Oracle launches silicon-based Sparc M7 microprocessor for better security and efficiency

ORACLE Has Started Shiping systems based on its latest Sparc M7 processor, which the firm said will go a long way to solving the world's online security problems by building protection into the silicon. The Sparc M7 chip was originally unveiled at last year's Openworld show in San Francisco, and was touted at the time as a Heartbleed-prevention tool.

A year on, and Oracle announced the Oracle SuperCluster M7, along with Sparc T7 and M7 servers, at the show. The servers are all based on the 32-core, 256-thread M7 microprocessor, which offers Security in Silicon for better intrusion protection and encryption, and SQL in Silicon for improved database efficiency.

Along with built-in security, the SuperCluster M7 packs compute, networking and storage hardware with virtualisation, operating system and management software into one giant cloud infrastructure box.

Oracle CTO Larry Ellison was on hand at Openworld on Tuesday to explain why the notion of building security into the silicon is so important.

"We are not winning a lot of these cyber battles. We haven't lost the war but we're losing a lot of the battles. We have to rethink how we deliver technology especially as we deliver vast amounts of data to the cloud," he told delegates.

Ellison said that Oracle's approach to this cyber war is to take security as low down in the stack as possible.

"Database security is better than application security. You should always push security as low in the stack as possible. At the bottom of the stack is silicon. If all of your data in the database is encrypted, that's better than having an application code that encrypts your data. If it's in the database, every application that uses that database inherits that security," he explained.

"Silicon security is better than OS security. Then every operating system that runs on that silicon inherits that security. And the last time I checked, even the best hackers have not figured out a way to download changes to your microprocessor. You can't alter the silicon, that's really tricky."

Ellison's big idea is to take software security features out of operating systems, VMs and even databases in some cases - because software can be changed - and instead push them into the silicon, which can't be. He is also urging for security to be switched on as default, without an option to turn it back off again.

"The security features should always be on. We provide encryption in our databases but it can be switched off. That is a bad idea. There should be no way to turn off encryption. The idea of being able to turn on and off security features makes no sense," he said.

Ellison referred back to a debate that took place at Oracle when it first came up with its backup system - should the firm have only encrypted backups. "We did a customer survey and customers said no, we don't want to pay the performance penalty in some cases," he recalled. "In that case customer choice is a bad idea. Maybe someone will forget to turn on encryption when it should have been turned on and you lose 10 million credit cards."

The Sparc M7 is basically Oracle's answer to this dire security situation. Ellison said that while the M7 has lots of software features built into the silicon, the most "charismatic" of these is Silicon Secured Memory, which is "deceptively simple" in how it works.

"Every time a computer program asks for memory, say you ask for 8MB of memory, we compute a key and assign this large number to that 8MB of memory," he explained. "We take those bits and we lock that memory. We also assign that same number to the program. Every time the program accesses memory, we check that number to make sure it's the memory you allocated earlier. That compare is done by the hardware."

If a program tries to access memory belonging to another program, the hardware detects a mismatch and raises a signal, flagging up a possible breach or bug.

"We put always-on memory intrusion detection into the silicon. We're always looking for Heartbleed and Venom-like violations. You cannot turn it off," the CTO warned.

"We've also speeded up encryption and decompression, which is kind of related to encryption. It runs at memory speed there's zero cost in doing that. We turn it on, you can't turn it off, it's on all the time. It's all built into the M7."

Ellison claimed that running M7-based systems will stop threats like Heartbleed and Venom in their tracks.

"The way Venom worked, the floppy disc driver concealed this code. It's the worst kind of situation, you're writing into memory you're not supposed to. You're writing computer instructions into the memory and you've just taken over the whole computer," he explained. "You can steal and change data. M7 - the second we tried to write that code into memory that didn't belong to that program, where the keys didn't match, that would have been detected real-time and that access would have been foiled.

All well and good, except for the fact that nearly every current computer system doesn't run off the M7 processor. Ellison claimed that even if only three or four percent of servers in the cloud an organisation is using have this feature, they will be protected as they'll get the early warning to then deal with the issue across non-M7 systems.

