First Microsoft-branded smartphone Lumia 535 launched in India at Rs 9,199

Microsoft has launched its first smartphone without Nokia branding - Lumia 535, in India. The smartphone will be available at Rs 9,199 with sales starting November 280. Lumia 535 looks similar to Lumia 530 which was unveiled earlier this year, complete with rounded corners and a coloured back cover.

However, it does not sport any Nokia branding. Also, Microsoft has tried to fill in some gaps to make it more feature complete. For instance, the phone has a 5MP front camera for selfies and Skype calls and an LED flash at the back to take low-light photos. It also has 1GB RAM unlike the Lumia 530 which was unable to run games that demanded more memory.

Lumia 535 sports a 5-inch qHD (960x540p, 220ppi) IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage and supports microSD card slots of up to 128GB for expansion. The dual-sim phone has a 1905mAh battery.

The smartphone runs Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update and supports Cortana voice assistant, depending on the region.

Lumia 535 sports a 5MP rear camera (1/4 inch sensor, f/2.4 aperture and 28mm focal length) with auto-focus and LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera for selfie fans. It can shoot video at 848x480p resolution.

Cybersecurity experts warn Windows Server 2003 users

Cybersecurity sleuths have alerted users of 'Windows 2003' in the country to either migrate or apply appropriate security solutions as makers of this popular operating system have announced its 'end of life.'

"Microsoft has announced that the 'End of Life' for Windows Server 2003 is July 14, 2015...security patches and updates will no longer be available after this period for Windows 2003 and older servers will be more vulnerable to malicious attacks. It could amount to be risking both the business data as well as the intellectual property.

"It is recommended that all users and organisations using Windows Server 2003 in their environment should look for software vendors and service providers who offer assistance in migrating from Windows Server-2003 to a supported operating system or a cloud-based service," the Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) said in its latest advisory to users. \The CERT-In is the nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify security-related defences of the Indian internet domain.

E-commerce players gear up for Google's online shopping bonanza

Many online sites are gearing up for a surge in business with a fortnight of discounts during the ongoing Google-led online shopping festival followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday next week. The affiliate sites are creating 'how-to' guides for best deals in different categories, anticipating a four-fold rise in traffic and a similar jump in revenue. 

Sites that offer price comparisons, couponing and best deals may come up on top by creating 'how-to' guides during the GOSF (Google Online Shopping Festival). Smaller e-commerce merchants also gain from the rising traffic, given that they offer niche products and comparable discounts.

"While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not Indian phenomenon, we have created a GOSF section specifically on Desidime to help shoppers. Diwali and GOSF make up nearly 30% of our annual revenues and last year the traffic went up by 120% during GOSF. We will be adding 20 additional servers this year in anticipation of the volumes," says Mehul Jobanputra, CEO and cofounder of Desidime. 

Given that 14 days of pre-GOSF which would showcase 14 different e-commerce players offering their best deals, affiliates will turn a channel for product discovery and collating updated deals. 

Dating app that helps you block 'nosy' co-workers

A new dating app has hit the market that allows one to block their co-workers and especially if the boss appears on the screen. 

The new dating app called The League claims to offer a more sophisticated way users to meet their mates, the New York Post reported.One need to log in with LinkedIn information and the app hides the profile from friends, business contacts and co-workers. 

The app which is developed by former Google employee Amanda Bradford said that he found himself single and he figured it out that it must be this really cool thing if everyone was on it but he got a little uncomfortable that everybody and their mother could see you on the app. 

This app tells you intent behind a call

When you check your email inbox, the subject line helps you decide the priority of the mail. If it's not urgent, you open it later. Imagine getting a similar subject line while receiving and dialling calls. Well, Vizzical will do just that.

It's a free mobile app developed by Deepti Kalghatgi Deepak, a US-based techie, hailing from Mudhol in Bagalkot district. In the subject line, context to the picture-based icons pop up. Deepti, who stays in Princeton, says the necessity of knowing the intention of a call made by her parents motivated her to come up with Vizzical.

