is different.

The brainchild of former Apple and HP product designer Steven Jacobs, he wanted a watch that was rugged, usable, and easy to read. While he was aware of the competition, he used his hardware chops to put together something truly unique: a smartwatch design to combat immediate obsolescence.

Olio's Smartwatch

Here’s what’s up: Olio has made a smartwatch with the same care and concern as the manufacturer of a mechanical watch. Gone are the cheap materials and chintzy bands and the attention to detail – from the beautifully polished bracelet to the unique interface – speaks more to a universality that is missing in Android Wear and an attention to detail missing in Pebble.

The UI is unique. Instead of an endless list of notifications a la Pebble, the Olio has a cloud-based system that only surfaces important messages as defined by the people you interact with the most. There are only a few screens available and the watch face itself displays the number of interactions per set interval of time using fanning lines of differing length. Longer lines mean you’ve received lots of notifications in that period and shorter lines means you’ve received less. Weather is front and center as are the timing tools, and to interact with any notification you answer “Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe.” Jacobs said he based this system on the memo system President Obama uses. The assistant will also, for example, see that you’re late for a meeting and offer to call you an Uber.

Olio's Smartwatch

The Olio watches are surprisingly well-built. From the unique charge coil in the “exhibition” back to the handsome screen, Jacobs has taken great care to create a watch that will survive more than a few years. It’s designed to offload most of its processing to the cloud and display minimal data on the screen. While you could upgrade yearly, that’s not really Jacobs’ goal. The heavy, nearly unbreakable crystal and solid steel case make the piece quite rugged and well worth the price.

I first mentioned Olio in a very sneaky way. They weren’t ready to launch just yet so I bemoaned the fact that they were about to get run over by a Mack truck called the Apple Watch. While I’m sure they can figure out a way to avoid the potential fracas I’m still worried.

The watch will ship this summer and is available for pre-order now and comes in steel and PVD-coated black. It starts at $595 and it works with iOS and Android.

Jacobs is doing a bold thing: he’s trying to create a wearable that will last for more than a season. It’s quite an undertaking and considering everything about this is homegrown – from the interface to the OS to the case – he’s doing a great job. I’m looking forward to seeing this thing in action and I think it will be a great hit with the Anything But Google/Apple crowd hungry for a third player in the burgeoning wearables world.

This article is collected from TechCrunch.

HBO Launching Its Streaming Service Named HBO Now on April

2015-03-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

HBO officially announced plans to launch its online-only streaming service dubbed HBO Now during Apple’s spring event Monday, and promptly managed to confuse everyone with an exclusive that isn’t quite exclusive and a price that’s not set in stone.

Game of Thrones

What is HBO Now?
Think of it as HBO’s answer to Netflix – an online streaming service that gives you access to HBO’s programming, whether you subscribe to cable or not.

The launch date:
HBO announced Monday that HBO will be available in early April, or in time for the Game of Thrones season premiere, which is on April 12.

HBO Now: $14.99 per month

The price:
HBO Now will cost $14.99 if you sign up through Apple. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone will be paying $14.99 for the service. “Prices may vary by participating partners,” the HBO Now FAQ states. That’s because HBO Now may soon also be available though your cable or internet company, which may decide to give you a deal that looks a lot more like HBO’s current pricing. $10 a month, for example, if you sign up for a certain broadband service tier for 12 months.

The devices:
At launch, HBO Now will be available on iPhones and iPads as well as Apple TV and the web. Additional devices are supposed to follow soon, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for Chromecast and other devices during the first three months due to an exclusive deal between Apple and HBO.

HBO Now

Where to sign up:
At launch, likely the only way to get HBO Now will be to download the service’s iOS app on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV and sign up from within the app. Apple got a three-month exclusive deal for HBO Now — with an important exception: Internet and pay TV providers will be able to launch their own HBO Now deals within that time period, but none of those deals have been announced yet. Or as the HBO Now FAQ puts it: “We are in discussions with our existing network of distributors that sell broadband and hope to announce such relationships soon.” And after the three months are over, it’s likely that Google, Amazon and others will start selling HBO Now as well.

Where not to sign up:
On HBO Now’s home page. This isn’t a direct-to-consumer service, which is the biggest difference to Netflix. HBO still wants others to handle the billing and customer relationships, and has no intention to ask you for your credit card any time soon. “No, a subscription directly through HBO is not something that is currently in our plans,” said a HBO spokesperson when I asked her specifically about this.

