Newz - YANDEX STORE!

Yandex.Store Promises To Be A Great Alternative To Android Play Store! Whether you’re tired of not being able to access several Play Store apps in your country due to Google’s regional restrictions or just looking for a worthy alternative to Play Store and Amazon Appstore, we have some great news for you! Yandex – Russia’s largest search engine (often dubbed as Russia’s Google) – has just released an Android app store of its own fittingly titled Yandex.Store . With a UI and functionality quite similar to that of Google’s own offering, Yandex.Store is already home to more than 50,000 free and paid Android apps as well as games upon launch, with many communication, socializing and navigation-based apps aimed particularly at the local user community. That being said, you are also going to find the likes of Twitter, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, SoundHound, TuneIn Radio, Skype, Opera Browser and many other other big names in the package. Just like Play Store, you can view detailed information about the apps before installation, and update notifications as well as automatic updates of installed apps are supported as well. The services of Yandex.Store are already available in a number of countries where you can easily purchase apps and games using your credit card or via cell phone bill payments. For those worried about the security of the apps featured on the store, all apps are verified by the trusted services of Kaspersky before making it to Yandex.Store. When launched for the first time, the app welcomes you with a couple of introductory slides. Past that, you’re prompted to log in with your Yandex ID. First time users can use the in-app registration facility to get themselves a new ID for free. Once logged in, you’re greeted by the Play Store-style Featured Apps screen filled with a beautiful carousel and large tiles of some of the best and popular apps available in the store, followed by some other noteworthy titles. Swiping sideways takes you to the store’s dedicated games and apps sections, with the content each section organized under various popular genres. There are two broad subcategories based on pricing: Free and Paid. The top-right corner of the app’s UI carries the ubiquitous search button to help you find any particular app that you’re looking for. On every app’s description page, you’re shown a wealth of useful information about the app such as the developer (with contact details), star ratings, installation file size, total number of downloads, screenshots, description, change logs, user reviews, and other apps by the same developer (if any). Now here’s a nice little touch of brilliance – while exploring an app under one of the supported categories, you can view other apps belonging to that particular genre in a vertically scrollable sidebar on the left. However, should you wish to see more details about the chosen app on the same screen, you can just dismiss the sidebar by sliding it to left. As with Google Play Store, you can hit the Menu button in the app to manage your installed apps, personal store account and Yandex.Store’s main preferences. The app’s settings screen offers several key options such enabling/disabling notifications about new app and game updates, enabling/disabling automatic updates for installed apps, setting updates to download over Wi-Fi and/or mobile data only, and clearing the app’s search history.

Newz - YOLA JOLLA SMARTPHONE !