"You don't have to replace every micro processor, you just have to replace a few so you get the information real-time," he added.

"You'll see us making more chips based on security, to secure our cloud and to sell to people who want to secure their clouds or who want to have secure computers in their datacentre. Pushing security down into silicon is a very effective way to do that and get ahead of bad guys."

SuperCluster M7 and Sparc M7 servers are available now. Pricing has not been disclosed but based on normal Oracle hardware costs, expect to dig deep to afford one.

Microsoft Officially Unveils Its Arrow Launcher For Android

Microsoft’s Android Launcher ‘Arrow’ is now available via Google Play store. The launcher is aimed at making the apps more streamlined and easier for users to quickly access the apps they regularly use.

Key features of the launcher include automatic arrangement of the apps based on usage, easy access to preferred contacts and easy shuffling between apps such as photos, app installs and file download. The Arrow launcher also lets you re-arrange pages, show/hide a specific page, and set a particular page as your home page. One of the most interesting aspects of the Arrow launcher is that it is said to be lightweight and optimized for battery life.

The current version of the Arrow, v1.0.0.17608, is 4.3MB in size and is compatible with the smartphones running Android v4.0.3 and up. You can download the launcher from Play Store for free.

Microsoft’s Arrow launcher for Android smartphone clearly indicates the company’s efforts to build cross-platform services, allowing non-Windows users to use Microsoft products on the platform they are used to. Earlier, Microsoft has already released its several Office applications for Android and iOS. It also took on Siri and Google Now with its own cross platform Cortana virtual assistant.

Google's Project Loon internet balloons to circle Earth

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has announced tie-ups with three major Indonesian telecom operators to expand web connectivity in the country’s remote areas using hundreds of net-beaming balloons.

The initiative is part of Project Loon by Google X, Alphabet’s research division, which works on ambitious ideas, including self-driven cars, EFE news reported. The inability to connect with family and friends or to reach out to people globally is a great disadvantage, said Google co-founder Sergey Brin, at a press meet organized at Google X headquarters in Mountain View, California.

The briefing, with one of Google X balloons as the backdrop, was also attended by Project Loon Vice President Mike Cassidy and representatives of the three Indonesian mobile service providers, Indosat, Telkomsel and XL Axiata. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country with more than 255 million people, two-thirds of whom have no access to the web.

Cassidy explained that the initiative has already been tried out in Brazil, New Zealand and Australia with a single service provider and was now ready to focus on improving global connectivity. Cassidy added that around 1,000 Internet balloons have already been deployed worldwide, and had flown nearly 20 million km while some of them had circled the world 20 times. He pointed out that four billion people in the world continue to be without web access and highlighted a recent UN study, which claimed a 10 percent rise in internet penetration would mean a 1.4 percent annual increase in a country’s GDP.

Google X plans to make internet accessible to more than 100 million people in the next few years, via connections potent enough for surfing, video streaming and online shopping.

RCom To Brings World's Cheapest Smartphone for Rs. 999/- with One Year Free Internet

Mobile phone and tablet maker DataWind is teaming up with Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications (RCom) to launch the world's most affordable smartphone -- priced at Rs 999 -- by the end of 2015.

The smartphone will have a Linux-based operating system and will be bundled with RCom's service offering. It is expected to hit the stores on December 28, the birth anniversary of Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani.

"Our target is to bring a smartphone under Rs 1,000. The new smartphone will be a Linux variant and consumers can get 12 months free internet browsing," Suneet Singh Tuli, chief executive officer of Canada-based DataWind.

A smartphone at such a price will be compelling proposition for consumers as they will also get free internet access for a year along with Facebook, WhatsApp and email services, Tuli said, adding that the company is willing to lose a bit of money on the hardware.

"Our big focus is on network services, apps and content. Hardware today is a customer acquisition tool. Once people start using it, we can make money through service offerings," the top executive said.

