Sunday, March 9, 2014

Bike Created Which Run By Air Without Petrol



Habiganj , Bangladesh's first air- powered motorcycle was invented . Do not take the bike to drive oil - pettola . Relied too heavily on the bike in the air will only environmentally friendly . Greater technical schools and colleges in the area on Wednesday afternoon , officially the inventor of the wind -driven Hafiz Mohammad Nuruzzaman riding the motorcycle . Spoke at the ceremony marking - conquest government Vrindavan College Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya , Habiganj Technical School and College Principal Engineer Habibur Rahman , principal of Nabiganj dinarapura phulatali Alia Madrasa and Habiganj Club president Sheikh Mohammad Farhad Uddin nahija roof .

Peasant village in Sadar upazila of Habiganj Nuruzzaman Hafiz Syed Ali and Rokeya Begum's son Richie . 3 brothers , 3 sisters and everyone Nuruzzaman small. Auto Mobile Engineering Department of the Polytechnic Institute in Chittagong Shyamoli third-year students .

The inventor Nuruzzaman - wood , iron and Aluminium wind powered bike at 80 km were built . Ride a bike at 91 paise per kilometer cost . Motorcycles do not need fuel to run . Through the air in a cylinder attached to the gear box technology haidroliksa mechanisms ( wind ) will be stored . The air pressure from the bike run.

Nuruzzaman said - 011 in the year to March , from English to create hand- made ​​bike . It has to be created at the cost of Rs 4 lakh . However, if the full cost will be reduced by 1 million at the start of the formal market . He invented the motorcycle in a variety of organizations to come forward and urged the government to market . Habiganj Technical School and College Principal Engineer Habibur Rahman - if government patronage to create inventive motorcycle technology can improve Nuruzzaman


The inventor Nuruzzaman - wood, iron and Aluminium wind powered bike at 80 km were built. Ride a bike at 91 paise per kilometer cost. Motorcycles do not need fuel to run. Through the air in a cylinder attached to the gear box technology haidroliksa mechanisms (wind) will be stored. The air pressure from the bike run.

Habiganj : The fastest bike batasacalita have been developed for the first time . Once the air in the cylinder filled with oil or petrol can bicycle 40 km . Speed ​​of 80 kilometers per hour .

 See it precisely as if batasacalita bike like a motorcycle . Motor vehicles other activities in the environment , such as air travel .

School and technical college in Habiganj on Wednesday afternoon formally batasacalita Hafez Mohammad inventor of the pedal . Nuruzzaman .


Mohammed Hafez . Village under Sadar upazila of Habiganj Nuruzzaman Richie Farmer , son of Syed Ali and Begum Rokeya . Three brothers and three sisters and younger Nuruzzaman everyone . Auto Mobile Engineering Department of the Polytechnic Institute in Chittagong Shyamoli third-year students .

Inventor Nuruzzaman banlaniujake wood , iron and aluminum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the bike has been made batasacalita .

He does not need fuel to run the bike . Hydraulic mechanisms connected through the gear box technology will be stored in a cylinder of air . The air pressure from the bike run.

Nuruzzaman said , from 011 in March , he began work on the creation of the bike . It has contributed to half of its costs Rs 4 lakh . However, if you reduce the cost of commercially made stand 1 million at the start of marketing .

The exception is the inventor of the bicycle bicycle commercially marketable Nuruzzaman to the environment of the organization urged to come forward .

Bangladesh Time : 1955 hours , March 05 , 014

Sony Vaio Flip cost 99,900


Windows 8 has spurred manufacturers into making a series of hybrid devices like tablets with keyboards, laptops with touchscreens and even 27-inch table-like horizontal touchscreen computers. Nearly every new Windows 8 computer brings a new design to the market — a sign of how difficult it is to strike a balance between a Modern UI (user interface) optimised for touchscreens and a classic “desktop” mode.
We’ve reviewed two of Sony’s attempts at creating the perfect hybrid product for Windows 8 — Vaio P13 and Vaio Duo 11. Let’s see if its latest hybrid Windows 8 laptop, Vaio Flip, does the trick.
Build & Design
Vaio Flip is notable for its screen, which is attached to a hinge that lets it flip 180 degrees. The review unit was 13 inches, but it is available in 14- and 15-inch variants. There is a sliding switch that lets you lock the screen and the hinge has magnets that ensure that the screen snaps to it. You can flip it 180 degrees while watching a film and flip it back when using the keyboard. In theory, this sounds good, as it lets you use the device as a tablet and a laptop.
While using the device, we rarely flipped the screen. It’s convenient to do so while watching a video or a football match (you can use the free space on your table for food and drinks), but flipping it back and forth just to use the keyboard is cumbersome.
That said, the laptop has good build quality in spite of its portability. It weighs just 1.3 kg. The flipping mechanism feels durable and at no point did we feel it would break apart after prolonged use. Another new feature is the charging port, which allows the charging connector to move. This means that the cord will disconnect when you tug at it in a way that can damage it. This is a good addition, but it will cause the cable to disconnect sometimes, when you keep it on your lap while charging. The power brick is small and has a USB port for charging, which is a great feature.
Finally, the laptop has an 8-MP camera on its base. When you use it as a tablet, you can take photos too. Pictures were pretty good, but it’s hard to imagine anyone taking pictures with a 1.3-kg device.
Software & Performance
Sony Vaio Flip 13 comes with Windows 8 (you can upgrade to 8.1 for free) and on the hardware front, it has Intel’s Core i5-4200U processor (1.6 GHz), 4 GB RAM, 128 GB solid state drive for storage and an Intel HD 4400 chip for graphics.
When we reviewed Vaio P13 and Vaio Duo 11, we had said Windows 8 is a polarising OS. Things haven’t changed much with Windows 8.1. You will have to treat them as two different software platforms — desktop and tablet — in one OS. The touchscreen is impossible to use on desktop mode. The buttons are too small for your fingers, so you will end up hitting close when you want to maximise a window. The mouse is difficult to use in the Modern UI mode because most apps are designed for touchscreen input. We like Modern UI, but it increasingly appears that Microsoft would have been better off had it kept that side of the OS for tablets and phones and used the classic desktop mode for laptops and desktops. Now there are two sets of apps for the same OS, which harm the user experience.
If you use the Vaio Flip 13 as a laptop, it is a great machine. It’s very light for a laptop and gave us no reason to complain about its performance. It was able to play HD videos and managed light gaming very well. The Vaio Flip did heat up a bit when we put it through those two tasks, but not unbearably so. The battery lasted around six hours, which is satisfactory.
Should You Buy It?
If you are looking for a hybrid Windows 8 laptop, Vaio Flip 13 is one of the best in the market. At Rs 99,900, it is expensive, but it is a premium, powerful laptop. So, you get a great machine for the price. If you don’t like its flipping design, Sony Vaio P13 is a good alternative for Rs 74,990.

