How to disable WhatsApp blue ticks for read messages

WhatsApp is letting users of its Android app
disable the feature that lets users know that their
messages have been read.

Recently, WhatsApp quietly introduced a new feature that lets users know that their messages have been read, with the double grey ticks appearing in front of the messages turning blue.

And now, just as quietly, the mobile messaging service is letting users of its Android app disable the feature with the rollout of WhatsApp version 2.11.444. This version is available for users on WhatsApp's website for now, and will eventually be rolled out to all users.

Here's how you can disable the blue coloured read receipts' with the message timestamp on WhatsApp's Android app:


1. Make sure that your smartphone is running on Android 2.1 or a newer version.

2. Go to settings menu and enable 'Download from Unknown Sources' in the Security tab

3. Go to the WhatsApp website and download the APK (application) file available under
    www.whatsapp.com/Android/

4. Once the APK file is downloaded to your device, tap the 'Install' option.

6. Now that WhatsApp has been updated, select Settings > Account > Privacy. Under the Privacy tab, uncheck the Read Receipts option.

This feature however doesn't apply to group messages and will let other participants know when you've read a message. Also, once you disable this feature, you won't be able to view blue double-check marks when you send a message as well. 


The feature that enabled the users to see when their messages were read didn't go down too well with the users and with this update, WhatsApp seems to be taking steps to please users who were not happy with the new feature.





Source +Times of India Technology 

Facebook's new privacy policy: 5 things to know

Facebook is once again trying to simplify its privacy policy, largely to address criticisms that it's too complex and lengthy for the average user.

Laid out with illustrations into short subsections, the new policy explains what types of information Facebook collects and how it uses the data. The new policy is 70% shorter than the old one.

Many of the changes are cosmetic, designed to make the policy easier to digest. Still, it helps to go through it to get an idea of all the things Facebook knows about you.

Users have until November 20 to comment on the proposed changes or ask questions. A finalized version will take effect soon after that.

Here are five things to remember about Facebook's data policies.

1. Location, location

Facebook only recently began allowing businesses to advertise to users based on their specific location. Previously, ads were targeted based on the "current city" listed on the profile.

Both the old policy and the new one note that the company can access your location information based on your smartphone's GPS information.The new policy points out that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals can also reveal device locations.

Besides that, Facebook can also collect information from the photos you share on the site, including where they were taken.

2. Facebook 'tracking' extends to WhatsApp, Instagram

Facebook doesn't just track what you do on its site. It also collects information about your activities when you're off Facebook. For example, if you use Facebook to log in to outside websites and mobile apps, the company will receive data about those.

It also gets information about your activity on other businesses it owns, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, in accordance with those services' privacy policies

3. Cookies 'follow' you to Facebook

Unless you decline targeting, or opt out, companies whose websites you visit off Facebook can also show you ads on Facebook. For example, a website can use browser cookies to record who visited it. It can then ask Facebook to show ads to these visitors — both on and off Facebook.

4. All eyes on you

Everything is fair game. Facebook explains it best: "We collect the content and other information you provide when you use our Services, including when you sign up for an account, create or share, and message or communicate with others."

Plus, Facebook says it also collects information about how you use Facebook, "such as the types of content you view or engage with or the frequency and duration of your activities."

5. Shopping on Facebook

Facebook is testing a tool to let people buy things directly through its site. If you decide to do this, Facebook will collect information about your transaction, including your credit card number and billing and shipping address.

Source +Times of India Technology 

Samsung showcases Project Beyond 360-degree 3D camera

It uses stereoscopic interleaved capture and
3D-aware stitching technology to capture the scene
just like the human eye.

At its annual developer conference, electronics giant Samsung unveiled Project Beyond, a 360degree camera that can shoot in 3D. The company intends to offer omni-view 3D videos to users of its Gear VR device to offer a realistic virtual reality experience.

"With Project Beyond, the Gear VR will become a gateway to an ever-increasing pool of content that allows users to instantly teleport to places and events they always wanted to see. It frees the users of Gear VR from the limitations and rigours of physical travel, while providing a realistic experience that brings the nuances of an environment to the comfort of the living room," mentioned the company.

The company informs that it uses stereoscopic interleaved capture and 3D-aware stitching technology to capture the scene just like the human eye. The Beyond device can stream real time events, as well as store the data for future viewing

Samsung says the device it showcased is just the first operational version, and 'just a taste of what the final system it is working on will be capable of.'

According to Samsung, the content generated from Project Beyond will be available to all Gear VR users although the camera will not be available for sale immediately.

Besides Project Beyond, Samsung also showcased Flow, a platform that offers capabilities similar to Apple's Continuity. Users can seamlessly move between devices continuing or transferring tasks, and get notifications. The company also showcased the second iteration of its Sambaed health tracker with improved sensor capabilities and algorithm accuracy.






















Source +Times of India Technology 

Android One loses its mojo as Xiaomi, Moto rule

Early trends suggest that Indian consumers have
given a lukewarm reception to Google's
much-touted Android One devices amid intense
competition from the likes of Xiaomi and Motorola.

Early trends suggest that Indian consumers have given a lukewarm reception to Google's much-touted Android One devices amid intense competition from the likes of Xiaomi and Motorola, posing a tough challenge for the US company, which has made the standard the centrepiece of its emerging-market strategy for smartphones.

Import data for October showed Google's Android One partners — Micromax, Karbonn and Spice — together imported just over 2 lakh devices in the first full month of sales. This was less than the nearly 2.3 lakh handsets imported for the 15 days of September, data from market research firm Cybex Exim Solutions, available exclusively with ET, showed. The devices were launched in mid-September. IDC analyst Karan Thakkar and Counterpoint Research Analyst Tarun Pathak said initial sales have been hurt by intense competition as well as the fact that Android One devices were initially only available online, which still has limited penetration in India. The strategy was flawed, especially for a device targeted at a large segment of the population unlikely to have access to the internet.