An In-Depth Look at the Upcoming Jolla Smartphone Independent Finland-based designer, developer and seller of smartphones Jolla Mobile (pronounced “Yola”) is all the buzz in the smartphone world since unveiling its first product on Monday and rightfully so! It’s a brand new concept from a brand new company with a deep focus on innovative design and intuitive functionality. Keep in mind the device that was unveiled a week ago (May 20, 2013) is just a prototype and many of the parameters could still be changed. Different colored “other halves” for Jolla The team behind the device comes from a group of ex-Nokia employees who quit after Nokia decided to pursue the Windows Phone software over MeeGo. The phone, called the Jolla, is stacked with a 4.5″ glass Estrade display, dual-core processor, 4G compatibility, an 8MP auto-focus camera, 16GB + microSD, and it runs on a gesture-based live- panel OS called Sailfish. Right on par with perceived competitors Comparatively, most of its specs sit right in between most of the most popular cell phones of this year. The display is a great size, glass “Estrade” style, but no one is quite sure that that means yet. When asked for details, Jolla explains that more details are to come. The camera, storage space, and 4G compatibility are also right on par with the Jolla’s perceived competitors. It sports an aluminum external build, like that of iPhone and HTC One which gives it a heavier feel in the hand, but also makes it a weightier object to hit the ground should you drop it. Unlike most aluminum and glass builds, this phone will have a user-replaceable battery. The part that could be worrisome is the dual-core processor. Most smartphones in the US these days come with a quad-core processor, with many international versions now sporting octa-cores. It could be that Jolla wants to save a bit of manufacturing costs or that they don’t feel their new OS will require much processing power, similar to Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia. Customize and personalize the phone, not just in color but in functionality and style The phone does have two unique aspects that set it apart, one of which is what the team call “other halves” for the device that help customize and personalize the phone, not just in color but in functionality and style. Users can attach a new back and give the phone a new look, new profile, or even new features, each independently configured for whatever you like: personal, work, kids. The possibilities are endless. This is a big deal because it makes the phone more versatile. It’s unclear how much the halves will cost or what features, specifically, can change between them, but the idea certainly shows potential. Android users have been waiting for a way to create separate user profiles on one device for a few years now, and this seems to cater to that desire. It’s seems a bit clunky for that specifically, but it sets a precedence for the future. The other unique feature of the phone is its Mer- based operating system called Sailfish, an evolved version of MeeGo. It works similarly to Windows Phone with a beautiful interface of live panels instead of icons. Because it a comes from a mobile distribution of Linux, the company claims that most Android apps will be compatible using third party app stores. Facebook and other social networks are baked right in, as are contacts and messaging as you would expect. The device is completely gesture- driven, making the OS perhaps less approachable to casual users but more powerful overall. There also aren’t any hard or soft buttons attached to the hardware, so for navigation it’s all about pushing your thumb around on the screen. To do the UI the most justice, Jolla’s Chief Designer, Martin Schule, gives us a preview in the video below: The phone will cost about $510 (399€) retail and is targeted to ship by the end of this year. Speculation says the phone could hit Asia first, but there’s been nothing official on that front yet. In fact, Jolla has been a bit secretive as to their plans for hitting the market, but they say they have updates and news awaiting, so only time will tell at this point. Overall, I think the device has some serious potential, but will likely encounter some strife due to an already flooded market. In any case, anyone interested can nab a spot on the pre- order list for free on the official website and/or take advantage of special editions and accessories by paying a bit extra.

Newz - Spice Mobiles !

Spice launches Smart Flo Mettle 5X at Rs 6,499 http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 WHAT'S NEW: If you thought blow or stare were great ways to unlock a phone, this new offering from Spice features eight unique ways to unlocking your device. It also has four new launchers for customisation. WHAT ELSE IS THERE: This dual sim 2G smartphone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.3GHz Dual Core Processor.The phone has pre integrated BBM, Quad Band on 2G three feather touch keys and a flip to mute feature. The phone has a 8MP rear camera with Auto Focus and a super power saver feature to augment the 1800mAh battery.

Newz - Tata Docomo !

Tata Docomo launches unlimited WhatsApp data packs http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 New Delhi: Tata Docomo Wednesday launched two data packs for its pre-paid GSM customers which allow unlimited use of chat application WhatsApp. The packs, valid for 15 and 30 days, are targetted at price sensitive pre-paid customers who just want to use WhatsApp for communication and don't want to spend on data usage, the company said. The two packs have been priced at Rs 15 and Rs 30."These data packs will enable Tata Docomo prepay GSM customers to enjoy the hugely popular WhatsApp with specially customised value for money data plans and with unlimited use," the company said in a statement. The company said it conducted an independent research and came to know that users need customised data offerings and want to pay only for the applications that they consume. "Standing tall on the fundamental tenet of simplifying consumer's life, dedicated WhatsApp data packs serves up a hassle-free experience for our consumers with a clear focus on enriching the data experience," Tata Docomo Head VAS Marketing Rishimohan Malhotra said. "This partnership allows us to tap into Tata's market presence in India and continue WhatsApp's significant growth as the global leader in the mobile communication space," WhatsApp Co- Founder Brian Acton said.

Newz - Russia !

