Micromax Yu Yureka to go on sale from 13 january on Amazon

Micromax hasn’t mentioned the number of registrations it has received but claims it has got a phenomenal response for the Yu Yureka smartphone. Initially, the registrations were supposed to close on 25 December but the company shut them down one day in advance.

Micromax Yu Yureka, which was announced last week for a price of Rs 8999 will go on sale on 13 January at 2PM exclusively on Amazon.in.  Users have to pre-register on the website to avail and the pre-registrations for this opened on 19 December. You need to hit subscribe once you click on the Micromax Yureka display page on the site.

We registered on the website and later received the following message:

“Thanks for registering for the Yureka Smartphone Sale* to be held on January 13, 2015 at 2:00 PM. You are now eligible to purchase the Yureka smartphone in this sale. To beat the rush, we suggest that you log into your Amazon.in account a few minutes prior to the sale at 2:00 PM on January 13, 2015. Sale will be strictly on first come first serve basis as long as stocks last.”

The message confirms what was being feared at the launch. That a) the device is likely to be in limited stock and b) that Micromax too could resort to flash sales which are infuriating for genuine customers. At the launch event, the company did not confirm how big the stock for this sale would be and co-founder Rahul Sharma admitted that it would take them some time to ensure that smoothen out the stock for this phone.

Now the fact that the phone will only come in January has added to the worries on how many users will actually be getting their hands on the device.

As far as specs go, the Yu Yureka smartphone features a 5.5-inch IPS display, with a pixel density of 267ppi, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for better protection against scratches. The rear includes a 13MP CMOS camera with a f2.2 aperture for better low-light photography. In addition, there’s 5MP front camera that has a 71 degree wide angle lens. Micromax’s Yureka runs on a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset with a 1.5GHz octa-core processor. It’s backed by 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of built-in storage.

Micromax has signed an exclusive partnership with Cyanogen to be the only seller of Cyanogen smartphones in India. It recently filed a lawsuit against OnePlus for allegedly infringing upon its exclusive rights over Cyanogen OS and now OnePlus has been banned from selling CyanogenMod OS phones. The Chinese company has now told the Delhi HC that its version of CyanogenMod is different from the one on Micromax.

With Micromax phones set to launch only in January, and given that Amazon (which is once again the exclusive partner for OnePlus) has been allowed to clear the stock of OnePlus One devices, some users might go for this device. However the OnePlus One device is priced at Rs 21,999 and while it comes with 64 GB of storage space, budget users who love CyanogenMod are likely to wait for Micromax Yureka. Hopefully their wait won’t be too long once the sales open on 13 January.

+Micromax Mobile +Times of India Technology +tech2 +TechLila +mobiles.co.uk +Tech Guru Awaaz 

Firefox OS : A web based OS for your mobiles and tablets

Firefox OS is going to prove itself as a tough competitor to android in next year.
Currently running on lower end smart-phones, firefox os will surely adapt and update itself to the latest hardware features.

So lets see whats packed inside this fox ( I mean box)?

Firefox OS (project name: Boot to Gecko, also known as B2G) is a Linux kernel-based open-source operating system for smartphones and tablet computers
and is set to be used on smart TVs.
It is being developed by Mozilla, the non-profit organization best known for the Firefox web browser.

Firefox OS is designed to provide a complete community-based alternative system for mobile devices, 
using open standards and approaches such as HTML5 applications, JavaScript, 
a robust privilege model, open web APIs to communicate directly with cellphone hardware, 
and application marketplace.
 As such, it competes with commercially developed operating systems such as Apple's iOS, 
 Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone and Jolla's Sailfish OS as well as other community-based 
 open source systems such as Ubuntu Touch.

Firefox os running on Nexus 7:

 Core technologies:

 The initial development work involves three major software layers:
Gonk – platform denomination for a combination of the Linux kernel and the HAL from Android
Gecko – the web browser engine and application run-time services layer;
Gaia – an HTML5 layer and user-interface system.

Read about entire OS architecture at
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS/Platform/Architecture

Current and Future Plans:

Firefox OS version 2.0 is currently in development, with 1.3/1.4 coming close to being a stable release build. There are many phones available in wild, both consumer and developer models. To find out more, read the following:

• Firefox OS developer release notes: What's newly supported in each release.
• Phone guide: What phones are available.
• B2G roadmap: See where Firefox OS is headed, and when.

We will be talking more about firefox os and related news in upcoming days. Till  then , share the article to spread the knowledge, and stay tuned.

