Samsung Galaxy S5 review: Lots of surprises and some disappointments

Every time there is a new Galaxy flagship from Samsung, there is a lot of hype as well as a lot of expectation. Not all of that is unfounded, as over the past few years top-end Samsung phones have been able to capture popular imagination like very few other devices have been able to. But not everyone was happy with what came in the Samsung Galaxy S4 and it seems the Korean tech leviathan was under pressure to innovate with the Samsung Galaxy S5. We look at the innovations, the disappointments and the surprises.

Read more : http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/samsung-galaxy-s5-full-review/

Moto X successor allegedly spied in new benchmarks

The Moto X XT912A seen there has the makings of a so-called Moto X+1. Powered by Android 4.4.3 KitKat, the handset looks to feature a 5.2-inch 1080p HD screen, a Snapdragon 800 processor, a 1.7GB RAM, and 24GB of internal storage.

The 12-megapixel rear camera is listed as having auto-focus, HDR, touch focus, and face detection while the front-facing 2-megapixel shooter would capture HD video.

It's worth pointing out that the XT912A model number was used by Motorola for the Moto X; the nearly identical XT912 is the model number for the Droid Razr. Perhaps Motorola is trying hide the new model in plain sight?

Lava launches 3G calling tablet IvoryS, prices it at Rs 8,499

Targetting youngsters and young working professionals, handset-maker Lava International on Saturday launched its latest tablet, IvoryS, which is packed with features for rich gaming and multimedia experience. The tablet is priced at Rs 8,499.

 

 
IvoryS sports a 7” multi touch capacitive display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and is powered by MediaTek’s MT8312 1.3 GHz dual core processor and Mali 400 GPU @ 416 MHz. The device, which weighs only 300 grams, comes with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory that is expandable upto 32 GB. It offers dual SIM (3G+2G) capabilities and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Lava IvoryS sports a 3.2 MP rear camera with flash for low light images and a VGA front camera for 3G video-calling. It is powered by a 2,800 mAh battery which the, company claims, provide up to 200 hours of standby time and 8 hours talk time. The tablet comes in grey and white colours and will be available across national retail chain stores, multi-brand outlets across India and online stores.

Apple to replace iPhone 5 power button for free

For those who have got the Apple iPhone 5 and are facing issues with the power button, need not worry anymore. Apple has said the iPhone 5 phones that were manufactured in March 2013 has been affected by a problem in the sleep/wake button.

“The sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently” says Apple. The company has come forward to replace the sleep/wake button mechanism, free of charge, on iPhone 5 models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number.

What you can do is to check if your phone qualifies for the free “Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program” on the support page here. If your phone qualifies for the replacement, you will need to visit the Apple repair center.

The replacement process will take approximately 4-6 days from the time your iPhone is received at the repair center until it is returned to the customer. The iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and is otherwise in working order. Before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you also need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings.

The program has becun in US and Canada from 25th April and will come to other countries by May 2, 2014.

Nexus 5 now available in Red on Google India Play Store

The leaked Red Nexus 5 that sparked excitement last week was real after all. The LG-built Red Nexus 5 is now up for grabs on the Google Play Store. The new “bright Red” unit carries a similar pricing – the 16GB model is priced at Rs 28,999 and the 32GB model at Rs 32,999. It is also available in white and black colours. Moreover, it comes just in time, ahead of Valentine’s Day.


The Play Store has said that both 16GB and 32GB models is supposed to ship in 1 to 2 business days. Soon after Nexus 5 video showing the device in multiple colours made its rounds and was subsequently found to be fake, we saw a leaked image of Red Nexus 5 that looked more like the real deal.

Oppo N1 world’s first smartphone with 13-megapixel rotating camera

After Gionee which recently launched its smartphones in India, it is now the turn of another Chinese handset maker Oppo to foray into the Indian market. The company has launched Oppo N1phablet in the Indian market. The device was unveiled globally in China in September last year.

The smartphone with a price tag of Rs 39,999 sports a 13-megapixel camera which can rotate up to 206 degrees. According to the company this feature is the main highlight of the device.

Oppo N1 which comes in 16 and 32GB storage variants features a large 5.9-inch full-HD IPS display and runs on Android 4.2 (Color ROM). It is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB RAM.
The Oppo N1 which weighs 213 grams will come in White colour and dimensions 170.7x82.6x9mm.

IAS officer’s son tipped to become Microsoft CEO

Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella, son of an IAS officer who was secretary to former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, is being tipped strongly to become chief executive of Microsoft, the storied software company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, according to a raft of business outlets citing sources familiar with deliberations on the matter.

