Google announces Android KitKat contest

Google announces Android KitKat contest; winners to get Nexus 7

Google has started an Android KitKat contest in India under which it is assuring to provide Nexus 7 to 1000 winners.
All you have to do is to buy a KitKat chocolate with Android logo on it. Each of these KitKat will have a special eight digit code on inside the wrapper. Then you have to SMS that code to 09880298802. To SMS, type KITKAT<8 digit code>, and then send it to the said number. However, the offer is available on KitKat 2F, 4F and Dark versions only.

You can winners list on Android KitKat page; they will also contact if you emerge as a winner. The contest was started on 27th September and will be valid till 15th November.
Google had earlier this month announced that the next version of its Android operating system will be called Android 4.3 aka Kitkat

Samsung

Samsung to launch smartphones priced between Rs 5,000-Rs 15,000

Samsung will launch two smartphones in India this month for less than Rs 15,000, intensifying competition in the mid-segment mobile market.
The Korean company, which has a 49 per cent share in India's smartphone segment, will offer options in local languages to attract non-English speaking customers.

"We will be launching two new smartphones priced for the mid-segment market. Every phone from Samsung will have nine vernacular language options," Samsung Country Head (Mobile Business) Vineet Taneja said, without mentioning the prices.
However, a company official said the phones may be priced in the Rs 5,000-15,000 range. Most mobile phones in India are sold in this price range, including Nokia Lumia 520 and 620, Blackberry Curve, Xolo smartphones and Micromax Canvas 2.
The Samsung phones will offer access to content and applications in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarati.
"The competition now in the smart phone market is how to make the phone size small without compromising on the screen size," Taneja said.
The company is set to launch its premium high-end smart phone, the Galaxy Note 3, on Tuesday.
Samsung currently offers about 17 smartphones priced between Rs 5,000 (Samsung Star) and Rs 39,000 (S4).
Taneja said the company is focusing on the mid-end to high-end smart phone market and will provide dual-SIM option in all handsets.
Going forward, you will see more and more dual-SIM phones coming up," he said.
According to telecom magazine Voice&Data, Samsung toppled Nokia from its leadership position in the financial year 2012-13 with revenue of Rs 11,328 crore and a 31.5 per cent market share. Nokia's market share stood at 27.2 per cent.

64-bit processors

Samsung mimics Apple by using 64-bit processors for its next smartphones 

This comes amidst Apple's release of its next iPhones featuring A7, 64-bit processors, claimed to offer 'desktop-class architecture'.

Samsung has reportedly confirmed that its next range of smartphone would feature 64-bit processors.
This comes amidst Apple’s release of its next iPhones featuring A7, 64-bit processors, claimed to offer ‘desktop-class architecture’.
However, the Android operating system, on which the Samsung gadgets work, would require to be updated before the devices could be compatible to the 64-bit shift.
According to the BBC, experts believe that most apps are unlikely to benefit immediately from the shift from 32-bit technology and could lead to compatibility problems in the future including more battery consumption.
The Android operating system would need to be updated before Samsung's Galaxy devices could take advantage of a shift to 64-bit.
The report said that operating systems written for 32-bit chips can only access up to 4GB of RAM, but those written for 64-bit processors can, in theory, support up to 16 billion gigabytes of RAM.
Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy Note 3 handset would come with 3GB of RAM and also feature a bigger-than-normal 3,200 mAh battery.
Stephen Lum from Visual Candy Apps welcomed the shift and said that though many apps won’t be able to take advantage of 64-bit initially but the beauty of what Apple did is that they said it takes an iOS developer, like him, two hours to convert to 64-bit, which is amazing.
Chris Green from the Davies Murphy Group consultancy, said that when app makers do decide to transition to fully 64-bit, it will create a divide in the market, like seen in the Windows world when software makers moved from 32-bit to purely 64-bit, the report added.

