Techkipower

Track Santa’s Progress, Play Games, Listen to Music, and More with These Two Great Websites

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:51:00 +0530

The big night is almost here, so why not help your little ones have fun and keep track of Santa’s progress while waiting to go to sleep? Passing those last hours before bedtime can be filled with fun, games, holiday music, and more thanks to the two awesome Santa tracker websites set up by NORAD (with Microsoft) and Google!

Here is a look at Santa’s village via the NORAD tracking website. Kids can have fun exploring and choose from a variety of fun activities to pass the time. You can use the menu on the left side of the screen to access various parts of the website.

Onward to the Santa tracker village that Google has set up! You can scroll left or right to access all the buildings in the village. There is also a helpful drop-down menu available via the red button in the upper right corner.

A look at one of the fun games available to play in Google’s Santa tracker village.

Have fun as you explore these fun-filled villages and track Santa’s progress together with your kids!

Visit the Official NORAD Santa Tracker Homepage [NORAD]

Visit the Google Santa Tracker Homepage [Google]

You can find details about a Santa Tracker Chrome extension that can be installed as well via the following blog post.

Join Santa and his elves in the countdown to Christmas Eve [Google Lat Long Blog]

Top 10 tech gadgets of 2013

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:42:00 +0530

Wearable gadgets, curved smartphones and new game consoles defined technology in 2013. That's why it's no surprise they make up the bulk of our top 10 devices of the year.

Some of these devices are essentially much better versions of earlier gadgets, while others are new innovations that are exploring possibilities we haven't seen before.

10. Motorola Moto X

Motorola began advertising the Moto X before it was officially unveiled, partly to generate excitement over its possibilities. The Moto X is assembled in the United States, and buyers can customize the phones to their liking.

Unfortunately, the Moto X wasn't as customizable as most users expected. Buyers can choose the aesthetics of the device, but they can pick between having only 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage. Despite these small disappointments, the Moto X is a trailblazer for customizable devices.

After the release of the Moto X, Motorola lent its support for a Phonebloks-led movement to develop customizable phones. Phonebloks is a concept crafted by a Dutch designer that calls for creating smartphones with modular parts, similar to Lego building blocks.

Motorola is working on Project Ara, which promises to one day let customers pick and choose every part of their smartphone.

The Moto X makes the list (just barely) for its innovative spirit and Motorola's pioneering efforts.

9. LG G Flex

The LG G Flex isn't on sale in the U.S., but it launched in South Korea this year and features promising new technologies that we may see on more smartphones in 2014.

For starters, the G Flex is one of two devices that went on sale this year with a curved screen. Although in my experience the curve itself doesn't offer much improvement when it comes to visual quality or ergonomics, the technology behind it is great news for users in terms of smartphone durability.

The G Flex uses a plastic OLED screen. That type of screen is thinner than what we see in phones today, and it is far more durable than what modern-day devices currently use. You can take the LG G Flex, whose curve runs from top to bottom, and flatten it out on a table. The device still works, and the screen doesn't crack.

Additionally, LG covered the back of the phone with a "self-healing coating." That doesn't mean the device is impervious to scratches, but users don't have to worry much about their keys messing up the phone when in the same pocket.

The G Flex may come to the U.S. next year, but it's still more of a concept phone. Either way, the technologies LG showcased with its curved phone are promising.

8. Samsung Galaxy Gear

Pebble, a small Kickstarter project that went viral in 2012, brought smartwatches to the attention of the tech world. But Samsung introduced the technology to the masses.

In October, the South Korean tech giant rolled out the Galaxy Gear, a watch with a small, square touchscreen capable of running apps, handling voice calls, sending text messages, taking pictures and shooting videos.

The Galaxy Gear seems like everything a spy could want, but it's a first-generation device. That usually means there are flaws, and the Galaxy Gear was no exception. The device works only with select Samsung devices, it lacks any must-have apps, it's very expensive at $299, and it's kind of big for a watch.

Regardless of the drawbacks, Samsung said it had sold 800,000 units one month after the Galaxy Gear's U.S. release.

7. Leap Motion Controller

Leap Motion wowed the world in 2012 with YouTube videos showing an extremely accurate motion sensor device for consumer laptops, and in 2013 the San Francisco start-up delivered on its promise by releasing the Leap Motion Controller.

Slightly bigger than a USB jump drive, the Leap Motion Controller enables users to control their computer with hand motions. The device can be used to navigate around a desktop or play games.

The Leap Motion Controller is on this list more for its technical innovation than its practical use in the home and office. If Leap Motion can roll out more useful apps, the little device could be higher on this list in 2014.

6. Nokia Lumia 1020

The Lumia 1020 is one of the most impressive gadgets we've seen this year, yet it had one of the worst launches.

The Nokia smartphone has top-of-the-line specifications, including a 720p HD 4.5-inch screen and the highest-resolution smartphone camera, with a whopping 41 megapixels. Typical smartphones have 8 megapixel cameras. The Lumia camera lets users take pictures they can then zoom in on without decreasing the quality of the image.

But the Lumia 1020 runs on the Windows Phone operating system, and when it came out this summer the platform was still missing many popular apps. At $299 with a two-year contract when it launched, it was also a bit pricey.

Since then, the Windows Phone system has been beefed up with more apps, and the price of the Lumia 1020 has been cut. Nokia lowered the phone's price to $199 with a two-year contract, and Windows Phone added Instagram, Vine and Waze - three apps that had been noticeably missing.

Now, at a competitive price and with more apps available to flex the device's camera muscles, the Lumia 1020 is one of the best smartphones you can buy if photos are a priority.

4 (Tie). Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One

This year marked the first time Sony and Microsoft released new video game consoles in more than seven years. Sony came out with the PlayStation 4, and Microsoft launched the Xbox One.

The two systems are fairly similar, offering 500-gigabyte hard drives in similarly styled black shells. But the companies are taking different approaches in marketing their products.

Sony is going after hard-core gamers, offering them the ability to easily share video of themselves playing games over the Internet by tapping a "share" button on their game controllers.

Meanwhile, Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be the center of users' home theaters. By saying "Xbox on" followed by a command, users can control their entertainment systems with their voices. The Xbox One can also load up specific users' profiles and preferences by detecting them with the Kinect motion-sensor device.

For now, neither system has separated itself as the clear-cut top choice, and picking between them comes down to users' personal preferences. The PS4 retails for $399.99 while the Xbox One goes for $499.99, but good luck finding either one. At many stores they're back-ordered.

3. Google Chromecast

Chromecast is a digital TV receiver that functions much like Roku and the Apple TV, but at a far lower price and in a much smaller package. The $35 Chromecast plugs into the TV's HDMI outlet and streams content from users' smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers with a Wi-Fi connection.

When it launched, Chromecast worked only with Netflix, YouTube and other Google services. Since then it has been updated to also work with HBO Go, Pandora, Hulu Plus and other online subscription services.