Nadella, 46, is a 22-year Microsoft insider who now heads the company's cloud and enterprise group. If the Microsoft board, which has been searching for a successor to current CEO Steve Ballmer for nearly five months, goes through with his appointment, he will be the top-ranked CEO of Indian-origin, comfortably overtaking Indra Nooyi of Pepsico, which is the world's 44th ranked company in terms of market value. An announcement is expected as early as Friday.

Microsoft is currently the fourth largest company by market cap ($308 billion) after Apple ($450 billion), Exxon Mobil ($442 billion) and Google ($379 billion).

Oppo N1 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Nokia Lumia 1520

January end marked the official entry of China’s popular phone maker Oppo in the Indian market. The company forayed into the growing and competitive Indian mobile space with its Oppo N1 priced at Rs 39,999. Considering its 6-inch display and the price tag, the device outright competes with the Nokia Lumia 1520 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Here’s a quick specs comparison of the three massive devices, to find who has the best specs on paper.

Microsoft close to naming India-born Nadella as new CEO

Microsoft Corp, world's largest software company, is likely to appoint its India born cloud-computing head, Satya Nadella, as its next chief executive officer, according to reports in the US media on Thursday.

The reports also indicated, citing unidentified company sources, that Microsoft chairman and co-founder Bill Gates may also be replaced.

Nadella, 46, was among three internal candidates said to have been in the running for last several weeks.
The other two were strategy head Tony Bates, former CEO of Skype, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2011; and Stephen Elop, former head of Nokia acquired by the giant in 2013. But the reports did not say the search was conclusively over.

Chinese firms bet big on Indian market

After Gionee which recently launched its smartphones in India, it is now the turn of another Chinese handset maker Oppo to foray into the Indian market. The company has launched Oppo N1phablet in the Indian market. The device was unveiled globally in China in September last year.

The smartphone with a price tag of Rs 39,999 sports a 13-megapixel camera which can rotate up to 206 degrees. According to the company this feature is the main highlight of the device.

Oppo N1 which comes in 16 and 32GB storage variants features a large 5.9-inch full-HD IPS display and runs on Android 4.2 (Color ROM). It is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB RAM.
The Oppo N1 which weighs 213 grams will come in White colour and dimensions 170.7x82.6x9mm.
The smartphone packs in a 3610mAh battery and WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and DLNA as connectivity options. Top Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor have been roped in as brand ambassadors in Indian where it would be available in 12 major cities which include  Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai Bangalore, Chennai. 

With the entry of Chinese handset makers in India, the domestic manufacturing such as Micromax and Karbonn are likely to face tough competition.

Yahoo email account passwords stolen

Yahoo says usernames and passwords of its email customers have been stolen and used to access accounts, but the company isn't saying how many accounts have been affected.

The company said in a blog post that "the information sought in the attack seems to be names and email addresses from the affected accounts' most recent sent emails.''

Yahoo says it believes the usernames and passwords weren't collected from its own systems, but from a third-party database. The company says it is resetting passwords on affected accounts and has "implemented additional measures'' to block further attacks.

The company would not comment beyond the information in its blog post. It says it is working with federal law enforcement.

Google selling Motorola phone business to Lenovo

Google is selling Motorola's smartphone business to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, a price that makes Google's biggest acquisition look like its most expensive mistake.

 The deal announced Wednesday will rid Google Inc. of a financial headache that has plagued the Internet company since buying Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion in 2012. Motorola has lost nearly $2 billion since Google took over, while trimming its workforce from 20,000 to 3,800.

Google had previously recovered some of the money that it spent on Motorola by selling the company's set-top operations last year to Arris Group Inc. for $2.35 billion. Google is also keeping most of the patents that came with the Motorola purchase.

Here’s how to check if your Gmail account has been hacked

Google has provided users with tools right within the Gmail inbox that can help keep your account secured. Here’s how it works:

To check if your account has been targeted and hacked into without your knowledge, you need to log into your Gmail account using a desktop browser.

Now scroll down to the bottom of your inbox and locate a link called “Details”. When you click on it, a pop-up window will appear, and it will show you a detailed list of the last ten times you – or anyone else –has accessed your account. It will also show you not just when your account was accessed but also how it was viewed. You’ll know if the inbox was opened using an email app, browser, smartphone app and the IP address through which it was accessed.

If you see a suspicious device or IP address, you may want to change your password as soon as possible.

To strengthen the security on your Gmail account, you can even turn the two-factor authentication system on. You can store your IP addresses of the various computers and devices you use to access Gmail, in order to ensure nothing fishy is going on around your account.