India Launch Nokia X Android smartphone on monday


Nokia X, the much-awaited Android-based budget smartphone by the Finnish giant, is set to make its first appearance in India on Monday at simultaneous launch events in Mumbai and New Delhi.
The invite says, "Nokia India cordially invites you to Xperience a new beginning!" where the 'X' letter has been highlighted, suggesting that the company might reveal the pricing and availability details of the Nokia X Android smartphone.

The invite further informs that Nokia India's VP and MD, P. Balaji will be attending the event in New Dehi. As of now, no other details related to the event have been revealed.


We expect that the company might also announce availability details of the Nokia X+ and Nokia XL, which was launched alongside Nokia X at the MWC 2014.

On Wednesday, Nokia's first Android smartphone, the Nokia X, was spotted at an online retailer in India, with a price of Rs. 8,500. The retailer claimed that the Nokia X smartphone would be available from 15 March 2014.

However, since the online retailer is a third-party store, one cannot be certain if this would be the official launch price when the phone is announced for India.
The Nokia X is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and is powered by Microsoft and Nokia services. The highlight of the Nokia X is the highly customised version of Android, with the Metro-inspired UI and access to Nokia's own app store. While there's no access to Google's Play Store, users can side-load Android apps from any third-party source. Nokia has used the AOSP version corresponding to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as the baseline for its operating system.


The Nokia X offers dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) support with dual standby. The first Android phone from Nokia features a 4-inch IPS LCD display with a 480x800 pixel resolution, translating to a pixel density of 233ppi.
The smartphone is powered by 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, alongside 512MB of RAM. It sports a 3-megapixel rear camera. The Nokia X handset comes with 4GB of in-built storage, and can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.


The Nokia X supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, AGPS, EDGE, GPRS and 3G connectivity options. It is backed by a 1500mAh battery, which can deliver up to 13 hours of talktime and up to 672 hours of standby time on 2G network.

India's fair trade regulator CCI Inquiry about Facebook-WhatsApp deal


 Facebook's $19 billion deal (Rs 1,16,000 crore) to acquire WhatsApp may face a detailed scrutiny by the country's fair trade regulator CCI, especially since both players have significant presence in India.
The world's largest social networking site Facebook has around 1.2 billion members globally while WhatsApp - a platform that allows exchange of messages and files through mobile phones free of cost - is estimated to have 450 million users worldwide.
All merger and acquisition deals, involving companies having India presence, have to get approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) which has the mandate to keep a tab on unfair trade practices at the market place

A senior official said the Commission is yet to receive an application seeking approval for the deal, but it would indeed face an elaborate scrutiny.
Both Facebook and WhatsApp have substantial number of customers in India and they may soon file a notice with CCI to seek its clearance for the deal.
While India has nearly 93 million Facebook users, the count of people using the popular WhatsApp service is around 40 million in the country.
Meanwhile, concerns are already being raised in certain quarters about privacy issues post deal. Privacy groups in the US have asked American fair trade regulator FTC to put the deal on hold and probe how the social media giant plans to use subscriber data.
US-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate WhatsApp and enjoin its "unfair and deceptive data collection practices" for any future changes to its privacy policy.
Announcing the deal to acquire WhatsApp last month, Facebook said it would help accelerate growth and user engagement across both companies.
As per the deal, Facebook would shell out USD 16 billion, including USD 4 billion in cash and approximately USD 12 billion worth of shares for WhatsApp acquisition.
Besides, the social networking major would provide additional USD 3 billion in restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders and employees that would vest over four years subsequent to closing.

Faster Wireless Technology Device Is Create By Engineers


Using an inexpensive Rs 3,600 inkjet printer, two Indian-origin electrical engineers at the University of Utah have for the first time produced microscopic structures that use light in metals to carry information.
This new technique, which controls electrical conductivity within such micro-structures, could be used to rapidly fabricate superfast components in electronic devices - making wireless technology faster or printing magnetic materials.
A recently discovered technology called plasmonics marries the best aspects of optical and electronic data transfer.

