Technical Tips & Tricks

The ‘Read receipts’ feature, which allowed users to check if their messages have been read, can be disabled now. Much to the consternation of users, Whatsapp had introduced ‘blue tick marks’ against messages that have been read.


So here’s how you disable the feature:

1. Download the latest update of Whatsapp here

2. Once installed, goto settings>Account>Privacy

3. Uncheck ‘Read receipts’



Whatsapp has released this feature for Android OS alone.

NEW YORK: My first reactions to Google's new email app, Inbox, boiled down to one part frustration, one part irritation. It's meant to make your life easier, but it's more complicated to use than Google's Gmail app.

With Inbox, you keep your Gmail email address and contacts. The Inbox app adds organizational tools.

For many people, email is a place to store information. I rely on it for bills, shopping-delivery updates and travel plans. Inbox aims to improve on Gmail's information warehouse by automatically categorizing messages by subject and making them available to you at a time you prefer. It's also meant to help you search more easily on your phone.

Problem is, understanding how to use Inbox isn't intuitive. I spent hours fiddling with it and had assistance from Google that most people wouldn't have. Even after a few weeks, I still spend more time managing my email than I did with the Gmail app.

Nonetheless, I do plan on using Inbox as my primary email app because it is better at searching through emails.

Inbox is available on Apple and Android phones and Google's Chrome browser on traditional computers. The free app is technically by invite only, but it didn't take long to get mine at http://inbox.google.com. You need a Gmail account to use it.

Organization

My Gmail app already sorts my email into categories: Bills, travel reservations and appointments typically wind up in Updates, while mailing-list items go to Promotions. The rest go to Primary.

Inbox goes further and calls these categories "bundles": Travel, Purchases, Finance, Social, Updates, Forums and Promos. You can also create your own labels — mine include Pics, Work, Links and Taxes — to supposedly sort future emails automatically.

Problem: The distinctions between Google's bundles are subtle, and it doesn't always sort emails as I would like them.

And for my own labels, forget it. I often have to move emails manually to their proper place, although that could improve as Inbox learns my preferences.

One feature lets you hide messages from certain bundles so you're not inundated all day. For instance, I could set Promos to appear only once a day at 7am, or even just Mondays at 7am. However, that 7am reveal time can't be changed. I also ended up missing emails I would have liked to see right away because I restricted some bundles too much. Yes, you can manually check all your bundles, but that defeats the purpose of this feature.

Message management

There's "pinning," "sweeping," "done" and "snoozing" functions for every email. (Eyes cross.)

Done, a check mark, is like archiving in Gmail. "Done" messages are arranged in the order you marked them Done, rather than the order you received them.

Sweeping sends a bunch of emails to Done. I accidentally shuttled my entire inbox to Done (which was alarmingly easy to do) and then found myself with a Done list topped by my oldest emails, from 2005. My Done list is now a mishmash, although I can still search for specific items. Items can be moved back to the main inbox, though.

Pinning keeps a message in your inbox. I pinned messages that contained upcoming dinner plans or needed immediate replies from me. If you receive masses of new emails, you can press a blue button up top to look at only the items you pinned.

Snooze hides an email and brings it back at a time you pick.

So what's the benefit?

Creating labels that separate out photos from dinner plans is nice, but I usually have to manually sort them. Plus, I can already add my own label in the Gmail app.

As for auto-sorting, I prefer the Primary, Updates and Promotions tabs that already exist within Gmail. If there's a sorting error, it's easier to drag-and-drop emails in Gmail than change the bundle in Inbox.

I also like seeing precise time elements for all emails, which Inbox wipes out.

Reminders Google thinks that writing yourself reminder posts is better than emailing yourself about things you need to do. Reminders are easy to create, but can get lost. I would prefer that reminders float to the top of my inbox, but they drift lower as other emails come in. You can pin a reminder to prioritize it.

I ended up emailing myself the information I had in a reminder anyway to connect it to the actions I had taken for that task. I also have a simple note-taking app on my phone that I find more convenient as a to-do list.

Search

This is Inbox's selling point. It's easier and faster at finding stuff.

With Gmail, a search of one friend's name and "phone" brings up 51 emails, with subject lines including "Thanks," "hiya" and "Itinerary for your upcoming trip." I have to open one email after another looking for her phone number. With Inbox, the same search terms gets you the phone number right away. You can dial the number right then.