First Russian smartphone, YotaPhone, launched in Moscow http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 MOSCOW: Russia's first domestically designed smartphone, the YotaPhone, was unveiled in Moscow on Wednesday, featuring an always-on second screen as a unique feature to differentiate it from the plethora of competitors. The phone, which used Google's Android operating system and has a fixed price of 499 euros ($678), will be launched in December in Russia and Germany in stores and online in France, Spain and Austria. The device "rethinks our relation to smartphones," said YotaPhone's general director, Vlad Martynov, who unveiled the smartphone in a contemporary art gallery in Moscow. As well as the full-colour touch screen standard on all smartphones, the YotaPhone has a black-and-white screen on its back using the same electronic ink technology as on reading devices such as Amazon's Kindle. This extra, low-energy screen remains on all the time, even when the phone is switched off, allowing the user to check the time, messages, a schedule or a map without having to "wake up" the unit, limiting battery drain. Following the December launch, the phone will go on sale in some other European countries, including Britain and Switzerland, and in the Middle East, including in Egypt. The makers said they have no current plans to offer the phone in Asia or the United States. Despite boasting a big pool of expert engineers and IT specialists, no Russian company has so far been able to build a dominant position with locally designed computers or mobile phones.

Newz - Amazone !

Amazone Prime Air ! http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 Will spotting Amazon's fleet of "Prime Air " drones soon be "as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today"? That's what Amazon is saying, after CEO Jeff Bezos explained Sunday that the company would, in the future, deliver packages by quadcopter. However, that future may be a bit further out than the revolutionary retailer can say. Coming from a company that employs robots in its warehouses, the drone vision isn't too surprising. And sure, delivery drones are already a reality: The Marine Corps have been using two remote- controlled K-MAX helicopters to deliver supplies in Afghanistan. It was so successful that the military extended their deployment indefinitely in 2011. Advertise But while they may be welcome in countries with little or no infrastructure, delivery drones flying through tightly regulated skies over the world's biggest cities present a logistical nightmare, and are, to date, mostly wishful thinking. Newspaper delivery drones in France? A prank . Pizza delivery by Domino’s drones? A PR gimmick . TacoCopter? A hoax . The drone that tried to deliver contraband into a Georgia prison? Busted . "A quadcopter airlifting you the next iteration of '50 Shades of Grey,'" is "going to be a gimmick” at least "for the next five years," Drunken Predator Drone, the persona behind the parody Twitter account @DrunkenPredator, wrote to NBC News in a surprisingly lucid email. Sober responses came from other experts as well: "If the FAA Roadmap is an indication of where the regulations are going to be in the future ... then I think Amazon is going to have a difficult time using the tech for delivery,” said Brendan Schulman, a lawyer at the firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Franke in New York. Schulman should know: He's defending the first person sued by the FAA for using a drone commercially. Here are some basic questions that Amazon and Jeff Bezos have been a bit fuzzy about: When will we get deliveries by drone? Not sooner than 2015. That's Amazon's intended launch year, and — not coincidentally — that's when the Federal Aviation Administration is scheduled to draft preliminary regulations to guide the deployment of small unmanned autonomous flying robots into the U.S. airspace. Ryan Calo , professor of law at the University of Washington, told NBC News that he expects the timeline to be a bit more stretched out, but that drone delivery would be "routine within five years." "I think it’s a matter of working with the FAA to make sure it’s secure — not just for local but long- haul delivery," he said. Schulman is more pessimistic. He points out that the FAA is not keen on the kind of autonomous long-range flight that Bezos discussed. "The early indication is that those flight (types) are not going to be permitted at all," Schulman told NBC News — at least not initially. Who will drive the drones? It seems like piloted drones, controlled remotely by humans, will take off sooner than their brainier self-piloting cousins. But how we pick the pilots that make the safest drone controllers is still being debated. How much will deliveries cost? Will Amazon Prime members get free drone delivery with their annual subscriptions? Will regular customers get drone service if they spend enough on the site? If the first delivery drones to go up are piloted, the cost of hiring humans to do the flying might not make the exercise worthwhile. Will humans even want this? Maybe, but maybe not. The town Deer Trail, in Colo. is seeking to issue hunting licenses for drones and one resident is even offering drone hunting lessons. In February this year, citing privacy concerns, the mayor of Seattle — where Amazon is based — shut down the city police department’s drone program. The cops returned their crafts even though in other parts of the country, police drones are pitching in and helping out . Advertise Speakin g of which, what happens if someone damages a delivery drone? And what if the drone runs into something and damages property? "It makes sense that there will be legal protection against knocking them out," Schulman told NBC News. And as for errant drones colliding with people? Existing tort law provides protection for those who are injured by flying objects, whether they be drones or golf balls. Schulman thinks there's room for debate about additional oversight when it comes to drones. Is the technology ready? In its new roadmap, the FAA has indicated an interest in "sense and avoid" technology, basic instinct for human pilots who avoid other aircrafts and flying things like birds. But some researchers say that technology for autonomous flight is in its infancy. "As of right now, the major obstacle to deploying 'Amazon Prime Air' is the question of weight," Drunken Predator wrote to NBC News. "You need to carry batteries, GPS, your cargo, and most importantly, the Magic Sensor Box That Makes Us Not Crash Into Power Lines And Old Ladies (Which We Have Yet To Invent.)" Drunken Predator added that, "You need range (there and back), you need lift capacity, you need GPS guidance, collision-avoidance sensors, and you need a small computer brain." http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952

