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Monday, 11 May 2015

Cut the Rope Maker ZeptoLab is Coming to India. Here's Why.

Twins Efim and Semyon Voinov founded ZeptoLab in 2010, but the two self-taught programmers had been making games since they were 10 years old. It was the company's sophomore effort in 2010 - Cut the Rope - that turned the Russian developers into superstars with one of the biggest games on the market.
Cut the Rope is a cute physics-based puzzle game that features the now instantly recognisable Om Nom - a monster that craves candy. While the building blocks of the game were familiar - this kind of puzzle game has been around for years - the combination of the puzzles, the cute character, and excellent audio made it an unforgettable hit.
Since then the company has released a slew of games featuring Om Nom, as well as adventure-puzzler Pudding Monsters and most recently, King of Thieves. The games have been successful, but none have been able to hit it big like Cut the Rope.
(Also see: An App Store Filled With One Hit Wonders)
ZeptoLab is now trying to break into developing markets. Last year, it partnered with Chinese publisher Yodo1 to enter the market there; the two companies co-developed new versions of Cut the Rope for China. Now, the Russian firm has also set its sight on India. We spoke to Misha Lyalin, the Chairman and CEO of ZeptoLab at the sidelines of Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore on what to expect.

"You [Indians] consume a lot of local content compared to other audiences. I think you're a lot more localised in that way," Lyalin observes. "In China for example, we make certain characters, levels are pure Chinese. I think it's important for India too. A lot of people would like to see games that reflect their culture."
"We'll probably do exactly the same here [as we did in China]," he adds. "Our strategy is we partner. We don't like a lot of local offices. Eventually when we get bigger we might get local offices."
Local offices are low on the list of priorities though, as the India market has plenty of issues that the company has to address first. Lyalin notes that the low credit card penetration, as well as an appetite for local entertainment make "a lot of things very different", despite a young and burgeoning smartphone audience. That's why he says that developers need to work on building new IP, but he doesn't see that happening here yet.
"I think it's already time [for locally developed IP]," says Lyalin. "The problem is, it's probably not time for us because what do we know about local market? But it's certainly time for local developers to own the local market and move up."
"China was basically in the same situation about one or two years ago," he adds, "and then market started getting bigger, local developers working for local market faced better competition, they all became better. Now, Chinese-made games are available in Japan, Korea, places that it [China] used to be thought of as backwards, the same should be happening with India."

One lesson that Indian developers could definitely stand to learn from ZeptoLab is the importance of creating a polished product. For what was just the second game from the company, Cut the Rope was excellent in terms of art, the audio cues the game provided, and details like the expressions on Om Nom's face
"We're not as a company set up to make a lot of games. Because it is in our DNA to polish things up. It separates us from other people. Other people cannot polish like that. I mean, okay we have great artists, probably the best in the industry. That's our strength," he professes.
It's an interesting approach compared to other companies like Rovio who have decided to transform its business from being a game developer to a corporation with interests in licensing, ad networks, movies, amusement parks, merchandise and game publishing to name a few. To Lyalin, remaining grounded is extremely important.
"We're a gaming company at the core and Cut the Rope is definitely great and there is nothing wrong with it," he says. "It gave us so much. And right now it's going to continue to grow and it will be bigger and bigger and bigger but we're just a game company."
"We want to be focussed on making new games," he adds. "Not just with Om Nom. That's all. If it fits the brand, great, if it doesn't fit the brand, also great. If the game itself is awesome. In our future we see several franchises that we're excited about and we remain passionate about making new games."

Tags:Cut the Rope,Game culturalisation,Game localisation,India,Misha Lyalin,Om Nom,PGC Bangalore,Pocket Gamer Connects,Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore,ZeptoLab

Meet Chip, the 'World's First $9 Microcomputer'

Next Thing, the company that launched OTTO (a hackable gif camera) last year, is now back on Kickstarter with its $9 (approximately Rs. 575) microcomputer, called Chip.The Chip is an Open Hardware microcomputer of the type popularised by the Raspberry Pi, with a single circuit board the size of a credit card and no screen or keyboard; though it can be connected to a monitor and keyboard and put to use. The company touts that the Chip is the "world's first $9 computer". At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign of Next Thing had crossed the $50,000 (approximately Rs. 32 lakh) goal and was around $620,000 (approximately Rs. 4 crore) mark.
For a pledge of $9, backers will get the Chip microcomputer single circuit board and is expected to start shipping in December this year. Backers can opt for an optional VGA adaptor or HDMI adaptor by shelling out extra $19 and $25 respectively. Both optional adaptors are expected to start shipping in May next year. Importantly, the Chip unlike other similar microcomputers comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity built-in.