If you're looking for a reliable, low-cost digital TV receiver, look no further than Chromecast.

2. Apple iPad Air

Apple has been noticeably absent on this list until now, and that's because it didn't really innovate in 2013. Instead it focused on evolutionary improvements, most of which were marginal - but not when it came to the fifth-generation iPad.

The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant released the iPad Air - a thinner, lighter, sleeker version of its popular tablet - in November. The $499 iPad Air is 0.29-inch thick and weighs exactly a pound. It's also outfitted with Apple's speedy new A7 64-bit chip, making it perfect for gaming.

The iPad Air is an impressive redesign to an already innovative product.

1. Google Glass

Glass has yet to be released to the public, but no other device has had as much public attention as Google's high-tech eyewear.

The pioneering smartglasses are the most expensive item on our list - at $1,500 a pair - and Google sold them to a few thousand selected users, most of whom seem to have fallen under the device's spell.

Like smartwatches, Glass connects to users' smartphones to perform tasks like playing music, sending messages and making phone calls. Glass can also shoot pictures and record video.

But 2013 was just the warmup. Glass is expected to be released to the public in 2014, and if Google can find the right price and a better design, it may have a huge consumer hit on its hands.

Samsung to launch Galaxy Grand 2 in India next week; device to be priced under Rs 25,000

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:20:00 +0530

Unveiled last month, Samsung has now launched the successor to the Galaxy Grand smartphone in the Indian market. The device will be available for purchase in the first week of January 2014, and while the company has not disclosed an exact pricing for the device (which is weird), it has added that the price will be between Rs 22,990 to Rs 24, 990.

Christened Galaxy Grand 2, the device brings a number of upgrades to its predecessor including an HD display, quad-core processor, and improved battery, among others. In addition, the company has also introduced ‘Club Samsung’, a content store that will enable customers purchasing the new smartphone to get music, videos, live TV and movies directly on the device. The store will be free for the first three months, post that customers will need to purchase the content.

Prior to Grand 2, Samsung had launched a number of variations of the original Galaxy Grand smartphone that included Grand Duos and Grand Quattro. Here is a quick look at the specifications of the smartphone.

Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25 inch HD TFT multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. The large screen offers ‘Multi Window’, which offers better multitasking by enabling users to run one application in two windows at the same time. The handset has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1.5 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

On the camera front, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash, and a 1.9MP front-facing camera for video calling. As for connectivity, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and 3G, and comes with a microSD card slot and a USB 2.0 port. It is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 10 hours of video playback and 17 hours of calling. The specifications of the phablet are 146.8mm x 75.3mm x 8.9 mm, and its weight is 163gm. This one is also has dual-SIM functionality (GSM + GSM with dual standby option), and comes with GPS.

In addition, the device comes with a number of additional features like Story Album- enables users to organise pictures by timeline, and create and print albums from your device; S Translator- a translation service that provides instantaneous translations; S Travel- provides guides and travel information; Sound & Shot- records up to nine seconds of audio with your photos; Samsung Hub- a content service that provides access to music, videos, games and more; Group Play- for listening music, sharing documents or playing games together; and Samsung Link- connects your devices so you can access photos, music, videos and documents from multiple locations.

In terms of competition, the device will face off against the likes of Sony Xperia S (Rs 25,000), BlackBerry Z10 (Rs 24,999), Google Nexus 4 (Rs 24,575), HTC Desire 601 (Rs 23,990), Huawei Ascend P6 (Rs 25,499), and Lenovo Vibe X (Rs 25,999), among others.

Source: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2013/12/23/samsung-to-launch-galaxy-grand-2-in-india-next-week-device-to-be-priced-under-rs-25000/

Govt to soon accept SMS as official document for e-governance services

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:18:00 +0530

Various government departments will soon start accepting mobile SMS as a valid official document while using e-governance services, according to a PTIreport. This move comes months after IRCTC, the tourism and catering arm of the Indian Railways, started accepting ticket booking SMSes as official travel document allowing passengers for train journey.

Various services, including Right to Information (RTI), health, Aadhaar and education, will come under the initiative, called Mobile Seva. The government has already completed pilots with around 100 departments.

Launching the service, Department of Electronics and IT (DEITY) secretary J Satyanarayana said: “Like Railways, we have to bring in a system wherein by showing (transaction) SMS or, whatever be the case (like e-mail), the proof on mobile is accepted as a valid document. To increase our reach, we need to bring this kind of practice in mobile and e-governance.”

According to Rajendra Kumar, joint secretary at DEITY, the department is ready with digital signature for mobile phones. This can be used in messages that need to be sent to those applying for various services.

source: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2013/12/23/govt-to-soon-accept-sms-as-official-document-for-e-governance-services/

Excl: Over-the-top video-on-demand platform ReelBox raises funding

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:14:00 +0530

Karthik Vaithianathan

Chennai and US-based ReelBox Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a wired and broadband based over-the-top (OTT) video-on-demand provider, has secured funding from a group of investors, including Naru Narayanan, co-founder of Chennai-based Xcode Life Sciences and a member of Chennai Angels.

ReelBox, which is mainly targeting the Kannadiga community in the US, will use the capital to expand further into Canada and Europe.

ReelBox was founded in November last year by Karthik Vaithianathan (CEO), who holds a BE degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Anna University (Tamil Nadu), and an MS degree in Electrical and Computer Science from Arizona State University (US). He has 15 years of experience in software/hardware stack. Prior to setting up ReelBox, Vaithianathan was a key media architect at Intel.

ReelBox delivers high-definition video content, including movies via a media streaming dongle. Currently, ReelBox serves the Kannadiga community with a catalogue of around 3,000 Kannada movies. The company has a revenue sharing agreement with content providers. In future, the startup plans to expand the services to other regional languages, including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, targeting various expat communities overseas.

The platform was launched in November this year and it has already bagged more than 1,000 subscribers, of which close to 100 consumers are actively watching its content on TV, according to the founder. The company has an office in Bangalore as well.

“We have a very dynamic pricing which changes every day. We offer a no-subscription pay-per-view model. It is basically a pre-charge and use model. We enable subscribers to purchase content when the prices are low and keep them for later viewing,” Vaithianathan said.

The firm is also eyeing to launch the services across the entire North America, besides expanding into Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East going forward.

For more details on the funding click here.

source: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2013/12/24/excl-over-the-top-video-on-demand-platform-reelbox-raises-funding/

RBI warns against use of virtual currencies like Bitcoins

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:03:00 +0530

The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned the users, holders and traders of virtual currencies (including Bitcoins), about the potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks.

In this regard, RBI has been looking at the developments relating to certain electronic records claimed to be ‘decentralised digital currency’ or ‘virtual currency’ like Bitcoins, litecoins, bbqcoins, dogecoins etc., their usage or trading in the country.

It said that it is examining the issues associated with the usage, holding and trading of such virtual currencies under the existing legal and regulatory framework of the country, including foreign exchange and payment systems laws and regulations.