Newz - Micromax Canvas Turbo !

Review: Micromax Canvas Turbo has a mid-rang price tag for top-end performance http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 Micromax is now India’s second largest smartphone maker and has clear ambitions of becoming the largest, for which it will have to vanquish market leaders and tech giant Samsung. While Micromax started out as a company that offered affordable alternatives, it now has the confidence to enter the premium phone range where it hopes to offer devices that have better value for money. Its new Canvas Turbo A250 is clearly aimed at those who need a top-end phone, but can’t spend top bucks for the same. Design It might be cheaper than other premium Android devices, but this phone does in no way feel cheap or plasticky. In fact, the build quality is good enough for me to start thinking of the HTC One, which is at the very pinnacle as far as Android designs are concerned. Though not a unibody design, you cannot remove the rear flap of this phone. There are two micro-SIM slots on the sides, which can be popped open with a stylish pin that has the Micromax fist logo on it. Very classy. This logo is there on the rear too, in metal and all shiny. Again classy, especially when you are looking at the black colour variant. My only design complaint is that the capacitive buttons at the bottom are hidden, especially when you are under a bright light. The quality of the five-inch FullHD screen above it is superb though. The touch sensitivity is great too. The 13MP camera and LED flash are nestled on the top of the phone. The charging port is on the top of the screen, which could be a bit awkward at times. The micro-USB as well as the headphone cable are flat and very modern. Performance Running a 1.5 Ghz quad-core Mediatek process, this phone is a couple of clicks ahead of most other phones in this price range. So performance will not be an issue even when you are multi-tasking. We clocked a Atuntu Benchmark score of 15481 and a Quadrant score of 4709, both of which put this phone just above HTC One X. This is quite good for a phone that is priced under Rs 20,000. Remember, the HTC One X costs at least Rs 8,000 more. The Turbo has a good camera which came up with surprisingly decent results. This is why the camera features some Camerazzi gimmicks like object eraser and cinemagraph that work quite well. However, the phones most touted blow to unlock feature is a bit of a cropper as it did not work for me at all. Anyway, it works only when you have clocked the phone with a certain app, thus defeating the very purpose. However, the smart gesture features of Android work really well. One really good add-on is the 'ifloat tray' which is like a button that is there on your screen all the time. It lets you access most used features like calls and messages wherever you are, even the camera. The only problem here is that the small dot that unfurls the tray is there on all screens and can become an eyesore at times. Should you buy it This is a stylish phone that will be able to fulfil most of your demands as far as performance is concerned. Don't buy this for the gimmicky features but for solid build quality and reliable performance, along with the affordable price tag. What is inside: This Android 4.2.1 device has a 5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display powered by a MTK 6589T Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A7 with 2GB RAM. The rear camera is 13MP, while the internal storage is 16GB, which cannot be expanded. The phone has two micro-SIM slots and is 3G capable. Rating: **** Price: 19,990

Biz - Facebook !