IRCTC App for Windows Devices

IRCTC App for Windows Devices Launched For Making Railways Reservation Easer in India 

 In July, IRCTC made possible to book railway tickets via SMS and now making the ticket booking more easier, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has once again launched a new application for Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. This is an addition to their already existing booking portal which is widely used. Click Here For New Smartphone's Gallery IRCTC App for Windows Devices Launched However, the App which is developed in collaboration with Microsoft is made for Windows devices. Thus users of smartphones, desktop, tablet, laptop running on Windows platform can download the application free of cost as per their requirement from the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store respectively. Moreover, for Android devices the app has already been made available around August. The 1 MB weighing app also contains Citibank as a Payment Gateway. Users can also choose other bank's debit or credit card as well while making payment. The App enables the users to do a multiple tasks at a go. One can make railway reservations, check the PNR status easily. Sadly it is not a 24 hour round service but will function between 8 AM and 12 AM and 11.30 PM and 12.30 AM as per the existing Railway guidelines. Reportedly, Rakesh Tandon, CMD of IRCTC said, "With this alternative channel of booking, the passengers will have an additional convenience and better experience of booking e-ticket,". Users can download the app for Windows Phone from here and for Android devices click here.

IT NEWS : Nokia music web store shuts shop

IT NEWS : Nokia music web store shuts shop: Nokia music web store shuts shop in India, available on phones though Nokia’s web and desktop music store that served as...ghfgh

Nokia music web store shuts shop

Nokia music web store shuts shop in India, available on phones though

Nokia’s web and desktop music store that served as a medium for downloading music for various subscribers across India, has been shuttered for good. It should be noted that only the web version of the service has been shut down, Nokia Music available in most devices manufactured from the company continues to be available.
This is not exactly a new development as the web version of the Nokia music store had stopped giving subscriptions to new customers way back in December 2011. The service had continued to operate for users who had already subscribed to it and now that their term period has come to an end, the Finnish manufacturer has decided to pull the plug on it in the Indian region.

The news was first spotted by the guys over at Medianama and BGR India who got wind of it, contacted a Nokia spokesperson who confirmed that they have indeed closed the website down. The company representative said that the mobile version of the service is going strong and interested users can download online and offline music through it, if they are the proud owners of a compatible Nokia handset.
The web service allowed users to download high bitrate music, unlike the mobile version that relies on low bitrate quality for downloading songs in less than a minute, regardless of the user’s data connection speed. This mobile service is free for a limited time, after which the company may ask people to subscribe to it by paying up a certain amount as charges.
So which music service are you planning to turn to, now that Nokia Music web is no longer available?

Apple iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C

Apple iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C: India price and features

Apple launched the iPhone 5S & the iPhone 5C amidst huge hype and brouhaha over its features and pricing, most of which were already leaked out pretty accurately.
We bring to you all the information you would need to know about the iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C.

Apple iPhone 5S Features & Pricing in India

Display & Body

The display on the iPhone 5S remains the same at 4.0 inches with a pixel density of 326 ppi. As expected, the design is also the same as the iPhone 5.

64 bit A7 chip and M7 motion co-processor

The iPhone 5S comes with the new A7 chip which Apple claims to be the world’s first 64 bit desktop-class architecture in a smartphone. Apparently Huawei Ascend D Quad launched in Feb 2012 last year also boasted of a 64 bit chipset.
M7 motion coprocessor gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. Apple has allowed developers’ access to the new CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M7, thus allowing them to create better fitness and activity apps.

Touch ID – Fingerprint Scanner

Built into the home button, Touch ID uses a laser cut sapphire crystal, together with the capacitive touch sensor, to take a high-resolution image at about 550ppi of your fingerprint. Touch ID will allow you to authenticate Appstore purchases and app updates besides providing security lock to the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 5S boasts of a new 8MP iSight camera, which features a larger f/2.2 aperture and a new, larger sensor with 1.5μ pixels for better sensitivity and low-light performance. The camera has capability to shoot 10 frames-per-second in burst mode, and 120 frames-per-second slow motion video at 720p.
The dual LED Flash, called the True Tone Flash by Apple adjusts colour and intensity for over 1,000 combinations to give better images under dark light conditions.