"For the month of October, roughly 8 million smartphones were shipped into the country, of which Android One would be just about 2.5%," said an industry tracker, who did not want to be quoted.

A Google spokesperson, however, said the devices were seeing "very strong sales and consumer interest", particularly in tier II and tier III cities. IDC's Thakkar, too, expects Android One sales to pick up in November and December.

A person familiar with the matter said though Micromax's sales of its Android One device exceeded that of rivals, it managed to sell only about 1.2 lakh units till October end, as against a total of 2.50 lakh units imported. "They had anticipated huge demand for the device, and therefore had ordered a large stock." Micromax didn't respond to requests for comment.

Pardeep Jain, managing director of Karbonn Mobiles, said its Android One Sparkle V smartphone had performed below the company's expectations, adding that sales were also marred as suppli es were available for only 15 days in Octo ber. "Traction has started coming now and demand is improving," he said. Prashant Bindal, chief executive officer of Spice Mobility, said sales were hit t by supply issues. "We had faced an out of-stock situation during the month since there was no inventory coming s from China."

A person familiar with the matter said that Karbonn and Spice, unsure about the product's prospects, had shipped low quantities, which were eventually sold out once they started offline sales in addition to online. "The factories in China couldn't suddenly cater to their requirements for additional stocks, thus creating a supply gap."

The two companies started selling their devices offline to push sales earlier in October, after their initial strategy of an exclusive online launch failed to gather momentum. The drawback with selling through retail stores is that it increases the cost of handsets.

Micromax imported 1.32 lakh units of its Canvas A1 device in October com pared with 1.19 lakh in September. Karbonn brought in just 34,390 units of its Sparkle V handset in October, almost half the 67,440 units imported in September. Spice brought 34,390 units in October, compared with 43,100 units in September, according to Cybex Exim.

Android One devices are facing stiff competition from the likes of China's Xiaomi and Motorola — both of which are also selling only online — as some of these models offer the same or better specifications at lower or similar price points. "Vendors such as Motorola, Gionee and Lava are providing stiff competition," said Pathak of Counterpoint Research.

Experts added that these phones need to offer more features at lower price points, and that their unique qualities need to be more effectively communicated.

"The USP of Android One such as software updates and other Google services of the device were not publicised. That was another reason for the lukewarm response toward Android One devices," Pathak said, referring to the close integration of Maps, Google Now and other features.

Moreover, the inability of these devices to take pictures without adding an external card may have also hurt sales.

Success in India — among the world's fastest-growing and most price-sensitive markets — is critical for Google, which plans to take the low-cost Android One devices to markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka shortly. The US giant has tied up with new partners including Acer, Asus, HTC, Lenovo and Panasonic apart from India's Lava and Intex and chipmaker Qualcomm for the next set of handsets.



Source +Times of India Technology 

YouTube introduces a paid service called Music Key

YouTube also is unveiling a new tab devoted
exclusively to music on its mobile apps and
website. This option is meant to make it easier
for the video site's 1 billion users to find specific
songs and entire albums, even if they aren't
subscribers.

Google is remixing the music on its YouTube video site with the addition of ad-free subscription service ``Music Key'' and a new format designed to make it easier to find millions of songs that can still be played for free.

The subscription service is part of Google's effort to mine more revenue from YouTube as the video site approaches the 10th anniversary of its inception. Music Key has been speculated about for months while Google Inc. wrangled over the licensing terms with recording labels. The service, priced initially at $8 a month, is comparable in cost to other digital music subscription services sold by Spotify, Apple Inc's Beats and Google's own 18-month-old streaming service tied to its Android ``Play'' store. But Music Key subscribers will be able to stream through the Google Play service at no additional charge, too.

YouTube also is unveiling a new tab devoted exclusively to music on its mobile apps and website. This option is meant to make it easier for the video site's 1 billion users to find specific songs and entire albums, even if they aren't subscribers.

Most music subscription services own the rights to the same catalogues, making their ability to learn listeners' preference to create appealing playlists particularly important. Music Key, though, will offer the unique distinction of being able to show artists performing their songs too.

That difference could help lure listeners away from Spotify, which says it has about 50 million users, including 12.5 million subscribers, said Mark Mulligan, a longtime industry analyst with Midia Research. And YouTube's redesigned library of free music could do even more damage to Spotify and other services, such as video site Vevo, where people flock to check out songs at no cost. Expanding the audience that listens to free music would be profitable for Google because that would yield more opportunities to show ads _ the main way that the Mountain View, California, company makes its money anyway.

``A cynic might say that Google is only doing this subscription service on YouTube so it would get the rights to do what it always wanted to do with the free service,'' Mulligan said.

Google's main goal ``is to make the music experience better on YouTube,'' said Christophe Muller, who oversees the company's music partnerships.

Music Key initially will be offered on an invitation-only basis in the US, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Finland. The first batch of offers will be sent out next week to YouTube viewers with a history of watching a lot of music clips. Anyone interested in an invitation can request one at http://YouTube.com/MusicKey . After a free six-month trial period, Music Key will temporarily cost $8 per month before escalating to its standard price of $10 per month.

Besides removing all ads, Music Key also gives subscribers two other perks: the ability to continue playing songs while the screens of mobile devices are locked and the option to download tracks so they can be played without an Internet connection. The offline music can only be played in Music Key's mobile app.