By crowding light into metal structures with dimensions far smaller than its wavelength, data can be transmitted at much higher frequencies such as terahertz frequencies.
"Very little well developed technology exists to create terahertz plasmonic devices, which have the potential to make wireless devices such as Bluetooth - which operates at 2.4 gigahertz frequency - 1,000 times faster than they are today," explained Ajay Nahata, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and senior author.
Using a commercially available inkjet printer and two different colour cartridges filled with silver and carbon ink, Nahata and his colleague Barun Gupta printed 10 different plasmonic structures with a periodic array of 2,500 holes with different sizes and spacing on a 2.5-inch-by-2.5 inch plastic sheet.
"Because we can draw and print these structures exactly as we want them, our technique lets you make rapid changes to the plasmonic properties of the metal, without the million dollar instrumentation typically used to fabricate these structures," Nahata added.
Depending on the relative amounts of silver and carbon ink used, the researchers could control the plasmonic array's electrical conductivity or how efficient it was in carrying an electrical current.
Plasmonic arrays are currently made using micro-fabrication techniques that require expensive equipment and manufacture only one array at a time.
Until now, controlling conductivity in these arrays has proven extremely difficult for researchers.
Nahata and Gupta used terahertz imaging to measure the effect of printed plasmonic arrays on a beam of light.
When light with terahertz frequency is directed at a periodic array of holes in a metal layer, it can result in resonance -- a fundamental property best illustrated by a champagne flute shattering when it encounters a musical tone of the right pitch.
According to Nahata, with this new printing technique, "We have an extra level of control over both the transmission of light and electrical conductivity in these devices".
You can now design structures with as many different variations as the printer can produce, he added in a study that appeared in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.
These faster plasmonic arrays could prove useful for wireless devices and printing magnetic materials for greater functionality in different devices.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Indoor maps in India Google launches


Google on Wednesday announced the availability of indoor maps in India. The company said that users of Google Maps on Android, iOS and personal computers can now access the floor plans of 75 places in 22 Indian cities.

Most of these 75 places are shopping malls but museums and convention halls also find a mention in the list. Similarly, while most of these places are located in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, some buildings from Raipur and Ludhiana too are a part of the project.

"We launched indoor maps in countries like the US earlier. Now we are bringing it to India. We worked with mall owners and authorities that manage a place to get the floor plans and location details and have added that information to Google Maps," Suren Ruhela, director and product manager, India Google Maps, told TOI. "For now we are starting with 75 places. But as we get feedback from consumers and work with more partners, we hope to add more places."

The indoor maps will be available to consumers immediately. Those who use Google Maps on Android phones or iPhones will be prompted for an update to their maps app and once they have updated app, they will be able to use indoor maps option.

"Malls are getting bigger and there are occasions when we are looking for a shop and can't find it. Through the indoor maps feature, you can locate the shop with help of your phone. You don't have to go all the way back to a mall's main gate to look for the floor plan," said Ruhela.

The feature uses several techniques to find the location of a user. The most important of these is the ability to look for Wi-Fi. Inside building GPS signals are very weak. Hence, Google is relying on a phone's ability to scan for Wi-Fi and then the Wi-Fi details to determine location. Ruhela said that indoor maps feature would work best when a user has the Wi-Fi scanning option turned on in the phone. He clarified that for this feature the phone only needs to scan for networks and doesn't have to connect to them.

Google said that detailed floor plans will automatically appear when you're using the Google Maps app on iOS and Android, and zoomed in on a building where indoor map data is available. Zoom out and the indoor maps will fade away.

For all 75 buildings, floor plans are available. But Suren added that for around 15 of these places, Google will also offer "location feature".

"In some locations, you'll have the option of using the indoor My Location feature to help you navigate your way inside. Where available, the familiar 'blue dot' icon can help indicate your approximate location in order to help you more easily find your way. This means that when you move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the map will automatically update to display which floor you're on. At these locations, you can also access indoor walking directions to help you get to where you need to go more quickly," said a Google spokesperson.

Google says that so far indoor maps are available in over 10,000 places across the world. Nokia, the company which maintains Here Maps, also offers a similar feature. Last year the company announced that it would offer indoor maps of around 20 places in India. Though the feature is only available to Nokia Lumia and Asha phone users.

Motorola Moto G 8GB is priced at Rs. 12,999 and the 16GB at Rs. 13,999


You’ve probably heard about the Moto G already. Motorola’s comeback phone has got rave reviews as the best budget handset. There are five negative points you should know before buying the Moto G, but despite those, is it still value for your money?

Quick Tech Specs: 4.5-inch display (1280×720 pixels, 329 ppi) | 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor | 1GB RAM | 8GB/16GB storage + no microSD slot | 5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, 720p HD video | 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 | GPS with A-GPS | 2070mAh battery | Android 4.4 KitKat Price: 8GB – Rs. 12,999 | 16GB – Rs. 13,999
Moto G_Black_Front_NA

Design: There is a sturdiness and simplicity to the Moto G that is lacking in most handsets: no logos on the front, rounded edges, a rubber-finish matte back that won’t attract fingerprints, and a straight line in the middle for the camera, flash, logo and headphone port. The phone also has water-repellant coating, but don’t read too much into that—the ports are open, so it’s not like you can use it in the rain. Drops don’t affect the phone either. For most people, it’s comfortable to hold it in one hand and use. But what bothers me are the large bezels. It’s got a smaller screen than most phones at this price, but Motorola still insists on using virtual touchscreen buttons taking up valuable screen space while having a 1.5cm bezel under it that’s just wasted space.


Moto G_Black_Left_Side

Screen: The bezel and virtual buttons mean that you aren’t getting the full 4.5 inches of promised screen space. That said, the screen is sharp and reproduces true colours. It has Gorilla Glass 3 scratch protection, and while it’s not clearly legible in direct sunlight, it’s not bad either.
Performance: The Moto G can go toe-to-toe with any other smartphone in this price range. Most of its competitors use the Mediatek MT6589 quad-core processor, so we ran our usual performance tests on phones with that processor and the Moto G. In all tests, the Moto G was on par or better. The only place it struggles is with high-end gaming—you’ll need to play games like FIFA 14 and Call Of Duty: Strike Team on Medium settings here, not High.