The new iPhone 5S now comes in three new different colours called Gold, Silver and Space Grey. Apple has also introduced new leather covers for the device with 6 colours to choose from i.e. beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and red.

The iPhone 5S comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps Suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid for apps.

The iPhone 5S is priced at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB on two-year contract in the US, while you can expect it to be priced at around Rs. 50,000 in India for the 16GB version and upwards for the others.
The iPhone 5S will be available starting Sep 20th in the US, while it is expected to be made available in India sometime during mid-November.

Apple iPhone 5C Features & Pricing in India

Body & Design

The iPhone 5C comes in a new polycarbonate shell design which we feel, resembles the Nokia Lumia 620 a bit. It’s available in five colours viz, blue, green, pink, yellow and white.

Other Features

It sports the same features as the iPhone 5 which include:
4.0 inch Retina display
8MP iSight Camera
The A6 chip
iOS 7
The iPhone 5C comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid apps.

Pricing & Availability

The iPhone 5C is priced at $99 for 16GB and $199 for the 32 GB version, both on a two year contract in the US. The iPhone 5C is expected to be priced at around Rs. 35,000 in India.
While the iPhone 5C will be made available in the US on the 20th of September, it is expected to arrive in India only by the mid week of November.

end security updates for Windows XP

Microsoft to end security updates for Windows XP by April 2014

The end of security updates to XP would mean that any flaws reported by hackers will not be fixed by the company.

Microsoft announced that it will not be releasing any more security updates for its Windows XP operating system, meaning XP-loyal users are going to face a difficult time in converting their systems to the latest version of Windows 8.
The end of security updates to XP would mean that any flaws reported by hackers will not be fixed by the company.
Microsoft ended security updates to many of its previous Windows versions like Windows 95, 98, Vista and XP would be the latest to finally face the axe after Microsoft updated it several times before, Fox News reports.
XP has key security features missing, can't support the latest, safest and most Web-compatible versions of Internet Explorer and can’t take full advantage of the latest hardware advances.
Users familiar with the good-old Windows XP might have to upgrade to a new computer, upgraded software and possibly new accessories like printers and scanners and yet the biggest change would be the switch to the Windows 8 OS which has its own set of complexities to access.
According to the report, Windows 8 is the only operating system available on new computers and since it is radically different from previous versions, desktop owners will find the system complex to operate which is ideally meant for touch-screen tablets

security

Windows 7 has 6 times more security threats than Windows 8, according to Microsoft

It might not be at the forefront of most people's minds when choosing an OS, but protection from security threats like malware is definitely a big deal. Microsoft wants you to know: Windows 8 is the most secure version of Windows ever. 21 times more secure than Windows XP, in fact, and 6 times more secure than Windows 7.
That's probably not a big surprise given how long hackers have had to find vulnerabilities and and target those OSes; Windows XP is 12 years old and Windows 7 is 4 years old, compared to the one-year old Windows 8. I mean, Windows 8 is just an infant.
Besides that, though, Windows 8 does come with more security features. Chris Hallum, Senior Product Manager for Windows outlines those benefits in this blog post Secure Boot, for example, prevents malware from starting as the system loads. Windows 8 also supports a new type of drive called encrypted hard drives, as well as Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. The upcoming Windows 8.1 update will add more security features.
Okay, so these aren't mind-blowing revelations or upgrades, but every bit of additional security is a good thing, especially if you use your computer for work or own a small company. From Microsoft's infographic, this is the impact of hacking on organizations:

The graphic and blog post are a not-so-subtle reminder, too, that support for Windows XP is ending on April 8, 2014.

subsidy for mobiles, tablets in rural areas

Government lines up Rs 10,000 crore subsidy for mobiles, tablets in rural areas

The Congress-led government plans to charge Rs 300 for a mobile phone which will be bundled with a monthly recharge of Rs 30 for a period of two years

 The government is set to spend Rs 10,000 crore to give away 2.5 crore mobile phones at subsidised prices in rural areas and 90 lakh tablets free of cost to class XI and XII students across government schools, as it continues efforts to woo voters ahead of upcoming state and national elections.

