Technology news

Smartphone category continues to be the bright spot in consumer technology market as the growth is widespread, sustained and deep. With over 100 million units shipped, India is currently the third largest market for smartphone sales after China and US. It is also, by some distance, the fastest growing market with growth rates in excess of 30%; with both the larger markets at saturation point and sales being driven by replacements only, India’s status as the growth engine of the global mobi

The Zen Cinemax 2 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system and its entrails are powered by a 32-bit 1.3GHz quad-core Spreadtrum 7731 processor paired with 1 GB of RAM. Every week there is some new launch in the affordable smartphone segment. At times, it becomes a daunting task for a reviewer to differentiate the devices as they all look identical, have almost similar features and all claim to be the best. The only way to know a phone is to dissect it thoroughly—on a reviewer’s

Every week there is some new launch in the affordable smartphone segment. At times, it becomes a daunting task for a reviewer to differentiate the devices as they all look identical, have almost similar features and all claim to be the best. The only way to know a phone is to dissect it thoroughly—on a reviewer’s desk—and that is what we did with the recently launched Zen Cinemax 2. It is considered to be the improved version of Zen Cinemax 1.
Priced at Rs 4,199, Zen Cinemax 2

I have already spent Rs 12,999 in buying the first gen Moto 360 in June 2015, obviously after the price cut. So, if Motorola wants me to spend at least another Rs 20,000 for the new Moto 360 (2015) as a new year gift, it has to be damn good. The good guys at Motorola have sent me the high-end 46 mm Black Metal Moto 360 (2015) version, which is priced at Rs 23,999, for reviewing. And let me put this straight—it is completely out of the box when I say that the only difference I observed was

The Bose SoundTouch 10 is one of the best Bluetooth systems you can buy at the moment, especially since this is now cheaper than some of good headphones from the company. Bose has been upgrading its portfolio with one wireless device after the other. The latest is the Bose SoundTouch 10, the most affordable in the series. SoundTouch series seems to be winding up to woo a lot of Indian users who would have otherwise looked for cheaper options. It also comes equipped to take on the challenges of

Bose has been upgrading its portfolio with one wireless device after the other. The latest is the Bose SoundTouch 10, the most affordable in the series. SoundTouch series seems to be winding up to woo a lot of Indian users who would have otherwise looked for cheaper options. It also comes equipped to take on the challenges of the smartphone generation.
The Bose SoundTouch 10 is compact and will easily gel into any surrounding, from the sober to the funky. It comes in the two stylish colour optio

YouTube is planning to introduce live streaming of 360 degree videos
Video-sharing website YouTube would be developing a way to live stream 360-degree videos, reports say.
YouTube has declined to comment on the report.
The talks are the latest in a series of bets YouTube has made on 360-degree videos, the Verge reported.Read MoreYouTube to start live streaming 360-degree videoGoogle's Gmail joins the 1 billion monthly active users clubGoogle parent Alphabet's profit soars; overtakes Apple as mo

While the ZenPad Theater 8.0 version features an 8-inch display; 7.0 has a 7-inch screen.
ShopClues has announced its exclusive tie-up for the launch of Asus ZenPad Theater store on its platform. The ZenPad Theater is available on the website in two variants- the 7.0 and 8.0- at Rs 14,999 and Rs 17,999 respectively.
While the ZenPad Theater 8.0 version features an 8-inch display; 7.0 has a 7-inch screen. The device is equipped with ASUS VisualMaster, technologies that combine hardware and softw

SwiftKey is one of the most popular keyboard app on Android and is also available on iOS
SwiftKey has announced that it is now a part of Microsoft. Microsoft has reportedly acquired the app for $250 million. With the acquisition, Microsoft plans to integrate SwiftKey’s technology with its own Word Flow keyboard.
Microsoft already has a great smartphone keyboard in the form of Word Flow keyboard on Windows Phone, and is already working on bringing the same to iOS and Android later this yea