It's the same with flights. Upcoming and past airline reservations pop up in boxes of their own, with their flight numbers, destinations and flight times.

In Inbox, attachments and photos also pop out, and keywords are highlighted without having to open emails. I can use Inbox to easily find username information that I've emailed myself for various online accounts.

I haven't found that Inbox manages my incoming messages better than Gmail did. But given how often I search my emails, the time I save not having to open thousands of them when looking for nuggets of information makes Inbox worthwhile.

Palo Alto Networks has discovered a new family of malware that can infect Apple desktop and mobile operating systems, underscoring the increasing sophistication of attacks on iPhones and Mac computers.

The "WireLurker" malware can install third-party applications on regular, non-jailbroken iOS devices and hop from infected Macs onto iPhones through USB connector-cables, said Ryan Olson, intelligence director for the company's Unit 42 division.

Palo Alto Networks said on Wednesday it had seen indications that the attackers were Chinese. The malware originated from a Chinese third-party apps store and appeared to have mostly affected users within the country.

The malware spread through infected apps uploaded to the apps store, that were in turn downloaded onto Macs. According to the company, more than 400 such infected apps had been downloaded over 350,000 times so far.

It's unclear what the objective of the attacks was. There is no evidence that the attackers had made off with anything more sensitive than messaging IDs and contacts from users' address books, Olson added.

But "they could just as easily take your Apple ID or do something else that's bad news," he said in an interview.

Apple, which Olson said was notified a couple weeks ago, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Once WireLurker gets on an iPhone, it can go on to infect existing apps on the device, somewhat akin to how a traditional virus infects computer software. Olson said it was the first time he had seen it in action. "It's the first time we've seen anyone doing it in the wild," he added.

Apple may be planning to introduce a glasses-free 3D display in the next iPhone, according to a new report from Economic Daily News (via MacRumors).

The report claims Apple is working on a "naked eye 3D screen" alongside a new 3D "hardware and software ecosystem" for next year's iPhone.

This would be Apple's first use of 3D in any of its consumer devices, and while Economic Daily News has a decent track record when it comes to Apple, it's important to take this report with a fairly large grain of salt.

While moving from a 2D display to a fully 3D display and iOS ecosystem may seem unlikely, MacRumors points out that Apple has explored 3D in the past, applying for a patent for a glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D display more than six years ago.

Another patent that Apple has applied for details a 3D "hyper reality" display that would alter the perspective of the iPhone's home screen as you moved your head.

Apple also purchased a company that deals with 3D technologies: It acquired PrimeSense last November, which created the 3D motion-sensing technology behind Microsoft's Kinect accessory for Xbox, but had also been working on 3D solutions for other industries, including retail, health care, robotics, and even interactive displays for PC and mobile.

Earlier this year, Amazon launched its Fire phone, which featured four "stereovision" cameras for tracking a user's head, used to create a 3D effect for the phone's lock screen.

While flashy and somewhat interesting, consumers have generally shown they're not very interested in 3D-enabled smartphones. But people didn't think of wireless NFC payments as that interesting before Apple Pay came along.

Mac computers can't get viruses

Yes, Apple computers are susceptible to malware too. Apple used to brag its computers aren't vulnerable to PC viruses, but the company quickly changed its marketing page after a Trojan affected thousands of Mac computers in 2012.






Incognito browsing keeps you anonymous

There’s a misconception that “incognito” and “private” are synonymous with anonymous.

If you’re using Incognito Mode in Google Chrome or Private browsing in Safari, it simply means the browser won’t keep track of your history, import your bookmarks, or automatically log into any of your accounts.

It won’t keep your identity anonymous — so keep that in mind if you’re visiting sites you shouldn’t be.


Leaving your phone plugged in destroys the battery

If you’re like most people, you probably leave your phone plugged in overnight long after the battery is fully charged.

Some used to say this would hurt your phone's battery life, but in fact, there's no proof that this damages your phone’s battery in any way.

Modern smartphones run on lithium-ion batteries, which are smart enough to stop charging when they’ve reached capacity.


More megapixels always means a better camera

What’s the difference between 12 megapixels cameras and 8 megapixel cameras? Not much, as it turns out.

The quality of an image is determined by how much light the sensor is able to take in. Typically, bigger sensors come with larger pixels, and the larger the pixel the more light it can absorb.