DataWind's products are designed to primarily offer internet connectivity options based on 2G mobile-cellular infrastructure.

Tuli said such a low-cost device has been made possible by the sliding prices of processors and weakening memory prices. DataWind is currently in advanced talks with Chinese and Taiwanese chipmakers.

DataWind and RCom together sell seven variants of Android-based smartphones and tablets, including smartphones PocketSurfer 2G4 and PocketSurfer 3G4 priced at Rs 1,999 and Rs 2,999, respectively, with free internet for a year. DataWind has sold more than 4 lakh devices through its partnership with RCom in the past six months.

Microsoft Launches Parchi, a Note-Taking App for Android Devices

The new application is called Parchi and it's not yet available in all countries. This is the fruit of a collaboration between the Parchi team and Microsoft Garage, which made it possible for the application to be soft-launched in Google Play Store.

For those unaware, Parchi is a Hindi word that means post it or small pieces of paper that are used for taking quick notes. So, as mentioned earlier, Parchi is a note-taking application that is light on the CPU and features an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

According to developers, users will be able to take notes without unlocking their smartphones. Simply type or take a picture of what you want to save and that's it. You can take notes from the lockscreen, remove it or add it back when you want.

You can even assign or type a #tag, color, add a reminder or mark as favorite to easily find them later. When you want to find a specific note, simply click the #tag search.

Also, Parchi allows users to pin lists to the lockscreen for easy access. This comes in handy when you go shopping and made a list with everything you want to buy. Parchi also allows users to take quick action on Phone Numbers (Call / Add to Contact), URLs (Open / Copy URL) and emails (Email / Copy). A backup feature for your notes is available too.

If you live in a country where the application is available, you can now download Parchi for Android for free via Google Play Store. The application has been confirmed to work on all devices powered by Android 4.2 and up.

Meet Nextbit Robin, a Smartphone Promising Unlimited Storage; now up for pre-order

Nextbit is a new company formed by ex-Google, ex-HTC, and ex-Android employees, and their first product was Baton, an app that allows cloud syncing of Android apps and app data.

Now, the company has unveiled their first smartphone, the Nextbit Robin. It’s a fresh take on a smartphone design, and it’s quite different from anything we’ve seen before. It comes in an elegant yet attractive design, and comes in two fresh colours; Mint and Midnight. The smartphone focusses on synchronisation between cloud storage and the phone’s operating system.

It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, 5.2-inch 1080p IPS LCD display, a 13-megapixel primary camera with dual-tone flash, a 5-megapixel secondary camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 100GB cloud storage, a fingerprint sensor, dual front-facing speakers, 4G LTE radio, USB v3.0 Type-C port, and a 2,680 mAh battery.

The Nextbit Robin is available for pre-order with a price tag of $399 (Rs. 26,000), and will start shipping to India from February 2016, for which you will have to shell out additional $70 (Rs. 4,560). This brings its total cost to somewhere around Rs. 30,560 if you want to purchase and ship it to India.

Upcoming Budget Level Samsung Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7

The company accidentally listed both the Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 devices on its India website a week ago. Today, Samsung made both the devices official on its China website, although it has not yet revealed the pricing and availability of both the products.

Going by the specifications on its China website, the Galaxy On5 comes with a 5-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. It is powered by an Exynos 3475 quad-core chipset coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. There is 8GB of internal storage onboard, which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card. The device runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, and sports an 8-megapixel primary camera with LED flash, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. In the connectivity department, it supports dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS. It is backed by a 2,600mAh battery, which is touted by Samsung to deliver up to 15 hours of talk time.

Now coming on to the Galaxy On7, it features a 5.5-inch display, and is powered by an Exynos 3475 quad-core chipset coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. It has 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. The device sports a 13-megapixel primary camera with LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Regarding connectivity, it supports dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

Google Chrome Now Comes with Mute Button for Individual Tabs, Helps Deal with Auto-playing Video Menace

How many times has it happened to you that you click on a link to read an interesting, article or a story, and as you start reading it, you start hearing either some music, or jingle, or unknown audio through your computer speakers. And then you spend next couple of minutes trying to find the origin of that audio.