Google Inc. bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in 2006, a price that some analysts questioned at the time of the deal because the service barely had any revenue and was drowning in copyright complaints about pirated clips of music videos, television shows and movies. After Google took over, YouTube set up a more stringent system for blocking pirated content to placate copyright owners. Recording labels now use the video site to help promote new songs and artists. The ads running within those music clips have generated more than $1 billion for the performers and recording labels, according to Google.

The world's three largest music labels —Universal, Sony and Warner — all have reached licensing deals with YouTube as part of the new subscription services. Hundreds of independent labels, including some that had been holding out for better terms, also are on board. Financial details haven't been disclosed.

YouTube is expected to sell $7.2 billion in advertising this year, based on estimates from the research firm eMarketer. Google has never disclosed how much revenue flows through YouTube. Music Key will be doing well if it attracts enough subscribers to generate $500 million in revenue after its first year in business, said Midia's Mulligan.





Source +Times of India Technology 

Windows 10 features that will make your PC safer

With Windows 10, it's clear Microsoft wants to
bolster security without opening up any new
holes.

Every new Microsoft operating system release is both a cause for celebration and a cause for serious consternation and concern among IT folks. New features tend to resolve persistent problems and make things a little easier for end-users. We already know the new Start menu is going to make workers more productive, and there will be a clearer divide between desktop and touch users (the OS will know which one you are using).

Thankfully, in terms of security, there's always a few new features to protect not only employees from would-be hackers but to protect the company from a data breach. Still, there's always a possibility that the new OS will provide new attack vectors, especially related to phishing and viruses, that are as yet unknown.

With Windows 10, it's clear Microsoft wants to bolster security without opening up any new holes. For the most part, after testing the preview build, it's clear most of the changes are related to usability and solving that Start menu issue for end-users. The tech giant is not trying to reinvent the wheel again with a dramatically new UI, which is good news for security pros.

Fewer weak points

Brenden Vaughan, a threat research manager at Webroot, says it's a big step in reducing security threats. "With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing a number of security improvements that should make the world of computing a significantly safer place. All things considered, the security improvements Microsoft is making for Windows 10 sound very promising. Much of it still relies on IT admins and end-users to use the tools at their disposal correctly, but Windows 10 should provide hackers fewer weaknesses to exploit."

In examining the features in the preview build for Windows 10 and the early Microsoft reports about features, the experts agree that the security upgrades look like a major win for those who worry about data breaches. Here are the top new enhancements to ward off hackers.

Google inks alliance to promote Indian languages on web

   

Executives from Google and its auditor
Ernst & Young will be called again to a
British parliament committee
to testify on tax.

Google has announced the Indian Language Internet Alliance, a group of publishers committed to promoting Indic language content on the internet.

The internet search giant says it aims to engage 300 million Indian language speakers through the initiative by 2017. The alliance will work together to accelerate building Indic language content for users in the country.

Google also demonstrated voice search in Hindi, a Hindi keyboard (Google Hindi Input) and also launched hindiweb.com, a website for discovering Hindi content online.

Apart from Google, the group includes Times Internet, C-Dac, Reverie Language Technologies, LinguaNext Technologies, DB Digital, and Amar Ujala Publications among others.

Amit Singhal, Google's senior vice president of search, said, "Our mission at Google is to ensure the world's information is universally accessible, and this includes the millions of users in India who are about to come online for the first time. Hindi Voice Search will be just one of the many steps Google is taking to empower the Indian language users and advertisers to take advantage of the web's huge economic and social potential."

According to Google, there are over 200 million internet users in India, about 16% of its population of 1.2 billion. It aims to add 300 million more users by 2017 through the alliance.

"Google is very committed to bringing new internet users online in India, said Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director of Google India. "The web holds great potential to empower many Indians economically and socially, and thanks to the smartphone revolution, many millions of Indians will be coming online for the first time in the next few years. Through the Indian Language Internet Alliance, we want to help content creators to act now and build relevant content for these new Indian language mobile users."



Source +Times of India Technology 

Google launches new email service dubbed ‘Inbox’

Google Inc launched an email service called 'Inbox' on Wednesday that will better organize emails and display information such as appointments, flight bookings and package deliveries in a more user-friendly way.

Google said it was sending out invitations to selected Gmail users to try out the new service. Users can also email the company at inbox@google.com to get an invitation.

For now the new service is being provided alongside Gmail, which was launched in 2004. It will be available on the Web as well as on Android smartphones and iPhones.

"Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it's not Gmail: it's a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters," the company said in a blog post.

Google said Inbox displays real-time updates to emails — for example, showing the delivery status of items bought online.

It also shows reminders in a more accessible way that allows users to more easily keep track of chores and appointments.

The company said the new application also enhances features that are already available in Gmail that allow users to view purchases and bank account statements grouped together.



Source +Times of India Technology 

Samsung Introduces Exynos 7 Octa 64-bit Processor

Samsung has launched its own 64-bit SoC, Exynos 7 Octa.

However, Exynos 7 Octa appears to be just a rebranded version of Exynos 5 Octa 5433 chip which powers the Exynos variant of Samsung's latest phablet Galaxy Note 4.

Interestingly, Samsung does not emphasise on the 64-bit part of the chip on the company's website. While the reason for this ambiguity remains unclear, it's likely that Samsung does not want to create confusion aroud the Note 4 since Qualcomm Snapdragon 805-powered Note 4 variant is not a 64-bit device. Also, Android 4.4 KitKat doesn't support 64-bit processors.

Another reason seems that perhaps the company wants to differentiate its next-generation devices by giving the chip a new name.

Exynos 7 Octa chip features four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 cores making use of big.LITTLE configuration. Samsung claims that Exynos 7 Octa uses 20nm HKMG process technology and advanced mobile image compression (MIC) technology to offer power-efficient performance.