So, it’s really the size of the megapixels that matter more than the sheer number of megapixels.

Here’s how TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino, who also happens to be a professional photographer, describes the role of the megapixel: “Think of this as holding a thimble in a rain storm to try to catch water. The bigger your thimble, the easier it is to catch more drops in a shorter amount of time."

The thimble is a metaphor for a megapixel — using a few buckets would be much more efficient than a bunch of thimbles for catching water.


Dont charge your phone unless its almost dead

This, too, is a popular myth about lithium-ion batteries. It’s not harmful to plug your phone in before the battery is drained — in fact, it may be better for your battery.

Batteries have a limited number of charge cycles before they lose their ability to hold a charge. A charge cycle consists of charging your battery back up to its full capacity when it’s out of juice.

The reason your phone’s battery life diminishes as it gets older is because it’s already used up many of its cycles, not because you’re plugging it in when the battery is already half full.


Higher display resolution is always better on a smartphone

Some have argued that at a certain point, screen resolution doesn't matter on a smartphone.

Gizmodo cites experts in saying the human eye can't discern nitty-gritty detail when a display packs more than 300 pixels per inch.

Earlier this year, LG unveiled its first quad-HD smartphone, the G3, which has a resolution of 2560 x 1440.

That’s much higher than the average high-end smartphone, which usually comes with a 1920 x 1080 resolution display. But it's unclear if those numbers really matter after a certain point, since the eye can't discern individual pixels beyond a certain resolution.

So when we tested the G3's display alongside the 1080 Galaxy S5's display, there was hardly a difference in terms of sharpness — that's why companies like Apple tend to focus on brightness, more so than ultra-dense displays.


It is bad to use your iPad charger for your iPhone

This one is a little trickier than a standard 'yes or no' answer. Apple’s official website says its 12-watt iPad adapter can charge both the iPhone and the iPad.

However, Steve Sandler, founder and chief technical officer at electronics analysis company AEi Systems, told Popular Mechanics that this could stress your iPhone’s battery over time if you do it regularly.

It would take about a year, however, to notice any changes in battery efficiency.


You shouldn't shut down your computer every day

While some may believe it’s harmful to shut down your computer every night, the truth is it’s actually good to turn off your computer regularly.

It’s easy to get into the habit of putting your laptop in sleep mode so you can easily return to it without having to boot up.

But, as Lifehacker points out, shutting it down when not in use conserves power and places less stress on its components, which could enable it to last longer.

The Technical Preview of Windows 10 may not have every feature of the upcoming operating system, but Microsoft has revealed that over a million people are testing it out regardless.

These users have sent 200,000 nuggets of "user-initiated feedback" or "UIFs," as Microsoft apparently calls your tips internally so far.

It's been two weeks since the Windows 10 preview version launched, and Microsoft Corporate vice president of operating systems Joe Belfiore wrote in a Windows blog post that testers have so far been "a vocal bunch."

"It's been awesome to see so many of you joining the Windows Insider Program and letting us know what you think about the Windows 10 Technical Preview software," Belfiore, who's in charge of phone, tablet and PC design at Microsoft, wrote.

'A different Windows'

Belfiore echoed Microsoft executive vice president of operating systems Terry Myerson in saying that Windows 10 "is going to be a different Windows."

He promised that Microsoft plans to share its "plans and progress" with users "earlier and more often, as we want to build a Windows that everyone will love and really enjoy using."

Interestingly Belfiore also wrote that only 36% of Windows 10 preview users have cautiously installed the OS in virtual machines, with the remaining 64% going all-in and committing it to actual PCs.

He wrote also that 68% of users launch more than seven apps a day, which among other stats indicates to Microsoft that people are really taking Windows 10 out for a spin and not just submitting feedback after fiddling around for a few moments.

Most Android phones are already pretty easy to use, but there are some easy steps you can take to make them even more enjoyable and efficient.

Since Android is an open platform, there's plenty of room for customization.

Beyond personalizing your phone, there are a few easy practices that can keep your phone neat and organized with plenty of battery life to last all day.



Here are 10 tips and tricks every Android user should know.

1. Set up Google Now

Think of Google Now as your personal assistant. Open the Google app, tap Get Google Now, and then fill in your preferences.

You can tell Google Now your favourite stocks, sports teams, and more to get personalized notifications.