Till now there was not easy solution to address this problem, you could mute the audio directly through your machine’s sound settings, but that means you will not hear audio when you need it.

Google Chrome has taken notice and has introduced a mute button in their latest release. If you are using Chrome, your browser in all probability has already got updated. From version 46.0.2490.71 onwards, Google has released tab specific Mute button.

Simply go to the specific tab that you want mute and right click on the top header bar of that specific tab and click on ‘Mute Tab’. Any auto playing video or an audio advt will be muted in that tab. So you can open any website without worrying about audio. As it is tab specific, you can easily play video or audio in the tabs that you want.

Muted tab will always have a mute sign shown, so you will know which tabs are muted and which are not. This mute tab really useful, Thanks to Google.

YU Yutopia,The most Powerful Smartphone from YU with 4GB RAM Launched

YU Televentures has launched its most expensive smartphone, the YU Yutopia, in India today. The smartphone has high-end features such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, a 21-megapixel primary camera, and a fingerprint sensor. The YU Yutopia is already available for pre-order from Amazon.in exclusively starting 2PM today. The device will start shipping from December 26 to those who pre-ordered it.

The YU Yutopia competes with the OnePlus One as it has an almost similar feature set. It features a 5.2-inch QHD display from Sharp, a 21-megapixel primary camera with 1/2.3-inch sensor and phase-detection autofocus, and an 8-megapixel secondary camera. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, and it’s similar to all the other touch-based fingerprint sensors that is available in high-end smartphones launched this year.

The device is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor that has a CPU clocked at 2.0GHz. It has four ARM Cortex-A57 CPU cores and four ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores. There’s Adreno 430 GPU, 4GB of LP-DDR4 RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. Its hybrid dual-SIM card slot can accommodate a microSD card as well. There’s a dual-SIM card slot and it can connect to 4G LTE networks in India. The fingerprint sensor can be used to capture a selfie through the default camera app.

The 21-megapixel primary camera uses a 1/2.3-inch BSI sensor from Sony, and it also has optical image stabilisation. It’s the same sensor that is used in Sony’s high-end smartphones, the Meizu MX5, the Motorola Moto X Play, and the Motorola Moto X Style. There’s a 77.3-degree wide-angle lens, and it can record 4K videos as well as 120fps slow-motion videos. The 8-megapixel secondary camera has an OmniVision BSI-2 (1/3.2-inch) sensor with 1.4µm pixel size, and it’s 86-degree wide-angle lens has ƒ/2.2 aperture.

There are a host of sensors including a Hall Sensor and a fingerprint sensor. The Yutopia has a 3,000 mAh removable battery, unlike many other high-end smartphones these days. It is also compatible with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 fast battery charging technology, and the company claims that it can be charged from 0-60 percent within 30 minutes. The company is bundling House Of Marley’s ‘Little Bird’ in-ear headphones with the Yutopia.

The device also comes with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop-based Cyanogen OS 12.1. It will most probably receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow update as well. The company is also bundling Around Yu app, an app that helps people discover places around them such as hotel and flights, as well as Gaana app, which will work as the default music player in the device apart from music streaming.

The YU Yutopia competes with all the high-end smartphones available in the market, but only time will tell if these high-end specifications could related to real-world performance. Right now, the device looks like a bargain for its price of Rs 24,999.

Pruthvi, A Chip, Can Connect India's Rural Population To The Internet

A tiny chip designed in Bengaluru, the size of a postage stamp, might hold the answer to connecting India's rural population to the Internet, an ambitious goal being chased by the likes of Google, Facebook and Microsoft.

The chip, called Pruthvi, powers a system which can use television White Space or wasted spectrum bandwidth to beam Internet to scores of households. This innovation by Saankhya Labs, is important in today's India, where on one hand the government is pushing its ambitious 'Digital India' programme and on the other, large technology companies are working on similar goals.

