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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More