2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Game

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Review: A Fresh Coat of Paint

The Fifa games have always been popular in India, but over the years, the series has gone through some ups and downs. The previous game, FIFA 14, actually released in 2013, and was relatively successful. New features like precision movement and improved physics and ball handling kept fans involved, while the game remained fun and easy to get into. Six months down the line, not too much has changed, and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil seems more like a formality.

That's a fact that's echoed by releasing the game only on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Both systems are still pretty impressive, but today, most high profile games are being released with the new generation of consoles in mind. We played the game on an Xbox 360, and while the game is enjoyable on its own terms, there's not much to separate it from the last entry in the series.

Some common complaints, which were there in FIFA 14, remain - in making the game more realistic, it's also become slower moving and your controls don't give your players arcade-like magical turning abilities anymore. Instead, the game is now more calculated, which is going to appeal to some and put off others. If you're not fanatical about football, you might fall into the latter category.

The endless treadmill

Most gamers are familiar with the annual refresh, where you get essentially the same game, but repackaged with slightly better visuals, slightly different tools, released year after year to a devoted fan following. This problem is even more apparent when you look at sports games - for obvious reasons, the rules can't be changed, physics has to be realistic so you can't make things bigger and better by adding vehicles or a level on a moon base. With these constraints in mind, sports games are often an endless treadmill where each version is only fractionally different from the one that preceded it.

That has never been more apparent than with 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (we will henceforth be referring to the game as FIFA Brazil), which follows so closely on the heels of FIFA 14. That's not to say that FIFA Brazil is a bad game - far from it. But while each successive Call of Duty gets an exciting new backdrop and weapons, FIFA Brazil has to content itself with the pageantry of the World Cup.

In all fairness, FIFA Brazil does this well. Crowd reactions are great, and the stadiums and camera tricks that pepper the delivery really do make it feel like you're watching a real broadcast of a football match. And of course, the game does its best to shower you with authentic details, such as 20 new stadiums, 203 teams, with anthems and home country cheering going crazy.

Strong fundamentals

In FIFA 14, there are all the modes you've come to expect, such as captain your country on road to the world cup, which lets you play the lead up to the actual World Cup, and you'll be able to replay actual matches, to rewrite history on your console at least.

But how does the game play? As we said, FIFA Brazil itself handles pretty much like its predecessor. The running and dribbling can feel a little slower than older versions of the game, and you're encouraged to play more tactically.

You have more control over the ball, and more freedom to dribble, while the new shoot controls can - with some practice - give you a lot more accuracy. What this means is that you can play FIFA Brazil a little more aggressively, and passes are wonderfully precise, which means that the games have plenty of action.

Verdict

If you're a complete football addict, who bought the game last year and is thinking about buying it again, then you're probably going to buy it despite the fact that the game hasn't really changed, beyond surface trappings. Otherwise, if you bought FIFA 14 already, and are on the fence about this game, skip it.

If you've last played Fifa a couple of years ago, and enjoy the genre though, then FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil is a pretty good game, with excellent presentation and enjoyable gameplay.

Price: Rs. 3,499 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

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Pinterest review: Cleaner, easier to manage

Pinterest review: Cleaner, easier to manage

Don't worry, Pinterest fans: Your sprawling virtual pegboards of wedding dresses, handmade jewelry, craft projects and food porn haven't changed dramatically. They're just easier to manage.

The popular link- and photo-sharing website has rolled out an update, one offering people simpler navigation and new ways to arrange their boards to fit their needs. Although the haphazard spirit of Pinterest remains, the site is much less overwhelming.

I wasn't a Pinterest user before, so the redesign gave me a chance to take a good look at the site for the first time. Before that, I had refused to be sucked into yet another form of social media. I figured I didn't have much use for it.

In the months since I started testing out Pinterest's new look, though, I've found the service helpful in organizing and sharing my continually expanding recipe collection. And it's fun to check what other people around the world are looking at and to see which strangers choose to follow me or respond to what I'm sharing.

Although it is not a replacement for Facebook or Twitter, and doesn't pretend to be, it is a beautiful and vast world with more than 25 million users around the world.

For those who have never used Pinterest, the free site lets people "pin" pictures from websites they want to share on online peg boards. You can choose to share the boards with just a few close friends or the entire Pinterest world. Others can comment on the boards and pins, "like" them or repin items on their own boards.

The result is an eclectic mix of millions of boards spanning just about as many topics. Although it doesn't offer as much of a chance to communicate and debate the way Facebook and Twitter do, Pinterest is an interesting and often beautiful supplement to those social media networks.