The price of Bitcoin has been fairly volatile this year rising over five times in less than two months to cross $1,000 last month only to see its value shrink by a third since then.

RBI noted that the creation, trading or usage of virtual currencies including Bitcoins, as a medium for payment are not authorised by any central bank or monetary authority. “No regulatory approval, registration or authorisation is stated to have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying on such activities. As such, they may pose several risks to their users,” according to RBI.

For those who don’t already know, Bitcoin is an internet-based virtual currency that came into existence in 2009. It is an open-source protocol, its design is public, and nobody owns or controls it. Bitcoin also boasts of certain unique properties that are not found in other payment systems. Note that as far as Bitcoin is concerned, there is no central authority. It is like email or internet, in the sense that no one owns email protocol or internet protocol.

Also, it is the demand and supply that decides it’s pricing, so, depending on the supply/demand and adoption of Bitcoin, people buy or sell at various prices. Most of the time, the exchange that has a maximum volume is used as reference point to determine its prices. It is like how gold prices are being determined. The fluctuations are based on speculation only. If there are positive news about Bitcoin and its adoption, more people invest in it and drive prices up, whereas if there is any bad news, people who have already invested sell it to lower their risk. Read here for more.

RBI also specified several risks that the use of virtual currencies poses, including the following:

Prone to losses: Since virtual currencies are stored in digital/electronic media that are called electronic wallets, they are prone to losses arising out of hacking, loss of password, compromise of access credentials, malware attack, etc. Also, since they are not created by or traded through any authorised central registry or agency, the loss of the e-wallet could result in the permanent loss of the virtual currencies held in them.

No regulation of payments: Payments by virtual currencies, take place on a peer-to-peer basis without an authorised central agency that regulates such payments. As such, there is no established framework for recourse to customer problems/ disputes/charge backs, etc.

Volatility in value: There is no underlying or backing of any asset for virtual currencies. As such, their value seems to be a matter of speculation. Huge volatility in the value of virtual currencies has been noticed in the recent past, exposing its users to potential losses on account of such volatility.

Trading of virtual currencies: Virtual currencies are being traded on exchange platforms set up in various jurisdictions whose legal status is also unclear. Hence, the traders of virtual currencies on such platforms are exposed to legal as well as financial risks.

“There have been several media reports of the usage of virtual currencies, including Bitcoins, for illicit and illegal activities in several jurisdictions. The absence of information of counterparties in such peer-to-peer anonymous/pseudonymous systems could subject the users to unintentional breaches of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) laws,” according to RBI.

Globally, there are some companies, including BTCChina in China, MtGox in Japan and Bitstamp in Europe that buy/sell Bitcoins. In India, too, there is a startup called Seven Digital Cash LLP based out of Gandhinagar (Gujarat) that buys and sells this digital currency through its platform Buysellbitco.in.

Just last week, we had reported that Gaurav Burman, managing partner of Elephant Capital, had invested in his personal capacity an undisclosed amount in itBit Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based Bitcoin exchange. Prior to this, itBit had raised $3.25 million co-led by Canaan Partners and RRE Venture, with participation from Liberty City Ventures and a few individual investors.

Burman, who picked a minority stake in itBit, is now planning to bring the platform to India. As per the latest estimates, there are over 11 million Bitcoin users worldwide, of which around 50,000 are in India

source: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2013/12/24/rbi-warns-against-use-of-virtual-currencies-like-bitcoins-2/

Nokia 'Moneypenny' could be the first dual-SIM Windows Phone

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 11:57:00 +0530

We’ve been hearing about the Windows 8.1-based Moneypenny for some time now. Now, prolific tipster @evleaks has tweeted a screenshot belonging to a device that is supposedly Moneypenny. Interestingly, the leaked image clearly shows that the device will come with dual SIM slot, which means it will be the first dual-SIM Windows Phone device.

The screenshot of the alleged Nokia Moneypenny Windows Phone device also shows 3G connectivity on both SIMs. One will also notice that the leaked screenshot shows Live Tiles on the Start screen for Nokia MixRadio, HERE Maps, Internet Explorer, Photos, SkyDrive, Microsoft Office, Instagram, Asphalt 8 and Vine app for Windows Phone.

First dual-SIM WP device

The screenshot also shows on-screen navigation control buttons for back, Start and Bing search. Earlier this month, we learnt that Microsoft plans to include on-screen buttons in the Windows Phone 8.1 version, just as we see in Android devices. If the screenshot is to be believed, future Microsoft devices may come with on-screen navigation controls instead of capacitive buttons. Some reports suggest that Moneypenny Windows Phone device may be launched as the Lumia 630 or Lumia 635.

Rumours are rife that Nokia is working on two Windows Phone 8.1 devices–Goldfinger and Moneypenny. It should be noted that both codenames are reference to characters from the James Bond canon. While Goldfinger is said to be the company’s flagship device, nothing much is known about Moneypenny.

source: http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/nokia-moneypenny-could-be-the-first-dualsim-windows-phone/924152

First look at Samsung's 5.25-inch Galaxy Grand 2

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 11:54:00 +0530

Samsung just made the Galaxy Grand 2 .The smartphone will be hitting stores in the first week of January, which is when the final retail price will be revealed. With an estimated price of Rs 23,000, the Grand 2 will compete directly with the Lenovo Vibe X.

The Grand 2 or SM-G7102 borrows some design elements from the Note 3 and past Samsung handsets. The slightly larger 5.2-inch screen is now longer rather than wider so it’s much easier to hold with one hand. The HD display is a welcomed addition and even though the pixel count is not high enough, it’s much better than what Samsung offered us the first time. There’s barely any pixilation around icons and text is better to read without having to strain your eyes. Sadly, it’s still a TFT display and not IPS, so viewing angles and colours are strictly average.

The Grand 2 also debuts Club Samsung – a new service which lets you stream (or purchase) localised content – music, movies, web clips live TV, etc. Currently, only movies and music is available, but others should be ready soon by the time the phone hits retail.

The Grand 2 comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean along with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. The UI wasn’t very smooth however and we noticed quite a bit of lag when jumping around apps and homescreens. This could be restricted to the demo units alone so we’ll have to wait till we get our hands on the final unit. Just like the first phone, the Grand 2 is also a dual-SIM handset so you can use one SIM for calling and the other for data.

The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 is definitely a worthy successor to the Grand as it improves upon many of the pain points from the first version. The biggest of all has to be the higher resolution display, better aesthetics and a larger battery. While there’s little doubt the Grand 2 will be a bit hit next year, we’re not sure if it will be the best buy at around Rs 23,000. By the time it actually launches, we’ll have phones like the Lenovo Vibe X and Gionee Elife E7 out in the market, which will hover around that ball park. Compared to the Grand 2, these phones offer a richer feature set and much better displays, the latter being a key factor in today’s smartphone experience. We foresee a big price cut heading for the Grand 2 as its current asking price feels a bit much

source: http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/first-look-at-samsungs-525inch-galaxy-grand-2/924042

Oracle to buy Responsys for $1.5 billion

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 09:22:00 +0530

Oracle said on Friday that it had agreed to acquire Responsys, an enterprise software company, for $27 a share in cash, or about $1.5 billion, not including debt.