It's worth noting that Next Thing's plan is not just limited to the Chip and extends to the PocketChip (see above), which makes the single circuit board portable. It features a 4.3-inch (272x470 pixels) touchscreen with resistive touch; QWERTY keyboard; 5 hour battery backup with a 3000mAh battery, and sports a rugged injection molded shell. Backers will have to pledge for $49 to get the PocketChip, which is also expected to start shipping worldwide May next year.
Some of the key specifications of Chip microcomputer include 1GHz Allwinner 'R8' A13 processor; Mali-400 GPU; 512MB of RAM (DDR3); 4GB of built-in storage; a USB port; a Micro-USB port with OTG functionality support; a microphone jack that doubles as a composite video-out; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Chip also comes preloaded with various open source software including the LibreOffice, for working on documents; Chromium browser, to surf the web, and Scratch, a coding tool to learn the basics of programming by making stories, games, and animations. It is based on an open source operating system.
Explaining the motive behind Chip, Dave Rauchwerk, one of Next Thing's founders, told DIY publication Make, "The $9 becomes really interesting when lots of people can help make it awesome. We wanted to find a way to not only give everyone access to it but to give them the ability to participate in this process of developing it."
"Success for us is them seeing what we've done and being excited about it and backing it," Rauchwerk added.
Next Thing's Chip microcomputer is seen as a direct competitor to Raspberry Pi 2 Model B priced at $35, which was launched in February.

Tags:Chip,Chip Microcomputers,Computers,Kickstarter,Next Thing,Raspberry Pi

Honor 4C: First Impressions

At a glitzy launch event in Mumbai on Friday, Huawei unveiled a new phone in its Honor range of smartphones: the Honor 4C. This was the first time anywhere in the world that Huawei showed off the Honor 4C. The new phone, which could be considered the younger sibling of the more expensive Honor 4X, is now available exclusively on Flipkart for Rs. 8,999.
As was the case with the Honor 4X (Review | Pictures) and the Honor 6 Plus (Review | Pictures), Huawei claims that the design of the Honor 4C was conceived in Europe by design experts. The phone does look strikingly handsome, especially from the rear. It is available in two colours, and the white variant of the phone looks particularly attractive. A crisscross pattern on the plastic rear cover feels really nice to touch and provides a good grip. However, the phone feels heavy at 162g especially when compared with competing smartphones in the same price range.

The power button and volume rocker are on the right edge, and in our limited time with the device we though that the tactile feedback of both was good. The Micro-USB port is on the bottom of the phone, whereas the 3.5mm audio jack is on top. The camera on the rear is placed on a metal plate and it looks quite like the implementation on the Honor 6 Plus.
The phone's 5-inch 720p screen looked bright and crisp. However, sunlight legibility was slightly below par. Huawei has slapped the latest version of its EMUI skin on top of Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Notably, the capacitive navigation buttons below the screen are printed in the Lollipop style. When questioned, Huawei told us that an Android Lollipop update for this phone is in the works and should be available in around three months.

In the time we spent getting acquainted with the Honor 4C, we found that the phone was pretty responsive to our touch inputs and didn't stutter either. It has a 64-bit 1.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor which has eight Cortex-A53 cores. There is 2GB of RAM, and internal storage is capped at 8GB though it can be expand by up to 32GB using a microSD card.
The Honor 4C has a dual-SIM dual-standby setup but neither of the SIMs can connect to 4G networks. The primary camera on the rear has a 13-megapixel Sony CMOS sensor, an f/2.0 aperture, and an LED flash. We took a few photos and they looked vibrant enough on the phone's small screen though we'll reserve judgement till we can conduct a full review of the phone. There is also a front-facing shooter which can capture 5-megapixel images.

At this price point, the Honor 4C goes up against some pretty stiff competition such as the Lenovo A7000 and Micromax's Yu Yureka (Review | Pictures), and we'd really like to see how well it performs in comparison to those two. We should have a full review for you soon, so keep watching this space.

