Category: Tech

Smartphones getting Android Lollipop update soon
Recently Google started the roll out of Android Lollipop that is Android 5. In the coming weeks and months,many flagship phones and tablets that are getting the Lollipop update. So far the following phones and tablets are confirmed in the list of devices that will be getting the Android Lollipop:

Google Nexus 6: This is the launch device for the Lollipop. It will come with the Android Lollipop installed on it. For now, it is not available in India.

Google Nexus 9: This tablet is also a launch device for the Lollipop. It will be available in India in the coming weeks.

Google Nexus 5: The last year’s flagship Google phone should receive the Android Lollipop in the coming days.

Google Nexus 7 (2013): This tablet is also likely to get Android Lollipop in the coming weeks or within days.

Google Nexus 4: Google is also providing update for its 2 years old device too.

Google Nexus 7 (2012): Yes, it is.

Google Nexus 10: The big Nexus tablet will also get the Lollipop update. Incidentally, this tablet was never officially sold in India.

Micromax Canvas A1: Budget Rs.6,500 Android One phone from Micromax will receive the Android Lollipop update.

Karbonn Sparkle V: This one too is an Android One phone and hence would get the Lollipop.

Spice Mi-498 Dream Uno: Powered by Android One, this Spice phone will also get the Lollipop.

All Moto Phones: Motorola has confirmed that that all Moto phones — Moto X (2014), Moto X (2013), Moto G (2014), Moto G (2013) and Moto E — will get Android Lollipop. In fact, the Moto devices may even get the Lollipop days before the some Nexus devices get it because Motorola is very aggressive about updating its phones.

Select Xperia phones: Sony has confirmed that “the premium Z series” devices will get Android Lollipop . These are Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition will be the first to get it. Other Xperia phones will get it in 2015.

Selected HTC phones: They stated “We’ll be updating the HTC One (M8) & (M7) within 90 days from today. ”

Also Read: The Motorola ‘Monster’ Droid Turbo with QHD Display

Unconfirmed but these devices will get Android Lollipop
- Samsung Galaxy S5
- Samsung Note 4
- Samsung Note 3 and Galaxy Alpha
- LG G3HTC One M8 (Eye)
Nov 4, 2014
Matchstick: Mozilla’s Firefox powered Chormecast alternative

Mozilla is expanding beyond its awesome Firefox browser and getting hands dirty in the suddenly hot streaming video business.

MatchStick HDMI streaming stick, which will sell for a limited time through Kickstarter at a starting price of $12 before it goes to retail. It’s final price of $25 sets its sights on the Chromecast, the $35 streaming dongle from the Google. Matchstick runs on Mozilla’s Firefox OS, the open source mobile operating system.

With over 17,000 backers and $470,000 in funding, it’s hard to call Matchstick anything but a success for Mozilla.

Awesome Firefox Tricks You Might Not Know

“Due to Matchstick’s unique openness, we believe it will lead to a greater number of cool apps and lower price. These are tangible benefits a consumer will readily embrace,” Jack Chang, the US general manager of Matchstick.

“It’s better than Chromecast,” extols the promo video on the Kickstarter page, which humorously shows Matchstick testers getting thrown out of an Ikea furniture store for using the Ikea living room sets to test the Matchstick — and asks for money so they can “shoot a real commercial.”

Both the hardware and software for Matchstick are open-source. Matchstick is built on a dual-core Rockchip 3066 processor, has 4 gigabytes of onboard storage, 1 gigabyte of DDR3 memory, and supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.

Mozilla seems genuinely interested in listening to what their users want, and plans to ensure the features everyone wants make it into the stick.

Oct 31, 2014
The Motorola ‘Monster’ Droid Turbo with QHD Display

Motorola has launched its latest Droid-series smartphone, the Droid Turbo, exclusively on US mobile carrier Verizon. Verizon announced that the Droid Turbo smartphone by Motorola will be available starting October 30 from its online and retail stores. It comes in a choice of a durable “Ballistic Nylon” build, or a “metalized” Kevlar fiber build.

The display has the highest pixels density seen on any phone to date. It is the first ‘phone’ to ship with a Snapdragon 805 chipset running at full speed and only phablets have previously shipped with 3GB of RAM. The main attraction is the huge 3900mAh, larger than any phone has ever fitted.

The quick charging seen in other Motorola handsets has made it across as well with the company stating the Droid Turbo will get eight hours of usage from a 15 minute charge. It features a 5.2-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) display offering a pixel density of 565ppi, much higher than the 5.5-inch LG G3 at 534ppi and 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4 at 515ppi. The screen also includes Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protective layer.