It is the latest acquisition for Oracle, run by Lawrence J. Ellison, and further extends the company's reach into the realm of online marketing. Responsys makes software that allows brands to coordinate their email, mobile, display and social advertising across the Web.

The price amounts to a 38 percent premium above Responsys' closing stock price of $19.52 on Thursday.

"Responsys has always been focused on helping marketers realize their largest opportunity - coordinating their marketing touch points across channels, across the customer lifecycle, and across industries," Dan Springer, chief executive of Responsys, said in a statement. "As a part of Oracle, we will only accelerate our efforts."

The board of Responsys has approved the transaction, but shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on the deal early next year.

"Our strategy of combining the leaders across complementary technologies signifies Oracle's overwhelming commitment to winning and serving the CMO better than any other software company in the world," said Oracle's president, Mark Hurd, referring to chief marketing officers.

Oracle is one of the most prolific acquirers in Silicon Valley. Including Responsys, it has bought at least seven companies this year. Earlier this year, it struck a deal for Acme Packet for $2.1 billion.

Although 10 years ago, its purchases were established software companies with a large customer base, in recent years it has turned to newer-style cloud computing companies that offer their products on a per-use basis, rather than outright sale.

The acquisition of Responsys follows its $871 million purchase a year ago of Eloqua, a company that made software for managing the cost and performance of marketing campaigns. Marketing is a particularly hot area, because companies now use the Internet to run ads, send emails and communicate directly with customers. The large amounts of data captured in these campaigns are analyzed by increasingly math-oriented marketing managers.

Salesforce.com, a cloud-based company that competes with Oracle in sales and marketing software, has in recent years also acquired several ad purchasing and marketing companies.

But Oracle has had a few rough quarters recently, missing analyst expectations twice earlier in the year before posting good quarterly results this week. Those results sent Oracle stock to its highest levels since the dotcom bubble burst more than 10 years ago.

In October, Oracle shareholders opposed Ellison's compensation package, objecting to his $78.4 million payday for the 2013 fiscal year.

Responsys was part of the first wave of technology companies to go public after the financial crisis, debuting on the Nasdaq market in early 2011. After opening near $15, the stock slumped as low as $5.70 about a year ago. But over the past year, the business has strengthened and shares have rallied. Thursday's closing price was near the all-time high.

source: http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/oracle-to-buy-responsys-for-1-5-billion-20858

Google‘s online shopping extravaganza attracts 2 million visitors

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 09:02:00 +0530

Google's annual online shopping event 'GOSF' attracted 2 million visitors this year as people thronged e-commerce sites to check out deals on electronics, shoes, watches and travel.

Google Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) saw the number of visitors doubling to 2 million this year compared to last year's maiden edition.

Google said its partners (over 200 e-commerce websites) like Snapdeal, Myntra and eBay saw daily sales jumping 3 to 4 times.

"Even offbeat categories like cars and housing saw great traction during the festival with Tata Housing closing booking of over 55 flats," Google India Director eCommerce (local and media) Nitin Bawankule said.

Of the 2 million unique visitors, almost half were women. Google said 2pm - 8pm was the peak time of traffic each day with 62 per cent viewers coming from the 18-34 years category.

"Currently, we estimate that over 30 per cent buyers were first time shoppers on most sites. Given the scale of the initiative with all the partners and the large number of online shoppers in India, GOSF this year was a huge success by all parameters," he said.

Other popular categories included apparel, e-books, books, home and kitchen equipments, jewellery, and healthcare and wellness.

"We witnessed over 120 per cent jump in traffic and 3.5x growth in revenues, which is testament to the future potential of online shopping in India," Myntra Chief Marketing Officer Vikas Ahuja said.

Tata Housing sold more than 50 apartments with a sales value of over Rs 25 crore across four projects during December 11-14. About 30 per cent of the booking came from NRIs and 40 per cent was from tier II cities.

"Initiatives like GOSF act as a catalyst to further boost adoption of online shopping in India. In fact, a lot of these new shoppers become repeat buyers and add up to the traffic on the website," Snapdeal.com Vice President (Marketing) Sandeep Komaravelly said.

Lenskart CEO and Founder Peyush Bansal said the site registered 60 per cent spike in traffic and 70 per cent jump in new registrations leading to a 50 per cent increase in the overall sales.

HealthKart Co-Founder Prashant Tandon said GOSF proved to be a great platform to launch a number of new products. The site saw a jump in its core categories like sports nutrition, health nutrition and health devices.

Cash back and coupons site Cashkaro said its traffic doubled during GOSF and the transaction volume went up three times.

Online recharge site Paytm Founder Vijay Sharma said GOSF led to a 15 per cent revenue uptick on the site.

World's first phone with 2K resolution launched

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 08:52:00 +0530

Chinese manufacturer Vivo has pipped the likes of Samsung and LG to launch the world's first smartphone with 2K (2560x1440p) resolution, named Xplay 3S. This phone's screen has more pixels than the current crop of 1080p displays, making text, videos, images etc clearer and sharper.

The new Vivo Xplay 3S's 6-inch display has pixel density of 490ppi, which is higher than the 469ppi (the highest pixel density before this launch) of HTC One. Other features of Xplay 3S are also top end, such as 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset, 3GB RAM and 13MP rear camera. It also has a 5MP camera in front and comes with an app called Photo+ that features augmented reality functionalities and shares video on the cloud.

The phone is powered by a customized version of Android, named Funtouch OS. Other features of Vivo Xplay 3S include 32GB built-in storage, 3,200mAh battery and metallic bezel. The phone weighs 172gram, measures 4.95mm at its thinnest point and comes with a fingerprint scanner.

The manufacturer has included several audio technologies in the phone, such as TI OPA2604 amplifier and ESS Technology ES9018 DAC. Its DTS Headphones:X technology supports 7.1 and 11.1 surround sound effect.

Vivo is also the company behind the world's thinnest smartphone, X3, which is just 5.75mm thick.

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphone is also rumoured to feature 2K resolution. Earlier this year, LG unveiled its 2K resolution display panel that is likely to be used in future smartphones. Chinese manufacturer Oppo has also announced that its upcoming Find 7 handset will have 2K screen resolution

Wipro launches online programme for students

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 08:41:00 +0530

Indian IT bellwether Wipro unveiled an online programme to train undergraduate students in finance and accounts to enhance their job skills in both subjects, the company said Wednesday.

"We have started imparting skills online to final year students of commerce and business administration in select degree colleges across Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad to enhance their employability in finance and accounting," Wipro back office global head Subhasish Biswas said in a statement here.

The online course has been designed in two parts - basics of finance and accounting and corporate readiness training.

Successful students will be certified after assessing their skills for a placement in the global software major.