Pinterest's recent redesign is intended to cut down on clutter and make the site easier to manage, without drastically changing its look. The new look continues to evolve. Most of the changes are very subtle, and some have been tweaked or reversed already, helping Pinterest avoid the kind of backlash that Facebook has weathered in the past. Pinterest promises even more updates in the weeks and months ahead.

One of the most noticeable changes so far is Pinterest's move to larger pins, so you get four rather than five items per row. The site looks cleaner and less overwhelming because you don't see as many items on the screen at once. Much of the text previously found on Pinterest boards is smaller or gone. Menus have been streamlined.

What impresses me most about Pinterest - and also what drove me crazy - is its vast variety. Although there's no shortage of boards devoted to food, clothing, gadgets and home decor, there are also ones devoted to obscure topics such as doors, hockey goalies and the character Daryl from the TV show "The Walking Dead."

Some boards are very artistic and personal, while others, like mine, are more practical than pretty. The possibilities are endless, and so is the potential for wasting time - another reason I held off on joining for so long. Basically, whatever you're obsessed with, there's something on Pinterest for you.

For me, that's food.

I have hundreds of food-related sites bookmarked on my work and home computers, plus my iPhone and my iPad. They cover healthy recipes geared toward using up ingredients from my weekly farm share, tips for cooking a filet mignon and lists of New York restaurants with the best ramen and pizza. Other people have shared everything from the most ornate wedding cakes to those old-fashioned casseroles held together with canned soup.

Pinterest became a handy way to organize all that. First, I set up a Pinterest board simply titled "Recipes." That quickly spawned separate boards for easy meals, desserts and New York City restaurants. Although they pale in size so far to many of the countless other recipe boards out there, I find myself adding a couple things every day as I browse Twitter, Facebook and, of course, other Pinterest boards.

The boards also serve as a handy way for me to share recipes. Want my go-to red velvet cake, mac and cheese and turkey chili recipes? They're all on my Pinterest page. It also gives me easy access to my recipes when I need them. Rather than emailing myself links to recipes that I've bookmarked on my office computer, I can just pin them to my board and open up it later on my iPhone as I walk through the grocery store or on my iPad as I stir something on the stove.

After just a few months, some of my boards have grown pretty large. The new, less cluttered version of Pinterest helps me find what a need a little faster.

The activity feed, which details who likes and repins your pins along with other information, is in the process of moving to a drop-down menu on the right-hand side, clearing more space for the pins and their often beautiful photos. Its content is expanding as well. Notifications go back further in time than what users previously saw.

Filtering boards and pins by topic, such as "Art," "Food & Drink" and "Geek," is now easier, too. Instead of one long list dropping down from the middle of your page, the categories fall from the upper left in three shorter columns. It's a simple change that makes the list less daunting to read through. Meanwhile, all of the profile and account settings have been consolidated in a dropdown menu on the right.

A plethora of new information also pops up now when you take a close-up look at a pin. To the right of the pin is a mini version of the board it came from, which you can scroll through. There is a mini board showing other pins from the same website, so you can discover related recipes, for instance. Below all of that is a collection of pins from people who pinned the pin you're looking at. It's a way to discover material from like-minded people. It's a lot of content on one page, but surprisingly manageable.

Pinterest has also boosted its search capabilities, so that when you start typing something in the search box located in the upper-left corner of the page, a list of suggested words appears below it. That's helpful if you don't know exactly how to spell something.

But some popular features have also been eliminated. Gone is the site's "originally pinned by" feature, which showed which user was the first to pin a certain item. But Pinterest notes that many users have requested its return. I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Based on user feedback, Pinterest has already brought back other features, including one that allows users who have just pinned something to look at related pins or go straight to their pin by clicking on its "see it now" button.

What makes Pinterest different from other social media services is that it's not so much about posting your opinions or even letting your friends know about what's going on in your life. Instead of creating new content, it's about sharing and organizing what's already out there, preferably content that's attached to cool photos.

You get a beautiful visual experience and links to just about everything online right now.

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iPhone 6 5.5-Inch Model to Feature 128GB Variant and OIS Camera

iPhone 6 5.5-Inch Model to Feature 128GB Variant and OIS Camera

We might see the next iPhone models - Apple has for a while been rumoured to be making 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variants of the iPhone - being offered in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants, hinting a new report from China. In the meanwhile, a set of alleged iPhone 6 dummy model videos has made their way to the Web

Feng, a Chinese blog, cites sources familiar with Apple's supply chain and claims that the company's alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant will feature a 128GB storage variant. The report further claims that the 128GB storage variant will be limited to the bigger variant of the rumoured iPhone 6, and the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will offer the conventional 64GB as its maximum storage variant.