Moto G can be yours for Rs 12,499
Memory: The Moto G is available in either 8GB or 16GB capacities. If you aren’t a gamer, this is going to be sufficient for most users—even with a few casual games. But as a gamer, the space will prove too little in a short time as many HD games are clocking in disk space requirements of 1.2-1.5GB now. Connectivity: In

terms of antenna performance, the Moto G is undoubtedly among the better smartphones you can buy right now. I usually test for dropped calls while in transit and a few spots where I know reception is weak—the Moto G performed as well as or better than any phone out there.

Software: One of the major features of the Moto G is that it comes with the latest flavour of Android, v4.4 KitKat, without any customisations. If updates are important to you, the Moto G is great. But for most average users, this shouldn’t be a big factor in deciding your smartphone.


Camera: Like most budget handsets, the camera is the biggest problem on the Moto G. While outdoors in the sun or in a very well-lit room, you’ll be all right and get good photos—the detailing is good and the colours are true. However, in low light, the Moto G gives up. It doesn’t match up to some of its peers like the Wickedleak Wammy Passion Z+. Images are noisy, out of focus (and it takes a really long time to focus in the first place) and lack the detail you get in bright environments. It’s the same with videos: in bright light, you’re fine, and as soon as lighting is an issue, the Moto G camera is worthless.
Battery: The 2070mAh battery of the Moto G is brilliant. On an day of high usage (including gaming, social networking, calling, photography, music playback and video playback), the phone lasted for 16 hours before needing to be recharged. It can continuously play video for a little over four hours. But do note that while you can remove the back panel, the battery isn’t removable—if you’re a power user who needs to swap out batteries, this isn’t the phone for you.

Special Mention: For all the savings offered by the Moto G, you need to know that the box it comes with is bare-bones. There’s only a charger, but that doesn’t even double up as a USB cable to connect your phone to your PC. So you will have to buy a separate USB cable and a pair of headphones. The Moto G is available from Flipkart, so adding the cost of a USB cable (Rs. 140) and a decent pair of in-ear headphones (Rs. 400), that’s an additional Rs. 540 to add to the price tag.

Verdict: For most average users, the Moto G is a practical purchase. It’s got a fantastic screen, good build quality, strong battery life and is easy to use for most things. I wouldn’t advise the 8GB version, it makes more sense to spend an extra Rs. 1,500 and buy the 16GB model for Rs. 13,999—that’s excluding the cost of a data cable and headphones.


If you’re going to be gaming, steer away from the Moto G—the performance is as good as any other in this range but the limited memory is a problem. Plus, a bigger screen is more fun in those cases. And yeah, if you talk on the phone

a lot and need to swap out batteries, the Moto G is again not for you. Also, don’t go by the brand name—Motorola’s after-sales service has plenty of critics. In my books, the Micromax Canvas 4 (available for around Rs. 13,000) is a better purchase for such users. Plus, you won’t have to spend any extra for a data cable and headphones.

BlackBerry Z10 is now selling for Rs 17,990

If you were planning to cash in on the price cut and buy BlackBerry Z10 then you might have to wait a week or so to get your phone, for the smartphone has almost vanished from stores across India.
Now, available for a limited period offer price of Rs 17,990, the phone is sold out at most online as well as brick and mortar dealers. We could not find the phone is stock with most top NCR dealers. Some of them said new stock should be in by March 10.

When contacted, Sameer Bhatia, Director, Distribution, BlackBerry India, confirmed to indianexpress.com that the phone had indeed been “stocked out”. “We have seen great response to the commemorative offer for BlackBerry Z10 and it is true that we have been stocked out.

Yes, we are looking at bringing fresh stocks in the next few days, so as to  ensure that more and more users are able to enjoy the cutting edge experience of a full-touch device combined with a revolutionary operating system,” he said.

However, despite the huge price cut, marking BlackBerry’s tenth anniversary in India, online portals like Flipkart still have units selling for as high as Rs 22,990. Bhatia said this was because in the market place model any seller could list any product at their own price. “On Flipkart, authorized BlackBerry product is sold via WS Retail. At present, WS Retail is stocked out.”

The BlackBerry Z10, the first smartphone to feature the new BB10 OS, was launched at a price of Rs 43,990.

There are suggestions that BlackBerry is working on a new flagship phone to win over new customers. Recently, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said in Barcelona that a new flagship is on the way, though he did not guarantee when.  The new price cut could be a way to get rid of old stocks before it brings in the new devices.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Google's search engine could also work as a timer


Not many would know that Google's search engine could also work as a timer, a feature that the company made available last year, but pulled it out before bouncing it back recently.
The feature was introduced last August, but then the feature disappeared with no explanation.
According to Cnet, users can now simply set a timer and an amount of time in the search query at Google's homepage and the search giant would start a timer for the requested time.
Users could take the timer full-screen by clicking on the box icon and would have to leave the web page open for it to work.

Now Aakash 4 tablet at Lowest Price 3,999


Telecom minister Kapil Sibal said low-cost tablet PC Aakash 4 will be available in the market in around one and a half months for Rs 3,999. He added the directorate general of supplies and disposals (DGSD) has already floated the tenders for the tablet.

The tablet comes with a 7-inch scratch resistant capacitative touchscreen, Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity, 4GB internal storage, external memory card slot with storage capacity of up to 32 GB, front camera, etc. The Aakash Projec was Sibal's brainchild when he was the HRD minister.

The idea was to provide low-cost computing device at subsidised rate to students to enable them access Internet for educational purposes.

He also said the government will soon move ahead on the proposal of merging state-run BSNL and MTNL. The merger of the companies is part of DoT's plan for the revival of the public sector telecom units.

The government has already decided on pension issues plaguing both the public sector units along with refund for wireless broadband spectrum worth more than Rs 11,000 crore to MTNL and BSNL.

