Technology and Reviews

Google Pixel Price in India. Features and release date

2016-10-05T09:04:00.001+05:30

Google has released its most ambitious Android phone - PIXEL. There have been so many rumors and big leaks of the phone and they have created the needed hype.

Google has released Pixel in its Google Hardware Special event and Pixel comes in 2 variants and 3 different colors.

Google Pixel goes on sale initially in 6 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and India.

Price of Pixel in India starts at Rs.57,000 and the pre-sales will start from 13-October-2016. Pixel is available online at Flipkart and over 1000 stores including Reliance Digital, Croma and others where you can walk-in and buy your favourite model and color.

Google Pixel comes with a 5-INCH screen and Pixel-XL comes with a 5.5-INCH screen. Both of them come with Google Assistant, Photography, Storage, Communications and also Virtual reality.

The smartphones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and starts at 32GB storage. Both the Pixel smartphones feature an all new 12.3MP rear camera with large 1.55 micron pixels and f/2.0 aperture.

Pav Bhaaji seller declared 50 crore Income Tax papers

2016-10-02T12:56:00.003+05:30

Indian Govt. has been trying hard to bring everyone pay their taxes and be accountable to their incomes before the Income tax dept. Govt. says that this is to get the black money pockets and people with it out into open space. Under this IncomeTax Declaration Scheme (IDS) has been introduced.

Under this scheme, IT dept has been raiding well known and famous eateries in Mumbai, New Mumbai and Thane and this has brought out good results. Few owners of these eateries have declared income on properties and cash in hand close to 50 crore Indian Rupees.

This is by means a biggest road to prove for our decades of belief that road side businesses make lot of money in savings and avoid income tax which many salaried people pay.

Also, note that middle class group is the biggest group in India and they are the people who pay largest section off the income tax share that the govt gets from individuals.

However, many personal tax advisors for these vadapaav, paav bhaaji sellers hear is that they might face a lot of harrasement in the future. Few of the tax analysts have advised their clients to throw big and grand parties and spend the cash reserves so that they end up paying normal income tax and avoid harrasment.

Disclaimer: Original news published in Economic Times. The content is self curated by me for this blog. Only facts are picked up from the paper article. Image from quora.

Beware:: Swiftkey might be leaking private information out to everyone

2016-07-29T22:28:00.002+05:30

SwiftKey is most popular among many of us on almost all mobile devices. Be it Android or iOS or Windows, this app which was bought by Microsoft has been in there for giving personalized word suggestions based on our activity and SwiftKey's machine learning alogorithm. Swiftkey also allows you to sync your keyboard word suggestions to other devices when you migrate.

However, there seems to be a bug in the system and one of the Reddit user has reported having German word suggestions and email id's that he has never used in his entire life on his SwiftKey. All that SwiftKey installation that he had for his rooted Samsung S6 was English UK. See the images below of his SwiftKey settings.

So be cautious and see if there you are facing an issue. This same news was first reported on Telegraph.
Image credits to http://imgur.com/a/TVmes

PokemonGO : New Version : More realistic HoloLens view

2016-07-19T07:36:00.001+05:30

PokemonGo has become the biggest hit ever in the mobile gaming world and has overtaken snapchat in downloads count. But few people like me have not played it and few have left it for its 2D views.

A person called David Robustelli, a VirtualReality developer has developed a VR version of PokemonGo for Hololens. This version is super simple to use and play. A tap of a fingure places the pokemonGo.

Here is the video of that

We created a full immersive @Pokemon Go version for the @HoloLens #PokemonGO #HoloLens #wannaplay #MixedReality pic.twitter.com/CrDgiF2Y6N
— David Robustelli (@RobustelliDavid) July 14, 2016

Brexit? So what exactly is it?

2016-07-04T22:28:00.000+05:30

We have recently witnessed Brits voting to get out of EU that they joined in 1973. There was no referendum when Britain along with Denmark and Iceland joined EU.

The recent referendum has made it clear that Brits want to get out of EU and they see that staying with EU is effecting their cost of living, their jobs etc.