The company says the HMP technology along with ARM Cortex-A57 cores and Cortex-A53 cores provides a 57% CPU performance increase compared to the previous generation Exynos 5 Octa chip.

The chip comes with ARM Mali T-760 GPU, for enhanced graphics performance. The upgraded GPU offers 74% enhanced graphics performance, for better 3D gaming.

Exynos 7 Octa supports high resolution WQHD and WQXGA displays and sports an advanced multimedia format codec (MFC) that allows users to play H.265 (HEVC) video, and output UHD (4K) quality video to their TVs. Samsung claims that devices equipped with Exynos 7 Octa can also simultaneously record high-resolution videos or pictures with both the front and rear camera as it features a built-in dual Image Signal Processor (ISP), which supports 16MP 30fps(rear) and 5MP 30fps(front) cameras during simultaneous video recording.







Source +Times of India Technology

Apple Watch

NEW YORK: Apple is a habitual party crasher, but can the company's history of arriving late and making a big splash in various gadget categories continue with the Apple Watch?

The technology company was a late entrant into many of its most prominent product categories: The iPod wasn't the first digital music player and the iPad wasn't the first tablet. But in most cases, the innovation the company infused into its devices ignited previously dormant markets — and Apple products became "must haves."

Smartwatches have been around for a few years, but makers such as Samsung and Sony have failed to make them a runaway hit.

Apple's stated entry into the smartwatch arena this week with a gadget that won't go on sale until early 2015 raises questions: Can the company work its magic as it has in the past and convince people that they really need a smartwatch -or will this time be different? 

Experts say Apple is likely to stimulate interest in smartwatches, but they contend that the company must overcome a few hitches before its device can succeed. 

Wearable devices is a small but growing area that technology companies are hoping to capitalize on as the smartphone and tablet usage grows. Citi Investment Research estimates the market for smartwatches will be $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion this year and could grow to $10 billion by 2018. 

But no company has cracked the formula for a mass-market success. The entire "wearables" category includes sport fitness bands, watches and other apparel -everything from Fitbit's $99 Flex fitness tracker and Nike's $99 Fuelband fitness monitors to Samsung's $199 Galaxy Gear smart watch. Experts say the Apple Watch's real test will come when developers begin to develop apps for the gadget, which is Apple's first brand-new product introduction in four years. 

"What separates Apple from the others is partially the design itself -it's a lot more elegant than other offerings- as well as the Apple ecosystem and (software) developer opportunity," said Susquehanna Research analyst Chris Caso. 

"They made it something you wanted to be seen carrying," he said. "You have (an iPod) just to make people see that you have it. Even people who didn't buy it knew what it was." 

McQuivey predicts a successful launch but not quite as big a launch as Apple's iPad. He believes the company will ship 10 million units by the end of 2016. 

A slow build won't necessarily doom the product. iPhone sales started slow in the device's first year on the market. Apple sold just 5.4 million iPhones between mid-2007 and the summer of 2008. More than 550 million have been sold as of June. With the iPad, Apple sold 19.5 million tablets in the first year on the market. More than 225 million iPads have been sold. 

The Apple Watch faces a few other problems: lt's unclear how long the battery lasts and the watch won't ship until early 2015, disappointing those who were hoping to get or give one as a holiday gift. It also has to be tethered to an iPhone via Bluetooth for some functions, including GPS. 

"The lack of GPS or Wi-Fi natively on the device will require an iPhone to be nearby for most tasks, which both limits some near-term use cases," said Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt. "But it provides ample fodder for upgrade opportunities in the future." 

The long lead time before the product ships could mean the device will be more functional once it's released, since app developers have more time to create apps specifically for the watch. And Apple is loading the device with fitness apps and an Apple Pay digital wallet service that might appeal to some consumers who are on the fence. 

"The intention (of showing the watch months before it ships) is to show the developer community they have an elegant industrial design, but to make it really useable and exciting you have to have apps for it," said Susquehanna Research analyst Caso. "Apple is playing the long game here for sure."

@sourfrom TOI

Apple's 6 worst acquisitions

Over the years, some of Apple's biggest successes have been the end result of the company acquiring another with promise and integrating their technologies with its own in a way that provides real value to users.

Mac OS X and iOS are the result of the purchase of NeXT in 1997. iTunes, which truly set the iPod apart from its competitors, came from the purchase of SoundJam MP in 2000.

Of course, not all of Apple's purchases have worked out so well. Some of the technologies Apple has bought never made it to market and others just didn't seem to fit in with Apple's other products. Here are Apple's six worst acquisitions...

1. Power Computing Corporation:

 Under Steve Jobs, Apple bought a company that was undercutting Mac sales with its clones.

Apple gave Power Computing Corporation a license to make Mac clones in 1995 in the hopes that Apple could transition to a business model closer to Microsoft's, which was poised to have a major hit with Windows 95.

When Steve Jobs came back to the company in 1997, he realized that it was simply too late to beat Microsoft at what had become its game and that Mac clones were doing more harm than good by undercutting its own high-margin Macs.

That year, it bought Power Computing for $100 million and shuttered the Mac clone business, an embarrassing but necessary move.

2. Orion Network Systems:

 Apple waited until IBM had 80% of business user market share before buying a company that let its computers network with IBM machines.

Apple bought Orion Network Systems in 1988 in an effort to make buying an Apple computer at a business that already used lots of IBM PCs less of a hassle.

By that time, IBM had already captured 80% of the market, leaving Apple with roughly 6%.

Even with software that made networking easier, there were too many other reasons not to get an Apple: price, other software incompatibilities, and and the difficulty of training workers who had never used a computer in their life to learn a second operating system.

3.  Raycer Graphics:

Apple bought a graphics chip maker before it had even brought the product to market.