A Resolution On Mobile Screens Coming HD vs. FullHD


Apparently, the next lot of smartphones might just come with 2K screens—these are displays with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. A company named Vivo has already demoed such a phone, while rumours are flying around that Samsung’s next flagship might have it too. To me, it’s all a little ridiculous.
Good Displays Aren’t Only About Pixels
Ever since Apple came out with a “Retina Display” and touted its “ppi” (pixels per inch), everyone has been going nuts trying to cram more pixels into a screen. And generally, yes, the more pixels in a given space, the sharper the image will look. But pixels or resolution aren’t the only things that go into making a good screen. I’ve seen many phones that have qVGA (960×540) resolution look better than an HD (1280×720) screen. And the same goes for HD displays that look better than FullHD (1920×1080) screens.
A mobile phone’s display depends on various factors apart from the pixels. There’s the type of panel used—you’ve probably heard of jargon like AMOLED, LCD, IPS and more being thrown around. There’s the image processor, like Sony’s touted Mobile Bravia Engine. Even the type of scratch-resistant glass coating has an effect on the quality of the display. Several factors have to come together to make for a good-looking display and just amping up one—like the resolution—isn’t going to help.
So Why Are Pixels Talked About So Much
There’s a pretty simple explanation for why resolution becomes the most talked-about factor: it has cold numbers where bigger is better. It’s really that simple. In cameras, the technology behind producing a good image is much more than what your megapixel count is, but we have reached a point where most people mistakenly believe “more megapixels = better camera.”
Similarly, in displays, the rest of the technology involved isn’t easy to understand or explain—even in the course of research for this article, I haven’t got a grasp on all aspects yet. But a simple measure of numbers, where bigger is better, is something anyone can easily digest and hence this is the point which companies like to boast.
The Real-World Test
I have long maintained that for phones around 5 inches, it is difficult to tell an HD screen apart from a FullHD one unless you are going to be inspecting it very closely. Most people would hold the phone at the level of their elbow or perhaps a few inches closer. At that distance, I reckoned that an HD and a FullHD screen can’t easily be told apart. With intense scrutiny, yes, but for regular usage, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
So I put my theory to test by laying out eight 5-inch phones and one 5.2-inch phone next to each other, some of which were HD and some of which were FullHD. They were all runningthe same game or ebook, and most people weren’t able to tell the difference.
I replicated this test one more time with the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 and its 5.2-inch HD screen, pitting it against the Micromax Canvas Turbo’s 5-inch FullHD screen. Without mentioning resolutions or sizes, I asked people which of the two phones had a better screen. Of the 13 people who saw both, 12 picked the Grand 2 as a better display. The reason was either because it’s “more colourful” or “looks brighter.”
Yup, the screen with the lower resolution was almost unanimously the one people liked more.
What This Means For You
The point, of course, is that resolution or pixel counts alone do not make a better screen. In some cases, there is a noticeable difference—like when you compare a WVGA (800×480) screen with an HD one. But especially at HD resolution on 5-inch screens, it becomes difficult to tell those apart from a FullHD one. If you go up in size, perhaps FullHD would matter more, like with a 6-inch smartphone.
So the next time you are shopping for a phone and if it’s around 5 inches, as long as the resolution says “HD” or 1280×720 pixels, start to look at the other features. Spending any extra or buying inferior processors and RAM for the pleasure of a FullHD screen is not the smart decision.

Apple planning to buy electric car pioneer Tesla?

WASHINGTON: Apple's mergers and acquisitions chief Adrian Perica reportedly met Tesla CEO Elon Musk last year, sparking speculations that the tech giant might be interested in buying the electric car pioneer.
Sources have also pointed that Apple CEO Tim Cook was also involved in the meeting that could expose a megadeal between the two Silicon Valley giants.
Earlier, an analyst with German investment bank Berenberg, had also hinted towards Apple's possible acquisition of Telsa and said that acquiring Tesla

could give revenue Apple long-term revenue growth that is unavailable from smartphones and tablets, Cnet reports.
Adnaan Ahmad had said that is radical and potentially 'transformative,' but the acquisition would radically alter Apple's growth profile.
According to the report, as Apple has already made inroads with the automobile sector with plans of integrating iOS into car dashboard screens, acquisition of Tesla makes sense.

Water-proof phone by Micromax


Micromax may be all set to launch its first-ever water-and dust-resistant smartphone. 

Twitter user @MMXNewscaster has posted picture and other details of the phone which is likely to be called Splash. While the full specifications of the phone have not been revealed yet, the leaked image hints at the phone sporting a 5MP rear camera along with an LED flash. The rear panel also sports the 'IP67 Certified' label. The phone's volume rocker key appears to be located at the right edge. It's likely that the ports on the phone will be protected by flaps to make it water and dust resistant, similar to Sony's high-end Xperia phones. 

Another bit of information that the Twitter user has revealed is that the phone can remain under water for a period of 30 minutes and of maximum depth up to 1metre. 

It would be interesting to see how Micromax prices the phone as most ruggedized phones available in the market are priced on the higher side. The recently launched Moto G sports a nano-coating that protects it against minor spills and splashes but it doesn't come with a certification.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

'Flappy Bird App' rejecting Apple, Google



Following the removal of the Flappy Bird app from online stores by its creator Dong Nguyen, Apple and Google are having a rough time turning down gamers, mimicking the popular game by adding "Flappy" to their creations.

The App Store's top charts are overflowing with clones of this year's viral hit "Flappy Bird" which was taken down by Nguyen after he had trouble handling the sudden fame.