Brexit, short for Britain + exit as coined by the guys following the situation, has shown a huge impact on Britain economy and world economy. Pound, the official money for UK before Euro, has plunged to 31 years low. Markets worldwide have tumbled by more than 10% and now are slowly recovering.

So, what exactly is Brexit? These awesome guys have summed it up in a simple video. Watch it here.

Mocha-Chai Unit testing Nodejs Applications : Part 2

2016-07-03T07:51:00.001+05:30

Many out there believe that unit testing is time consuming and hilariously funny to talk about. When I started out my career as a software Engineer/ Systems Engineer, I disliked my manager when he asked me about the status of my unit test cases. I clearly had a disliking for that. However, 8 years into developing products for large clients ranging from Banking to automotive, I strongly believe that a developer's good healthy sleep lays in good and healthy unit test cases.

So over the coming days, I am making screencasts on writing unit test cases in Node.js using Mocha and Chai. Mocha and Chai are 2 wonderful unit test frameworks for Node.js. Mocha is a JavaScript library for organising our code for both serverside as well as client side JavaScript code. Chai.js is a rich with many assertions for validating our code. Both Mocha and Chai support TDD and BDD style of unit testing.

Here is the Part 2 of the our unit testing nodejs with Mocha and Chai

Android - Best Phones below 10000 Rupees [13MP, 2GB RAM]

2016-06-30T10:13:00.002+05:30

Buying a phone for 10000 rupees was a costly affair in India a couple of years ago. Even if we wanted to buy one, there use to be very very few options.

Asus Zenfone Max ZC550KL (Rs. 8,999)

Coolpad Note 3 Plus (Rs. 8,999)

LeEco Le 1s (Rs. 9,999)

Powered by an octa-core Helio X10 processor, the phone features 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal expandable storage. It comes with 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front snapper.

Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus (Rs. 8,499)

Meizu m2 Note (Rs. 7,790)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Rs. 9,999)

Sailboat iPhone case review

2016-06-29T20:53:00.002+05:30

While I was searching for a case for my new iPhone 6S, I was full of ideas and was looking for something that can make my iPhone look more cleaner and impressive. After searching for a while, I have found that Sailboat iPhone cases look so clean and impressive that they stole my heart.

Stole my heart? Not just that, I think they will even save my heart - my new iPhone 6S. This is an awesome one there in the market. The product is available in India on www.shopclues.com

P.S: Currently am not endorsing any product of this kind, but If you are willing to get an endorsment, surely get in touch with me on Hyderabadrocker007@gmail.com or y.eshwarprasad@gmail.com

Photo credit Etsy.

$4 smartphone starts delivery in India. Amazing story

2016-06-28T11:50:00.003+05:30

Freedom 251, the $4 smart phone that is the cheapest in the world is getting to deliver their phones. The Android running phone, Ringing Bells has committed to delivering a cheap phone under the MakeInIndia campaign. There were many rumours that this is going to be a money looting act from a corporate company at a corporate level.

However, the Goel, the CEO and founder of the company has confirmed the news that they are shipping Freedom251 starting June30-2016. In the 1st phase of delivery 2 lakh mobile devices will be delivered to the customers.

Freedom 251 delivery is starting. Be excited if you ordered one...!!!

2016-06-28T11:42:00.003+05:30

Freedome 251, the Rs251 smart phone that is the cheapest in the world is getting to deliver their phones. The Android running phone, Ringing Bells has committed to delivering a cheap phone under the MakeInIndia campaign. There were many rumours that this is going to be a money looting act from a corporate company at a corporate level.

However, the Goel, the CEO and founder of the company has confirmed the news that they are shipping Freedom251 starting June30-2016. In the 1st phase of delivery 2 lakh mobile devices will be delivered to the customers.

Leaked iPhone 7 photos are here. New features are here

2016-06-27T20:49:00.003+05:30

iPhone 7 is now the most awaited phone in the world. Apple has neither publicly denied making a new phone nor acknowledged that it is making one. However, few tweets from a person named Steve on his twitter account says that iPhone 7 is coming very soon.