The 24-hour programme consists of modules, which give students flexibility to work over two months along with their graduation course.

The course modules are in a video-based PowerPoint presentation format to understand the concepts.

"As we need readily employable workforce, our expertise in training delivery in the services sector enabled us to create a platform for graduating students to pursue a rewarding career in finance and accounts," Biswas said.

Wipro's business process outsourcing (BPO) division has partnered with Firstnaukri.com to promote the initiative and allow the job portal to host the online module and distribute it to colleges with which it has tie-up across the country.

"Indian businesses are struggling to recruit youth with right technical and soft skill sets. It is becoming imperative for companies to focus on skill development and employability of youth entering workforce," Firstnaukri.com business head Deepali Singh said in the statement.

LG announces world‘s first Chrome-based desktop

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 08:41:00 +0530

LG has announced the world's first Google-powered Chromebase All-in-One PC.

The Linux-based operating system used to come pre-installed on laptops or boxes that required similar monitor, however, it would be a first PC to incorporate the system.

According to the BBC, Chrome-based computers tend to be cheaper than Windows-powered systems, in part because Google does not charge manufacturers to include its software.

Being cheaper has its drawbacks as the operating system runs only a limited range of applications and popular apps like Skype, Powerpoint, Photoshop and iTunes are unavailable, but can be downloaded from Google's free or paid web-based alternatives.

The LG Chromebase desktop computer measures 21.5-inch with a 1080p full-HD screen that resembles Apple iMacs, HP's Spectre One range and Dell's Inspiron One family, which cost 700 pounds or more.

According to the report, the Chromebase PC has just 16GB of storage, which is relatively a very low amount as Google intends to encourage users to store their data on cloud, thereby reducing costs.

LG Chromebase desktop computer is expected to be launched in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegasadded.

Sony unveils pen drives for smartphones, tablet

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:12:00 +0530

Eyeing a new market for data storage devices, Sony has launched the world's first pen drives compatible with smartphones and tablets. The new flash drives are "2-in-1 devices" with both USB 2.0 and microUSB connectors, allowing buyers to use them in laptops and desktops as well as smartphones and tablets.

Sony has launched the world’s first pen drives compatible with smartphones and tablets.

Viviano Cantu, director of consumer media marketing, Sony Electronics, said, "These new drives combine convenience, peace of mind and performance and are perfect for mobile multi-tasking."

The new drives are compatible with Android (Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean) operating systems and offer USB on-the-go (OTG) functionality. Sony says that it is working on making them compatible with Android 4.4 (KitKat), the latest version of Google's mobile operating system.

Apart from copying data between devices, these flash drives can be used to as additional or temporary storage for smartphones and tablets.

Their locking caps (available in three colours) will protect the connectors from damage, dust and debris, says Sony. The metal body of the flash drives is durable enough to withstand everyday mobile use, it claims.

Sony has said that the new flash drives will be available in of 8, 16 and 32 GB capacities, priced at $19.99, $29.99 and $62.99. While the Japanese manufacturer has not announced their India launch date, it has said that the flash drives will hit global markets in January next year.

App developers, data scientists in for salary surprise

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:15:00 +0530

Dull pay hike prophecies this year may refuse to die down for now, but for some niche profiles, handsome hikes and rewards are in order, as corporates look to retain this pool of scarce talent.

Profiles like that of management accountants, data scientists, app developers and marketing managers are expected to be rewarded significantly in the current appraisal season, more or less in line with last year's levels.

The profile of a data scientist is among the hottest across sectors and hikes can range from 30% to 50%, says Subeer Bakshi, director oftalent and rewards at Towers Watson India. "As much as 90% of the world's data was created in the past two years and these professionals are in short supply, which gives them the ability to write their own pay cheques," he says.

Sectors like retail will have tons of data, and these professionals can help them with data assessment and analysis. Layout designers in retail companies and media managers who can formulate strategies based on insights from data scientists can expect hikes ranging from 20% to 30%.

Consulting firm Mercer estimates that roles like that of experienced marketing analyst and sales representatives in sectors like automobiles, consumer durables and pharmaceuticals will continue to be on companies' priority list. In information technology, salary hikes will be dominated by profiles in mobility, cloud and security, says technology and market research firm Forrester's VP and country manager for India, Manish Bahl.

"There will be more spending on security as a skillset," he says. With greater focus on customer experience, mid-to-senior IT roles like app development and business consulting can fetch hikes of 15% to 17% compared with average hikes of 10% to 12%, he says. Hikes in IT were in the range of 10% to 11% last year, according to Forrester estimates.

Jobs in regulatory affairs in the pharma and medical devices sector are in demand and can expect hikes in the range of 11% to 20%, according to Kelly Services.

"This is mainly because a lot of Indian companies have been wanting to sell in the US for which they require FDA approval and expertise in FDA filing," says Kamal Karanth, managing director, Kelly Services. Jobs in supply chain management and purchase in pharma and consumer goods can expect hikes in the 9% to 18% range across levels, due to a steady increase in exports.

While last year's hikes for roles in regulatory affairs were estimated to be at 11% to 18%, they were in the region of 10% to 18% in supply chain and purchase. An increasing number of professionals are opting for specialised courses that help them cultivate niche expertise.

Sriram Kameshwar, a director of finance and corporate facilities, was a chartered financial analyst and associate member from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India when he decided to enroll for the CIMA course in 2005. Considered to be more than just pure play accounting, a CIMA course in management accounting combines accounting, finance and management.

This year's salary survey of 40% of CIMA India's 500 members revealed that over the next 12 months, 95% of part-qualified students are expected to receive a salary increase of 13.6% well over the 2013 'IMF World Economic Outlook on Price Inflation' forecast of 10.8%. In 2013, qualified CIMA members in India are earning an average of Rs 26.3 lakh in basic annual salary plus Rs 3.6 lakh in bonuses, totalling Rs 30.02 lakh per year.

Among all its members and students, a good 62% are satisfied with their salary. "The qualification has helped me look at situations from different functional perspectives as the course is a good blend of core technical, strategic and business management domains," says Kameshwar.

Apart from accounting, he adds the course has helped him in business development, in contributing effectively as a member of the company's leadership team and board, and in influencing strategy.

Nokia's low-cost 'smartphone for India' leaked

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:05:00 +0530

Nokia's new Lumia 525 is yet to arrive in the Indian market, but the company may be readying another low-cost smartphone aimed at budget buyers.

Data recorded by Zauba, a logistic tracking website, shows an unannounced Nokia device codenamed RM-977. This device has a 4.5-inch touchscreen and single sim slot and will reportedly ship for Rs 7,966 in the Indian market. This device was sent to India from Finland for testing and evaluation purposes, according to the website.

No other details about this upcoming smartphone are available at present.

The recently unveiled Lumia 525 is the successor to the popular Lumia 520, however, the only differences between the two devices are RAM upgrade and glossier body. At present, Lumia 520 is available in the market at approximately Rs 8,000, while there is no word on the launch date of Lumia 525.