"World over regulatory authorities are using or planning to use this spectrum for their respective connectivity programmes. India can take the lead in both technology and the markets for TV White Space-based broadband delivery. And how long can the government not push the envelope... It's got to be expedited sooner than later," said Parag Naik, CEO and cofounder of Saankhya Labs.

Founded in 2007 by Naik, Hemant Mallapur and Vishwakumara Kayargadde, the company has developed a system called Meghdoot, powered by its Pruthvi chip, which can utilise the existing TV White Space bandwidth available in India to provide wireless broadband to remote areas. TV White Space refers to the unused spectrum between active TV channels that are traditionally used for over-the-air transmission using TV towers and rooftop antennas. In India, this mainly refers to the spectrum used by the likes of Prasar Bharti.

The Meghdoot product family consists of a base station and user-side modem that can together provide Wireless Rural Broadband using the TV White Space spectrum from 400 to 800MHz.

The technology does not require line-of-sight, thus ensuring longer range, and can serve up to a radius of 10-15 km depending on antenna tower height and transmit power. The range can also be further increased with more powerful and taller antennas.

The company is soon set to conduct field trials across the country in collaboration with IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Hyderabad. They are also in discussions with Microsoft to do trials at Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.

The Meghdoot product line is compliant to the Wi-FAR standard, making the device compatible for use in other countries too. The company is also engaged with partners for trials in the Philippines, the US and Singapore.

List of Devices to get Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update

Google has rolled out Android 6.0 Marshmallow, its newest outlook towards Android operating system, starting with the Huawei Nexus 6P and the LG Nexus 5X. Soon after, the first batch of Android One devices – the Karbonn Sparkle V, the Micromax Canvas A1, and the Spice Dream Uno – started receiving the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. Later, all the smartphone brands who release Android-based devices started releasing a list of devices that are poised to receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in the future.

ASUS

• ASUS Zenfone 2
• ASUS Zenfone 2 Deluxe
• ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser
• ASUS Zenfone Selfie
• ASUS Zenfone Go

HTC

• HTC One M9 Plus
• HTC One M9
• HTC One E9 Plus
• HTC One E9
• HTC One M8
• HTC One E8
• HTC Nexus 9 (Update Released)

Huawei

• Huawei Honor 7
• Huawei Honor 6 Plus
• Huawei Honor 6
• Huawei Honor 4X
• Huawei Honor 4C

Karbonn

• Karbonn Sparkle V (Update Released)

LG

• LG G4
• LG G Flex2
• LG G3
• LG Nexus 5 (Update Released)

Micromax

• Micromax Canvas A1 (Update Released)

Motorola

• Motorola Moto X Style
• Motorola Moto X Play
• Motorola Moto G (3rd gen)
• Motorola Nexus 6 (Update Released)
• Motorola Moto X (2nd gen)
• Motorola Moto Turbo

OnePlus

• OnePlus 2
• OnePlus One

Samsung

• Samsung Galaxy Note5
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy Alpha
• Samsung Galaxy A8
• Samsung Galaxy A7

Sony

• Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
• Sony Xperia Z5
• Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
• Sony Xperia Z4
• Sony Xperia M5
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
• Sony Xperia C4
• Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
• Sony Xperia Z3
• Sony Xperia Z3 Dual
• Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
• Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
• Sony Xperia Z2
• Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

Spice

• Spice Dream Uno (Update Released)

Xiaomi

• Xiaomi Mi Note 2
• Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime
• Xiaomi Redmi 2
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
• Xiaomi Mi 4
• Xiaomi Mi Note
• Xiaomi Mi Note Pro

YU

• YU Yureka Plus
• YU Yureka
• YU Yuphoria

Lava Iris Fuel F1 with 4,000 mAh Battery Launched @ Rs. 8,700/-

Lava has introduced yet another model in its battery life-focussed Fuel series of smartphones. The Lava Iris Fuel F1, which has been announced today by the Indian smartphone brand, comes with a gigantic 4,000 mAh battery. The device has been listed on the company’s website along with a price tag of Rs. 8,700.