Facebook's changing from january 2015

Come January, Facebook users will be breathing a sigh of relief. The company is making sure that it trims down pushed or promoted posts from company pages on a user's news feeds but businesses will bear the brunt. Companies that have spent lakhs of rupees acquiring fans on the social networking site will now have to advertise every single post.

Critics say by disallowing interactions or making posts paid, Facebook is questioning the basis on which it was created, ie to be a social network where interactions can happen.

Simply put, there will be a few major changes that will affect the way businesses interact on the platform — companies will have limited ability to promote contests or campaigns here and, more importantly, Facebook has banned 'like-gating', which allowed brands to instruct users to like pages as a way to unlock content or enter contests. By making the algorithm change, Facebook can no longer be relied on to drive traffic to campaigns.

Some firms are planning to set up their own micro-sites and only occasionally advertise on Facebook to redirect to their pages. FMCG firms such as Big Bazaar that spend nearly 30% of their digital marketing budget on Facebook are looking to reinvent strategy altogether by pushing fewer, yet more intelligent posts on Facebook. IT company Dell will only post around trending topics on its page in 2015.

Facebook assures users that its latest algorithm tweak "will not increase the number of ads." However, it is expected that the move will significantly increase Facebook's ad revenues. The company relies on mobile advertising to 1.12 billion users for 66% of advertising revenue. A representative of Facebook India reiterated the global strategy. "Going forward, as the network grows, advertising will be the predominant way companies will engage with a larger audience and that will increase their targeted reach too," said the representative.

Mumbai-based social media company Gozoop's CEO Ahmed Naqvi says most of its clients are aware of the move and therefore have started to consider making micro-sites of their own to promote content."It's time we started looking at other potential platforms and creating our own brand properties," he explains.

According to its latest results, the social network earned $3.2 billion in revenue in Q3 this year and total user count grew 2.2% to 1.3 billion monthly users. Brands are gearing up to change their existing strategies. Ritu Gupta, director, marketing, at Dell India, says brands will now switch from 'push' marketing to a 'pull' strategy. Content marketing will become the focus, she said.

"Organic post reach has and will drop further than now and brands will activate influencers/ambassadors to amplify content. We will be using content based on trending topics that fans would be interested to engage in," she explains.

Digitally evolved brands active on the medium may have anticipated this change as in the last few years, the reach of organically pushed posts have drastically declined. "Typically, smaller e-commerce players and startups were depending heavily on organic and unpaid posts and this move will affect them," says Rajesh Bhatia, senior vice-president, digital strategy for Cheil India, a social media agency that manages the presence of companies such as Samsung and Dettol.

This change will push brands to create much more engaging content rather than marketing on social media. It may not change their budgets or ad spends for Facebook but increase the amount of time employed in production and creation to create viral content.

JW Marriott in Mumbai will advertise on Facebook but it can't ignore its 60,000 followers on the site. "We create content around quizzes to engage fans but now that promoted posts will become the only way to reach out, we will have no choice but to embrace the change and re-strategise the way we push content," says Pracheta Morarji, marketing communications manager at the hotel.

There are still some questions over the policy change. "Companies have spent lakhs acquiring fans organically. Ads on social media are not as absorbent as traditional media and by blocking naturally pushed posts, it is questioning fundamentals of social media by prohibiting brands from connecting with people," says Anusha Shetty, CEO of social agency Autumn Worldwide.

Lenovo Horizon 2

The Lenovo Horizon 2 is nothing if not ambitious. This Windows 8.1 all-in-one PC packs a ton of features into its massive 27-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 touchscreen display. With a screen that size, you start to get into the pricier class of all-in-one computers. The Horizon 2 is priced at $1,499.99 (about £1,499, about AU$1850.31), which is around the same price as similar systems.

An anti-glare matte touchscreen display offers plenty of real estate for work and entertainment. Plus, the Horizon 2 automatically switches to the HDMI-in input when a device such as a Blu-ray player is plugged in, even when the main system isn't powered up.

Lenovo picked a screen touting excellent color for video and gaming, with wide viewing angles. Although the Horizon 2 generally looks decent, my main issues are with the power and volume buttons on the right side. They are a little too small and feel kind of cheap. There's also a millimeter gap between the screen and the frame where the power LED shines through, which is the one fly in the ointment.

A wireless mouse and keyboard set comes with the system, but both need some getting used to. While the slim aluminum keyboard looks sleek (and has a nice weighted top), keys - such as the Caps Lock, Tab, Right Shift, and Backspace - are all half sized. Furthermore, the Home keys are arranged in a single slim column. Meanwhile, the full sized mouse has some sort of silicone surface applied to it that makes it feel gummy. It attracts dust and dirt that you can feel under your fingertips when you use the scroll pad.