According to TechCrunch, Apple rejected an app called "Flappy Dragon" created by a Vancouver-based game designer Ken Carpenter of Mind Juice Media, saying that his app attempted to leverage a popular app and was in violation of the App Store Review Guidelines.

Apple cited reason for rejecting the app and said that as per the guidelines, apps that contain false or misleading representations will be rejected.

Syrian Electronic Army hacked Forbes website

WASHINGTON: The notorious pro-Assad hacker group known as the Syrian Electronic Army has reportedly published a database that it says contains login credentials for 1 million users of business publication Forbes.com.
While Forbes confirmed the attack saying that user's email address may have been exposed, it did not reveal as to how many credentials had been compromised.
Forbes said that the passwords were encrypted, but encouraged Forbes readers and contributors to change their passwords on its system as a precaution, while encouraging them to change them on other websites if they used the same password elsewhere, the Verge reported.
The hackers claimed on Twitter that they were able to gain access to the data with the help of a Forbes social media manager.
The SEA also altered three stories on the website after gaining access to Forbes' publishing system and posted "Hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army" on the site.

Nokia Lumia 525 is the successor to the Nokia Lumia 520


The successor to the world’s most popular Windows Phone device, Nokia Lumia 520, is here. Lumia 525 is Nokia’s attempt to refine the 520 and address its shortcomings without increasing the price. At Rs 10,399, the 525 is priced competitively and is more powerful than its predecessor. Let’s see how much of a difference that makes to your experience, should you choose to buy it.
Quick Tech Specs: Micro-SIM | 4-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen (800×480 pixels) | Windows Phone 8 | 1 GB RAM | 8 GB storage | microSD slot (up to 64 GB supported) | 5-MP autofocus rear camera | 1,430 mAh battery
Design: It is hard to tell the Lumia 520 and 525 apart. The two phones have the same dimensions, weigh the same and look the same. The buttons are in the same place, just like the charging and audio ports. But when you hold them, you will notice the difference. The Lumia 520′s body is made of glossy plastic (unless you get a black 520), which means it is slippery. The 525 has a different finish, which provides better grip. One complaint is that the lock button feels a little weak. Many 520 users complained of the button going soft after six to eight months of use. Let’s hope that users don’t face the same problem with the 525. Nokia’s bright colours have become distinctive now.
Display: The 4-inch screen has with a resolution of 800×480 pixels. This is good enough for reading, watching videos and gaming. When you’re using the phone in bright sunlight, you’ll have trouble reading on the screen. Of course, a higher resolution would have been welcome, but you won’t notice it unless you are downgrading from an expensive phone with a better display. When you tilt the phone a bit, you’ll notice white light bleeding from the top. This is a minor annoyance, which you’ll not notice unless you look for it.
Performance: Having 1 GB RAM greatly improves gaming performance. Last year, several developers had to optimise their games to run on phones with 512 MB RAM because of the Lumia 520. There will be no such issue this year. Games such as Temple Run 2, Rail Rush and Angry Birds Go! are playable on the Lumia 525, although minor stutters were noticed some times. The phone did not show any lags when running several applications and switching between them.
Memory: Lumia 525 has 8 GB internal storage and supports a microSD card of up to 64 GB. This is sufficient for most people. Once every two or three months, you will have to remove apps you don’t use to free up space. Other than that, as long as you’re storing photos and videos on the microSD card, the phone should not run out of space.
Software: Windows
Phone 8 has received crucial updates in the past year. One of these has cured the OS of the other storage bug that would eat up all space on your phone. The OS works well and we did not face any random reboots or stutters. I could not synchronise contacts from my Google account with the Lumia 525. Instead, I used the Transfer My Data app to pull contacts from my primary phone. Apart from chat apps such as WhatsApp, most apps worked well on Lumia 525. With chat apps, notifications were often delayed. Every time I opened WhatsApp, I found several unread messages for which I had not received notifications.
Camera: The Lumia 525′s camera is similar to the one on its predecessor. The 5-MP autofocus camera takes satisfactory pictures in daylight with good colour reproduction. However, pictures lost details when clicked in low light. Pictures shot at night were grainy. Lumia 525 does not have a front camera, so if you love selfies or make a lot of video calls, this is not the best phone for you.
Battery: The battery life of the Lumia 525 is satisfactory. It lasted a little less than a day on moderate use involving a few calls, gaming, browsing, social networks and chatting. Heavy use takes a toll on the battery, so it would be wise to invest in a portable battery pack.
Verdict: Windows Phone has its shortcomings, but is a smooth and stable operating system. The Lumia 525 is an incremental upgrade over the 520, and is a good alternative to Android phones for the price (Rs 10,399). The 520 is still available for around Rs 8,000, in case you’re short on cash and gaming isn’t on your mind.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Viber has over 16 million users in India


Viber, an app that gained global popularity by letting its users make voice calls over data, has been acquired by Japan’s e-commerce giant Rakuten, Inc.

“The Company will acquire Viber for a total consideration of $900 million and will hold 100% of Viber’s outstanding voting stock and underwrite a new issue of shares,” a release from the Japanese company said.

Rakuten said the company decided to acquire Viber to strengthen its global platform through the use of Viber’s range of customers in the company’s E-commerce and digital contents services. Viber has 280 million global registered users and 100 million monthly active users.

Rakuten has e-commerce interests in at least four continents and has clearly stated ambitions to become the “no. 1 Internet services company in the world”.

Acquiring one of the top messaging apps in the world, is clearly a step in consolidating the two users bases. In fact, South Korea’s Kakao talk, one of the most monetised messaging apps in the world, is also a succesful e-commerce platform. It seems Rakuten seems to have been inspired by the success of the this company from its neighbourhood.