"One day I was driving to work and received a call from my parents in India. I could recognize the caller but not their intention. When I returned home in the evening I discussed it with my husband. We wished to have an application that could show the intention of the caller on the lines of emails. We then thought about context icons and picture-based contexts. That's how I developed Vizzical," she says. 
It took about a year for her to develop the app; after a beta test, it was ready. She thanked students of BVB College of Engineering and Technology, Hubballi, for helping her improvize Vizzical.

Apple replaces Free button with Get on App Store

Apple has replaced the 'Free' button with 'Get' for free apps and games across its iOS and Mac App Store. The change seems to have been been rolled out worldwide and is visible to all users.

All apps that don't require users to pay before download now feature the 'Get' button. This includes both free apps and apps that feature in-app purchases. The 'Get' button features an 'in-app purchase' tag for the latter. The change was confirmed by an Apple spokesperson to Re/Code.

App Annie's vice president of global corporate communications, which specializes in app store analytics and market intelligence, told Re/Code, "I'm not completely sure, but one could argue that 'get' is a more 'action' oriented, pro-active word, which could have a positive effect as a call to action. Small changes can sometimes have a positive impact." Sanchez said.

Konkan Railway launches mobile app

In its endeavour to provide value-added services to its customers, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) has launched a mobile app on Google Play Store. This will enable passengers to access various train-related features on their mobile phones. One can download the app and install it Android and Blackberry Smart phones and is seen as a step forward in improving services for its passengers since most use smart phones.

Konkan Railway Information Technology cell has developed in-house what is presumably the first mobile app for train services by any zonal railway. It will allow the passengers to not only check the time-table of trains running via Konkan Railway route, but also give current status of trains on the route. This also does away need for the stake holders to dial any train enquiry number while travelling on KR.

Android 5.0 (Lollipop): 10 new features

After what feels like a long time since we saw the L Preview first appear, Google is now rolling out the final version of Android 5.0 Lollipop to its existing Nexus devices, and it also appears on the brand new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 gadgets. Get to know the best version of Android yet by working through this selection of tips and tricks, covering all of the major and minor new features that are built into the operating system.

Tap and go:
When you're setting up your new Lollipop device for the first time, you'll be presented with the option to "tap and go." This NFC-and-Bluetooth-powered data transfer lets you move all of your Google Account details, configuration settings, data and apps over to a new device just by placing your old phone or tablet against it. Widgets and wallpaper are swapped over as well.

Use the flashlight:
Flashlight apps have always been popular on Android, so Google has decided to roll one into Lollipop to save you the trouble of having download a third-party one. Pull down the notification drawer then tap the top bar to reveal the flashlight app alongside other options like airplane mode. The app will only appear if your device has an LED flash alongside its camera.

Prioritize your apps:

Android 5.0 Lollipop lets you set up a list of important apps that are allowed to disturb you even when most aren't. Head to Settings -> Sound & notification -> App notifications and you can choose to block each app or mark it as a priority one. Tap the volume slider on your device to activate priority mode indefinitely or for one hour (a star will appear in the status bar).

Deal with notifications from the lock screen:
In Lollipop all of your app notifications appear on the lock screen ready for viewing. Not only that, but you can interact with them as well. Swipe to dismiss, tap to reply and so on, depending on the app in question. A double-tap gets you into the relevant app. Head to Settings -> Sound & notification -> When device is locked if you want to hide sensitive alerts.

Pin apps:
If you want to hand over your device to one of your kids or a friend, you can "pin" them inside one single app. First, activate the feature via Settings -> Security -> Screen pinning. Then, when you activate the multitasking screen via the square Overview button, you'll see a pin icon appear in the lower right-hand corner of the bottom app (drag it up if you can't see it).

Jump to app settings:
The lock screen has been given a major overhaul with Android 5.0 Lollipop update, and the improvements include the ability to jump straight to an app's settings or information panel right from the lock screen. Long-press on any notification and (depending on the app) and you'll see a cog icon (the app settings shortcut) and an info icon (the app notification settings shortcut).