You can also tell Google Now your preferred mode of transportation for Google Maps.


2. Use launchers and lock screen replacements

Sick of staring at that same weather widget every day? You can download apps in the Google Play store that actually let you change the interface of your Android phone.

Check out some of our favourite Android launchers and lock screen replacements here.''




3. Enable Power Savings mode

Navigate to the Settings menu and turn on the Power Savings mode to preserve battery life.

Some phones come with a higher-level battery-saving mode, too.

Galaxy S5's Ultra Power Savings Mode, for example, allows you to send calls, texts, browse the internet and use a few stock apps, but that's about it.
Not all Android phones have a battery-saving mode, but many do.

4. Get an extra battery

All phones die eventually, and you may not always be near an outlet to charge it.

Since many Android phones come with removeable backs, you can replace the battery with a fresh one when you're on the go.





5. Sign into Google Chrome

If you sign in to your Google account in the Chrome browser on your phone, your bookmarks and preferences will automatically carry over.







6. Organize apps into folders

You can create folders to divide your apps into different categories. This reduces clutter and also makes it easier to find what you need fast.

To create a folder, press and hold down on an app and drag it up to the "Create Folder" option on the upper-left-hand side.

On some phones you can also drag and drop an app on top of another to create a folder, just like you can in iOS.

7. Use a third-party keyboard

Sometimes it's easier to swipe than it is to type. You aren't restricted to Google's keyboard in Android — there are plenty of keyboard apps to choose from in the Google Play store.

Swype, for instance, lets you type by swiping to each letter rather than typing.




8. Adjust bandwidth management in Chrome

You can turn on the "Reduce Data Usage" option in Chrome, which removes unnecessary whitespace and translates images into a smaller format in order to cut down on how much data it uses while you browse.





9. Use Google Authenticator to keep data safe

Google Authenticator provides two-step verification security for your Google account.

So, when you log in, you'll need a code generated by the app in addition to your password. This ensures that strangers can't log in to your account.

For example, if you log into Gmail on a different computer, you would need to take out your phone, open the app, and then enter that code to access your account.

10. Change your default apps

Ever want to change the default web browser your phone uses when you click on a link? You can change this and other defaults by navigating to Settings, head over to All, and press Clear Defaults.

The smartwatch will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting from mid-day on Friday, Motorola said in a statement.

Handset maker Motorola said its smartwatch, Moto 360, will go on sale on Friday in India for Rs. 17,999.

The smartwatch will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting from mid-day on Friday, Motorola said in a statement.

Inspired by the classic wristwatch, the Moto 360 features a round design. It has a feature called ‘voice control’ which allows users to send texts, set a reminder, check the weather, and ask for directions.

Users can also keep track of steps and know their heart rate with the built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor, it added.

The smartwatch is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher and is powered by Android Wear operating system.

With a 1.5-inch display, the device has a 320 mAh battery, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB internal storage.

Smart wearables, as a category, is growing globally with the likes of other tech giants, Samsung, LG and Apple coming out with their smartwatches across various price points.

Apart from smartwatches, many firms like Sony, Adidas and Goqii have introduced smartbands dedicated to healthcare or athletics with support applications like pedometer and heart rate monitor to help monitor various bodily functions.

Samsung’s Gear Live is available in India for about Rs. 15,900, while LG’s G Watch is priced at Rs. 14,999.

Microsoft on Tuesday announced its 'Windows 10' Operating System to replace the largely unpopular Windows 8. Here's what you need to know.

1. The start menu in Windows 10 will appear similar to what is found in Windows 7: start button will also open a series of tiles that resemble Windows 8.

2. The software will be available from mid-2015. The retail price is not finalised; however, users can sign up for the Windows Insider Programme to get an idea of the preview build.

3. Although the current version is called Windows 8, Microsoft says it is skipping ahead to Windows 10 to emphasize its effort to move forward.

4. The new version will allow users to switch between touch mode or keyboard input. The new Operating System will have a task view button on the taskbar which will allow users to quickly scan through the files, windows and desktops that are open.

5. Consumers will also be able to switch between Microsoft devices more easily and avoid having to buy the same apps multiple times.

6. Windows 10 will also boast of enhanced security, including separating and securing data in ways more resistant to breach or theft.