The Congress-led coalition government plans to charge Rs 300 for a mobile phone which will be bundled with a monthly recharge of Rs 30 for a period of two years, according to an internal government document reviewed by ET.

The recharge will entitle the user to 30 minutes of airtime, 30 SMSes and 30 Mbps usage a month.

A separate document shows that the free tablets will come with 75 minutes talk time, 75 SMSes and 500 MB of data usage. For any usage beyond the prescribed limit, the beneficiary will have to pay. The objective of the tablet scheme is to empower the higher secondary students of XI and XII, the telecom department highlighted in the document.

Xolo Tab

Xolo Tab with voice calling, Android 4.1 launched for Rs. 13,499

Xolo has just officially lifted the wraps off its first tablet, the Xolo Tab. The tablet was earlier spotted at an online retailer at its launch price of Rs. 13,499.The Xolo Tab (QC800) comes with an 8-inch IPS display with 1280x768 pixels resolution and boasts a pixel density of 160ppi. The tablet is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8225Q processor along with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 203 GPU. The tablet comes with SIM support and voice-calling. The tablet includes 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.
The tablet sports a 2-megapixel rear camera that comes with HD video recording support and features like auto focus, geo-tagging, touch focus and face detection. It also includes a VGA fromt-facing camera. The Xolo Tab runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Connectivity options on the tablet include Wi-Fi, EDGE, GPRS, GPS and 3G. It is backed by a 4000mAh battery which can deliver up to 360 hours of (3G) standby time while up to 4 hours of Web browsing on 3G network or up to 4.9 hours of Web browsing on Wi-Fi network.
Xolo's newly launched tablet will be up against tablets from Samsung, Micromax and Karbonn which have devices in the same price segment.
Earlier, Xolo launched the Xolo Q1000S smartphone at a price point of Rs. 18,999. The Xolo Q1000S features a 5-inch HD IPS display with OGS display technology and boasts a resolution of 720x1280 pixels with 294ppi pixel density. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Xolo Tab key specifications

• 8-inch IPS display with 1280x768 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 160ppi
• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8225Q processor with Adreno 203 GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 2-megapixel rear camera
• VGA front facing camera
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 4000mAh battery