The Motorola Droid Turbo sports a 21-megapixel rear autofocus camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash. The rear camera comes with features such as slow motion video; burst mode; auto HDR; Panorama, and tap to focus. Meanwhile, it can also record 4K videos at 24fps. It includes a 2-megapixel front camera.

iPhone 6 Wins the Race With its Close Competitors

Droid Turbo will ship with Android 4.4 KitKat rather than the impending Android 5.0 Lollipop, though Motorola does promise an upgrade to it and Verizon has allowed Motorola to keep Android relatively stock.

It will go on sale on 30 October and will be competitively priced at $199 and $249.99 for 32 and 64GB models respectively, both on two year contracts.

Oct 29, 2014
iPhone 6 Wins the Race With its Close Competitors

Apple carried forward design of iPad Air while designing iPhone 6. This is generally characterized by the curves on sides, corners and edges. Besides the larger 5.5 inch iPhone6 Plus Apple also unveiled iPhone 6. This is stylish 4.7 inch handset having faster A8 processor, 720p Retina HD display and NFC. Lots of improvements have been noticed compared to the previous models but new iPhones are facing tough competitions from the Android rivals such as Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8. We shall now compare iPhone6 with other similar phones to fully appreciate the proper characteristics of iPhone 6. Both these models have bigger screens, quad core processors and expandable memory. With the introduction of iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, Apple is likely to gain a lot as preorders are already breaking all records and hype that has been building before introduction of new iPhones will further assist. Apple does not function in isolation as there are many other companies trying to come up with their versions but competition is tough. With introduction of new iPhones, dust has since settled and companies are hoping that their phones will outperform the others. One wonders who will be left in the cold. Finally the big screen smartphones with Apple Pay, mobile payment system, has been unveiled by Apple and you can buy one for yourself using Amazon India.

Let’s just have a brief look on its close competitors:

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: This smartphone has metal frame on sides. Its back is even now made of plastic. It gives the impression of being classier than Galaxy S5. However it’s back even now is made of plastic and it mostly looks similar to Galaxy S5. Sony Xperia Z3: The design of new Sony smartphone is similar to that of the predecessors Xperia Z, Z1 and Z2 and is pocketable easily because of its much smaller size. Though the glass back appears the same, the metal frame is less pronounced on the sides. HTC One (M8): This smartphone has a brushed metal finish on back panel and has speakers in front. This has chamfered edges and rounded corners and buttons are below the screen. There is prominent secondary camera at the back situated little above primary camera. Nokia Lumia 930: Top end smartphone of Microsoft has metal rim on its sides and is quite comfortable in hand like the rivals. Its back is made of plastic. This is available in black, white, green and orange. Competition from Apple will hurt HTC, LG and others who have already been struggling against iPhone5S for a year. Consumers are likely to go more for the new Apple smartphone and make full use of Snapdeal coupon codes for good discounts. Also Read: Everything Apple announced that you care about

So where exactly does Apple 6 have the edge?

Metal versus plastic

Aluminum craftsmanship is preferred by Apple whereas LG G3 sticks to lighter plastic construction for phone housing.

Screen resolution

Like LGG3, iPhone 6 Plus has 5.5 inch display but uses 1080p resolution display because of which its pixel density is much lower.

Camera

Megapixel war is on among the handset makers pushing up number of pixels. Apple has managed to keep megapixels steady for rear camera and 1.2 for front camera. So now that you know where Apple 6 stands viz-a-viz its competitors you can also check out the latest deals on CouponDekho and make good savings.

Oct 19, 2014
9 Internet Precautionary Measures for the Young Ones

Sure, using internet on our daily lives is fun but one must be responsible on how to handle online interaction. It is not all about fun and gathering information because there is a potential danger when you do not know how to manage your life online. Most especially the kids today, they need to be protected from people online who has the intention of harming them. Internet can take over and control the kids without proper guidance.

So, parents you must take safety precaution on your kids ‘ online presence:

SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE KIDS. This one is basic. Parents should always be present in any way they can. Spending quality time with the kids would mean less time for using the web. You can do fun and outdoor activities like visiting museums or just taking them to a park then have dinner.

TALK WITH THEM. Yes, this is important too. Ask them about their activities, both in school and online. Know what they want and things that annoy them. In this way, you can gauge how you are going to interact with them. Parents should also ask about the kids’ problems in school or something that bothers them, so that they can create a plan to help them.