7. In Windows 10, full-screen apps will be optional. There's also support for multiple desktops.

8. Windows 10 will enhance Snap feature, the function that lets users arrange apps side by side.

9. The Operating System was originally codenamed Windows ‘Threshold’.

10. Windows 10 will also be designed to work on a wider range of computing devices.

NEW DELHI: Internet titan Google has announced that it will provide free unlimited cloud storage to students, and will also allow them to upload individual files up to 5TB in size. This will be rolled out in "coming weeks," Google said.

The free Google Drive storage will be available to students whose schools are part of the Apps for Education programme. users will be able to access their data via internet-connected smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks etc.

Ben Schrom, the product manager for Google Apps for Education, said in a blog post, "Every file uploaded to Google Drive is encrypted, not only from your device to Google and in transit between Google data centers, but also at rest on Google servers. Classroom, which recently launched to Google Apps for Education users, makes using Drive in school even better by automatically organizing all Classroom assignments into Drive folders."

Non-profit educational institutions that are part of the Google Apps for Education initiative are exempted from ad-related scanning of data. Therefore, Google will not scan the data uploaded by students of these institutions to Drive will not be targeted for advertisements.

Google also will release its Apps Vault (a solution for search and discovery for compliance needs) for Apps to Education customers by year-end. Tools to track the activity of files are also on the way, the company said.

If you have been waiting to hear more as to when Xiaomi will bring back its flagship Mi3 smartphone to India, then we have some good news.

According to media reports, Xiaomi will start selling its Mi3, albeit online-only expected somewhere around the festive period of Diwali which falls later next month.

"Xiaomi Mi3 will be back in stock and will be sold via Flipkart flash sale, Manu Jain, head of operations, Xiaomi India was quoted saying in the report.

The news will come as a relief to all the buyers who have been eagerly waiting for the comeback of Mi3 to India, which was strategically suspended in order to meet the demand for its affordable Redmi 1S smartphone. It's not clear, as to how many units or round of flash sales will be conducted in order to sell the Mi3 but any update about Mi3 is a good sign, to some extent.

It is highly expected that Mi3 won't be available for long and with the Mi4 having a year-end launch timeline. Xiaomi Mi3 came earlier this year, shattered all online sales records, even managed to get Flipkart crashing like the IRCTC ticketing site.

Mi3 sports a 5 inch full-HD display and runs on MiUi 5 interface over Android 4.3 Jelly Bean version. It packs a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset, paired with 2 GB RAM and offering 16 GB expandable storage. It's even got a 13 MP rear snapper and loaded with 3050 mAh battery. All and priced for Rs 13,999. No wonder, everyone's looking to buy one. Are you one of those then stay for more availability news.

There may be yet another bug in iOS 8, Apple's latest version of its mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad.

This time, some users are reporting that anybody trying to reset the settings on their iPhone could accidentally delete all of their documents saved in iCloud, Apple's online backup service.

MacRumors reports that multiple users of its forums have reported an issue when attempting to reset all settings on their iPhone.

Apple informs you as you reset your phone settings that "no data or media will be deleted," but people are claiming that the reset wipes all of their iCloud Drive documents.

The existence of the bug is not yet confirmed. We asked Apple for comment but have not yet heard back.

iCloud Drive is Apple's online file storage solution for documents. According to the official Apple site, iCloud Drive can be used to "safely store all your presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs, images and any other kind of document in iCloud." It competes with DropBox and other cloud storage apps.

Forum posts claim that after they complained that a settings reset deleted their files as well, Apple told them the company is waiting on engineers to fix the issue. Another reported that his account was placed in troubleshooting mode as Apple investigated.
One poster on the MacRumors forums has this to say about the problem:

" Because iOS 8 was so sluggish on my iPad 3 I reset all settings (No data or media will be deleted) and sped it up BUT deleted my iWork data! Then promptly synced and deleted it in iCloud. I have public beta of Yosemite so can't roll back via time machine. I have no pre iOS 8 backups in iTunes or iCloud to revert to (well iCloud device backups don't contain cloud documents and I should have iOS 7 backups in iTunes but can't find any. iCloud has no trash like dropbox. They seem gone forever."

The launch of iOS 8 has been a PR nightmare for Apple. One update managed to stop iPhone 6 users from making calls, and Apple was forced to pull the update and quickly work on a fix.

NEW DELHI: Internet search titan Google has finally downed the shutters of its social networking website Orkut. However, users can save their profiles, scraps, testimonials and community posts via Google Takeout service till September 2016.