Tags:Android,Honor 4C,Honor 4C first impressions. Honor 4C price,Honor 4C price in India,Huawei,Lollipop,mobiles,smartphones

Friday, 8 May 2015

Micromax's Yu Yuphoria Drop Test Video Shows Phone Breaking Floor

Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures is all set to launch the Yu Yuphoria smartphone, its next Cyanogen OS smartphone, on Tuesday. The company is leaving no stone unturned to create hype around the device ahead of the official launch and has teased a rather unrealistic drop test on YouTube.Micromax Co-Founder Rahul Sharma shared a teaser video of the Yu Yuphoria smartphone on Thursday. He said on Twitter, "Your excitement is really contagious and inspiring" and the tweet was accompanied by the teaser video.
The 35-seconds YouTube video (see below) shows how the Yu Yuphoria smartphone survives a fall when accidentally dropped on a tiled floor. On being dropped, the Yuphoria is seen intact while the tile on the floor breaks from the phone's impact. The video hints that the smartphone might sport a metal frame; though we would like to wait till Tuesday launch to hear it from the company itself. The portrait video seems to have been shot by a smartphone.
The domestic handset maker had been lately teasing its upcoming smartphone. The company already confirmed that the Yuphoria smartphone would run Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Yu Televentures last month confirmed that its next Cyanogen OS smartphone, previously codenamed Project Caesar, will be called Yuphoria. The official name of the next smartphone from Yu was crowdsourced. The company carried out a naming campaign called "#YUNameIt" via its social platform and claimed that it received over 100,000 entries.
To recall, Yu Televentures partnered Cyanogen last year to offer a customised user experience to buyers of its Yureka smartphone and adopted an online sale strategy to counter other brands such as Motorola and Xiaomi among others.

Tags:Micromax,Micromax Mobiles,Mobiles,Yu Yuphoria,Yu Yuphoria Specifications,Yu Yureka

BlackBerry Seeking Approval to Launch Virtual SIM Solution in India

Handset maker BlackBerry on Thursday said it is in discussions with regulatory authorities and telecom operators in India to launch its virtual SIM solution by year-end.
Using the solution, consumers will be able to use as many as nine mobile numbers through a single SIM card.
"We are seeking clearance from regulatory authorities. We are also conducting pilots for the solution with operators here. We hope to launch the virtual SIM solution by end of the year," BlackBerry India Managing Director Sunil Lalvani told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday.
Last year, the Canadian firm had acquired virtual identity solutions provider, Movirtu, to beef up its offerings for enterprise customers.
"The technology allows an individual to have both, a personal and business number on a single mobile device, with separate billing for voice, data and messaging usage on each number. People can switch between business and personal profiles easily without carrying multiple devices or SIM cards," he said.
Lalvani, however, declined to comment on the names of the partners.
He added that the solution has been deployed in certain parts of Africa and the company is in discussions for roll-outs in Europe and other Asia Pacific countries as well.
BlackBerry has been aggressively looking at expanding its software and services offering to the enterprise users as it loses ground in the hardware space amid stiff competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung.
According to research firm IDC, BlackBerry's market share has declined from 8.1 percent in October-December 2011 to 0.4 percent in the last quarter of 2014.
The company, however, remains bullish on its handset business. It has announced the launch of BlackBerry Leap, which will be available in India from June. The price of the device in India will be announced closer to the launch.

Tags:BlackBerry,Mobiles,SIM,Telecom,Virtual SIM

Google, Dominant in Search, Tries Disrupter Role in Wireless and Broadband

Call it the Google paradox.