When Apple acquired Raycer Graphics in 1999, it also hired Bob Mansfield, their vice president of engineering.

While Raycer's technology may not have been very important for Apple — the company used industry standard graphics chips from ATI and Nvidia in later computers — the acquisition is still seen as a success by many because of Mansfield's later work.

Bob Mansfield went on to lead Mac Hardware Engineering through the release of some of the best-selling computers in the company's history and later became senior vice president of technologies, a role he has since stepped down from to work on special projects.

4. PowerSchool

Apple bought a student information system for K-12 students in 2001. The purchase of PowerSchool for $62 million in shares seems like a very strange decision for Apple to make back in 2001.

Sure, the company has always tried to have a presence in schools via programmes like student and teacher discounts, but PowerSchools software for keeping track of grades and assignments was essentially enterprise software for a niche market — not exactly Apple's style.

That disconnect from Apple's other products and services is a likely reason for why they sold the software to Pearson Education in 2006 for an undisclosed sum.

5. Placebase:

Apple bought a mapping company three years before it released Apple Maps.

When Apple bought Placebase in 2009, some speculated that it would use the company's technology to replace Google's backend from the iPhone's Maps app.

Three years later, Apple unveiled iOS 6 and Apple Maps to less than stellar reviews (to say the least). A lot of the maps were just plain wrong — and the release made Google Maps look awesome.

While many of Apple Maps problems stemmed from data Apple brought in from other sources, many thought that three years of development should have resulted in a better final release.

6. NetSelector

In 2000, Apple bought a company that blocked kids from going on sites other than those approved by a panel of teachers and librarians.

NetSelector differed from other filters by not attempting to blacklist all of the inappropriate sites on the web. Instead, it had a panel of teachers and librarians select sites that were acceptable for children and made only those available.

Of course, the number of sites that could be educational for children is essentially endless. As a result, most found the software more limiting than useful and most schools instead instituted school-wide traditional filters.

Nevertheless, Apple bought NetSelector after two years of including its software on iMacs and iBooks.

@source from TOI

iPhone 6 to Come With an Improved Touch ID Sensor

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5s last year, one of the most notable features that set the handset apart from its predecessor, the iPhone 5, as well as its lower-priced sibling, the iPhone 5c (Review), was the Touch ID sensor. Apple is also expected to bring the same feature to its next iPhone devices as well.

Now, new reports indicate that Apple is working to improve its own Touch ID sensor on the alleged iPhone 6, which is believed to be unveiled to come in two variants 4.7- and 5.5-inch. Nowhereelese has also posted an image that purportedly shows the Touch ID panel of the alleged iPhone 6 compared side-by-side to the iPhone 5s.

MacRumors citing Nowhereelese notes that the new Touch ID component seems to be similar in design to the one found on the iPhone 5s. The most prominent difference is reportedly the relocation of the screw holes that now line-up with the metal housing of the component.

The report also hints that the new Touch ID sensor that will be seen in the unannounced iPhone 6 will be more durable that the one currently fit in the iPhone 5s.

Earlier reports had suggested that the Touch ID sensor tech is all set to go mainstream in Apple devices and is likely to be seen next on the second-generation iPad Air and the new iPad mini with Retina display, apart from the alleged iPhone 6.

Earlier this year, some users reported that their iPhones seemed to forget their fingerprints after a while; however, Apple released an update with improvements to Touch ID fingerprint recognition on the iPhone 5s.

In addition, Uswitch has posted images that are claimed to be of the purported rear shell of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model, showing the cut-outs on the rear shell as well as internals of the alleged shell that will include the various components of the device such as the antenna.

Earlier this month, a report indicated a September 25 (Thursday) availability date for the alleged 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models, which is not in line with Apple's traditional Friday launch, while also claiming that the name of the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant will be iPhone Air.





@source from NDTV

Visa Launches New Online Payment Service for Quicker Checkout

Payment processor Visa is launching a new service called Visa Checkout that eliminates a few steps in online payment.

The company and its retailing partners, including Neiman Marcus, Pizza Hut, Staples and others, hope a quicker payout will lead to fewer abandoned shopping carts online. As more customers shop on smaller screens like smartphones and tablets, the hassle of entering in credit card numbers and billing addresses is becoming a sticking point and payment processors have been working to find ways to simplify the process.

Beginning Wednesday, users can sign up with Visa credit and debit cards, as well as other branded cards, and enter their card information just once. Then they will be able pay for things via Visa by only entering their username and password at participating sites. The service is currently being offered in the U.S., Canada and Australia,

Visa Checkout joins similar services like eBay's PayPal, MasterCard's MasterPass, Amazon's one-click checkout and others. It's not Visa's first effort. In 2012, Visa launched a similar V.me service, which Visa Checkout is replacing.

V.me was being used by about 300 retailers like 1-800-Flowers and AutoZone, who are all switching over to the new service. But Visa says its Visa Checkout is an improvement, with a more recognizable name, streamlined functionality and more of a focus on larger retailers.

It also functions as a pop-up window on a retailers' site rather the directing users to another window. Major banks that issue Visa cards including Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo are also supporting it.

Visa has been working to expand its reach into the payments processing business with new products like Visa Checkout. The company is also opening a technology center in San Francisco in an effort to court mobile developers in the Bay Area tech community. It plans to hire 100 new technology staffers for the center.





@source from NDTV

MediaTek launches 64-bit octa-core chip for Android devices

 Chip maker MediaTek has announced MT6795, a 64-bit 'true octa-core' LTE smartphone System on Chip (SoC) with support for a 2K display. The company claims the new SoC is the first chip to support 2K displays.

MediaTek uses the term 'true octal core' to suggest that all cores of the processor are capable of running at the same time.