The pictures are of good quality and look like they are directly picked up from the production line in China.
The outer case for iPhone 7 with 4.7 inch looks like it is coming with a bigger camera while the iPhone 7 5.5 inch leaked pictures show that it will come with 2 camera in the back with improved lens and focus settings.

No matter what it might be, as of what we stand today, it is clear that iPhone 7 is coming but when and what is the time line is yet to be leaked or confirmed.

iPhone 7: Une nouvelle photo HD révèle la présence d’un 2ème haut-parleur! https://t.co/mr9BjqXfn3 #iPhone7 pic.twitter.com/HaGEBzQ62I
— Steve Hemmerstoffer (@stagueve) June 25, 2016

iPhone 7: De nouvelles photos font surface! https://t.co/NlInzA0Tru #Apple #iPhone7 pic.twitter.com/vozwCZgGAH
— Steve Hemmerstoffer (@stagueve) June 25, 2016

Images are credited to the person from the above twitter account at https://twitter.com/stagueve

WoW, Uber Coupons and Fixed Uber Go price are coming.

2016-06-25T19:39:00.001+05:30

Uber is trying hard to impress everyone in India. They have made a lot of decisions and new business models purely based on Indian market conditions. They have even brought the UberPOOL opportunity that they experimented in China and other East Asian countries over the last few months.

Uber first introducing cash payments specifically for the Indian market and took it to a global level.

Ola the arch rival of Uber in India, has been gaining a lot of momentum and is still in lead. Thanks to its new ways of making customers ride with in. One of the new models from them is Micro for Rs.6/KM and Ola Share.

UberPOOL that started on June-1-2016, has been seeing a tremendous response from everyone. The main reason can be traced to the fact that the amount we must pay for the trip is fixed upfront and it doesn’t change. So happy customers are loving this all possible ways.

Uber, is taking a brave step forward and is taking yet another big business model from India to the Global level – Displaying a fixed price for “Uber Go” upfront for a trip. This means you don’t have estimate fee anymore and no worry of ticking payment anymore. Read more from their official blog here.

https://newsroom.uber.com/upfront-fares-no-math-and-no-surprises/

Special Uber coupons for upto 80% off on your trips. Here is the link for it. https://www.coupondunia.in/uber

WOW, Cello Tape is Anti Virus for Facebook Mark Zuckerberg

2016-06-23T16:32:00.001+05:30

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a super simple yet wonderful way to stop hackers from spying using his webcam and microphone - Use a Cello Tape.

Last week when Instagram had 500 million daily active users badge, Mark at his desk gave a pose like this

However, the twist is in the picture. Chris Olson, a twitter user zoomed the pic and found something weird and posted them on his twitter account here.

Do you have something to add to this story? Have any complains? drop me a mail at hyderabadrocker007@gmail.com and I can pull off this story for you

Affordable Insurance plans this 2016

2016-06-21T20:56:00.002+05:30

Health is Wealth - an old saying. However, you first need wealth to have better health these days. But we all know that health insurance doesn't come cheap. Few of us don't really use it at all yet it is very important that we get the right insurance plan.

You know what? finding a cheap health and yet a best insurance plan can be a long time taking and frustrating sometimes. This doesn't mean that there exists no cheap insurance plans but the tough thing is that qualifying for one of those is a bit complex.

Historical data shows that every 1 in 5 will get to emergency between the age of 25 and 44 due to changing lifestyles and stress involved in that. If you think that this doesn't happen to you, the report also says that a fractured arm can make you pay upto $16,000. There are many cases of bankruptcy that were reported last year due to medical bills.

So what you can do to buy affordable health insurance plans?

Compare them online

There are many sites out there that help you check plans and compare plans and take a note of those plans that tell you that it covers the issues you want to be covered.

Buy from the insurance companies

The sites that help you compare the plans will also offer you to buy the insurance plan at a discounted rate. We recommend you not to buy from these sites and rather visit the nearest office of the insurance you think suites your needs.

Buying from an Agent

Or buy from a recognised Agent who can walk to your home or can spend good amount of time to help you out.