Nokia has already listed the entry-level Lumia 525 and top-end Lumia 1520 smartphones on its India website. However, it has not announced their launch dates.

Andriod app Homely for house property search

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Tue, 3 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0530

Trivandrum-based IT company Mind Media Innovations has launched an Andriod application 'Homely', which helps users to find house properties.

The application 'Homely' lets users browse through properties by major builders and find their dream home, the company said in a statement.

The main attraction of 'Homely' is that it lets you find homes by specific builders as well as your requirements such as location, amenities and budget, it said.

"There are many home-finder websites in the market but 'Homely' gives users the edge of searching for homes in their smartphones from anywhere, anytime," Mind Media Innovations MD Narayanan Nair said.

The app provides users with details of a property such as floor plans, image gallery, amenities, number of bedrooms, etc.

Amazon's drone delivery concept: PR stunt or real innovation?

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Mon, 2 Dec 2013 20:49:00 +0530

mazon CEO Jeff Bezos has outlined plans to have drones---specifically versions for Prime subscribers---deliver packages weighing up to 5 pounds in 30 minutes as early as 2018 or 2019. Cue the debate on whether Amazon timed its news perfectly for Cyber Monday or is really innovating.

Here's a look at the flavors of drone speak today followingAmazon's 60 Minutes profile:

Cynic: Bezos knows damn well that a five year time line is way aggressive and the FAA is going to look long and hard at the concept. Bezos' 60 Minutes spiel is nothing more than a PR stunt.
Techno-optimist: Amazon is reinventing shopping and will close the gap between instant gratification and e-commerce. Amazon is innovative beyond belief.
Realist: Amazon concept could work, but will likely take more than five years to pull off, but sounds neat. Who am I to doubt Bezos?

So what's this drone idea really about? Messaging. Amazon is increasingly being known for its innovation---whether it's Amazon Web Services, supply chain or its Kindle business model. This innovation culture keeps people interested and away from annoying questions about profit margins.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster noted:

While it's highly unlikely we have flying Amazon delivery drones in four to five years, the recently announced initiative illustrates the culture of innovation at Amazon and the depth of its goal to re-engineer the fabric of retail for the next 100 years.

Munster also noted that Zookal, a textbook rental company in Australia, works with Flirtey, a commercial drone service, for quick deliveries.

In other words, Amazon's drone idea may not be all that original. If drones can shoot at bad guys and patrol the skies, surely they can drop off a package at your doorstep.

The overall theme is that Amazon could actually find profit margins with a fleet of drones. These drones, which could carry up to five pounds for 10 miles, would cover 86 percent of the goods Amazon sells. Shipping costs would plummet and Amazon could depreciate its fleet of drones. In theory, Amazon's bottom line could improve dramatically---unless Bezos finds some other venture to invest in.

What do we make of Amazon's drone plan? The realist, cynic and techno-optimist outlined above are all correct. Bezos is a showman so you can bet the drone story is well timed so Amazon dominates the news on Cyber Monday. Amazon will also target new markets that initially look crazy and prove you wrong. And Amazon will likely have drone delivery, but it'll take some tim

New smartphone app to help you save money

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Mon, 2 Dec 2013 20:34:00 +0530

A new smartphone app that keeps tabs on your expenses, creates a monthly budget and suggests ways to curb over-spending has been developed.

On the basis of the financial information you provide to 'HelloWallet' while signing up, the application will instantly show you recent transactions, accounts and a budget summary.

HelloWallet also helps you determine where to trim excess spending so you can work towards saving more money, 'Mashable' reported.

The app also creates a budget to help you work toward your financial goals in addition to providing spending insights.

Hellowallet adds all of your financial information - income, checking, savings, credit cards, healthcare and investments, the company said on its website.

It connects to your banks to retrieve balances and transactions to keep information current and creates budgets and analyses trends, it said.

The application keeps tabs on your spending on its own, keeping you in the loop with the help of alerts and reminders, the report said.

HelloWallet also has a unique feature to help you reduce your interest rates and other fees that can add up to big spending.

Apps to automatically delete Facebook, Twitter posts

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:11:00 +0530

The Snapchat app popularized the concept of sending photos and videos that self-destruct in minutes and new apps do the same for posts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Smartphones and mobile apps have made sharing photos faster and easier than ever, but privacy has become a growing concern. Designers have created new apps because they said people want to control who sees their content and for how long on social media sites.

"Most of these ephemeral media apps have been focused on private messaging. But this is more to do with control and cleaning things up so that the average user can't see what you've posted in the past on social networks," said Pierre Legrain, a developer of Spirit for Twitter, an app that can auto-deleteTwitter posts.

Secret.li, an iPhone app, lets users can take a photo with their iPhone's camera and post it to Facebook knowing it will be automatically deleted an hour, day, or week after it is posted.

"Publishing is so easy but privacy is so obscure," said Deepak Touwari, co-founder of Secret.li, based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After taking a photo with the app, users can decide who they want to share it with and for how long. Recipients will see a scrambled or hidden version of the photo, which they can open and view completely in the Secret.li Facebook or iPhone apps. After the photo is deleted it also disappears from Facebook and Secret.li.

"We see it more like a photo shedder application," said Touwari, adding the motivation behind the app was privacy.

"(Social networks) are great keepers of memory but very poor keepers of context," he said.

Another app for iPhone and Android, called Facebook Poke, which was created by Facebook, allows users to send their friends messages, photos and videos and decide how long they can view it.

Spirit, a web app for Twitter released last week, lets members of the micro-blogging site add a hashtag to their tweet so it will auto-delete. Users authorize their account and add hashtags such as "#30m" or "#10d", which will delete their tweets after 30 minutes and 10 days respectively.

Legrain, a former Twitter employee based in Palo Alto, California, said the motivation for the app was privacy. Part of the value of Spirit for Twitter, he added, is its ability to filter out content that loses accuracy or relevancy over time.

"If you're a meteorologist or weatherman tweeting about an unfolding hurricane, you want the info on Twitter to be as relevant and accurate so tweets from half an hour (ago) shouldn't be there," he explained.

Legrain attributes the popularity of the apps to the growing privacy concerns among consumers.

"With the ongoing privacy scares, people are thinking about what they put out there now and looking for ways to have more control," he said. "People now feel they have slightly more control than they had yesterday," he added.

Google Glass: The future‘s on your face

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:10:00 +0530

Way back in 1945, Vannevar Bush, the director of the US Office of Scientific Research and Development, wrote a remarkable essay titled "As we may think." In it, Bush predicted the rise of the worldwide web. He also wrote that "the camera hound of the future wears on his forehead a lump a little larger than a walnut. It takes pictures 3 millimetres square, later to be projected or enlarged."

Bush's future is here. With the arrival of Google Glass, the camera is even smaller than a walnut.