Last month, the European Union's antitrust chief accused Google of abusing its dominant market power in Web searches.
A week later, Google announced it was entering the wireless service market in the United States, threatening to disrupt one of America's most concentrated industries. Meantime, it is expanding its super-high-speed broadband Internet service to as many as 34 cities, taking on another market so concentrated that the government recently derailed the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.
So is Google an evil monopolist or competitive champion?
In the stodgy wireless service industry, long dominated by AT&T and Verizon, with struggling Sprint and feisty T-Mobile a distant third and fourth, the possibility that a new competitor might disrupt this cozy oligopoly has long been considered a pipe dream. When the Justice Department sued to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile in 2011, it concluded it was highly unlikely that other competitors would enter the market. Last year, Sprint abandoned its bid for T-Mobile after the Justice Department suggested that deal, too, would be anticompetitive.
But now Google's entry into wireless - named Project Fi - has changed the conversation about competition in that market, even though Google said the move was still an experiment.
"I'm delighted that Google is doing this," said Scott Hemphill, visiting professor of antitrust and intellectual property at New York University School of Law. "This is an industry that's ripe for disruption."
Google's wireless business certainly seems disruptive. It takes direct aim at the fat profit margins and high prices of the dominant firms. Google is charging $20 a month for basic voice and text service, and $10 for a gigabyte of cellular data, according to a blog post on the company's website. And in a move unheard of among traditional wireless providers, Google will rebate payments to customers for any unused data.
(A Google spokeswoman, Niki Christoff, said Project Fi is currently available only to users of the Motorola Nexus 6 smartphone, and even then only by invitation.)
Google's service also uses a combination of innovative technology and partnerships with existing cellular providers to overcome its lack of wireless spectrum. Project Fi uses Wi-Fi networks whenever possible (hence its name) and, when Wi-Fi isn't available, moves seamlessly to cellular networks. The cellular networks are provided by Sprint and T-Mobile, the current cell service underdogs.
Hemphill said Google's inventive service shows the wisdom of the Obama administration's having challenged the T-Mobile-AT&T transaction. "Now you have two firms open to alternative business models," he said. "Surely a duopoly would have thumbed their noses at Google's idea."
In the high-speed broadband market, even the prospect of Google's coming to town has caused entrenched providers to improve their service in anticipation of a new competitive threat. After Google said it would bring its fiber service to the Charlotte, North Carolina, market, Time Warner Cable announced it was offering a free higher-speed upgrade to its customers there.
And after Google pushed into Austin, Texas, in December, AT&T and Time Warner Cable announced they would upgrade service, and new entrants have made Austin a high-speed Internet paradise that's enhancing its reputation as a technology magnet. Google has also said it is bringing its service to the Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Salt Lake City metropolitan areas.
Of course, Google isn't doing this because it's trying to win a corporate good citizenship award from the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. These are strategic moves aimed at enhancing Google's position in search while exploiting new profit opportunities.
Like many of Google's forays into nonsearch businesses, cellular service and high-speed broadband feed users to its search business, since the more cellular usage and broadband access, and the cheaper they are, the more consumers will use Google's search function.
"We call these businesses complements, since having more of one creates demand for the other," said Herbert Hovenkamp, professor of antitrust law at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Also, entering big, concentrated markets offers Google greater profit opportunities. "There is something to be said about going for fat, complacent industries," Hovenkamp said.
That, of course, might be said of Google's core search business, which is what drives the company's high profit margins - which have typically exceeded 20 percent. New entrants and existing competitors have failed to erode Google's market share, which in the United States has been fairly consistent at about 65 percent and in Europe is over 90 percent.
Google's dominant position has long drawn regulatory scrutiny in both the United States and Europe and now a European enforcement action. (On Wednesday, European officials continued to flex their antitrust muscles, opening an investigation into whether large technology companies were impeding competition in online shopping.)
It isn't inconsistent for a monopolist in one industry to be an innovative upstart in another. "Monopolists have historically invested in more competitive markets," Hovenkamp said. "They might prefer to pour all their investment capital into their high-margin dominant business, but that isn't feasible, so they turn to related businesses." (He mentioned Ford, which at the height of its market power in automobiles turned to manufacturing tractors.)
But success and a dominant market position aren't illegal unless they're acquired unlawfully or if a monopolist abuses its market power.
European antitrust officials have tended to be more skeptical about large market shares than U.S. regulators have been, especially when it comes to U.S. technology companies. In the suit against Google, they claim it rigged search results to favor its shopping sites over competitors (including some large European companies). They have also said they are scrutinizing Google's Android mobile phone operating system, which typically features Google as the default search engine.
It remains to be seen what new evidence the European Union investigators may have uncovered, but both of those issues have been examined at length by U.S. regulators, who concluded no action against Google was warranted after the company agreed to relatively minor adjustments.
And the European case has generated skepticism among U.S. antitrust experts. "You have to ask, where's the harm to consumers?" Hemphill said. "By all indications, Google is providing something that consumers want."
Hovenkamp added that even if Europe wins the case, it risks having to micromanage search algorithms. "That's a costly, never-ending and ultimately destructive game," he said. "You don't want to turn Internet search into a regulated industry."
Google has denied the charges in detailed blog posts, arguing that European consumers have benefited and that Android has created more choice and innovation.
Whatever the outcome in Europe, Google is emerging as a formidable competitor in wireless and broadband, two of the most entrenched oligopolies in the United States. So while European regulators go after the search giant, their U.S. counterparts would seem to be rooting for Google.
"The Justice Department must be thrilled," Hemphill said.
© 2015 New York Times News Service
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Android M Will Be Unveiled at Google I/O 2015, Tips Conference Schedule