Viber has over 16 million users in India and the company has goals of doubling its user base here by the end of this year. But off late the company has not been doing all that well with players like Whatsapp, Line and WeChat all adding voice to their messaging platforms. Viber still has an edge over other platforms due to its ability to be accessed from all devices and operating systems.

Google means when it calls Android 'open'


Google loves to woo app makers to Android by whispering the sweet sounds of "openness" and "open source" in their ears. While that's not entirely accurate, they heed the call for good reasons.

The gooey center of Google's pitch to developers to make apps and services for Android is a series of terms easily misunderstood, but central to Android's flexibility and success.

Every once in a while, Android terminology discussions flare up like a stomach ulcer for Google. They center on Android's nature as a development platform, which in turn affects the variety and breadth of Android apps -- from Minecraft to Pandora to the latest Flappy Bird copycats -- that you can download, and how up-to-date they are. Is Android truly open-source? Can you "fork" Android? What does Google mean when it talks about Android's "openness"?

The latest debate was sparked by recently discovered documents that reveal stringent restrictions on device makers that want access to Google's search engine, the video service YouTube, and more than a million apps found in the Google Play app store. European antitrust authorities are looking at whether Google has unfairly taken advantage of Android's position to push its own services and apps, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The source, if you will, of Android's problems is its "open source" nature and a fundamental misunderstanding of what Google is doing with Android. So let's take a look at what we're really talking about when we talk about "open source" and "openness."

Openness is both a lure for developers, who want to create freely, and a trap that Google has built for itself. It's a term that the company uses to describe its approach to Android, but because it's a fairly common term it's come to mean different things to different people. As such, it's highly dependent on their interests.

"The question of how you define 'openness' depends on what you want 'openness' to mean," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "Do you want to be part of the process to define the software from the outset? Do you want to create a phone that exemplifies the best of Android and Google services together?"

Google's approach to Android development and the Android ecosystem promotes an atypical definition of the terms. The easier one to explain is how Android relates to open source.

Historically, open source coding projects large and small have been developed and managed by communities open to all. Firefox and Linux are prime examples of that. The Android Open Source Project, or AOSP, is the Android code made available to all.

Linux is the basis for Android, but Android has a key difference. It's developed behind closed doors at Google, and then once new versions are ready, they're made available to the public. It's the biggest and possibly the only open-source project developed this way. There's often a short delay between a new Android version being completed and when the code is made public, and there's rarely any public input on Android code before release.

Open and openness in the Android world are a bit more nebulous. Google's argument is that Android is open because the code is opened to all, because Google doesn't charge for the platform, and because developers have access to it all. The only restriction is on Google services, for which the company demands that phone makers conform to certain specifications.

Google's take on Android is that they make it as open as possible. Dianne Hackborn, a tech lead on Android at Google who has worked on Android since its early days, recently commented at length on Android development, openness, and how AOSP relates to Android with Google services integrated.

"One of the things that is interesting about platforms today versus the traditional desktop is that these cloud services are becoming increasingly central to the core platform experience," she said. "This presents a special challenge to an open-source platform, which can't really provide such cloud services as part of the standard platform implementation."

The tension between the quasi-open-source operating system and access to proprietary cloud services, including programming hooks called Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and encompassing Google apps such as the Play Store, Google Music, and Google Maps, fuels much of the debate over Android's openness. This didn't matter so much five years ago, when few people used Android and cloud services weren't as popular or necessary, but modern Android is explosively popular and heavily reliant on the cloud. You can look no further than the appeal of the Nexus 5 and its Google Now integration for evidence of that.

Hackborn argues that AOSP is able to power any phone out of the box.
"AOSP is far more than the basic bones of a smartphone operating system. It is a complete smartphone operating system," she said. "The fact is, if you build AOSP today and put it on a phone, you will have a pretty fully functioning platform." She noted that AOSP includes smartphone essentials like a home screen launcher, contacts directory, dialer and phone app, camera and gallery.
Phone manufacturers and carriers that want to use Google's services must conform to Google's device standards, a stricter requirement than what basic AOSP requires. For some, this is a catch. For others, it's merely the cost of doing business.

The other component to Android's claim of openness is the Google Play Store ecosystem, said Abhisek Devkota, community manager at CyanogenMod, arguably the most successful of the custom-compiled versions of Android.

"The ecosystem creates a level playing field," he said. "As an app developer, I can take my app to any store and get the distribution I need. I still have flexibility."
To get access to Google's Play Store apps, all you have to do is install the Play Store. By running the app, you're agreeing to Google's terms of service, but at no point are you or the developer of your favorite app compelled to use or install Google's preferred marketplace.


Forks and fragmentation
Devkota pointed out that several Android forks, such as the version that runs on Amazon's Kindle Fire and ones used by Chinese phone makers, do not use Google services. But what are they?
A source fork occurs when a developer takes the source code in a new or different direction. There are dozens of publicly available Android forks, built each time that a developer publishes newly recompiled code. Each time that new AOSP code gets published by Google, it's up to the developer to integrate it into a new build.

Android fragmentation occurs when a phone ceases to receive Android operating system updates, often because operating system updates encounter compatibility problems with older hardware. Most often, this comes at the hands of the carriers, although Google does cease to develop new code as well. Currently, the biggest fragmentation split is between Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Last year, Google introduced a new framework to the Play Store so that more apps could be backward-compatible with older versions of Android. However, only about a quarter of top-tier apps use it, said Ben Bajarin, of the analysis firm Creative Solutions.

"Most app stores are curated," he said, including Amazon's store and the most popular of the Chinese app markets. Nevertheless, he said, "most Android developers won't adopt the framework because they don't even adopt Google's best practices to begin with."
Hackborn defends Google's right to include proprietary services, and to keep them proprietary, saying that its no different than any other proprietary app on Android. That's not entirely true, since Google does keep some API development to itself, but to its credit the company does open-source most of the new APIs introduced to Android.