What you’ll be watching:
HBO Now promises “instant access to every episode of every season of the best of HBO’s award-winning original programming,” which means you’ll be able to binge on Game of Thrones, Girls, True Detective, Veep and more. The service will also offer Hollywood movies after they air in the theaters, documentaries, sports and comedy specials. Oh yeah, and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight will be part of the mix as well. All in all, HBO Now will have more than 2000 episodes of content at launch, according to Monday’s announcement.

What you won’t be watching:
Anything live. HBO Now is a pure on-demand service, and won’t carry a live feed of HBO’s cable programming. That also means you won’t be able to tune in live to any of HBO’s boxing games.

What about the rest of the world:
HBO Now will only be available in the U.S. at launch — expect your streams to be blocked when you travel abroad as well. However, HBO operates in over 60 countries around the world, and there’s no reason that HBO Now couldn’t eventually expand as well. Again, from the FAQ: “We are exploring international opportunities and will provide updates as available.”

Google Releases Android 5.1 Lollipop Update to Nexus 5 and 6 via Factory Images (Download Link Added)

2015-03-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

It has been only a couple weeks since Google released the new 5.1 Lollipop to select Nexus devices, now it has reportedly rolled-out the new version via factory images on the official Android developer forum.

Last week, news broke out that the recently released 5.1 Lollipop failed to fix the nagging memory leak bug (first noticed after the releases of v5.0.1update), which made certain apps to hog phone's RAM memory leading to sudden app crashes on Nexus 5 devices. Consumers panned Google on social networking sites and also on the official AOSP (Android Open Source Project) Issue Tracker for not taking measure to fix the bug.

Later, Google officially acknowledged the memory leak glitch in the Android 5.1 Lollipop and claimed that it has actually fixed the afore-mentioned bug during the internal testing and promised to release another update soon.

Now, the new update with build number 5.1.0 (LMY47I) , has been made available to Nexus 6 and Nexus 5. Consumers can download the factory images (manual download file) from the Google Developers page and flash it on their devices.

As of now, it is yet to be ascertained whether this new update is a software patch for the memory leak bug or not. People who are planning to flash the new Android 5.1 Lollipop (LM47I), please do let us know in our comment section below, if you notice anys changes in the device.

[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of manual software installation of Android devices. If the installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the device getting bricked or may even lead to the device being permanently irreparable. International Business Times, India Edition cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if devices get bricked. Hence users are advised to proceed with caution or just wait for a day or two to install new software with very less effort via OTA].

Here are the details of the software update released to Nexus devices:

Model	Device Type	Software build number and version	Factory images Download link
Motorola Nexus 6 aka 'Shamu'	GSM/LTE	5.1.0 (LMY47I)	Link
LG Nexus 5 aka 'Hammerhead'	GSM/LTE	5.1.0 (LMY47I)	Link

Note: Google is yet to provide the factory image files to Nexus 10, 9, 4, Wi-Fi only version of Nexus 7 (2013 & 2012 editions) and to cellular versions of both Nexus 7 (2013 & 2012 editions)'. For further information, click here.

Reasons Behind Why iPad Sales Are Declining

2015-03-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Source: Internet

Just about everything is going well for Apple right now.

The iPhone business is booming for Apple, Mac sales are strong, and people are getting excited about the Apple Watch. The stock is up. Apple is getting a new, glowing story in the press on a weekly basis.

There's only one thing that's not so hot for Apple, and nobody really talks about it — the iPad. iPad sales have been contracting every quarter, and nobody seems to know why. Since iPhone sales are on fire, it doesn't matter. But, the iPad was supposed to be the next major leg of the stool for Apple. There was even talk it could be bigger than the iPhone eventually. Nobody says that anymore.

So, what's going on? Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha has a pretty straightforward theory: The large smartphones (phablets) are killing the iPad. Why buy a tablet when you could have a big smartphone, which is pretty much the same thing as a tablet?

Here's a chart from Garcha to prove his point:

Phablets vs Tablets: Why iPad Sales are Declining

Article source: Business Insider.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Plans To Give Away All His Wealth

2015-03-26T10:44:00.002-07:00

Tim Cook intends to "give away all his wealth" after providing for his 10-year-old nephew, according to a new profile of the Apple CEO in Fortune.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Plans To Give Away All His Wealth

Cook spoke to Adam Lashinsky extensively on a range of issues, including his outspoken support for a number of social issues. "You want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change," the CEO explained. To this end, once he has paid for his nephew's college education, he intends to give away his fortune to philanthropic issues.

Lashinsky reports that Cook has a net worth of around $120 million, in addition to restricted stock worth roughly $665 million.