MediaTek's flagship smartphone SoC is targeted at makers of high-end devices, especially the ones who intend to transition to the 64-bit Android device market.

The company says that MT6795 is set to be the first 64-bit 4G LTE True Octa-core SoC running up to 2.2GHz to hit the market.

The SoC features MediaTek's CorePilot technology that offers enhanced multi-processor performance and thermal control, as well as dual-channel LPDDR3 clocked at 933MHz for high-end memory bandwidth in a smartphone.

The SoC also features high-end multimedia subsystems including support for 120Hz displays and the capability to create and playback 480 frames per second (fps) 1080p full-HD, super-slow motion videos through the phone's camera. Most cameras support 120 frames per second in the slow motion mode.

The MT6795 SoC will also feature support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, FM radio, GPS and Glonass connectivity options.

The first phones to feature the processor will commercially launch in Asia by end of 2014 with other markets getting the devices by 2015.

Earlier this year, Huawei had also unveiled its first 64-bit octa-core chip. However, the processor is based on big.LITTLE architecture and only four cores run at a time.

Apple ignited the 64-bit mobile processing war with the launch of iPhone 5S, which featured its new A7 chip with 64-bit architecture.






@source from TOI

Xiaomi launches Mi 3, Redmi 1S and Redmi Note in India

Xiaomi has launched three new smartphones in the Indian market - Mi 3, Redmi 1S and Redmi Note at Rs 13,999, Rs 6,999 and Rs 9,999.

The phones will be exclusively available on ecommerce retailer Flipkart. While the Mi 3 will go on sale starting July 22, the two Redmi phones will be available in August.

Xiaomi Mi 3 has a 5-inch Full HD display and runs on a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB RAM. It is powered by Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Xiaomi's proprietary MIUI skin on top. It packs 16GB internal storage, but does not support storage expansion via microSD cards.

Xiaomi Mi 3 sports a 13MP camera with dual-LED flash on the back and a 2MP camera in front. Connectivity suite of the smartphone consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC. It has a 3,050mAh battery, and Xiaomi claims that the smartphone can deliver talk time of up to 21 hours on 3G networks.

Made of aluminium-magnesium alloy, this smartphone weighs 145 gram and is 8.1mm thick.

The smartphone will come with Xiaomi's Mi Cloud service, which will allow users to save and access their contacts, messages, photos, notes and call logs online. They will also be able to back up apps in the cloud and locate the handset online in case it is lost.

READ ALSO: 5 reasons Xiaomi Mi 3 is the best budget smartphone

Xiaomi Redmi 1S, which was unveiled earlier this year, sports a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display. It is powered by a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It comes with 16GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports storage cards of up to 64GB. The phone has a 2000mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Xiaomi's MiUi layer on top. It sports an 8MP rear camera and a 1.6MP front facing camera.

 Unveiled in May, Xiaomi Redmi Note phablet sports a 5.5-inch 720p IPS display. It is powered by a 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor and 2GB RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports storage cards of up to 32GB. The phone has a 3100mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Xiaomi's MiUi layer on top. It sports a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera.

During its launch in Singapore, 5,000 units of Redmi Note, priced at S$199 (Rs 9,600 approximately), were sold out in just 42 seconds. Judging by the pricing of Mi 3 in India, we expect the company to unveil the other phones at an equally competitive prices.

READ ALSO: Xiaomi Mi 3 Comparison with ZenFone 5, Moto G and Others

Talking about the company's India operations, Manu Jain, India operations head, Xiaomi, said "We are looking to provide the best in class experience to our Mi fans in India. We are starting with 35+ service centres across top 20 cities, a hotline that operates 7 days a week, and a vibrant Mi India Facebook page. Our partner Flipkart, with its world-class technology and customer service, will be key to providing this experience."

Xiaomi Mi3 sales will commence July 22 at 12 noon on Flipkart. However, interested buyers will need to pre-register before July 22 on Flipkart to become eligible. The company will have a dedicated helpline to track orders. Xiaomi will have 36 service centres in India with two exclusive Mi centres in Delhi and Bangalore.

Xiaomi intends to sell its phones exclusively through an online model. Initially, it has partnered with Flipkart, however, it plans to start selling phones on its own website, in the near future, according to Jain. The company is also open to partnering other online retailers.

@source from TOI

Microsoft talks up 'next version of Windows'

The company opens up more about its plans to build bridges between the Windows 8.1 Modern UI and the desktop.

Screenshot of the desktop on the "next version of Windows," as Microsoft's Tony Prophet described it at the company's Partner Conference. Microsoft

Microsoft's Tony Prophet took a moment Wednesday to expand on a key feature in the next version of Windows at a Microsoft conference.

Prophet, corporate vice president of Windows Marketing, offered a bit more clarity on comments executive Terry Myerson provided at Microsoft's Build Conference in April.

"We are hard at work on the next version of Windows," Prophet said at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference taking place in Washington, DC.

"And while we have nothing to announce today, I will share with you a couple of features we're thinking about," he said, explaining that the screenshot (above) was originally shown at the Build Conference in April.
He began by mentioning that a new Start menu is "better because this one has Live Tiles and modern apps."

His slightly more detailed discussion focused on the desktop.

"The second feature we're thinking about is enabling modern apps to run windowed on the desktop versus only running in the immersive full-screen mode. This will enable you to run multiple modern apps side-by-side or layered or a combination of modern apps and desktop programs side-by-side or layered," he said.

Microsoft is trying to bridge the relatively strict separation -- that currently exists on Windows 8.1 -- of the Modern, aka Metro, UI that is touch friendly and the more traditional desktop UI, which is geared more toward the mouse and keyboard.