Google in June had announced that it will shut down Orkut on September 30, marking the end of a 10-year run. Orkut was the first social network to hit it off on a large scale in India, even as other websites like Hi5 and MySpace failed to catch the fancy of India's internet users in mid-2000s.

However, as Facebook made inroads in India, Orkut's popularity started waning, and Mark Zuckerberg's website overtook Orkut in terms of user base in the country in 2010. Google eventually launched new social networking initiatives like Buzz and Plus to recapture market share in the social networking space.

In the June 30 post announcing the retirement of the social network, the engineering director of Orkut Paulo Golgher had written, "It's been a great 10 years, and we apologize to those still actively using the service. We hope people will find other online communities to spark more conversations and build even more connections for the next decade and beyond."

Former Orkut users took to Twitter and Facebook to express themselves at the demise of the website. Here are a few of those tweets:

Avinash Iyer 

In memory of Orkut can we please call the next month Orkutober?

Aakash Jain(Anyjain) 

Funny and stupid old days when we all spent 25 bucks at a neighborhood cyber cafe just to check a couple of scraps. RIP, Orkut.

NEW DELHI: Apple’s latest software update for iPhones has two major glitches — it blocks the device from making calls and disables the Touch ID fingerprint sensor of iPhone 5S, 6 and 6 Plus. Though Apple has stopped the roll out of the software release, it still has not said when it will provide a fix to users. But worry not, as you can still go back to iOS 8 even if your iPhone is currently running on iOS 8.0.1 version. Just follow these simple steps:

Download iOS 8

First you need to download the iOS 8 firmware. Go to either iDownloadBlog or IPSWDownloader and download the firmware by selecting your iPhone model.

2. Turn off 'Find My iPhone'

Then Go to Settings menu in your iPhone and turn off ‘Find My iPhone’ under the iCloud tab.

3. Update iTunes

On your Mac or PC, open iTunes and check that it is the latest version of the software. To do that, you need to hit ‘Check for Updates’ under ‘About’.

4. Connect your iPhone

Connect your iPhone to the computer using the Lightning cable.

5. Select iOS 8 firmware

After your computer recognizes your iPhone, press the Shift key if you are Windows and Option button if you are a Mac user and then click on ‘Check for Update’. Select the iOS 8 firmware you downloaded in the first step.

6. iOS 8 gets installed

Now iTunes will replace iOS 8.0.1 with iOS 8.

7. Turn on 'Find My iPhone'

Now that the software version has been downgraded, your iPhone should be able to make calls again. Remember to turn on ‘Find My iPhone’ in iCloud settings after the process is over.

Apple said it would stop providing the software update to fix several issues in iOS 8 OS for iPhones and iPads

Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have ran into some glitches after users complained that a new software update blocked their calls, and a video circulated to suggest that the larger of the two new models is vulnerable to bending.

The U.S.-based company said it would stop providing the software update, which it began distributing Wednesday morning to fix several issues in last week’s iOS 8 operating system for iPhones and iPads.

The decision came after some people complained on Twitter and in Apple user chatrooms that the update, dubbed iOS 8.0.1, rendered their phones unable to make calls and caused problems with a feature that lets people unlock their phones with their fingerprint.

Apple on Wednesday announced that it was investigating the reports and would issue advice to users “as quickly as they can.” Users are still able to the upgrade older phones to last week’s version of iOS 8, which Apple said has already been downloaded to nearly half of all iOS devices.

Some tech blogs reported the update only seemed to cause problems for the latest phone models - the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It’s not uncommon for new software to contain bugs that have to be fixed with subsequent releases.

Meanwhile, social media sites were buzzing yesterday with reports that the aluminum shell of the iPhone 6 Plus is vulnerable to bending.

Some Twitter users claimed their phones showed a slight curving at one end after several hours in a pants pocket. With a 5.5-inch screen, the iPhone 6 Plus is slightly longer and thinner than other iPhone models.

Both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus were given high ratings in a recent “breakability” test sponsored by SquareTrade, a San Francisco firm that sells protection plans to consumers for their electronic devices. That test did not include bending, and SquareTrade plans further tests.

 

SAN FRANCISCO: Longtime technology guru Ray Ozzie wants to bring back the emotions of the human voice to phones.