Predict battery life:
New to Android 5.0 Lollipop is the ability to see how much time is left before the battery runs out of juice, or how long you need to wait before your device is fully charged up. Tap on the battery icon in the notification drawer to see either reading (the time-until-charged information also appears on the lock screen a few minutes after you've connected your device to a power source).

Search settings and networks:

Google's search bar is getting more ubiquitous with each passing version of Android, and in Lollipop it's made it into the Settings app. Tap the magnifying glass icon to use it. It can be a quick way of finding a particular option you're looking for, especially if you don't already know what menu or heading it's under. You can use the same feature to bring up saved Wi-Fi networks too.

Enter Guest Mode:
Sharing devices with other people (friends, colleagues, family members, distracted children) can be a real pain, but Lollipop's new Guest Mode eases it somewhat. You can access Guest Mode by dragging down the notification drawer, tapping on your user account avatar, and then selecting Add guest from the menu (or just Guest if you've been through the process before).

Big-screen battle: Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Smartphone battles won't get bigger than this. At least for now! Samsung's successful premium phablet Galaxy Note's latest iteration Galaxy Note 4 this time faces an all-new, mighty competitor in Apple's iPhone 6 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review
For three years, Samsung's Galaxy Note series virtually ruled the top-end phablet segment. But with Apple (rather belatedly) entering the segment, Samsung finally may have to worry about retaining its monopoly. In our detailed comparison of the two giant screen phones, we pitted them against each other. Here are the results...

Design
Apple and Samsung have taken contrasting approach to design with their respective phablets. While iPhone 6 Plus is all about curves, Galaxy Note 4 is characterized by sharper lines and edges. Neither phablet will, however, win the award for best-designed device of the year.

iPhone 6 Plus's curved body makes it convenient to operate with one hand, but also makes it susceptible to frequent drops. During the time we spent with the Apple phablet, we found that despite the matte-finish back, it is rather slippery and we had to be extra careful during one-hand usage. The curved glass around the screen makes it quite easy to swipe the thumb from the left of the screen to go one step back in apps.

The rear camera of iPhone 6 Plus protrudes a little so it does not rest flat. This design choice, of course, is to keep iPhone 6 Plus as thin as possible, but loses more than a few points for the Apple phablet.

Then there are the awkward plastic inserts on the back for the antenna, which is more of a functionality decision than a design one. In our gold-coloured unit, the white stripes looked like a mistake. On the other hand, the grey inserts in the Space Grey version and white inserts in the Silver model look much better and not as awkward.

Apple has also not made the bezels thin enough, which leads to iPhone 6 Plus (5.5-inch screen) being much bigger in size than Galaxy Note 4 (5.7-inch). It is, however, not as wide as the Samsung phablet, thus making one-hand operation easier.

Apple request to ban Samsung phones denied

A US judge rejected Apple Inc's latest bid for a permanent injunction against Samsung Electronics in another sign of the diminishing impact of the smartphone patent wars. 
Apple won a $120 million jury verdict against Samsung earlier this year over three Apple patents. However, US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, denied Apple's request to stop Samsung from selling infringing features on its smartphones related to those patents. 

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. In a statement, Samsung said it welcomed the ruling. "We remain committed to providing American consumers with a wide choice of innovative products," Samsung said. 

Until this year, the two leaders in mobile technology had been engaged in global patent litigation over Samsung's phones that use Google's Android operating system. However, Apple and Samsung agreed earlier this month to drop all patent lawsuits outside the United States.

Samsung Electronics wins $3 billion Vietnam project license

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has secured a license to invest $3 billion to expand its production in northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese government said. 

The license was awarded on November 17 in Thai Nguyen province, where Samsung Electronics has been operating a $2 billion smartphone plant, the government said in a statement issued late on Monday, without giving further details of the project. 

Samsung Electronics has said it plans to invest up to $3 billion for its handset business in Vietnam as part of its strategy to cut costs and better compete with Chinese rivals

Why you should choose an Intel-powered tablet

Tablets are becoming increasing popular not only because of the wide variety of models available, but also because of the advanced features and cool applications they offer.