Myerson has described it as "building smart bridges" to the Modern UI.

Why? To state the obvious, the Windows world still revolves around the desktop, so the Modern UI can be an unnecessary distraction -- in its current segregated form -- to desktop-centric users.

One question that hasn't been answered is whether Microsoft is talking about the rumored Windows 9, aka Threshold, or an update to Windows 8.

But note that Prophet did say, "the next version of Windows." Informed speculation is pointing to an update as early as this fall or something bigger next year, when a major new Windows release may come.




@source from CNET

Samsung Launching Its Premium Headphones

With sales of its premium smartphones failing to live up to expectations, Samsung is moving into another potentially high-margin business: premium headphones.

The South Korean electronics giant will launch its Samsung Level line of headphones (and a wireless speaker) on premium goods retailer Gilt, whose members will have exclusive early access to buy a pair before they become more widely available. Dedicated Samsung fans who haven’t signed up for the site don’t need to wait long, however, as the headphones will hit Amazon on July 20th.

With prices ranging from $149 for its “Level In” in-ear buds to $349 for its wireless, noise-cancelling “Level Over” headphones, Samsung is clearly going after the same premium, design-centric market as Beats, the headphone maker Apple purchased back in May for $3 billion.

Beats has shown that the combination of good-looking hardware and well-targeted marketing can make headphones a big business. While Samsung is known for throwing huge amounts of money at marketing campaigns, its lack of distinguished design is frequently cited as the reason its Galaxy S5 is losing ground to cheaper alternatives in the smartphone space.

To make the Gilt offering more enticing, Samsung is bundling its Level On headphones and Level Box speaker for $299, a $50 discount from buying them separately. While we can’t speak for the headphones, TechCrunch reviewed the Level Box back in May and found that Samsung delivered exceptional build quality and performance compared to similar-sized offerings in its price range.




@source from techcrunch.com

LG G3 Beat With Android 4.4 KitKat, Laser Autofocus Camera Launched

After being launched in China, LG G3's mid-tier variant, the G3 Beat has now been given global availability. The G3 Beat will be available initially in South Korea starting Friday, while the global roll-out will begin from Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries in the following weeks.

The South Korean giant has not revealed the price details of the LG G3 Beat but has noted it will be announced locally at the time of launch.

The company has further revealed that the LG G3 Beat will be available as the 'LG G3 s' in Europe and the CIS region. LG is touting the G3 Beat as a device that has been developed to address the low- to mid-tier segment of smartphone customers, while the handset comes with various goodies from the company's flagship, the G3.

The LG G3 Beat features a 5-inch IPS display offering 294ppi pixel density. The company has dropped the screen resolution from QHD (1440x2560 pixel) on LG G3 to the considerably lower HD resolution of 720x1280 pixels on the LG G3 Beat.

The smartphone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat much like the G3, and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clubbed with 2GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage with microSD card expansion and is backed by a 2540mAh battery.

The highlight of the G3 Beat is its 8-megapixel rear camera which comes with the Laser Autofocus feature seen on the G3, while there is a 1.3-megapixel front camera as well. Some of the preloaded software features on the G3 Beat from the flagship include Touch and Shoot, which allows a touch anywhere on the display to focus and shoot; Gesture Shot, which begins automatic three-second countdown before the picture is snapped by just a hand gesture; Smart Keyboard, and QuickMemo+, an overhauled note taking app.

Connectivity options on the LG G3 Beat include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPRS/ EDGE, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Micro-USB, 3G and 4G LTE support. The phone measures 137.7x69.6x10.3mm and weighs 134 grams. It is available in Metallic Black, Silk White, and Shine Gold colour variants.

Notably, the G3 Beat features the same 'Floating Arc Design' as seen on the LG G3, featuring smooth curved sides and gradually tapered edges.

Commenting on the launch, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said, "Smartphone manufacturers cannot ignore this growing segment of consumers who want the best balance of looks, features, performance and, of course, price. The LG G3 Beat represents our commitment to the mid-tier smartphone market that demands mature technology, proven branding, great innovation and attractive price, all in a single device."

LG G3 Beat

KEY SPECS:

Display: 5.00-inch

Processor: 1.2GHz

Front Camera: 2-megapixel

Resolution: 720x1280 pixels

RAM: 2GB

OS: Android 4.4.2

Storage: 16GB

Rear Camera: 8-megapixel

Battery capacity: 2540mAh

Xiaomi Mi 3 Comparison with ZenFone 5, Moto G and Others

The Indian smartphone market has just got a new kid on the block: Xiaomi Mi 3. From the house of China's third-biggest smartphone maker, this new model features top-end specifications at an attractive price of Rs 14,999.

Want to know how Xiaomi Mi 3 fares vis-à-vis other top smartphones in its price range? Here's comparing Mi 3 against phones from the likes of Motorola, Sony, BlackBerry, Gionee and Asus...