Google, while revealing its 2-day schedule for the upcoming Google I/O conference on the website, accidentally also revealed a small description of Android M in the Android for Work Update session on Day 1, which also hints that the firm might announce the new OS version at the event. The mention of the Android for Work Update session on Day 1 has since been removed from the schedule.
While Google has not yet announced Android M, the Android M description spotted by several fans strongly suggests the company will reveal the new OS version at I/O 2015, complete with features that will revamp the Android experience at workplaces.
"Android M is bringing the power of Android to all kinds of workplaces. This opens huge new markets for hundreds of millions of devices to workers at small business, deskless workers, logistics and warehousing jobs; all be empowered by adoption of Android devices at Work," stated the description before being pulled down from the Google I/O schedule.
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Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Review: Luxury in Your Ears

A true veteran of the audiophile industry, Bowers & Wilkins was founded in 1966 and has since established a formidable reputation for itself as one of the world's leading loudspeaker brands. It first earned fame back in 1974 when it patented the use of Kevlar fibre in speaker cones to provide controlled rigidity and internal damping, which minimised distortion significantly.You would think that a traditionalist audiophile brand would stick to a product line it knows and is famous for, but the temptation of the growing headphones industry has been hard to resist. Bowers & Wilkins is no different, and recently launched its latest range of multimedia products in India. We have one of these new products for review, the Rs. 15,499 B&W C5 Series 2. Replacing the original C5, the new model promises a new, more refined sound.

Specifications and Design
The Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 features 9.2mm drivers, with a frequency range of 10-20,000Hz and a sensitivity of 115dB. Impedance is 32 Ohms, which is surprisingly high for in-ears. On-ears and over-ears with larger drivers usually need the added power to drive them and thus feature this level of impedance. Performance and volume levels are in line with those of similar products, so we're unsure why this additional amplification requirement exists. The cable length is a standard 1.2m, while the weight of the headset is a fairly standard 20g.
Like the original earphones, the C5 S2 features the Secure Loop, an innovative fitting mechanism. Once you've put the in-ears into your canals, you simply open up the loops so they press against the insides of the inner ridges of your ears. This keeps the earphones firmly in place and seals the canals for effective sound isolation by passively blocking out all noise. It's an effective solution and offers some of the best sound isolation we've heard through in-ears.
With music playing even at moderate volumes, it's hard to hear anything else. However, the fit itself might not be ideal for everyone. Even though the loops are soft, having them pushing against our inner ears got uncomfortable over time for us. This might not be the case for everyone, and you can always leave the Secure Loop loose, which only slightly affects isolation.

The earphones themselves are designed and built well. The casing has a glossy metallic finish with Bowers & Wilkins branding on the inside, while the Secure Loop (which doubles up as the cabling that connects into the earphones) also features branding. The outside of the casing is uniquely shaped and has an interesting rough silver finish. A beautiful semi-circular carry case and a total of four silicon ear tips are included in the box. The tips are all wide-bore; additional narrow bore and foam tips would have been nice to have, especially at this price.
The cable is standard tangle-prone rubber, while the in-line remote/microphone and straight 3.5mm pin are all plastic. This is disappointing, since we're used to braided cables and metal at this price. Furthermore, an L-shaped connector would have been helpful. The cable is sturdy, though, and on the whole it's a well-built, durable product.

Performance
We used our reference Fiio X1 high-resolution audio player and an Android smartphone to test the Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 in-ears. Focus tracks for the review were Michael Jackson's Bad and A.R. Rahman's Dil Se in 16/44.1 FLAC, and Phoenix's Fences and SOHN's Bloodflows in 320kbps MP3.
We started with Bad, and immediately noticed just how detailed the C5 S2 is. It's impressive how much detail it manages to dig out. Combined with excellent separation of elements, this creates a sound that is rich and refined. Sounds across the frequency range shone with a sense of purpose, and no part of the track was lost no matter how busy it got. The detailed beat was translated with absolute precision.