In a detailed piece in The New York Times, author Clive Thompson looks at the history of wearable computing, beginning with Bush's vision. He talks about the experiment conducted by mathematician Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon , the engineer and cryptographer known as the father of information theory. Thorpe and Shannon created a small device, the size of a cigarette pack, that they used to beat the odds at roulette at Las Vegas casinos. This was the first wearable computer.

Thompson also talks about Thad Starner, first a student, then a professor at MIT. As a student , in 1993, Starner found it difficult to take notes and concentrate on what his professor was saying at the same time. He built a device to help him. It was made of computer parts stored in a backpack. Input was through a one-handed keyboard called the Twiddler. The user interface was an LED display clipped two inches in front of his right eye. He found the device so useful that he has used it for nearly 20 years now. In 1998 Starner met Larry Page and Sergei Brin, the founders of Google. Years later, Brin and Page would hire Starner to help them work on Google Glass.

Thompson also discusses the design process of Google Glass - how it went from a mad scientist's design to its current streamlined structure, with one arm acting as a trackpad, the other arm acting as a speaker that plays music directly against the skull. A future so bright, you gotta wear shades!

Apple launches iPhone 5S, 5C; eyes India & China

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:08:00 +0530

Apple has, for the first time, unveiled a cheaper smartphone, named the iPhone 5C. It has almost the same specifications as iPhone 5, which was launched as the company's flagship device last year, but in a plastic body.

The iPhone 5C (with contract in the US) is cheaper than all new iPhones launched till now, and is said to be targeted at emerging markets like India and China. With the launch of iPhone 5S, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 5 that was rolled out last year and served as the flagship model till now.

Apple also launched its pricey new iPhone 5S, which will take over from iPhone 5 as the latest flagship device of the company. It will be available in three colours - gold, white and black.

But the wow appeal usually associated with Apple's launches clearly seemed to be missing from today's event. Unlike in the past when iPhone's newer models turned slimmer, lighter, glitzier each year, Apple seemed to have reserved most of its attention to what lies inside the body this time.

However, in a bold move aimed to take on rivals Microsoft and Google, Apple also announced that it was making its premium productivity suite iWork, which can be downloaded free with iOS 7.

under the hood of iPhone 5S
Unlike the iPhone 5C, this device is made using aluminium and is powered by the A7 processor. The A7 chip is the only one in the world to feature the 64-bit desktop-class architecture and is twice as fast as previous processors in performing tasks and rendering graphics.

"With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5s is faster and better than ever, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games," claimed the company.

The new iPhone 5S has an 8MP camera, which comes with dual-LED flash. The camera's sensor is 15% larger than that of its predecessor and offers better low-light performance.

Apple claims that this phone's camera can take 20 photos in two seconds, features auto image stabilization and records 720p videos at 120 frames per second (which is the highest for any smartphone). 1080p videos are recorded at 30fps.

iPhone 5S also has an all-new M7 chip that tracks motion data without waking the A7 chip and interacts with health apps to give fitness data. However, Apple claimed the two-chip system does not affect battery life of the device, which offers 250 hours on standby and 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks.

At the launch, the company showcased the gaming prowess of the iPhone 5S, which supports OpenGL 3.0 standard. The new phone delivers more details and makes graphics more vivid.

Google had recently introduced the OpenGL 3.0 standard in Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It can render rich and complex visual effects, previously only possible on desktops and gaming consoles.

Apple has also introduced a new, hi-tech biometric feature called Touch ID, using which one can unlock the phone with the touch of a finger.

Setting up Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognizes the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life.

All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored on the chip itself. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store.

"iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

"iPhone 5S sets a new standard for smartphones, packed into its beautiful and refined design are breakthrough features that really matter to people," Schiller claimed.

Pricey proposition
iPhone 5S ( with contract) will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. The 16, 32 and 64GB unlocked variants have been priced in the US at a hefty $649, $749 and $849, respectively. This is the same pricing format followed by Apple for previous iPhones.

In first phase, iPhone 5S will start retailing in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20. A new iPhone 4S 8GB model will also be available for free on contract.

Cooking old wine for Asia
Apple's move to launch a cheaper version is clearly aimed at boosting penetration in key Asian countries like India, China and Japan. However, many may be disappointed as iPhone 5C comes across as old wine in new bottle since it has received hardly any hardware update.

Instead of cutting the prices of its older models, Apple has adopted a different strategy this time. "In the past, we've lowered the price of the current iPhone, making it accessible to more people. This year, we're not going to do that," said Schiller teasingly.

"The business has become so large that this year we're going to replace the iPhone 5, and we're going to replace it with not one, but two new designs," he reiterated.

Of the two devices launched tonight, this is how Schiller described the cheaper variant made of polycarbonate: "iPhone 5C is beautifully, unapologetically plastic."

iPhone 5C will come in two variants and will have two-year contracts. It will come in five colours - green, grey, light blue, peach, and yellow.

It has a 4-inch screen and comes with Apple's A6 processor, which power the now-discontinued iPhone 5. This new cheaper iPhone has an 8MP camera with a five-element lens, similar to the one used in iPhone 5. Connectivity options in the new handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi.

The 16GB variant of this smartphone will cost $99 on contract, while the 32GB version has been priced at $199. The unlocked 16 and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5C have been priced at $549 and $649, respectively. The company also announced cases in six colours for this handset, which will cost $29 a piece.

iWork now offered free
Earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the launch event at Apple headquarters in Califiornia, US, with an introduction of the company's new iOS 7 operating system. Cook surprised everyone by announcing that Apple was making available free with the new iOS 7 five of its premium paid productivity software apps such as iPhoto, iMovie. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are collectively known as iWork suite. The move clearly seems aimed at taking on Microsoft Windows Mobile and Android devices.

iOS comes on September 18
iOS7 will be available for downloads from September 18, which is in contrast to Apple's past practice of rolling out the iOS update on the day of unveiling the latest iPhone. The delay could disappoint Apple aficionados, as also the fact that iOS 7 updates won't apply to many older generation devices.

It is a bad news for many existing owners of Apple's mobile devices such as iPhones and iPad. The older generation devices won't get the iOS 7 update which will apply only to iPhone 4 and 5, iPad 2 and 3, iPad mini, and the 5th-gen iPod touch. This means the owners of the iPhone 3GS and iPad 1 would be left high and dry.

The iOS 7 which will come pre-loaded on the two new iPhones, will feature new icons and ringtones; several new Siri features (including a male voice option); redesigned search and Safari browser; new multitasking layout in a 3D look; new camera features, including Sqaure (for Instagram photos) and better segregation of images as per location, occasion and time.

It will also have a new Control Center, besides Notification Center that can be opened even on a locked screen by merely swiping down from top to bottom of the screen. Other features include improved multitasking, AirDrop and iTunes Radio.

iOS and Android evenly poised
With Apple shipping its 700 millionth iOS device next month, it will become the most popular mobile operating system in the world. claimed Cook.