The move is said to be an attempt of Apple to differentiate the anticipated 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model (phablet) from other phones in the company's line-up. However, there is still no word on whether the smaller 4.7-inch iPhone will offer the minimum 16GB storage. If the 16GB variant is dumped by Apple, then the unannounced 4.7-inch iPhone 6 might be unveiled with just two storage variants - 32GB and 64GB.

On Wednesday, in-line with the current claims, a report indicated that Apple might dump the 16GB storage version for its next generation.

An earlier report citing a research note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also suggested that the alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 would sport OIS (optical image stabilisation) for the rear camera. The report further claimed that the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will not come with OIS.

In addition, two new YouTube videos have surfaced on the Internet showing the dummy iPhone 6 - 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models in full glory. One of the videos purportedly shows the rear panel of both the rumoured iPhone 6 models featuring the Apple logo.

Meanwhile, the other alleged iPhone 6 video shows both the models sporting slim bezels and the home button placed below the display. The smaller 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model appears to include a gold-coloured rim around the home button, similar to the one found on the iPhone 5s. The video also compares the bigger alleged iPhone 6 with 5.5-inch display with the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

A recent report claimed that Apple's next iPhone would hit shelves on September 19. The Cupertino-based company has been rumoured to be testing a higher screen resolution of 960x1704 pixels on at least one of the two iPhone models likely to debut this year.

We remind readers however, that nothing is official yet, and that all such leaks must be taken with a pinch of salt.

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HTC Confirms Android L Update for One and One (M8) Smartphones

HTC Confirms Android L Update for One and One (M8) Smartphones

HTC was one of the first handset manufacturers to announce Android 4.4 KitKat rollout plans for its smartphones, and the Taiwanese giant has again lived up to its reputation.

HTC has announced that it will be rolling out the Android L update to its 2013 flagship, HTC One, also referred to as the One (M7), and its new flagship, the HTC One (M8).

The Taiwanese handset maker announced the news via its official blog post, and said, "Our approach will be the same with the Android L release from Google. This release promises to bring new features and tools to Android and we are excited to bring it to you and your HTC. As part of our HTC Advantage commitment globally, we pledge to update all of our HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) smartphones within 90 days of receiving final software from Google."

Notably, the HTC One (M7) received the Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.0 UI update in May, while the HTC One (M8) was launched with Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box.

Further, the company explains the procedure and notes, "At this moment, we are in the pre-evaluation phase, or before we even enter Phase 0, of the software update process. While Google has announced some high level features, they have not yet provided the official software to OEMs or chipset manufacturers to begin work on release software. The software update timeline will begin once we receive the final software from Google and device updates will vary based on device, region, and carrier."

We can expect more handset makers to announce the Android L update for smartphones.

The Google I/O 2014 keynote address saw some major announcements from the company that included Android Wear, with more details revealed about the version of the operating system customised for wearable gadgets such as smartwatches; Android Auto, which has been tailored to work with cars; Android TV, majorly optimized for TV-watching, and the next version of Android, which goes by the temporary code name "Android L."

Further, to reach more people, Google unveiled an initiative called Android One, designed to help manufacturers build low-cost smartphones for emerging markets such as India.

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NaMo Antivirus Suite

     Indian Firm Releases Free NaMo Antivirus Suite

Domestic IT firm Innovazion has named its new antivirus software 'NaMo', the popular short name of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The software will provide free protection to PC users against malware and virus attacks. While the current version offers basic protection, the company plans to launch advanced versions of the software as well as those for Apple's Mac PCs. The current software will also get regular updates.

"India is the third largest country globally in terms of Internet users. However, statistics show that only 13 percent are using valid license of antivirus software and 30 percent tend to re-install trial versions of same or other antivirus software," Innovazion CEO Abhishek Gagneja told PTI.

However, the remaining 57 percent systems either have no protection or are using unknown applications for protection of their devices and this is the segment that NaMo AV is targeting, he added.

Gagneja, however, clarified that the company has no association with any political party or its leaders.

"By building this software, we wanted to ... congratulate the current government. We also want to pass a message to the government that the nation has high expectations from them," he said.

The antivirus has features like real-time detection of infections, intelligent scanning, custom detection and is light on hard drive.

Started in 2007, Innovazion has a presence in seven countries including India, the US, the UK, Germany, Canada, Romania, China and Singapore with over 500 employees.

Its primary services are application development, business consulting, IT infrastructure management and marketing research.

Asked about the revenue model, Gagneja said the company would continue to offer the security software for free.

"We have other businesses that are doing well. Last year, the group's revenue was $16 million, which we expect will grow 100 percent this year. NaMo AV will continue to be a free product," he said.