Vodafone’s 4G service has been rolled out in Delhi. Here’s how you can upgrade to a 4G SIM.
Vodafone 4G services in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) will begin rolling out from today. The 4G service will start with Gurgaon’s prominent business and residential corridors.
Vodafone is offering free upgrade to 4G for existing consumers, along with a free 4G-SIM, and three months of access to free TV, Movies and Music on Vodafone Play as part of the 4G subscription.
The cost

Vodafone’s 4G service has been rolled out in Delhi. Here’s how you can upgrade to a 4G SIM.
Vodafone 4G services in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) will begin rolling out from today. The 4G service will start with Gurgaon’s prominent business and residential corridors.
Vodafone is offering free upgrade to 4G for existing consumers, along with a free 4G-SIM, and three months of access to free TV, Movies and Music on Vodafone Play as part of the 4G subscription.
The cost

Driven by higher adoption in rural India, the number of mobile internet users in the country is expected to reach 371 million by June 2016, a report said here on Wednesday.
The report titled “Mobile Internet in India 2015”, was released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International.
“There were 306 million mobile internet users in India in December 2015. Of the 306 million internet users, 219 million users are from urban India, which registered

Twitter has enabled vieweing and participating in real-time content for offline users.
Twitter, in an attempt to enhance logged out user experience rolled out a home timeline feature for people across 23 countries, who visit the homepage of the site on their mobile devices. According to the company, every month, over 500 million people visit Twitter for conversations around live events, breaking news etc.
With the new feature, users can now check news story as it unfolds without signing in. Twi

SwiftKey is one of the most popular keyboard app on Android and is also available on iOS
SwiftKey has announced that it is now a part of Microsoft. Microsoft has reportedly acquired the app for $250 million. With the acquisition, Microsoft plans to integrate SwiftKey’s technology with its own Word Flow keyboard.
Microsoft already has a great smartphone keyboard in the form of Word Flow keyboard on Windows Phone, and is already working on bringing the same to iOS and Android later this yea

The video was created using Facebook’s 360 VR technology on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp, and show the steep Namib sand dunes.
Mark Zuckerberg re-shared a Facebook 360 degree video of surface of Mars taken by NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. The Facebook CEO termd the video as ‘neat’ and went on to say that it feels like you’re actually on the planet.
Read MoreFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shares 360 degree video of Mars' surfaceFacebook reportedly making incre

Mobile Internet userbase in the country has steadily increased from 238 million in June last year to 306 million at the end of December 2015. (Reuters) The number of mobile Internet users in India is expected to grow over 55 per cent to 371 million by June this year, driven by strong adoption in rural parts of the country, industry body IAMAI said today.
Mobile Internet userbase in the country has steadily increased from 238 million in June last year to 306 million at the end of December 2015,

Uber has a new logo and branding for both of its apps.
Uber has rolled out a new amd. Uber’s CEO and co-founder, Travis Kalanick posted about the update on the company’s official blog.
Kalanick says the design change was necessary because he felt that Uber’s look had peaked, and that the company has grown a lot since they opted for the Black and Grey logo, in place of the original red magnet logo.
The Uber CEO’s post says, “Uber began life as a black car service fo

In a bid to deliver a more meaningful News Feed experience to its over 1.5 billion users, social networking giant Facebook is set to change the way it works after analysing feedback from a latest survey.
According to a blog post from Facebook software engineers Cheng Zhang and Si Chen, from the research using a representative sample of people, they are able to better understand which stories people would be interested even if they choose not to click, like or comment on them – and use this

Vodafone’s 4G service has been rolled out in Delhi. Here’s how you can upgrade to a 4G SIM.
Vodafone 4G services in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) will begin rolling out from today. The 4G service will start with Gurgaon’s prominent business and residential corridors.
Vodafone is offering free upgrade to 4G for existing consumers, along with a free 4G-SIM, and three months of access to free TV, Movies and Music on Vodafone Play as part of the 4G subscription.
The cost

Uber has a new logo and branding for both of its apps.
Uber’s got a new logo and branding, and the app icon has dropped the iconic ‘U’ in its design. Uber’s CEO and co-founder, Travis Kalanick posted about the update on the company’s official blog.
Kalanick says the design change was necessary because he felt that Uber’s look had peaked, and that the company has grown a lot since they opted for the Black and Grey logo, in place of the original red magnet logo