One of the biggest things to happen to tablets is Intel® bringing its PC level expertise to tablets. So what exactly is so great about an Intel-powered tablet?

The Power of Intel in a Tablet:With an Intel-powered tablet, you'll get all the performance you've come to expect and trust with an Intel processor. This means being able to effortlessly switch between apps, have a smooth web browsing experience, and have enough processing power for playing games and getting real work done.

Amazing Graphics:When your tablet is powered by an Intel processor, watching your favorite movies and playing your favourite games are a breeze. Get ready to immerse yourself in HD videos and stunning, vibrant graphics.

Longer Battery Life:Intel processors are also power optimized to give tablets a long battery life, letting you do more of the things you love, every day..

In-built Security:Worried about your device's security? Intel can help. Select Intel-powered Android* tablets come with Intel® Device Protection Technology** to help with your peace of mind.

PwC to help PMO mine Mygov.in data

The Prime Minister's Office is using big data techniques to process ideas thrown up by citizens on its crowdsourcing platform mygov.in, place them in context of the popular mood as reflected in trends on social media, and generate actionable reports for ministries and departments to consider and implement. 
The Modi government has roped in global consulting firm PwC to assist in the data mining exercise, and now wants to elevate Mygov.in platform from a one-way flow of citizens' ideas to a dialogue where the government keeps them abreast of some of the actions that emerge from their brainstorming. 

"There is a large professional data analytics team working behind the scenes to process and filter key points emerging from debates on mygov.in, gauge popular mood about particular issues from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook," said a senior official aware of the development, adding that these are collated into special reports about possible action points that are shared with the PMO and line ministries. 

Ministries are being asked to revert with an action taken report on these ideas and policy suggestions currently being generated on 19 different policy challenges such as expenditure reforms, job creation, energy conservation, skill development and government initiatives such as Clean India, Digital India and Clean Ganga. 

With the PM inviting Indian communities in America and Australia to join the online platform, which he has termed a 'mass movement towards Surajya', the traffic handling capacity of mygov.in is being scaled up consistently, the official said.

Sony Pictures computer system down after reported hack

Sony Pictures Entertainment said its computer system was down for a second day on Tuesday, following media reports of a major hacking attack aimed at the film and television studio. Before Sony Pictures' computers went dark on Monday, the screens displayed an image of a red skeleton with the phrase "Hacked By #GOP," according to the Los Angeles Times. The hackers warned the unit of Sony Corp that they had obtained "secrets" that they would leak on the web, the newspaper reported.

"We've already warned you, and this is just a beginning. We continue till our request be met," said a message that popped up on the computer screens, according to the LA Times.

Sony Pictures spokeswoman Jean Guerin said the company's network was down as it dealt with "a system disruption" and that technicians were "working diligently" to resolve the issue. She did not give any details of the reported cyberattack.
 Emails sent to Sony Pictures were kicked back with an explanation that its "email system is currently experiencing a disruption."

The Los Angeles Times said Sony Pictures employees had to resort to using pencil and paper to get their work done on Monday. It was unclear if the problem would affect the company's plans for upcoming holiday films, such as "Annie," or regular television programs including "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!"

Twitter sees 'cash' in Apple Pay

Twitter's head of global revenue has said that Apple Pay service will be beneficial for the social networking site that launched its Twitter Commerce programme on Monday. 

Apple unveiled its new service Apple Pay earlier on Tuesday that lets the users pay at the register from iPhone 6 using its passbook app to save credit-card information, reported CNET. 

Apple Pay was launched a day after Twitter introduced its Twitter Commerce programme that enables users to buy products directly from Commerce programme. 

Be aware Twitter is now tracking the apps you download

Twitter said it is now tracking what other apps its users have installed on their mobile devices so it can target content and ads to them better.  Twitter Inc said that users will receive a notification when the setting is turned on and can opt out using settings on their phones. On iPhones, this setting is called "limit ad tracking." On Android phones, it's "opt out of interest-based ads." 