Important and big disclaimer: The points above are not even suggestions. They are just the thoughts that ran in my mind. Do you have any issues with this post? Please drop me a mail at hyderabadrocker007@gmail.com I am okay to pull this post off from the site.

Apple stores for iPhone and Mac close to your home very soon

2016-06-20T21:24:00.000+05:30

Narendra Modi government today eased on how to Foreign companies can open and operate their retail outlets in India. Until yesterday any company that wants to open a retail store needs to have 30% of their product manufactured in India. However, today;s FDI rules have made changes to certain sectors that now helps Apple.

So soon you might see a full glass building that sells Apple products close to your homes. If Apple pushes itself fast based on today's new rules, it should open Apple stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore as soon as 2016 or early 2017.

Also, apple will get to operate their stores without manufacturing a single component of iPhone or Mac or iPad or any of its products for the next 8 years. 3 years as an exemption for 5 more years if they bring in new technology and innovation that doesn't exist in India at the time of revaluation.

Here are few pics of the Apple stores from around the world.
image courtesy: http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/news/iphone-5-countdown-the-worlds-best-apple-stores/

7 honest father’s day gifts that you can give and make your father happier than ever.

2016-06-19T10:05:00.004+05:30

1. Buy him his favourite magazine subscription.

2. Buy him a shaving kit that you think is best in your budget.

3. Buy him a surprise pair of dress that he loves while going out for a walk or early morning jogging. Make sure he looks younger in them than his age!

4. Give him a long hug and thank him for all that he has done to you till date.

5. Give your mom a gift that she has been asking your father. This will make him believe that you have grown enough to think about family members as well.

6. If you are a girl and are looking to get married tell him how you have planned your savings to help him for your wedding day.

7. Cook a recipe that he loves the most! Chicken? Capsicum curry? Anything that he loves!

How a Robot Escaped a Lab and went on its own and scared its inventors

2016-06-18T21:09:00.004+05:30

Russians are 1st to start few things in science and technology. So they came up with a Robot that can think and work independently. The Robot from Promobot pushed its limits with the Artificial Intelligence and left the lab and ran out into the open space before that. The main gate of the facility that was supposed to be closed to avoid this kind of activities was left open and the Robo jumped out.

However, to the relief of the engineers and also to their bad luck, the Robo ran out of charging after moving 50mts from the testing facility.

Robotics and Artificial intelligence are the biggest bets by many Russian and the US firms apart from the Koreans and Japanese. This competition for having better Robots that can mimic the human activities and there by gaining large deals in the name of cost cutting and other things, the labs are going too far. However, this is also a blessing to many out there who needs assistance and supervision.

Who is Promobot? Courtesy: http://en.promo-bot.ru/

Promobot – this is the first on the market, completely self-contained “live” with a robot character. It is designed to work in areas of high concentrations of people in which the robot helps people with navigation, answers any questions, translates promotional materials and remembers everyone with whom had to communicate.

Promobot attract maximum audience of the advertised product, and also excludes people from this process, because it works independently. Suffice it to start the robot, and then the robot will independently recognize people, to offer them to promote products and advise on predetermined topics.

BEST SMARTPHONE FOR 5000 OR LESS IN INDIA JUNE 2016

2016-06-17T19:56:00.005+05:30

BEST SMARTPHONE FOR 5000 OR LESS IN INDIA JUNE 2016

Few of the recent search requests to my blog as per Google were smartphones in low prices in India. So, I researched on this traffic and am here writing them.

The suggestions are based on my understanding and might vary from person to person and based on your personal interests. Here we go for the list.

Panasoni T50

DISPLAY SIZE /TOUCH SCREEN			4.5” inch / Touch
OPERATING SYSTEM (OS)			Android 5.1
CONNECTIVITY			Wifi , 2G, 3G
RAM			1GB
INTERNAL MEMORY			8 GB
CAMERA (REAR)			5 MP
CAMERA (FRONT)			2 MP
FLASH			Yes
SIM TYPE			Dual Sim
PROCESSOR			1.3 GHz
WEIGHT (in Grams)			363 g
BATTERY TALKTIME/STANDBY			1600 mAH

Android-N New name is confirmed and here it is!