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Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1: Top eight new features

Microsoft launched its highly-anticipated Windows Phone 8.1 update at its keynote address at the Build 2014 conference on Wednesday. The event also saw the unveiling of the Windows 8.1 Update operating system version, alongside three new devices, Nokia Lumia 930, Lumia 630 and Lumia 635, which will be the platform lead devices for Windows Phone 8.1 OS version.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, VP Windows Phone program management and design, introduced a bevy of enhanced features in the Windows Phone 8.1 that the Redmond giant hopes will bring more personal and smarter experience for consumers.

Microsoft has announced that Windows Phone 8.1 will start rolling out to Windows Phone 8 users in coming months. The Redmond giant also confirmed that the entire Nokia Lumia range will get OTA (over-the-air) update called Lumia Cyan, which will include Windows Phone 8.1 features and the new Lumia features into one update.

I've broken down the eight biggest new features in the Windows Phone 8.1 including the ones that made it into the highlights - Cortana, Action Centre, Word Flow and more personalised Start Screen.

1. Greater Start Screen personalisation

Microsoft in an attempt to offer more customisable options to Windows Phone users, has added 'Start background' feature that allows users to add an image to the tiles on the Start screen of the device.

new_start_screen_personalisation_microsoft.jpg

The feature will add an image of the user's choice to multiple tiles on the Start screen. Earlier, the Live Tiles on the Start screen on Windows Phone 8 were limited to solid colours.

In 2013, Microsoft added the third Live Tile column on the Start screen of the Nokia Lumia 1520, and then left it to manufacturer adoption. However, with the Windows Phone 8.1, the company has now added an extra column of Live Tiles on all screen sizes, with users able to choose whether to turn this feature on.

2. Cortana: Finally arrives to take on Apple's Siri and Google's Google Now

One of the highlight features of Windows Phone 8.1 is Cortana, which is Microsoft's voice-based virtual assistant. The Redmond giant's Cortana is based on a popular AI character in Microsoft's blockbuster video game franchise, Halo.

Cortana is powered by Bing and is similar to Apple's Siri or Google Now, completely replacing the search feature in WP8.1. Microsoft's Joe Belfiore claimed that the new digital assistant from Microsoft will get better with time as a user spends more time with it by asking questions to Cortana, filling up details in its Notebook section.

Cortana can be launched by pressing the Live Tile placed on the Start screen or by pressing the Search button on the Windows Phone device. Belfiore said that Cortana can interact verbally or by typing, and stressed its ability to understand natural language voice commands. It can also interact with third party apps, though developers will have to build Cortana-compatibility into their apps.

Microsoft has announced that Cortana will be available first in the US as a 'beta' and later will released in the UK and China in the second half of 2014, while in other countries Cortana might reach by 2015.

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Line India

Line claims to have 18m registered users in India

NEW DELHI: Japanese messaging app Line is aiming to touch 50 million users mark in India by December this year as it witnesses strong month-on-month growth, driven by robust demand for free messaging services.

Line, which started operations in India in July last year, currently has over 18 million registered users in India across Android, iOS and BlackBerry platform.

"It is a moving target. We are witnessing very strong month on month growth. By December-end, we are looking at 50 million users in India," Line head of India business development Daman Soni said.

Globally, Line has over 470 million users. With operations in 230 countries and regions (as of May 2014), the company today announced that Line and Line family apps have topped one billion. The family includes apps for communication, digital content, game, tools and media like camera app Line camera, the online avatar community Line Play, and the gaming service Line Game.

Line Camera has seen over 90 million downloads, while Line Pop and Line Pokopang has been downloaded over 43 million and 34 million times, respectively.

Line started operations in 2011 and reported sales of 14.6 billion JPY in Q4 2014, up 19% from 12.2 billion JPY in Q4 2013. Besides partnering with corporates, the firm also derives revenues from stickers and in-app purchases.

"We have seen a strong demand for stickers in India too, especially with the localised stickers. Recently, we launched the Humshakals stickers, which was an instant success. It's a great connect for the youth too. They are a great asset to us," Soni said.

In India, Line has partnership with firms like Groupon, Jabong, Sony and FoodPanda. India, which is the fastest growing market for smartphones, has seen a huge growth in userbase for messaging apps like WhatsApp, WeChat Line and Hike.

The growth has also been driven by falling data charges, which has led to these apps becoming a popular medium of communication, especially among the youth.