His mission began more than two years ago as Ozzie noticed people were increasingly communicating through texts, emails and social media posts instead of calling each other.

Ozzie, Microsoft's former chief software architect, hopes to orchestrate voice's comeback through Talko, a mobile application that is being released for iPhone. A version for Android phones is expected in a few months.

Talko sends the equivalent of text messages in the form of a spoken word. Talko users can record a voice message and send it over the internet to anyone else with the app. Recipients listen to the recording when it's convenient, rather than being interrupted by a traditional phone call.

NEW DELHI: HTC has announced Desire 820 and Desire 820q smartphones in the Indian market. The phones will be available early November and pricing will be announced closer to the launch.

HTC Desire 820 is a dual-sim (GSM+GSM) smartphone. It features a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 X 1280p.

The phone is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor (4x2.5GHz + 4x1.5GHz), and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage expandable through a microSD card (up to 128GB). It sports BoomSound front stereo speakers just like the HTC One.

The Desire 820 sports a 13MP, f/2.2 rear camera that can capture 1080p video and an 8MP front-facing camera. The phone comes with Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, LTE and GPS connectivity options. It is backed by a 2,600mAh battery and comes with nano-sim slots.

The Desire 820q has the same hardware specifications but is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor and has 1GB RAM.

The phones run Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC's Sense 6 UI running on top.

HTC has also launched a GSM-only dual-sim version of its Desire 816 smartphone with inferior hardware. Christened as the Desire 816G, it features a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 X 1280p. The phone is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, and 1GB RAM. The phone comes with 8GB internal storage expandable through a microSD card. It sports BoomSound front stereo speakers just like the HTC One.

The Desire 816G sports a 13MP, f/2.2 rear camera that can capture 1080p video and a 5MP front facing camera. The phone comes with Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity options. It is backed by a 2,600mAh battery and comes with a nano-sim slot. The phone will be available at Rs 18,990.

Oracle's Larry Ellison — who is stepping aside as chief executive officer — took less money home in fiscal 2014 that the year before following criticism of his compensation and concerns about the software company's struggles against smaller rivals.

Ellison received $67.3 million as compensation in 2014, a 15.5% drop from a year earlier, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Oracle surprised Wall Street last week with the announcement that Ellison — who the co-founded the company four decades ago and owns a quarter of it — would be replaced by Presidents Safra Catz and Mark Hurd.

Compensation for Catz and Hurd stood at $37.7 million each for the fiscal year ended May 2014, also less than in the previous year, according to the filing.

For fiscal 2015, Oracle is reducing the number of stock options granted to the three senior executives and introducing performance stock units, which will be awarded based on Oracle's success against rivals including SAP and IBM.

Ellison, whose 2013 compensation was $79.6 million, will take over as executive chairman and chief technology officer.

In recent years, some investors have opposed Ellison's pay packages, complaining that the world's fifth-richest man makes too much money as his company struggles.

While Ellison, Catz and Hurd took home less total pay last year, their stock options and other incentives are still generous, said Michael Pryce-Jones, an analyst at CtW Investment Group, which advises union pension funds and has been a critic of Ellison's compensation.

"Careful scrutiny and caution are warranted because we're still looking at awards with huge economic value. You've got Catz and Hurd on a huge number and Ellison hasn't taken a huge dip either," Pryce-Jones said.

Oracle's compensation committee reduced Ellison's stock option awards for 2015 to 2.25 million shares from 7 million shares in fiscal 2014, the filing showed.

Catz and Hurd were granted a special one-time stock option award for 500,000 shares each, taking the options for 2015 to 2.75 million shares each, down from 5 million the year before.

Last year, a majority of shareholders opposed Ellison's pay in a non-binding vote. While the voting result requires no changes from the company, it underscored concern among shareholders about high pay as the company struggles to fend off smaller, aggressive companies offering software and Internet-based products at prices that often undercut Oracle.

"The issues remain the same. Oracle has misexecuted and shown disappointing numbers to the street for the better part of the last few years," said FBR analyst Daniel Ives.

In fiscal 2014 Ellison collected a salary of $1, with the rest of his compensation coming mostly from stock options.

NEW DELHI: This is the perfect example of 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'. Trolls at online imageboard 4chan spread a hoax on the internet, saying that the iOS 8 update includes a feature that allows an iPhone's battery to be charged when put in a household microwave.