Galaxy Note 3

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review: A stylish makeover

Samsung is giving its latest Galaxy Note smartphone a stylish makeover. The Galaxy Note 3, unveiled Wednesday, has a soft, leather-like back. It feels like you're holding a fancy leather-bound journal. Grooves on the side of the big-screen phone make it easier to grip.
But I found the new phone to be complicated to use. There's too much going on. Between Scrapbook, My Magazine, Air Command and dozens of other functions, it might take even the most experienced smartphone user several hours to figure out.
I tested out the Note 3 for about 45 minutes on Wednesday at a Samsung press event in a New York hotel. The company also unveiled its next tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, which is basically an extra-large version of the Galaxy phone, but without the cellular service. The phone and its pen were both tied down to a table with a security device, so I was hampered testing it out. A colleague spent several minutes with the tablet and was likewise hampered.
But I saw enough of the Note 3 to at least like its look and feel.
With its leather-like back and the stitching around it, the phone feels expensive and well made in my hands. The soft back can be snapped off the phone to reveal the battery. Samsung will sell replaceable back covers in several different colors, but the phone itself will come in just three: black, white or pink.
The Note 3 has a bigger screen than its predecessor, measuring 5.7 inches (14.5 centimeters) diagonally compared with the Note 2's 5.5 inches (14 centimeters). But it still weighs less (5.9 ounces (167 grams), compared with 6.4 ounces (182 grams) and is slightly thinner [at 0.33 inch (8.4 millimeter) rather than 0.37 inch (9.4 millimeter)].
The biggest changes are with the S Pen. The pen unlocks a new feature called Air Command. With that, you can open five other features: 
* With Action Memo, you can handwrite a note.
* Scrapbook lets you circle content you like, such as a YouTube video or a news article. It automatically saves and organizes the content into a format that's easy to scroll through. Scrapbook, with its boxy format, looks a lot like social media site Pinterest.
* Screen Write captures a screen and allows you to write comments on that captured image.
* S Finder is the phone's search engine, to find chat messages, documents or other content on the phone.
* Pen Window, the most promising of the five, lets you access one of eight apps by drawing a box of any size on the screen. Let's say you're on a Web page and need to calculate something. You can open Air Command, then Pen Window. Draw a box on the screen, and eight icons pop up. You then click the one for the calculator. Pen Window currently opens a limited number of applications: calculator, clock, YouTube, phone, contacts, a Web browser and two separate chat apps _ Samsung's ChatON and Google's Hangouts. (Two different ones? Did I mention the phone's complicated to use?) It's possible Pen Window will support additional apps later.
I couldn't figure out how to open Air Command on my own. During a presentation beamed into the New York hotel's TV sets from Berlin, where Samsung unveiled the device, a company executive said pointing the pen to the screen was all it took to open Air Command. That wasn't the case. A Samsung representative in New York showed me how to use it. I learned that I had to click the S Pen's button while hovering over the screen to get to Air Command.
Another new feature, My Magazine, was also hard to find. My Magazine was developed in partnership with Flipboard, an app that pulls content from news sources and your social media accounts and presents it in an easy-to-read magazine format. My Magazine does the same thing. It is customizable, pulling news content from various news sources based on subjects you want to follow, such as business or food related articles. You can also sync it with your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media accounts. My Magazine is well designed and is a place where you can easily catch up with all your social media accounts and news in one place. 
But first I had to find it. A representative had to show me that an upward swipe at the bottom of the screen opens it up.
The redesigned S Pen is tough to use. It is small and thin, making it hard to grip. Not surprisingly, the button on the stylus was quite small, too. You end up spinning the pen around every time you need to click it. The phone and tablet is very geared toward the pen, rather than pinching and swiping with your fingers as with other phones such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and even Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4.
I had no problem converting my handwritten phone numbers into digital contacts on the phone. But my colleague, who admits she has messy handwriting, says the tablet had trouble reading it.
The phone's screen is crisp and very clear. I watched several YouTube videos and a preview for "Iron Man 3.'' The bigger screen makes watching video a joy, and I can see myself watching movies on it instead of a tablet. The new phone's screen resolution is far better on the Note 3 – at 386 pixels per inch rather than 264 on the Note 2. (By comparison, the iPhone 5 is at 326 pixels per inch.)
The phone's 13 megapixel camera took clear shots, but it was slower than I'm used to on my iPhone 4S, the model from 2011. A processing alert pops up for a second while a photo is saving.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, also unveiled Wednesday, has the same features of the Note 3 phone, just with a bigger, 10-inch (26-centimetre) screen. Like the phone, it has the leather-like backing and grooves on the side.
The tablet has a few extra bells and whistles. One of the big perks is the tablet's file organization system, which is similar to that of a traditional personal computer. It lets you create folders and sub-folders for documents, providing easy access. Also like a PC, the tablet lets you create up to eight profiles, so you can let your kids, spouse or guests use the tablet without fear that they will read your email, delete your photos or access apps you don't want them to. 
The tablet also comes with a host of freebies that the phone doesn't have, including free trial subscriptions to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek and other news sources, along with extra space with online storage service Dropbox.
The tablet's display is bright and clear, good for watching TV or viewing photos. It also has stereo speakers and cameras on both its front and back sides.
Samsung said the phone and tablet will ship worldwide in most countries on Sept 25, but it will come later in the US Samsung didn't say when, other than some time before the holidays. The company also didn't say how much the devices will cost.
I'm eligible for a new phone upgrade on my Verizon Wireless contract. I was waiting to see if Apple Inc. will launch a new phone this month. But after testing out the Note 3, I'm considering both. I need more time with the Note 3, though, to figure it all out.