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LG G3 to Start Rolling-Out Globally From June 27

LG G3 to Start Rolling-Out Globally From June 27

After announcing the global roll-out of its G Pad tablets, the South Korean giant has now revealed plans for its 2014 flagship, the LG G3.
The new smartphone from LG will roll-out in various Asian markets starting from June 27 in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines, followed by the rest of Asia, Europe and the Middle East among other regions in July.
Unfortunately, there is still no word on the pricing and specific details of availability of the LG G3 as the company said it will be announced locally at launch time.
Commenting on the launch, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company said, "Early indications give us reason to be optimistic that G3 will be as successful globally as it has been in Korea. It's quite an honour to be considered the new industry benchmark for premium smartphones but in the end, what really matters is how consumers feel about our latest flagship device because it was their feedback that helped us create G3."
LG launched its new G3 flagship smartphone at simultaneous events in New York, London, and San Francisco in late May. It initially went on sale in South Korea, and the company set a release price of the G3 of KRW 899,800 (roughly Rs. 51,900) for the 32GB/3GB RAM version, which the company admitted was more than the Galaxy S5 (Review I Pictures) commanded at launch.
The LG G3, running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat with a single-SIM configuration, bears a 5.5-inch AH-IPS LCD QHD (1440x2560 pixel) display with a staggering pixel density of 538ppi.
The G3 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.46GHz, featuring 2GB of RAM for its 16GB built-in storage variant, and 3GB of RAM for its 32GB variant. It features storage expansion via microSD card (up to 128GB).
It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS+, dual-LED flash and a laser auto focusing sensor, while also including a front-facing 2.1-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture, and a selfie mode. The LG G3 is powered by a 3000mAh removable battery, and features wireless charging support.

LG G3 detailed specifications:-

General

Alternate names       : D855
Release date          : May 2014
Form factor           : Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)       : 146.30 x 74.60 x 8.90
Weight (g)            : 149.00
Battery capacity (mAh): 3000
Removable battery     : Yes
Colours              :Metallic Black, Silk White, Shine Gold, Moon Violet, Burgundy Red
SAR value      : NA

Display

Screen size (inches)  : 5.50
Touchscreen           : Yes
Touchscreen type      : Capacitive
Resolution            : 1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI) : 538
Colours              : 16M

Hardware

Processor                    : 2.46GHz  quad-core
Processor make      :Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
RAM                        :2GB
Internal storage            : 16GB
Expandable storage    : Yes
Expandable storage    : microSD
Expandable storage    : 128(up to (GB))

Camera

Rear camera           : 13-megapixel
Flash                   :Yes
Front camera           : 2.1-megapixel

Software

Operating System      : Android 4.4.2
Java support          : Yes
Browser               : HTML
Browser supports Flash: Yes

Connectivity

Wi-Fi                 : Yes
WiFi standards support: 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS              :  Yes
Bluetooth             : Yes, v 4.00
NFC                   : Yes
Infrared              : No
DLNA                            : Yes
Wi-Fi Direct                  : Yes
MHL Out                         : Yes
HDMI                               : No
Headphones                   : 3.5mm
FM                                    : Yes
USB                                  : Micro-USB
Charging via Micro-USB: Yes
Number of SIMs               : 1
GSM/ CDMA                    : GSM
3G                                      : Yes

Sensors

Compass/ Magnetometer : Yes
Proximity sensor            : Yes
Accelerometer               : Yes
Ambient light sensor     : Yes
Gyroscope                     : Yes
Barometer                 : No

Temperature sensor     : No

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ET Deals: Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for $400

                    Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for $400

Solid state drives have always been a great way to boost performance compared to using hard disk drives, but traditionally they’re prohibitively expensive in large capacities. So we were excited to spot a price drop we just found on a huge 1TB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, cutting the price down to $400. That’s just $0.40/GB, a really low rate.
This is a truly huge capacity for a solid state drive, and in fact it’s probably the biggest capacity you’ll find on the consumer market. Just try typing in “1TB SSD” in Amazon and you’ll be treated to a few very high SSD prices and a series of hybrid drives. Hybrid drives typically offer a hard drive paired with a small 8GB-16GB SSD cache, which is great for helping speed up boot and resume time, but a 1TB SSD like this one means you get all that plus ultra-fast data access for your entire drive. You also completely avoid the heat, noise, and spin-ups that go along with the moving parts in traditional magnetic storage, so your physical experience is just nicer.
The Samsung 840 EVO features fast sequential write/read speeds at 540MB and 520MB per second, respectively. There’s also random write/read speeds of 90K/98K IOPS too, and a full 1GB cache. You should have no problem seeing a boost of around 10x versus a traditional disk, and you could even see a 1.5x-2x difference when upgrading from an older SSD. Bottom line, it’s a fast drive and you can expect solid performance.

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