2016-06-16T10:57:00.004+05:30

New name for Android that was crowd sourced is confirmed from one of the names that the internet people have suggested. There was even a tip on this in the last month's Google I/O.

So, no more waiting and here is the new name for the upcoming update in your phone for Android : The Android N will be called as Android - Namey McNameface (even the color is this) as per a post from the team that is working on it

RING that saves your life !!!

2016-06-14T20:51:00.004+05:30

I am sure everyone wore a ring in our lives at least once - got engaged! got married! got it as a birthday gift!

But this ring from Nimb is a special one just like every other special ring! This saves your life when you are in a tough situations where you cannot make a call but what to alert and send a panic message to your loved one's about your - whereabouts!

Its a personal wearable device that can send alerts to pre-fed numbers using an app, without any intervention within 3 seconds! You can send the panic msg - even if you hands are tied or fingers are tied!

They have made a prototype and have started a kickstarter campaign. for more information visit their site at www.nimb.com

All the best mates!

Why should government buy Drones?

2016-06-11T12:28:00.002+05:30

In the recent years one of the biggest hardware technologies that have thrilled and made people go for it are - drones. One of the most popular videos on YouTube that were shot off drone are Apple's new campus at Cupertino.

The US government already using a similar but complex technology called as UAV's, there has been a need for such vehicle in smaller size and easy to use one's

With the US government making it mandatory to register the drones with Govt's repository and wanting it to make public tells us on how important it drone's have become in the society. With most drones bought only by enthusiasts, there are more coming into market based on the custom requirements from movie industry.

Yet all the Govt's across the globe are not making the best use of this new technology. It is time that Govt's invest in buying drones to have a bird's eye of the busiest roads and junctions apart from the costly assembly of the CC cameras. With increasing threat from non-social elements, it is more important now for govt's to invest in this new technology and make it more robust along side investments in heavy fighter jets.

Have an opinion? comment here.

The Shoe Lace: Series01 Episode01

2016-06-04T18:56:00.001+05:30

THE SHOE LACE is a series of episodes where you will go on a journey with Avyukta, his family and his friends. Avyukta's life is a simple Indian middle class and his journey is stitched with fun, love, emotions and his experiences. Join us as we narrate you his story.

It is a rainy morning of June. 11 year old Avyukta is very excited as he witnessed the first showers of the rainy season in India. More than the scent from wet soil from the first showers, the house is filled with the aroma of new textbooks, notebooks and new school bag.
Avyukta is equally excited as tomorrow is his big day. 10-June, is his first day at school as he gets into 7th standard and is allowed to have trousers. He has got everything ready for his school. His mom, Lakshmi has got his new school dress stitched.

Which Split AC to buy? Buying a Split AC

2016-04-22T21:55:00.002+05:30

Which Split AC is best? 5 star rated or 3 star rated? What AC should you buy based on your room size? We know you have so many questions! So here we are with the right answers!

The summers have never been this worse! The summers of 2016 in the month of March and April are enough to prove that Climate change is for real! But we need relief not just from the hot afternoons but hot evenings as well.

So here are few questions and the answers for what AC to buy this summer!

Should I buy a split AC or a Window AC?

Buying a Window AC is now outdated! Yet Window AC is cheaper in comparison with Split AC

What is a Split AC?

Split AC has the blower and the chiller unit inside your room and the condenser, the one that prepares the chilled AC is outside the home. This is designed so that you do not get to hear the sound of a working AC. You just need a working AC.

Which Split AC is good for me?

Split AC comes in many designs and colors. Almost all popular electronics brands have multiple models of split AC available in the market today. However, the biggest and the most important factor that decides your AC is the size/capacity measured in TONS. 1 TON, 1.5 TON, 2 TON etc.

How do i decide on the size of split AC?

The size/ capacity of a split AC is decided based on your room size, the number of floors that are above your home, the windows that room has and whether the room is on the EAST or WEST or does it have a SOUTH wall.