Interestingly, Apple and rival Google are neck to neck vis-a-vis app downloads. Apple's App Store had 900,000 apps and 50 billion total downloads according to the company's announcement made at the time of launch of iOS 7 on June 10. Google's Android had 1 million apps and same 50 billion downloads as announced by the company while launching the Android 4.3 on July 24.

Asha is the new hope for Microsoft

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Thu, 5 Sep 2013 08:39:00 +0530

Microsoft-Nokia may never reach the market share highs that Nokia saw in India-it was 56% in 2008-but the merged entity stands a good chance of arresting the fall (the share is now down to 27%) and making gains in the mid and upper segments of the mobile phone market.

Most analysts don't think Microsoft will bother about the low-end of the feature phone segment, where margins are very low and local players like Micromax and Karbonn have proved too competitive for Nokia. This market remains big in India, and so long as it remains big and Microsoft does not play significantly in it, the company's share in the overall market will stay low.

The big opportunity that Microsoft perhaps sees is in the mid- and upper-end, where it has the Asha and the Windows-based Lumia brands. Manasi Yadav, senior market analyst with research firm IDC India, believes Microsoft will bring greater focus to the mid segment in the short run. "Access to Nokia's patents and OS will help it to create powerful devices in the market. Going forward, we will see more launches in the sub-Rs 10,000 market that will lift volumes. Nokia has strong brand equity in feature phones and since Microsoft has inherited strong legacy from Nokia, they will look at new launches in that price point," she said. IDC categorizes Asha phones, priced at Rs 4,000-6,000, as feature phones, though some call them low-end smartphones.

Soma Sundaram, founder of mobile payments platform iKaaz, said Asha was a huge win for Microsoft, "From a growth with profitability perspective, the Asha and higher-end smartphone segments are what Microsoft will likely focus on."

Yadav thinks Microsoft will take a longer time to build its smartphone strategy because Lumia is still a nascent platform compared to Android.

Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst in Gartner, said since the Nokia deal puts Microsoft closer to the customer-as it now controls both hardware and software-they would be in a better position to understand what the market wants. "This deal is good for the Windows ecosystem and MS should be able to manage device upgrades easily," he said. But Sridhar Pai, CEO of telecom research company Tonse Telecom, said Microsoft would find the going tough. "They are late entrants into a market dominated by Android phones. They have a set of adaptive issues and they have to execute their strategy faster to accelerate their capabilities," he said.

Sony announces Xperia Z1 with 20MP camera

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Thu, 5 Sep 2013 08:36:00 +0530

Sony on Wednesday announced Xperia Z1, world's first smartphone with a 20.7 megapixels (MP) camera, at IFA, a trade show, in Berlin. The company said that the device has the "world's leading camera in a smartphone", implying that it can shoot better images than what Nokia's Lumia 1020, which has a 41MP camera, can manage.

"The Xperia Z1 is the absolute embodiment of that one Sony ethos," said Sony CEO Kaz Hirai. "We designed Z1 to deliver Sony's compact camera performance in a smartphone."

While the camera is the highlight of Z1, it is a high-end and powerful device. The phone has a 5-inch TFT screen with FullHD (1080x1920 pixels) resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm's S800chip, which is theoretically the world's fastest mobile processor. The quad-core S800 in Z1 runs at 2.2GHz and uses an Adreno 330 chip for graphics-related processing. The device has 2GB RAM, an aluminum and glass body, 16GB internal storage and support for a microSD card.

Like other recent Xperia devices, Z1 uses a waterproof and dustproof design. It will run Android 4.2.2.

Sony said that Z1 would be available in markets across the world in the coming weeks. In India the device is expected to be launched within this month. For now Sony has not revealed the country-specific prices.

Highlighting the camera performance of Z1, Sony said "independent testing has confirmed that Xperia Z1 provides the best overall image quality of all leading smartphones". The camera in Z1 features 1/2.3-inch image sensor, a dedicated chip for image processing and a lens with F 2.0 aperture.

'Lenses' that attach to a smartphone

A smartphone with high-resolution camera was not the only highlight of Sony's event in Berlin. The company also announced two 'lenses' that can be attached to almost any Android device or iPhone to convert the phones into powerful cameras.

While Sony is calling QX10 and QX100 lenses, they are tiny full-fledged cameras that have their own image sensors, memory card slot, battery and microphone. QX10 has a 2/3-inch, 18MP image sensor while QX100 has a 1-inch, 20MP image sensor. QX10 offers 10X optical zoom while QX100 can zoom up to 3.6X. However, QX100 also features a lens with F1.8 aperture, which should help users click far better images in low light.

The QX10 and QX100 will have to be controlled by an Android device or iPhone through Wi-Fi or NFC, if it is available. Once the 'lenses' have been paired with a smartphone, the screen of the phone turns into a viewfinder.

QX10 has been priced at $250 and QX100 will cost $499. The country-specific price of the two has not been yet revealed by Sony. Both QX10 and QX100 are expected to launch in India along with Xperia Z1.

In Depth: Android 4.4 KitKat release date, news and rumors

lk.rajeshkumar@gmail.com (Rajesh Kumar) — Thu, 5 Sep 2013 08:31:00 +0530

Well, this is a surprise. Having long expected version 5.0 of Android to be given the code name Key Lime Pie, Google has instead handed the 'K' release name to Android 4.4 and in a weird cross-promotional deal it's called it Android KitKat.

As part of the deal Nestle is running a contest to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit through specially branded Kit Kat bars.

So, apart from the fact that the chocolate bar has a space between Kit and Kat and Android 4.4 doesn't. what do we know about KitKat so far?

Android 4.4 release date

Android 4.3 recently arrived on the Nexus 7, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus but is yet to roll out to other devices. It'll also be arriving 'soon' on the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google versions, with HTC saying it expects to push it out to developers by the end of September.

So now we can start to look forward to the Android 4.4 KitKat release date. But when? We'll take a guess at late October or early November 2013 for now – which is when we were previously expecting to see Android 5.0 break cover.

Android 4.4 features

Android 4.3 came with a few minor upgrades including better multi-user customisation, support for Bluetooth smart technology and an updated keyboard. As a minor release, Android 4.3 didn't even get its own desert-themed name, sharing the Jelly Bean moniker with Android 4.1 and 4.2.

So with a brand new code name, we can expect Android 4.4 to bring some bigger changes, but all Google is saying at this stage is: "It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody."

From this, we can assume that Google wants to get Android onto less powerful devices, something we were previously hearing about Android 5.0 when it was claimed that the new OS would be optimised to run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM.

We also learned from Android Central back in February 2013 that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel. One improvement that this kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which fits with Google's goal of bringing Android to more devices.

Android 4.4 phones

In a commercial for its new operating system, Google revealed what seems to be the long-awaited Nexus 5.

Shown off in a 38 second advert, the new Nexus handset looks to be equipped with a large camera and a matte black finish, carrying an LG logo on the back.

Google has since taken the video down, leading to further speculation that it did indeed reveal the Nexus 5.