Match Group Inc, the owner of popular dating site Match.com and mobile app Tinder, on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations.
Match Group Inc, the owner of popular dating site Match.com and mobile app Tinder, on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations, hurt by a drop in revenue from its non-dating services.
Match’s shares fell 3.2 per cent to $11.80 in extended trading, below its IPO price of $12, after

About 274.6 million wearable electronic devices are expected to generate $28.7 billion in revenue this year, research firm Gartner said.
About 274.6 million wearable electronic devices are expected to generate $28.7 billion in revenue this year, research firm Gartner said today.
The market is further expected to grow to 322.69 million wearable electronic devices in 2017 from 232.01 million units in 2015.
Read MoreAirtel's 4G services now live in 50 towns in KeralaAmbani brothers’ firms si

Microsoft has announced formal recall of 2.4 million power cords sold with its Surface tablets before March 2015 due to fire hazard
Microsoft is recalling about 2.44 million AC power cords for its Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro 3 computers sold before March 15, 2015, because of a potential fire hazard.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says users have reported 56 incidents of the cords overheating and emitting flames and five incidents where the cords gave users an e

India beats US to become second largest smartphone market in the world: Counterpoint research data.
India is now the second largest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users, with the total base crossing 220 million users, says a new report from Counterpoint Research.
“India has inched past USA to become the second largest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone user base in the world , with the total base crossing 220 million users,” said Tarun Pat

Apple’s 4-inch screen iPhone 5se will launch on March 15, says a new report.
Apple will launch the 4-inch iPhone 5se along with a new iPad Air 3, and an updated Apple Watch on March 15, says a new report on 9to5Mac by Mark Gurman.
The report, however, notes that the final date could change given that the launch is still more than a month away. It adds that the 4-inch iPhone 5se will start at $450 for the 16GB version.
Leaked pictures have indicated that the iPhone 5se, where ‘S

At a time when the world is bracing itself against the growing Zika virus, social networking giant Facebook has partnered with Brazil’s non-profit Abrasco Divulga to help combat the disease that has spread to more than 20 countries.
In a Facebook post, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that as a community, “we can help fight the Zika virus by raising awareness”.
“The Zika virus is one of the biggest public health challenges right now. For pregnant women who ge

Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday it would consider “strategic alternatives” for its core Internet business and cut about 15 percent of its workforce, even as it continues with its plan to revamp the business and spin it off.
The announcement is the strongest sign yet that the board and Chief Executive Marissa Mayer may be willing to sell the struggling Internet business – essentially websites, email and online search – under growing pressure from impatient shareholders.
In an in

Uber has a new logo and branding for both of its apps.
Uber’s got a new logo and branding, and the app icon has dropped the iconic ‘U’ in its design. Uber’s CEO and co-founder, Travis Kalanick posted about the update on the company’s official blog.
Kalanick says the design change was necessary because he felt that Uber’s look had peaked, and that the company has grown a lot since they opted for the Black and Grey logo, in place of the original red magnet logo

While tablet market continues to decline, Apple iPad Pro managed to outsell Microsoft Surface Pro: IDC report.
The tablet market continues to decline across the world with shipments down by 13.7 per cent, although detachable tablets and 2-in-1s managed to climb to a new high, according to latest numbers from data firm IDC.
IDC said the Q4 2015 saw 65.9 million tablets get shipped, while overall 206.8 million tablets were shipped for 2015, which was a -10.1 per cent growth compared to 2014. The

India beats US to become second largest smartphone market in the world: Counterpoint research data.
India is now the second largest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users, with the total base crossing 220 million users, says a new report from Counterpoint Research.
“India has inched past USA to become the second largest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone user base in the world , with the total base crossing 220 million users,” said Tarun Pat

Project Loon
What is Project Loon?
Officially announced in June 2013, Google’s project comprises a network of balloons that travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere and provide connectivity in rural and remote areas through a wireless communication called LTE (long-term evolution).
How does it work?
Individual balloons can provide connectivity to a ground area of around 80 km in diameter. To use LTE, Project Loon partners with telecommunications compa