Facebook in talks with Bangalore startup for acquisition http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 BANGALORE: Facebook is in early stage discussions to acquire Bangalore-based app monitoring solutions startup Little Eye Labs. If it happens, it could be the social networking giant's first ever acquisition in India. "We are in preliminary discussions. I cannot share anything beyond this," said Kumar Rangarajan, one of the co-founders of Little Eye Labs. Kumar, who calls himself the chief ion (founders call themselves ions, short for eye-ons), founded the company along with four friends in 2012. Facebook could not be contacted for the story. Little Eye is a tool that helps Android app developers to measure, analyze and optimize their apps. It helps visualize the app's behaviour and estimates the app's power, memory and network data consumption trends. Smartphone users are intolerant towards mobile apps that drain battery, crash and perform poorly. Little Eye Labs' research available on SlideShare shows that 44% of users uninstall apps that perform badly. About 96% of users will give such apps a bad rating. Little Eye also makes recommendations to improve an app's performance. "Currently we have 1,500 users and counting," said Kumar.

Newz - Wipro !

Wipro set to acquire Opus CMC for Rs 465 crore; move to boost mortgage BPO business in America http://www.referralduty.com/index.php?invite=39952 BANGALORE: Wipro will buy American mortgage services company Opus Capital Market Consultants for $75 million (Rs465 crore), bolstering its presence in the financial services space where it has lagged rivals. India's third-largest software services firm said the all-cash deal will expand its high-end mortgage BPO business in the US and will be completed in the fourth quarter of FY14. Wipro will make an upfront payment of Rs310 crore, while the rest will be paid over the next three years. The Opus deal is the latest in a string of small acquisitions and partnerships by the Bangalore-based company, which has been looking to strengthen its financial services muscle. The vertical contributes about 26% to Wipro's revenues, compared to about 40% for the Indian software industry. In October last year, Wipro appointed Shaji Farooq, who was hired from rival Infosys, to head the banking, financial services and insurance division as part of a senior-management reshuffle. "This is a significant move, clearly done for Wipro's domain enhancement in the mortgage BPO space," said Sandeep Muthangi, vice president for research at Mumbai-based brokerage IIFL Institutional Equities. "Just like Infosys has established a platform in the finance BPO space, Wipro needed something and they have been trying to build it for a while now." The Wipro stock closed 2.7% higher atRs483.5 on the National Stock Exchange before the announcement. Illinois-based Opus CMC, which provides risk management and advisory services for mortgage products, is estimated to post revenue of $43.4 million (Rs270 crore) in the 2013 calendar year, according to a Wipro spokesman. Opus' clients include several global banks, mortgage investors and independent mortgage firms, the spokesman said. Found in 2005, Opus CMC has over 490 employees, including over 315 loan underwriters, a statement said. Manoj Punja , global head of Wipro BPO, said the company will enhance Opus CMC's knowledge of the mortgage market with a "greater degree of automation and application of analytics." Last month, Wipro chief executive TK Kurien told ET that the company is rebalancing its portfolio in the BPO business for higher growth. Wipro BPO contributes 8.6% to the company's overall revenue. Sid Pai, president for the Asia-Pacific region at sourcing advisory TPI, said that the acquisition is an extension of Indian IT firms' strategy as they move towards more verticalised BPO services such as insurance and mortgage processing. "In the BPO space, there is a move from traditional buyers to business BPO buyers. Wipro's acquisition makes a lot of sense in that context," he said.