By making this promise, Cook follows in the footsteps of other high-profile philanthropists. In 2010, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffet launched the "Giving Pledge" — an appeal for American billionaires to give away at least 50% of their wealth to charity. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, business magnate Michael Bloomberg, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar have all signed up.

Tim Cook has previously spoken about his affection for his nephew and his sense of social responsibility. "I have a nephew that I dearly love that's 10, and when I look at him, and when I think of leaving a world that's not as good as when I entered it, there's no bigger sin than that," the CEO told an audience at New York City's Climate Week in September 2014.

This post has been collected from Business Insider.

Things I Do Every Morning To Change My Mood Towards Success

2015-03-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is a story from Jacquelyn Smith.

I am not a morning person.

I realize that’s a pretty cliche statement — but ask my parents, my sister, or my fiance, and they’ll all tell you how moody and miserable I can be when I first wake up. I usually snap out of it before I get to work, but it’s still not a pleasant way to start the day.

For years I’ve been trying to combat my morning moodiness, so when my boss challenged our team to choose a morning hack to try out for a week, I thought carefully about what I wanted to do. I considered everything I enjoy doing and asked myself, “What could really elevate my morning mood?” I ultimately landed on reading.

Like most people, my attitude is often affected by the tone of whatever I’m reading. So I knew in order for this exercise to work — for it to actually help me start my day on a happier note — I’d have to choose a funny book. I picked “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)”, the hilarious 242-page memoir by actress and comedian Mindy Kaling. I downloaded the eBook on a Sunday night in mid-March, and began the experiment Monday morning.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Here’s how the week went:

Monday

I decided I didn’t necessarily want to wake up earlier to do this exercise (that would make me dread it, not enjoy it) so I figured I’d read for about 10 minutes while eating breakfast and another 20 minutes on the subway. (I usually exercise in the morning, but don't like reading at the gym — it's really hard to read while bouncing up and down on the treadmill or elliptical). I stuck to the plan on Day 1. I got through about 15% of the book — it’s a quick and easy read — and had a few good laughs. Coming up the subway stairs at 23rd Street I caught myself smiling, thinking about two funny lines from the introduction.

One was: “You should know I disagree with a lot of traditional advice,” Kaling writes. “For instance, they say the best revenge is living well. I say it’s acid in the face — who will love them now?”The other line was one I could relate to: “There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.”

I love my job, but when it’s time to get back to the grind Monday morning, I typically feel less than thrilled walking through the front door of my office building. But this Monday morning was different.

I arrived feeling cheerful. My attitude was more positive than usual, and I'm almost certain it helped me be a better writer and editor that day.

Tuesday

Day 2 wasn’t much different. I read for the full 30 minutes while I ate breakfast and during my commute — but I witnessed a pretty nasty verbal dispute between two passengers as I was getting off the subway, which put a slight damper on my morning mood. To get back on track, I finished the chapter I was reading while waiting for the elevator in my office lobby. This instantly shifted my mood back.

I noticed I was more productive Tuesday morning than most mornings. I came in, edited two stories in my queue, and read most emails in my inbox — all within the first 45 minutes.

Wednesday

Day 3 didn’t go as well.

I spent my entire commute reading emails and responding to text messages. I didn't even open my Kindle app that morning. It wasn't that I forgot about reading — I was just distracted.

And I paid for it.

I noticed I wasn’t as upbeat as I had been the previous two days, and I’m fairly convinced failing to read on Wednesday took a toll on my productivity.

Thursday

I got back on track Thursday. Just about halfway through the book, I laughed at least a dozen times (sometimes out loud, sometimes in my head) reading about Kaling’s entrance into the world of Hollywood. This put me in a really good mood. I emailed a friend as soon as I got to work, telling her she had to read “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns),” ASAP. I think I was also friendlier to my colleagues in the office kitchen this morning (I'm not usually unfriendly — I just tend to be quiet and keep to myself in the early hours), and that made for a more pleasant start to the workday.

Just read something that is funny and interesting

Friday

I was out of the office Friday, but continued the exercise. I woke up, ate breakfast, and read for about 55 minutes, until I finished the book. It’s hard to stay how it affected my mood on Friday, since I was in sunny Miami and had little to worry about. But I’m fairly certain it didn’t hurt.

Reading a funny book for 30 minutes every morning did exactly what I hoped it would. Of course the good mood it put me in didn’t always last. In fact, some mornings my attitude turned sour by 10, thanks to a rude email or dull interview. But this morning hack is one I will continue to use because it seems to be the only thing that can make me smile at 8 a.m. on a workday. And, as dramatic as it may sound, starting the day off in a great mood seems to be changing all aspects of my life for the better.

This article has been collected from Business Insider.