1. Display:

Xiaomi Mi 3:  5-inch display with 1080x1920p        resolution, 441ppi pixel density

Moto G: 4.5-inch display with 720x1280p resolution, 329ppi pixel density

Asus ZenFone 5: 5-inch screen with 720x1280p resolution, 294ppi pixel density

BlackBerry Z3: 5-inch panel with resolution of 540x960p, 220ppi pixel density

Sony Xperia M2: 4.8-inch screen, 540x960p resolution and 229ppi pixel density

Gionee Elife E5: 4.5-inch screen with 720x1280p resolution, 306ppi pixel density

2. Operating System:

Xiaomi Mi 3: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

Moto G: Android 4.4 (KitKat)

Asus ZenFone 5: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

BlackBerry Z3: BB 10.2.1

Sony Xperia M2: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

Gionee Elife E5: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

3. Processor & Ram:

 Xiaomi Mi 3: 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM

Moto G: 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM

Asus ZenFone 5: 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 chip, 2GB RAM

BlackBerry Z3: 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB RAM

Sony Xperia M2: 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM

Gionee Elife E5: 1.5GHz quad-core Mediatek processor, 1.5GB RAM

4. Camera:

Xiaomi Mi 3: 13MP rear camera with dual-LED flash on the back, 2MP camera in front

Moto G: 5MP camera with LED flash on the back, 1.3MP front-facing camera

Asus ZenFone 5: 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 2MP front camera

BlackBerry Z3: 5MP camera with LED flash, 1.1MP front camera

Sony Xperia M2: 8MP rear camera with LED flash, VGA camera in front

Gionee Elife E5: 8MP camera with LED flash on the back, 5MP camera in front

5. Storage:

Xiaomi Mi 3: 16GB internal storage, no support for storage expansion

Moto G: 16GB built-in storage, no microSD card support

Asus ZenFone 5: 8GB in-built storage, up to 64GB microSD support

BlackBerry Z3: 8GB internal storage, up to 32GB microSD card expansion

Sony Xperia M2: 8GB in-built storage, up to 32GB microSD card support

Gionee Elife E5: 32GB built-in storage, no storage expansion

6. Connectivity:

 Xiaomi Mi 3: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC

Moto G: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

Asus ZenFone 5: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

BlackBerry Z3: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

Sony Xperia M2: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

Gionee Elife E5: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

7. Battery:

Xiaomi Mi 3: 3,050mAh

Moto G: 2,070mAh

Asus ZenFone 5: 2,110mAh

BlackBerry Z3: 2,500mAh

Sony Xperia M2: 2,300mAh

Gionee Elife E5: 2,000mAh

8. Price:

Xiaomi Mi 3: Rs 14,999

Moto G: Starting at Rs 12,499

Asus ZenFone 5: Starting at Rs 9,999

BlackBerry Z3: Rs 15,990

Sony Xperia M2: Available for approximately Rs 19,000

Gionee Elife E5: Rs 18,000

5 reasons Xiaomi Mi 3 is the best budget smartphone

China's Xiaomi has finally announced its India operations and launched its current flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 3 in the country.

Known for its aggressive pricing, the company has positioned Mi 3 as a budget smartphone that offers high-end hardware specifications, selling it at Rs 13,999.

We played with Mi 3 during the Xiaomi launch event and here's what we think of the phone.

1. Solid Build & Understand Design:

Xiaomi Mi 3 looks and feels like a premium smartphone. It features an aluminum-magnesium alloy frame coated with 3 layers of thermal graphite enclosed with a back panel made of good quality plastic and a full-HD display.

The phone is 8.1mm thick but not too heavy at 145gram. Despite its large size, the phone is easy to carry around. It reminded us of the Nokia N9 and the Nokia Lumia 800 with its rounded edges.

The power and volume keys are placed at the right edge while the left edge is barren. The speaker grill and micro-USB port are at the bottom edge while the 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top, along with a sim card tray.

The front features three capacitive keys for navigation, just below the display, and a 2MP front-facing camera above it. The 13MP rear camera and dual-LED flash are placed at the back, towards the top left. The phone will be available in metallic grey colour.

2. Bright & Vivid Display:

Xiaomi Mi 3 sports a 5-inch full-HD (1080p, 441ppi, 16:9) IPS LCD display manufactured by either Sharp or LG. In our brief time with the phone, we were impressed with the display's brightness and colour rendering.

Text and pictures appeared crisp and sharp and the viewing angles were pretty good.

Touch sensitivity was also great and the company claims that you can even operate the phone when you hands are wet. We weren't able to use the phone under sunlight.

3. Powerful Hardware:

Xiaomi Mi 3 is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB RAM. It runs by Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Xiaomi's proprietary MiUi skin on top. It packs 16GB internal storage, but does not support storage expansion via microSD card.

Connectivity suite of the smartphone consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC. It has a 3,050mAh battery, and Xiaomi claims that the smartphone can deliver talk time of up to 21 hours on 3G networks.

In our brief hands-on, we did not experience any lag or stutter while launching and switching between apps, and navigating through the UI. We'll have a detailed performance analysis after putting the Mi 3 through its paces.

4. Android 4.4 with MIUI Twist:

 Xiaomi Mi 3 runs MiUi 5, an operating system based on Android 4.4 KitKat. MiUi offers themes, built-in apps and widgets, and advanced settings options enhancing the plain vanilla Android experience. The demo unit had an MiUi India theme that featured custom icons, wallpapers and settings. The basic MiUi theme looks good with its colourful icon set, beautiful wallpapers and tweaked settings menus.

Unlike stock Android, the phone doesn't include a separate app launcher. App icons and widgets are spread across the home screens. The unified home screen-app launcher style may come across as user-friendly to people who've not used an Android phone before. But it may take some time to get used to if your last phone was an Android smartphone.

Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra also reassured that the Mi 3 will get timely software updates. Barra was previously Vice President and product spokesperson at Google's Android division.

5. 13 Mega Pixel with Dual-LED Flash:

Xiaomi Mi 3 sports a 13MP rear camera accompanied by a Philips dual-LED flash. According to Xiaomi, the Mi 3's 5-piece lens includes an infrared filter, that delivers more accurate colours in photos. It has an ƒ/2.2 aperture to capture more light, and 28mm wide-angle lens to cover more.

We tried clicking some pictures at the launch event and found them to be pretty decent. The front camera also did a good job and its 30mm wide angle lens lets you capture more people.

We'll need to spend more time with the phone to asses the capability of its camera.

@source from timesofindia.indiatimes.com