WARN THEM NOT TO SHARE INFORMATION. What are these information? Basically, their names, school, age, phone number or even home address. Tell them that they must not send a picture to someone whom they just met. It’s also the same on posting anything online. Tell the kids that they should not post any personal information like the address and mobile number.

CONTROL PRIVACY SETTING. Yes, you also must tell the kids that as much as possible, keep their social media account on private setting. Or they could just choose the people they want to share information with like their real friends.

REMIND THEM TO PROTECT THEIR PASSWORD. Tell them that they MUST NOT divulge to anyone their social media account passwords.

GIVE ADVICE ON SELECTING FRIENDS. Online presence can gain a lot of friend requests, but the kids should filter who they are going to accept. Tell the kids not be befriended with people they don’t know personally.

LIMIT THEM ON USING THE WEB. Limit the kids on using the internet. Allot a designated time when they can surf the web, do research and interact with friends. You can successfully do this by placing the computer in a central place inside the house and post a schedule to remind them.

TELL THEM TO USE AN APPROPRIATE PHOTO. Only post a decent photo so that online people will automatically give respect and kids can avoid bullying or something like that.

TELL THEM TO THINK BEFORE THEY CLICK. A lot of people are being judged based on what they post online. So, tell the kids that they must think twice or even thrice before sharing information, commenting on articles, debating with online users or even reading blogs.

Remember, prevention is better than cure. So, take this precautionary measures seriously for your kids’ safety.

About the Writer:

This lady believes that writing is a great invention for communication. Ellen Summerhills is dividing her time on academic activities while doing research for bestessays .com to help her financially. She likes movies, outdoor activities and coffee.

Oct 15, 2014
Windows 10: Almost Everything you need to know

Microsoft gave the first look at its Windows 10 operating system recently, a major release that will span all hardware from PCs to phones and try to recover the Windows 8 loss.

Windows 10 and not Windows 9

The natural name would have been Windows 9, but Microsoft is eager to suggest a break with the past. “We’re not building an incremental product,” said Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group.

Will run on every device

Microsoft demonstrated only the desktop version, but Windows 10 will be for tablets, smartphones and embedded products, too.

“It will run on the broadest types of devices ever, from the smallest ‘Internet of things’ device to enterprise data centers worldwide,” Myerson said. “Some of these devices have 4-inch screens, and some will have 80-inch screens. And some don’t have any screen at all.”

And yes there is a start menu

They tried to combine the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern interface of Windows 8. That means the new start menu is divided into 2 parts: On the left, apps are displayed in the familiar Windows 7 style, while on the right windows 8 stylized live tiles. The start menu is customizable, so you can resize the tiles and move them around.

Multiple desktops

Windows 10 has a feature like that lets you zoom out and see everything that’s open on a PC, then select any app to enter it. You can also navigate through several virtual desktop displays at the bottom of the screen.

Command Prompt just got better

Microsoft made an unusual point of specifying that Ctrl-V would work inside the command prompt. Alongwith, click the Experimental tab and there are several other new features you can enable.

Cortana might be Coming to the Desktop

Microsoft has been working on its voice assistant called Cortana that’s allegedly supposed to appear in Windows 10 before its released.

The OS will launch around the middle of next year, after Microsoft’s Build conference.But, you can try Windows Technical Preview right now. But take care while installing it.

Bonus – Lazy Programming might be the reason for windows 10 not 9

Someone (probably developer team member) posted this recently.

Oct 1, 2014
Micromax Canvas A1 Android One Review : Superior experience

In keeping with the trend in emerging markets like India, Google’s R&D work on Android One assists the hardware and software to mingle without hitches. And the best, you won’t have to wait for Micromax to give you Android L since the Android One tag will take matters into its own hands and deliver updates to end users directly.

The Micromax Canvas A1 boasts of a sophisticated, posh appearance even though the phone is made of plastic material. It is stylish and has an attractive design to suit people of different age groups.

Equipped with a 4.5 inch FWVGA IPS display but no Gorilla Glass here.The display looks bright, is clear even under sunlight and running on stock Android makes it a delight to browse through.

As budget handsets go, the A1 sets a high benchmark for performance, surpassing the Moto E quite comfortably. It is pure stock UI where you get the Android experience that Google wants you to. The model runs on an decent 1.3 GHz Mediatek quad core processor and 1 GB of RAM.

Also Read: Everything Apple announced that you care about

The 5 MP autofocus rear camera is also great for the price tag. To please the selfie lovers, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera has also been covered.