The claim came in the form of an advertisement that looked quite like an Apple ad, proclaiming that Wave technology "allows your device to be charged wirelessly through microwave frequencies." It also warns users that they should not Wave-charge their devices for more than 300 seconds.



Below is the image spread by 4chan users:

Many iPhone owners (including several who had bought iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus over the weekend) fell for the prank, ending up with a smartphone that was burnt and beyond repair.

The hoax was on Twitter with the hashtag #AppleWave. Here are the reactions of a few people who microwaved their iPhones:

This prank is reminiscent of last year's hoax that iOS 7 makes Apple devices waterproof, which ended up with several iPhone users dunking their smartphones in water. This joke was also promoted by 4chan users, of course.

BANGALORE: A 1930s/40s Walt Disney comic book, part of a vintage comic set costing Rs 35,000, has a story in which Mickey Mouse orders a product from a catalogue and opts for 'cash-on-delivery'. More than 80 years later, the same payment method has revolutionized online shopping in India.

The Walt Disney comic set is now part of 160 vintage and antique artefacts that Bangalore-based startup Phantom Hands is selling online. Shortly the e-tailer will list a World War II foldable BSA paratrooper bicycle.

Two-weeks ago, Phantom Hands raised angel funding from Rajan Anandan, MD of Google India, London-based Bhavneet Singh, CEO of global English and informal learning at Pearson, Rehan Khan, head on an MNC in India and an antique collector, and three other investors.

The funding will help Phantom Hands build a larger inventory and scale its operations, as young urban couples increasingly log on to the internet to hunt for artefacts.

"Couples in their early 30's want to buy one piece of home decor which is different from the rest and has some history attached to it," said Deepak Srinath, co-founder of Phantom Hands.

What started off as a 'weekend hobby project' for Srinath and his wife Aparna Rao, a senior TED fellow, in June last year, has now turned into a full scale e-commerce venture that gets 700 unique customer visits a day. Last week the e-tailer sold nine artefacts, a huge leg-up from its initial days of selling three to four objects a month.

Phantom Hands has a portfolio of objects priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 5.5 lakh in over 30 categories. Technically, any object over a 100 years is antique, while anything above 60 years is classified as vintage.

Here are the top 15 Most Popular Reference Sites as derived from techspottipss.blogspot.in,  which is a continually updated average of each website's Alexa Global Traffic Rank, and U.S. Traffic Rank from both Compete and Quantcast."*#*" Denotes an estimate for sites with limited data.

1 | Wikipedia
| 475,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 8 - Compete Rank | 15 - Quantcast Rank | 6 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in


Yahoo! Answers2 | Yahoo! Anwers
| 150,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | *21* - Compete Rank | *29* - Quantcast Rank | N/A - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 About3 | About
| 100,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 12 - Compete Rank | 18 - Quantcast Rank | 79 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Answers4 | Answers
| 95,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 24 - Compete Rank | 7 - Quantcast Rank | 167 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Wikia5 | Wikia
| 85,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 142 - Compete Rank | 25 - Quantcast Rank | 143 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 eHow6 | eHow
| 65,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 34 - Compete Rank | 68 - Quantcast Rank | 302 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Reference7 | Reference
| 59,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 105 - Compete Rank | NA - Quantcast Rank | 181 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Wiki How8 | WikiHow
| 58,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 68 - Compete Rank | 226 - Quantcast Rank | 146 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Google Books9 | GoogleBooks
| 30,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 190 - Compete Rank | *220* - Quantcast Rank | N/A - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Stack Exchange10 | StackExchange
| 23,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 609 - Compete Rank | 80 - Quantcast Rank | 199 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Hub Pages11 | HubPages
| 22,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 420 - Compete Rank | 78 - Quantcast Rank | 588 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 How Stuff Works12 | HowStuffWorks
| 21,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 355 - Compete Rank | 135 - Quantcast Rank | 680 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Archive13 | InternetArchive
| 19,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 691 - Compete Rank | 338 - Quantcast Rank | 158 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Cha Cha14 | ChaCha
| 18,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 203 - Compete Rank | 52 - Quantcast Rank | 1,381 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in

 Squidoo15 | Squidoo
| 17,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 887 - Compete Rank | 254 - Quantcast Rank | 872 - Alexa Rank | September 18, 2014.
The Most Popular Reference Websites | techspottipss.blogspot.in