So if your room size is between 10X10 to 14X14 then a 1 TON AC is a good one!

If the room size is A-cross-B

A - from 10 to 14

B - from 10 to 14 can be cooled with a 1 TON AC

If there are no floors above your bedroom/home then this must be a 1.5 TON AC.

If you have a room that is above 15 for either A or B then go for 1.5 TON AC

What STAR rated AC should I buy? or Should I buy a 5 star rated AC or a 3 star Rated AC?

If you are going to use your AC for 8 to 10 hours or above everyday, then go for a 5 star rated AC. Else a 3 star rated AC is good enough. There is no big difference in electricity bill savings.

IPL : Why Chasing is Like FREE HIT. Reasons are Here!!! Read On!!!

2016-04-21T09:58:00.003+05:30

IPL - The biggest cricketing festival of the world has lot of viewers and gets a lot of money to the players. Many players who were restricted to local teams and earning very little were suddenly made stars and super stars.

This doesn't mean its only taking! IPL has always given the much needed entertainment to the world over with so much fun, nerve breaking excitement and nail biting pressure!

However, it so happened that VIVO IPL 9 has made more exciting news than ever. After 9 years of start IPL is still seeing houseful crowd.

Under the light chasing has always been believed to be tough! Yet this IPL, chasing has been the success factor!

Most importantly the chasing in the matches has been the talk of the world! Yes!

13 of 14 matches (as of 20-Apr-2016) except for the one that SRH lost to RCB have been WON while CHASING! I am sure many of you might have thought why is this so? Why such a huge win for the chasing teams has been possible!

Few of the reasons for this are -

The Indian summers this time are very hard! This makes the grass dry and the pitch with no moisture at all! This means it's a flat pitch! Yes! a perfect Table Tennis Top!!!
With the on going water crisis because of El Nino effect the water levels have come down and the ground's curator doesn't get to implement what he has in his mind! This means the scope of having green pitches itself has become tough!
No grass and flat surface means NO spinning tracks! Now you know why Ravichandra Ashwin has very few wickets! Same is with any other spinner except for Muragan Ashwin!
The heat winds from the East brings in very hot air and weather that makes air lighter! This means creating low pressure for the shinned blow to swing is less! (Physics - so correct me if am wrong!)
Lot of sweating due to hot weather conditions as well is one of the factors!

Pawan Kalyan and Chiranjeevi combination for Telugu people in 2019

2016-03-31T12:34:00.000+05:30

Many of the Telugu film goers love watching Chiranjeevi on silver screen. Chiru, is known as the Mega star in the Indian film circuit. His younger brother Kalyan entered the movies as Pawan Kalyan and is more popularly known as Power Star to his big fan base. Sometimes referred by media as PK, has the biggest craze in Telugu cinema lovers of 21st century.

Chiru, having started his political career in 2008 with the launch of Prajarajyam Party has got a bi support from his family and mainly from Pawan Kalyan. Kalyan has tourned many places campaigning for PRP in 2009 elections. However, the love for Chiru on screen couldn't be converted to votes and very soon he merged his party into Congress in 2010. Many analysts say that this is one of the main reasons for a gap in relationship between Chiru and Kalyan. Though Chiru has come for many of Kalyan's functions the vice versa never happened.

However with Sardar Gabbar Singh, the scene has completely changed. Chiru and Kalyan looked as close as what they have always been. The love was evident for each other in very picture that was captured. Chiru's suggestion to Kalyan to not leave cinema made his love for his brother more strong in the public arena.

This brings us to a bigger question on what could their journey be going in the coming years? As far as analysts say, Chiru might have some political leaning towards what Kalyan's thoughts are. Chiru's Rajya Sabha term will end by 2018. This means it is few months before the 2019 general elections. With AP facing a lot of heat because of Kapu reservation and having a good percentage of Kapu population, Chiru is a needed face in AP politics for anyone. Kalyan, however has supported to TDP and BJP alliance in 2014. If everything between them works out and the analysis by media comes true, Chiru might support Kalyan and his alliance in 2019.

Until then keep watching and cherish their acting on silver screen.