Something else we noticed with both Bad and Dil Se was the absolutely stunning soundstaging. Once again, it sounded particularly good when concentrating on the beat. Percussion instruments felt so real and present that we couldn't t help but imagine a virtual soundstage in our minds to go with the sound. The Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 in-ears extend the soundstage far wider than you would expect from a pair of in-ears. There's also a beautiful fluidity to the way music is translated by the C5 S2. We could feel the beat move from left to right and resonate exactly where it needed to, while Rahman's soulful vocals felt like they were emanating from the perfect centre.
Fences and Bloodflows revealed the low-frequency capabilities and bass response of the earphones. Although highs and mids are present and clear, there is a definite tendency of the C5 S2 to favour lows and bass. There's a real sense of thump, but the marvelous detailing ensures that highs and mids aren't lost. The bass is just a bit exaggerated, but this gives the B&W C5 Series 2 a bit of character that we liked. There's even a hint of treble sparkle at the top of the response range, and it's a welcome addition to an otherwise bass-heavy pair of in-ears.
The Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 is also excellent when watching video, because of its ability to dig out detail. Voices and background sounds are well defined and clean. Voice calls on the phone are decent as well, as is the performance of the microphone. The in-line remote works best with iOS devices which can recognise the volume keys, but the centre key can be used universally to pause/play music and answer calls.

Verdict
Bowers & Wilkins has decades of expertise in producing loudspeaker drivers, and it appears that all of that experience has gone into producing a quality pair of earphones in the C5 Series 2. There's an incredible sense of detail and a well-defined sonic signature that favours strong bass without negatively affecting treble response, mids or highs. It has all the excitement and drive you want from a pair of in-ears, and is built well for the most part.
Unfortunately, having a famous and reputed brand name also drives the price up. At Rs. 15,499, the Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 is expensive, to say the least. This would be fine if it had fewer flaws, so the lack of useful ear tips and cheap-looking cable and plastic parts don't exactly help its case. Furthermore, the Secure Loop is a hit-or-miss; it won't suit everyone and you'll either love it or hate it.
There are definite benefits in terms of sound performance, but it is possible to achieve a sound that is nearly as good for a fraction of the price, with the Ostry KC06A. Also at a similar price, the RHA T10i in-ears offer a better build, the advantages of interchangeable tuning filters, and plenty of ear tips. However, if you want an exciting, detailed and punchy sound, and if price is no bar, look no further.
Price (MRP): Rs. 15,499
Pros

Bass-oriented sonic signature has real character
Superb soundstaging and imaging
Detailed sound with superb fluidity
Well designed and built

Cons

Cable and in-line controls feel cheap for the price
Expensive
Secure Loop mechanism won't suit everyone

Ratings (Out of 5)

Design: 4
Performance: 4.5
Value for money: 2.5
Overall: 4

Tags:audio,bowers and wilkins,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Design,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Features,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Performance,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Price,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Price in India,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Review,Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2 Specifications,earphones,headphones,IEM,IEMs,in ears

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Ali Pardiwala

Resident audiophile. Spoilt South Bombay brat. Would rather be on a beach somewhere, but needs the money and likes writing.

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Lenovo LaVie Z, LaVie Z 360 Ultra-Light Laptops Price Revealed

YOU ARE HERE:Gadgets Home Laptops Laptops News Microsoft Explains Why Windows 10 Will Be the Last Version of the OS

Microsoft Explains Why Windows 10 Will Be the Last Version of the OS

Microsoft Windows 10, which will be launched for PCs this summer, will be the Redmond-based tech firm's last Windows OS version, said Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft employee and developer evangelist, at the company's ongoing Ignite conference in Chicago.
Reiterating the company's "Windows as a service" philosophy, Nixon said the firm is planning no new OS version launches in the future. "Right now we're releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we're all still working on Windows 10," he added.
Nixon said Microsoft secretly made its base for Windows 10 when it launched Windows 8.1 last year, and that with Windows 10 it will be pushing out regular updates to the OS instead of introducing new versions.
Explaining how it would work, Nixon gave the example of how OS components, such as the Start Menu and the built-in apps, will be bifurcated and updated independently. Alongside, Microsoft revealed that Patch Tuesdays will be abolished, and the update cycle will be moved to a 24x7 one. Users could either opt-in for slow rollout, meaning receiving updates in bundles, or a fast rollout, where they would receive updates as soon as they are released.
"Recent comments at Ignite about Windows 10 are reflective of the way Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers," confirmed a Microsoft spokesperson when approached by The Verge for confirming Nixon's comments. "We aren't speaking to future branding at this time, but customers can be confident Windows 10 will remain up-to-date and power a variety of devices from PCs to phones to Surface Hub to HoloLens and Xbox. We look forward to a long future of Windows innovations."
Microsoft is already said to have engineered apps like Xbox, Mail and even Office for regular monthly updates in Windows 10. The results will however will be reflected after a few months. The firm has also been testing the OS with Windows Insider participants in the form of different OS version builds both for PC/laptops and mobile devices.
It is worth mentioning that while Windows 10 is due to arrive for PCs by this summer, the OS will be released for mobiles, tablets, HoloLens, and the Xbox One at some point later this year.