The Canvas A1 lasted us 18 hours from 100 percent to 2 percent including over 4 hours of screen on time with a mix of gaming, phone calls, text and IMs, and a long session of browsing and surfing.

It comes with latest android 4.4.4 with a price tag of just Rs 6,499 which available on Amazon.

Round 2 in Android One will have new phones hitting market by December-end.

Micromax Canvas A1 Quick Specs

– Android v4.4.4 KitKat OS
– 4.5-inch FWVGA IPS touchscreen
– 1.3GHz quad core MediaTek chip
– 1GB RAM, 4GB ROM, 32GB expandability
– 2MP and 5MP cameras
– Dual SIM support
– 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth
– 1700mAh battery

Also Read: The 4.5-inch Asus ZenFone 4 available for Rs.6,999

Sep 21, 2014
Google will allow users to download and watch YouTube videos offline in India

After Android One, India will have another first from Google as the tech giant plans to make YouTube available offline, allowing people to save on download charges for watching their favorite videos.

YouTube executive Ceasar Sengupta mentioned at the launch event that the move was to better serve users in the country, where a consistent cellular data connection is not always available.

YouTube is popular here. You watch some videos again and again. How awesome would it be if you could keep watching them again and again without having to pay for data, and take the videos with you wherever you go? Within the coming few weeks, much of YouTube will be available offline in India. This is huge, and our users will really, really like this. You can download a video once, save it to your phone, and watch it again and again.

It is not clear at the moment whether this new offline feature is restricted to India, or if this will be an Android only feature. The demand for video on mobile has been around for a while – some telecom providers have experimented with YouTube focused data packs, which let you stream videos at a discounted data rate.

Reports suggest that 3.7 billion online videos are consumed per month in the country. According to comScore, the total online video audience in India saw growth of over 70 percent in 2013 with the average viewer watching 18 percent more videos and spending 28 percent more time viewing.

The service will not be restricted to music videos, and users will have the ability to download any video off the service and store it offline.

Sep 15, 2014
How to Root Moto G (2nd Gen 2014 Edition)
Ok, now you got your new Moto G 2nd Gen but no android phone is complete without root access ! This handy tutorial will help you to root Moto G 2nd gen and install custom recovery.

Requirements:
- Motorola drivers installed (click here to download).
- A PC with fastboot installed (ADB+Fastboot)
- TWRP recovery image
- SuperSU
Step by Step: How to Root Moto G (2nd Gen)
- First you have to unlock your BootLoader. Just go here and follow the instructions.
- Download the SuperSU file from here and copy it to internal SD card.
- Power OFF your device.
- Now, you need to Boot into Bootloader mode (Hold power+Vol down and release).
- Connect your device to your PC.
- Flash TWRP recovery using through fastboot mode. Go to adb+fastboot folder and type the following in command prompt.
fastboot flash recovery TWRP2.7.1.1-titan-motog-2014.img
- Flash SuperSU zip from recovery. (Press power and volume down together after switching off to get into recovery)
- Reboot and now your Moto G is successfully rooted with Custom TWRP recovery installed.
A small bug in this method is you can’t backup data to your Internal SD card which will be fixed soon.

Thanks to XDA for this guide.

Also Read: Everything Apple announced that you care about

You can ask any doubts in comments. If you have any problems, feel free to ask.

Note: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable.We cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.
Sep 14, 2014
SanDisk unveiled world’s biggest SD card 512GB

SanDisk has created SanDisk Extreme PRO, a 512 GB SD card. It’s initially going to be targeted at professional camera crews shooting in high resolutions.You won’t need the new SanDisk Extreme PRO for your next family vacation. Well, unless you plan to film the entire thing in 4K.

This far surpasses the capacity of the current range of SD cards on the market, which generally range from 8GB to 128GB, though there are some 256GB SD cards available. The new card will also cost big – $800. Even having the world record memory density, this 512GB card has write speeds of 90 MB/s. Transfer speeds of up to 95 MB/s are also possible with the right post-production setup. Depending on the settings used, this card is able to hold about 4 hours of 4K video or a full 24 hours of Full HD video.

As SanDisk phrases it: “The new offering is designed to meet the demands of industry professionals who require the most advanced gear available for shooting 4K Ultra High Definition (3,840×2,160p) video, Full HD video (1,920×1,080) and high-speed burst mode photography.”

SanDisk said it tested the new card to make sure it could survive harsh conditions, meaning it’s temperature proof, water proof, shock proof and x-ray proof. Users can also use RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software to recover any images accidentally deleted.

Sep 12, 2014