It's a Transformer

Powering the system is an Intel Core i5 chip, with 8 GB of RAM, and Intel integrated graphics that switch over to an Nvidia GeForce GT 840A when running games. Amid gobs of storage (1TB, if you're counting), the Horizon 2 offers plenty of connectivity as well.

Three USB 3.0 ports, a built-in 1080p webcam, AC Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) are all featured here. This last one is important - mostly because there's no built-in memory card reader: the Horizon 2 can lay flat. Pushing against the top of the system lowers it until the kickstand locks into place and automatically launches the pre-installed Aura 2.0 software.

When laid flat, the Horizon 2 becomes a tabletop tablet PC, but it's just as effective to think of it as a sort of XXXL Windows 8.1 tablet. The system can run off battery power for about 1 hour and 40 minutes if left idle, which is reduced to about an hour or so with heavy use.

With the battery life in mind, and how the system weighs about 16 pounds, you're probably not going to take it very far, but it's certainly worth a trip from the office to the living room. Alternatively, there is a stand that can be purchased separately for the Horizon 2 so that the computer can be used in easel mode or flat for a genuine table look.

A Weak Aura

The Aura 2.0 software suite offers a list of tabletop PC features, so multiple users can crowd around it and use it at the same time. Friends and family can come together to manipulate photos, watch videos, listen to music, or play games. People with NFC devices can transfer media to the computer by touching it against the screen. Unfortunately, although the Aura 2.0 software and its included apps look fun at first, but end up leaving much to be desired.

Although photos and videos can be spun around, blown up, duplicated, and turned into collages, there lack basic editing tools like cropping and rotation. Furthermore, if you're dissatisfied with a photo or creation, there's no way to delete them directly from the Aura software. You have to quit out and delete them using the Windows desktop.

Similarly, even though you can watch videos from the table, there's no way to edit and trim them. Furthermore, you can't do things that you might want to do as a family or couple, like opening up web browser windows, or look up menus online and circle the items you want to order. You can't share and edit documents, or do anything that's remotely productive. There's a great deal of potential in having a table PC, but the Aura 2.0 software barely touches any of it.

I thought that the built-in games would help make up for these shortcomings. Especially since the system comes with a collection of accessories, including Strikers (paddles that can be moved across the screen), joysticks (a touchscreen paddle with a small suction cup on it to keep it in place and even an e-die that has to be charged before it can be used to play the virtual board game Lenovo Tycoon. The problem is, all the games built into the system are basically demonstrations, and not very good ones.

I had high hopes for Air Hockey, but the puck slowly cruises across the screen, making physics defying bounces, and sometimes passes under the Striker as though it weren't there. I had a similar experience playing a sort or Breakout knockoff, where you had to knock a box full of bouncing marbles into your opponent's goal. Even without using the accessories, the touch response for these applications are awful.

My best tabletop PC experience occurred when I quit Aura 2.0 and played other touch-based games, like Civilization V and Beyond Earth. While the touch controls might take some getting used to, there's no better way to feel like you have a god's eye view of the world than playing from a flat table surface.

That being said, it's worth mentioning that the Horizon 2 tends to get very hot when running high end applications. You can hear its fan loudly going into overdrive when the system is idling. I could feel the heat radiating from its surface after one Air Hockey match.

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Apple iPhone 6s mini is coming in 2015

If the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were overwhelmingly massive for your tiny palms, Apple might have found a solution to this problem. Rumour has it that Apple will bring back their 4-inch form factor and release the iPhone 6S mini in 2015.

According to Apple Insider, the specifications of the rumoured mini smartphone will match with that of iPhone 5s and the design with iPhone 6.

Analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company issued a note to investors claiming that Apple has been working on a new 4-inch iPhone model that could debut in 2015. The alleged iPhone 6S mini may feature a new design with curved screen edges, much like the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

This could be an attempt to replace the iPhone 5c, Apple’s ‘cheaper’ smartphone that failed to woo audiences.

The report also states that the new 4-inch “iPhone 6s mini” may include “purpose-built low cost components” from Qualcomm to keep the price down.

Earlier reports suggest that the iPhone 6 helped achieve record-high sales figures for the company. According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, since the launch of the iPhone 6, Apple’s share in British smartphone sales increased by 10.4 percent. Apple now accounts for 39.5% of British smartphone sales – the highest it has ever earned.