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Now Access, organize, share and find your photos & videos on Flickr with enriched experience

Yahoo! Inc. enhances user experience by adding new features in Flickr, desktop and mobile. Now, it becomes more intelligent search tool and set of features that make it easier to access, organize, find and share photos and videos across devices. The overhaul brings a seamless, unified experience to the community of over 112 million users, and allows them to more efficiently manage over 11 billion photos on Flickr today.

Three new significant components of this upgrade include:
Uploadrs: Users can upload as many as half a million photos from their desktop, an external hard drive, iPhoto, their mobile phone and more, using Yahoo’s new Uploadr for Mac and Windows and Yahoo’s new Auto-Uploadr for their mobile device. Photos and videos currently on the device or captured as new will be uploaded automatically and marked as private, and duplicates will be removed.
Camera Roll in the Cloud: Navigate through thousands of photos and videos in the new interface, supported by advanced image recognition technology. The dynamic Magic View feature organizes a user’s photos automatically across over 60 categories (landscapes, animals, black and white, portraits, etc.). Users can also browse their Camera Roll by date. For the first time, users can bulk download photos and videos or share privately via link, email, Instagram, Facebook and more with one swipe.
Unified Search Experience: Flickr’s advanced search technology and powerful computer vision algorithms also provide a smarter and faster search experience. Users can easily search for images of specific items or places, or search by holiday, date or location. Just as easily, users can search for images of the London Eye because now Flickr understands a user’s intent and finds photos of the giant ferris wheel, not just photos of countless eyes taken in London. A user can also filter images by color, size, and orientation, discovering panoramic shots of the sky with blue and magenta hues.
Flickr members can enjoy these updates by logging into their account and updating the app from the App Store or from the Play Store. The desktop Uploadr for Windows and Mac are also available for use today.

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News News & Launches Microsoft to Release Two New High-End Phones for Windows 10 Later This Year

News News & Launches

Microsoft to Release Two New High-End Phones for Windows 10 Later This Year

Microsoft is set to launch two new high-end Lumia phones for Windows 10 later this year. The flagship devices, codenamed Cityman, is currently being developed, alongside a high-end handset codenamed Talkman.

The premium Lumia codenamed Cityman will feature a 5.7 inch QHD display, a Qualcomm octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory with a microSD card slot, 20 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a 3300 mAh removable battery.
Another phone codenamed Talkman will have a 5.2 inch QHD display, a 6 core processor from Qualcomm, while rest of the specs are same except Talkman features 300mAh battery. According to reports Microsoft is trying to keep this one much sleek than the Lumia 930.
Both the handsets are also predicted to equip a triple-LED flash to support different tones for photos and to capture photos with more natural colors.

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Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Micromax Canvas Spark to Be Available in Second Flash Sale on Wednesday

Micromax's budget Canvas Spark smartphone will be available in its second flash sale via Snapdeal on Wednesday, commencing at 12pm IST for registered users. The company, at the time of writing, had not revealed the number of units that will be available in the second flash sale. The domestic handset maker also announced that it received over 200,000 registrations for the Canvas Spark smartphone.Update: Micromax has announced that 50,000 units of the Canvas Spark went out of stock in 5 minutes. Registrations for the next sale on May 13 begin at 12pm on Thursday.
(Also see: Micromax Canvas Spark Review: Pocket-Friendly Smartphone)
The first flash sale for the Micromax Canvas Spark saw 20,000 units going out of stock in less than 2 minutes.
The Micromax Canvas Spark is a dual-SIM smartphone, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box. It features a 4.7-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) IPS display along with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor coupled with 1GB of DDR3 RAM.
The Canvas Spark bears an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and an M8 Largan lens, apart from a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It sports 8GB of built-in storage, which is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM radio, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It is powered by a 2000mAh battery that's rated to deliver up to 335 hours of standby time. The smartphone comes in dual-tone colour options - White-Gold and Grey-Silver.
At a price of just Rs. 4,999, Micromax is definitely trying to woo customers looking for up-to-date smartphones in the sub-Rs. 5,000 segment.
Earlier this week, Micromax Unite 3 went on sale via a third-party online retailer priced at Rs. 6,569. The smartphone was also listed on the company's site. The Unite 3 is the third handset in the series with the other two being - Micromax Unite and Micromax Unite 2.
Much like its predecessors, the Unite 3 also supports multiple languages and comes preloaded with support for 10 regional languages. The smartphone includes a new feature that lets users translate a message from English to the language of choice and vice versa.