The device features a 5-inch FWVGA IPS LCD display, an 8-megapixel primary camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a 2-megapixel secondary camera. The device runs Android 5.1 Lollipop, thanks to a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage space, and a microSD card slot as well.

Lava Iris Fuel F1 Specifications

• 5-inch IPS LCD display, 480 x 854 pixels, 196 ppi
• Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system
• 8MP primary camera, autofocus, LED flash, 720p video recording, and 2MP secondary camera
• 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot (upto 32GB)
• Dual-SIM, 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS (with A-GPS), and microUSB v2.0 port
• Accelerometer, Ambient-Light Sensor, and Proximity Sensor
• 4,000 mAh battery; 141 x 72 x 9.5 mm; 148 g

Panasonic Launches a Huge 20-inch Windows 8.1 Tablet, priced @ 2.4 lakhs

Panasonic unveiled wold’s first 20-inch tablet with 4K display in India today. This new tablet has been named as Toughpad FZ-Y1, and is now a part of Panasonic’s Toughpad series, and runs Windows 8.1. Interestingly, Panasonic initially launched this tablet in 2013 as Toughpad UT-MB5, and has now been rebranded it as Toughpad FZ-Y1. The tablet has been priced at whopping Rs. 2,40,000, which makes it pretty non-legit for normal users.

The device has a display resolution of 3840 x 2560 pixels, which provides 15:10 aspect ratio. It is powered by a fifth-generation Intel Core i5 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and Intel HD graphics. The tablet has 256GB internal storage, and weighs 2.41 kg with 12.5 mm of thickness. It features Headphone jack, Docking connector, USB 3.0 port, a SDXC card slot, LAN port, HDMI 2.0 port and a Mini DisplayPort. In addition, it also has an in-built smart card reader. In the connectivity department, it supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi, and also features a 720p front-facing camera.

Xiaomi introduces 60-inch Mi TV 3 and new Ninebot mini self-balancing scooter

Xiaomi launched its first two-wheeled, self-balancing, and battery-powered electric vehicle, named Ninebot mini along with a brand new Mi TV 3 and other products. The Mi TV 3 is priced at CNY 4,999 (approximately Rs 51,000) while the Ninebot mini is priced CNY 1,999 (approximately Rs. 20,500) respectively.

In terms of specifications, the Mi TV 3 has a 60-inch display. Other dimension parameters include a 11.6 mm at its thinnest and 36.7mm at its thickest. The Mi TV 3 is also equipped with LG 4K display.

Like Mi TV 2, the 3rd generation of Mi TV has its own independent sound system. It is also comprised of two separated parts: the display and main board which can be upgraded respectively. This lets you upgrade the TV for future use.

The company also revealed separate Mi Subwoofer, priced at CNY 599 (approximately Rs. 6,100) along with a Bluetooth voice remote control priced at CNY 99 (approximately Rs. 1,000).

The Chinese company also unveiled a new Mi TV main board, priced at CNY 999 (approximately Rs. 10,000), which can be connected to a regular television and will turn it into a smart TV. It comes with a motherboard and Dolby surround sound speakers as well.

Xiaomi also introduced the Ninebot mini. The device is a self-balancing scooter which is compact, lightweight and shoulder-width length. The device has been built by aerospace-grade magnesium alloy infrastructure and weighs just 12.8 kilograms.

The Ninebot mini can run at speeds of up to 16 kmph and can even climb 15-degree inclines. In addition, the two-wheeled Ninebot mini can also be controlled via smartphone app, which will allow users to see speedometer, preferences, traffic data, fault detection, and firmware upgrade. Lastly, the device packs in batteries that can last up to 22 kilometres on a single charge, claims Xiaomi.

Reliance Retail to Soon launch its own brand of 4G LTE smartphones under the brand ‘LYF’

Reliance Retail will soon launch its own brand of 4G LTE smartphones under the brand ‘LYF’. The brand built on the premise of unmatched user experience will offer high performance handsets that deliver a true 4G experience comparable to the best in the world.