While Google has been very particular about ensuring account safety from sleuths, it has been going through a rough couple of weeks with Gmail. An outage late last week caused about 10 percent of Google’s global users to lose access to their Gmail accounts for a good 30 minutes or so. This week, it was also revealed that a bug affecting certain Gmail apps was marking out wrong messages to be deleted or sent into spam folders.

iPhone 6 ConceptDesigner: Michael Muyunda

Read more : http://in.news.yahoo.com/lightbox/iphone-pro-for-developers-and-power-users-slideshow/iphone-6-concept-photo-1390902163058.html

Lava Iris Pro vs Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200

Lava launched its much teased Iris Pro series earlier this month. The first handset of the new series, which is named as Lava Iris Pro 30, is claimed to have a pleasant design and competitive hardware. Meanwhile, Micromax too has released a new Canvas series phone - the Canvas Turbo Mini A200, a stripped down version of Canvas Turbo. The Canvas Turbo Mini A200 is available at Rs 14,490 while the Lava Iris Pro 30 is available for Rs 15, 499.

Lava Iris Pro 30 and Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200 compete with each other not only on the pricing but also on several fronts. We take a closer look to present how both devices are different and can be similar in select aspects at the same time.

iBall Andi 4.5 Ripple 2G and 3G launched

New Delhi: iBall has announced the launch of two entry-level smartphone for its Andi series — Andi 4.5 Ripple 2G and Andi 4.5 Ripple 3G.

The difference in the two phones lies in the latter's ability to run on a 3G connection.

In the price bracket, the Andi 4.5 Ripple 2G will sell at Rs 5,499 and the Andi 4.5 Ripple 3G at Rs 6,399.

Under the hood, both phones are powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core A7 Cortex chipset with a 4.5-inch FWVGA (480 x 854 pixel) display. In the OS department, the phones will be seen running on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and will be backed up by 512MB RAM.

They will also have 4GB of built-in storage, 2GB user-available, and can be expanded up to 32GB.

The camera on the phones is a 5MP rear with LED flash with a front-facing camera as well.

On the connectivity front, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, A-GPS will be present. The battery on the phones is kept at 1,500 mAh.

Here's How To Undo A Sent Email In Gmail

1. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of your Gmail window and select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Gmail screenshot

2. Select Labs from the row of tabs.

Gmail screenshot

3. Scroll all the way to the bottom where you see Undo Send and click Enable.

Gmail screenshot

4. Hit Save Changes at the bottom.
5. Breathe easy.
Now when you send an email, the yellow dialogue that displays "Your message has been sent" will also give you the option to Undo.  Click it, and the email will reopen, un-sent, in the composition window.

Gmail screenshot

Specs battle: Micromax Canvas Turbo mini A200 vs Lava Iris Pro 30

Not far behind international brands, the leading Indian smartphone maker Micromax has delivered a mini version of its popular Canvas Turbo. Though the company hasn’t announced the Canvas Turbo mini A200 officially yet, it has quietly slipped in the device on the popular retailer site Flipkart. The phone sports a price tag of Rs 14,490 and has a not-so lucrative specs sheet. However, take a closer look and the specs are almost similar to the newly launched Lava Iris Pro 30. We’ve put both devices in the ring for a quick specs comparison, on paper.

Maxx Mobile launches 26 phones priced between Rs 1,100 and Rs 7,777

Maxx Mobiles has made some corrections in their press release. The price range for the phones is from Rs 1,100 to Rs 7,777 and not Rs 5,000 as mentioned earlier.

Maxx Mobile–known for its entry-level phones–has launched a slew of handsets in the Indian market. Celebrating India’s Republic Day that falls on January 26, the company has launched 26 new handset models. The range is priced between Rs 1,100 and Rs 5000 Rs 7,777, which automatically means the smartphones in the line-up will be entry-level phones.

The other nineteen feature phones come with dual SIM capabilities, along with long lasting battery life of up to 1500 mHz, security features such as anti-theft and privacy protection and up to 8GB expandable memory. The feature phone segment models include, MX180, MX422, MX187, MX12, MX444, MX105, MX125, MX553, MX472, MX168, MX467, MX445, MX11, MX103, MX254, MX255, MX433, MX442 and MT352.

Google, Samsung enter global patent cross-licensing agreement

Google Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which are frequently involved in patent infringement lawsuits but not against each other, announced on Sunday that they have reached a global patent cross-licensing agreement.

The deal covers patents currently owned by the companies, as well as any filed in the next 10 years, the companies said in a release. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The companies said the deal "would lead to deeper collaboration on research and development of current and future projects."