Micromax Canvas Spark

Rs. 4999

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Stock Android experience
Extremely affordable
Good design

Bad
Average camera performance
Performance issues

Read detailed Micromax Canvas Spark review

Tags:Android,Micromax,Micromax Canvas Spark,Micromax Canvas Spark Price,Micromax Canvas Spark Price in India,Micromax Canvas Spark Specifications,Micromax Mobiles,Mobiles

Micromax Canvas Spark to Be Available in Second Flash Sale on Wednesday

Intex Aqua Power+ With 4000mAh Battery, Android 5.0 Lollipop Launched at Rs. 8,999

Intex has launched an upgraded version of the Aqua Power in India, the Aqua Power+. The company has announced that the Intex Aqua Power+ will be initially available exclusively via Reliance retail stores, priced at Rs. 8,999.Much like the Intex Aqua Power, the highlight of the Aqua Power+ is its large 4000mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 20 hours of talk time and up to 500 hours of standby time. The Intex Aqua Power+ will be competing against various Android smartphones with a gigantic battery. These include the Lenovo P780, Lenovo A5000, Lava Iris Fuel 60, and Xolo Q3000.
The dual-SIM Intex Aqua Power+ runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. The first Intex smartphone running Android 5.0 Lollipop was the Aqua Star L, which was launched in February.
(Also see: Intex Aqua Power+ vs. Intex Aqua Power)
The Intex Aqua Power+ features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. The Aqua Power, on the other hand, featured an octa-core processor while running Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box.
The Aqua Power+ smartphone features 16GB of built-in storage that is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, apart from a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Connectivity options include 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0, and USB OTG. Some of the preloaded apps on the Aqua Power+ include Ask Me, Intex Play, Intex zone, OLX, News hunt, Clean master, and Truecaller.
Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Mobile Business Head, Intex Technologies said, "The upgrade Aqua Power + is another addition to the Aqua series. The Aqua power + is a great smartphone boasting vivid display, excellent battery backup, vibrant picture excellence at an incredible price point. At Intex, it is our determination to persistently understand and deliver to our customer expectations."

Intex Aqua Power+

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

1.3GHz

Front Camera

5-megapixel

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 5.0

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

4000mAh

See full Intex Aqua Power+ specifications

Tags:Android,Intex,Intex Aqua Power Plus,Intex Aqua Power Plus Price,Intex Aqua Power Plus Price in India,Intex Aqua Power Plus Specifications,Intex Mobiles,Mobiles

Intex Aqua Power+ With 4000mAh Battery, Android 5.0 Lollipop Launched at Rs. 8,999

Amazon's The Great Indian Summer Sale Kicks Off

Amazon's The Great Indian Summer Sale kicked off on Wednesday with deals across various product categories. Amazon India is offering up to 50 percent off on mobiles, tablets, laptops, cameras, and other electronics, as well as across apparel & accessories. As part of Amazon's The Great Indian Summer Sale, new deals will be posted on the app and website every 30 minutes between 8AM and 6PM on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (May 6-8).
Amazon's The Great Indian Summer Sale includes up to 60 percent discounts on appliances, décor, furnishing & kitchen utilities, books, movies, music & more. Amazon India is also offering up to 20 percent off on gourmet, beauty products, baby products & more as part of its sale.
As usual, there are incentives to download and use the Amazon India app, with app users getting early access to the best The Great Indian Summer Sale deals. Amazon India is also offering additional 15 percent cash back to app users who make payments using State Bank of India (SBI) debit or credit cards. The cash back is 10 percent for those using SBI cards on the website during Amazon's The Great Indian Summer Sale.
You need to make a transaction of Rs. 5,000 or above to avail the cash back while making a payment using a SBI card - there are no extra steps or promo code to be used. The maximum cash back per card account is Rs. 1,500 across app and the website. Amazon says cash back will be credited to the card holder's account latest by 8th August 2015.
"With The Great Indian Summer Sale, we are thrilled to bring to our customers the biggest shopping event of the season. Customers will enjoy a vast, unique and exclusive selection with irresistible offers from our sellers that will make this summer season absolutely delightful," said Samir Kumar, Director Category Management, Amazon India.

Tags:Amazon,Amazon India,Amazon The Great Indian Summer Sale