San Francisco-based Twitter said it is only collecting the list of apps that users have installed, not any data within the apps. It won't collect the app lists from people who have previously turned off ad targeting on their phones. Besides advertising, Twitter said knowing what apps people have downloaded can improve its suggestions on what accounts to follow and add relevant content to their feeds that isn't advertising. 

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that people sometimes have conflicting views on privacy. About 80% of Americans who use social networking sites are concerned about third parties, such as advertisers, accessing data that they share on the sites, according to the poll. At the same time, most are willing to share some information about themselves in exchange for using such services for free.

Airtel launches 4G service in Seychelles

Bharti Airtel has launched 4G service in Seychelles, which is the operator's first commercial LTE network in Africa. Airtel said the network is expected to cover 10,000 LTE (Long Term Evolution) subscribers in the first phase. 

"Airtel has launched the service on a state-of-the-art network based on FD-LTE, making the Seychelles amongst the first countries in sub Saharan Africa to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology," the company said in a statement. The infrastructure is a new, nationwide LTE 800 MHz network, which will meet the growing customer demand for mobile broadband services, it added. 

"We already have Africa's widest 3G footprint, being present in 17 countries. We are delighted to now provide leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services in Africa by rolling out this cutting edge LTE network," Airtel Africa CEO Christian de Faria said. 

The company said this 4G network is expected to cover 10,000 LTE subscribers in the first phase and will greatly enhance connectivity, giving its customers an improved smartphone experience, with faster web browsing, downloads and improved quality of service.

Uber's mobile application now offers five free rides

Cab market wars are continuing to make things better for the consumer. Uber, the mobile app taxi-hailing service, is offering free rides to customers till the end of the month in a bid to promote its mobile wallet service payment solution. 
 On Wednesday , Uber informed customers that they could avail of five free rides.The free rides are only applicable when customers select the wallet as their payment method and for up to Rs 300. 

The US-based firm was forced to change its payment mechanism in India after the Reserve Bank asked the company to follow a two-step card verification process.

 

Usage of credit and debit cards for online commerce in the country requires an authentication process, which involves either using an online banking password or generating a one time password. Since Uber's mobile application works on a seamless cash payment system using credit cards, the company had to incorporate an in-app wallet which allows for the same.

ARM announces a free OS for Internet of Things

Before all our blenders and doorbells can be connected on the Internet of Things, devices and software makers need to agree on certain things. These gadgets will all need to speak a common language, for example. And that's where ARM Holdings's latest announcement comes in.

The semiconductor and software design firm has announced a new device platform and a free OS that it hopes will accelerate deployment of the Internet of Things. Unfortunately this new platform is called the ARM mbed (not a typo) IoT Device Platform, but other than that it sounds pretty good.

Nternet of Hings
The mbed device platform "has been built around open standards and will bring internet protocols, security and standards-based manageability into one integrated solution optimized for energy and cost-constrained devices," reads a press release.

Coupled with the free mbed OS operating system for devices with ARM Cortex-M processors, the mbed platform should let device makers who choose to adopt it more easily integrate their gadgets with the existing Iot.

Investments in Internet of Things gathering pace: Reports

Investment in the fast-growing market for internet-connected devices gathered pace this year and is set to attract more top US technology and telecoms buyers of firms active in the market, a report from a merger advisory firm said on Thursday. 

Corporate finance adviser Hampleton Partners's report said that $9.4 billion has been spent in the past three years to acquire so-called Internet of Things suppliers, with $5 billion, or more than half of the total, in the first nine months of 2014.
 The report, which studied more than 100 transactions in the category, said that early consolidation has been led by Google but also included Cisco Systems, Samsung Electronics, Vodafone and Verizon. 

Hampleton predicted that likely new acquirers in the coming year could include Intel, AT&T, Johnson Controls, Texas Instruments and Juniper Networks, which it said are under pressure to compete in the market. Other buyers to watch include Sierra Wireless and Telit Wireless Solutions. Further fueling investment are venture capitalists that have pumped more than $1 billion into startups in the sector over the past year. 

While average deal size has remained small at about $112 million, acquirers have paid rich Silicon Valley-level price premiums of 11.2 times revenue for publicly disclosed deals.