LYF range of smartphones with superior features like Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-FI), HD Voice and HD quality video calling will enable users to experience a new digital life. LYF phones will reach consumers across the country through one of the widest distribution and retail network for smartphones. The devices will soon be available at multi-brand outlets (MBOs) and modern trade including Reliance Retail stores across India.

These strategic initiatives would augment our reach to customer and drive growth. RJIL is the first telecom operator to hold pan India Unified License. It holds the highest amount of liberalised spectrum among telecom operators totalling to 751.1MHz across the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands. RJIL plans to provide seamless 4G services using LTE in 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands through an integrated ecosystem. The combined spectrum footprint across frequency bands provides significant network capacity and deep in-building coverage. In addition, RJIL has filed intimation for sharing of spectrum in the 800MHz band with RCOM across seven circles to DOT.

RJIL has successfully demonstrated Lawful Intercept and Monitoring (LIM) facilities for LTE Data and Voice, Video & Messaging Services and International Long Distance voice services to DoT. It has also successfully completed Acceptance Testing of its network in all circles with DoT for Intra circle and Inter circle Mobile Number Portability.

Nokia 'Swan' Smartphone & dual screen Tablet with 42MP camera & 4GB RAM

There is a good news for all NOKIA fans. Nokia is really something to look forward to if the Nokia phone is to be out in the future. However, as concepts make us feel more hopeful for the unique mobile market, there are more and more designs coming. For example, Nokia Swan Android Phone is a wonderful phone with huge 42MP Pureview camera and 4GB RAM.

The Nokia Swan combines smartphone and tablet into one device. For normal cell phone use, it is a completely amazing smart phone. With a quad core CPU, probably an Intel chip, and probably over 4GB of RAM, Nokia Swan is really something we should buy. Moreover, it comes with 128GB of internal storage.

When opened, the device transforms into a tablet, with dual touch screens. If you want, you can use it as a small laptop also. Since Nokia Swan display is around 5.3’’, it will turn into a 11’’device when transformed. If this device is to come true, it will be a great handset for both work and entertainment. Nokia Swan concept is a great thing to look at while waiting for Nokia to come back. Nokia fans out there, are you satisfied with this hybrid device between a smart phone and a tablet?

So far we know that Nokia will have their comeback in 2016, with the Nokia C1 Android Smartphone. In January 2016, Nokia’s contract with Microsoft Mobile will run out, so we will see the first Nokia phones in 2016 again. We really hope that the Nokia Swan phablet will also be released in 2016 with other Nokia Smartphones.

Microsoft reportedly tests an Android dialer app, may launch in December

Microsoft is continuing its “platform agnostic” approach under the leadership of Satya Nadella, apparently testing a new dialer app for Android in India.

The Skype team is reportedly working on the dialer, according to Gadgets 360, infusing the communications platform with regular calling features. Users will be able to call over 2G or 3G networks, and should a release outside of India happen, 4G LTE may be added to the cellular options. Regular calling options are available, and users can warn recipients about calls over cellular before picking up.

The interface for the dialer is very reminiscent of Skype, with an option to invite contacts to Skype for free calls, and the big green call button. Similar to the TrueCaller app, Microsoft will offer ways to block calls from telemarketers and spammers. These numbers will be put into a database, though we’re not sure how Microsoft will filter and decide which phone calls to immediately block.

Users will be able to look up people, offices, restaurants, and public service numbers through a search menu inside the dialer. Google recently added that to Android’s dialer, letting users tap into the search platform without moving out of the dialer.

Microsoft seems to be vying for more power on the Android ecosystem, already launching a sleek email client called Send, the Translator app, and Arrow Launcher on the platform. The dialer is another step in bringing a collection of basic apps to Android, similar to Facebook Home‘s attempt to change the Android ecosystem to all social apps.

It will apparently launch on Android in December, with a public beta in November to get people involved. For Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone 8.1 owners, you will have to wait until 2016 before getting the dialer, according to the report.