Google may push its suite of services, including Maps, Gmail, Search including Google Now, Calendar, and Drive, but it's hardly forcing AOSP developers to use them. If you buy the Oppo N1 smartphone that comes with Devkota's CyanogenMod, it does have Google services on it, but most people come to CyanogenMod by installing it by hand. From there, if you want Google services, you have to install them yourself.
"My mom and dad use Android phones. One of them is on my software, the other is on stock Nexus software. If I asked them to tell me the differences, they wouldn't be able to," Devkota said.

It's certainly possible that Google will pull more default Android apps into the new Play Store framework, even core apps like the Dialer and Contact List. It could build features into those services that make them the best in class, and it could even give them an unfair advantage over similar apps made by competing developers.

However, Android runs on more kinds of hardware than just about any other operating system out there. Not just phones and tablets, but refrigerators and ovens and cameras, just to get started. Google may not make money on them, but to suddenly undercut years of talk of "openness" to drive people to Google services would be a massive shift for the company.
Is it possible? Sure. But it's as likely as Apple shipping an iPhone running Android.

Mars 'jelly doughnut' mystery finally solved


A mystery rock which seemed to appear out of nowhere on Mars last month stirred up much speculation among alien enthusiasts, but it appears the mystery is solved. The answer is more simple than sci-fi.


NASA said Friday that the mysterious rock, which resembled a jelly doughnut, is actually just a piece of a larger rock that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove over in January.

When the Opportunity rover spotted the anomaly on Mars last month, NASA's scientists were baffled. An analysis of the rock with the Opportunity's spectrometer showed a "strange composition, different from anything we have seen before," said Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rovers.

"It's about the size of a jelly doughnut. It was a total surprise, we were like, 'Wait a second, that wasn't there before, it can't be right. Oh my god! It wasn't there before!' We were absolutely startled," Squyres told Discovery News.
With imaginations running wild, theories abounded as to the origin of the rock, even resulting in a lawsuit to compel NASA to take a closer look at a mysterious Martian object.

But now, researchers have figured it out. The now-infamous Martian rock, dubbed "Pinnacle Island," is a piece of a larger rock broken and moved by the wheel of the Mars rover in early January.

"Once we moved Opportunity a short distance, after inspecting Pinnacle Island, we could see directly uphill an overturned rock that has the same unusual appearance," said Ray Arvidson, deputy principal investigator of Opportunity, in a statement.

Recent images clearly show the original piece of rock which was struck by the rover's wheel, slightly uphill from where Pinnacle Island came to rest. "We drove over it. We can see the track. That's where Pinnacle Island came from," said Arvidson.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Facebook Diversity page


Facebook recognizes that not everybody identifies themselves simply as a "male" or "female," so it's added the ability for users to identify themselves with a range of labels, including "other."
People can now select a custom gender identification, the pronoun they would like to be referred to publicly, and who can see their gender selection, Facebook announced Thursday. Your About page will now include options like "cisgender," "transgender," and "intersex," in addition to the previous "male" and "female" options.
You can also select your preferred pronoun. Instead of "his" or "her," which is used in messages like "Write on Matt's wall for his birthday," users can select a gender neutral pronoun. The text will read "Write on Matt's wall for their birthday."
Users can also select which of their predesignated groups can see what gender they identify with. The options are only available in the US for now, but the company hopes to expand this to other users in the future.
Facebook made the announcement on its Facebook diversity page, saying it enlisted the help of "leading LGBT advocacy organizations," including GLAAD, to come up with the preset labels.
"When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self," reads a post on Facebook's diversity page. "An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just 'male" or female.' So today, we're proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook."
GLAAD said it's worked with Facebook since 2010 to combat online bullying that targets those in the LGBT community, and creating an inclusive environment furthers those efforts.

"Facebook users from across the country have been asking for the ability to reflect their gender accurately, and today Facebook showed they have been listening," former GLAAD President Allison Palmer said in a press release about Thursday's news. Palmer worked with Facebook on the project. "Facebook's new gender options will make a difference to many transgender and gender nonconforming users, who are now empowered to accurately describe their own identities on the platform."

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The "Happy Birthday Colin" Facebook page.


Being 10-years-old is hard enough -- and add in an isolating syndrome like Asperger's and making friends can be even more difficult.
Such is the case of Colin. He is a 10-year-old boy who lives in Michigan and is on the lower end of the autism spectrum. Despite his efforts to make friends, he is usually made fun of and eats his lunch in the school office because other kids won't let him sit at their tables, according to his mother.

When Colin's mother, Jennifer Cunningham, asked him if he wanted a birthday party, he responded that there wasn't any point because he didn't have friends. That's when she decided to surprise him by creating a "Happy Birthday Colin" Facebook page.

"I created this page for my amazing, wonderful, challenging son who is about to turn 11 on March 9th. Because of Colin's disabilities, social skills are not easy for him, and he often acts out in school, and the other kids don't like him," Cunningham wrote on February 2, when she created the page. "So I thought, if I could create a page where people could send him positive thoughts and encouraging words, that would be better than any birthday party."In just 10 days, the page has reached more than 1.4 million likes. Tens of thousands of people from around the world have commented on the page, wishing Colin happy birthday and commending Cunningham for helping her son. Hundreds of others have sent snail mail birthday cards and letters to Colin with good wishes.
As the page continues to gain popularity, Cunningham has shared details about Colin and his disposition. She says he's a thoughtful boy who loves Nintendo 3DS, Pokémon, and Doctor Who. He also doesn't complain about being picked on.

"Not once, despite everything he goes through every day, does he whine or complain about having to go to school," Cunningham wrote last week. "When I asked him why he said, 'Because you've got [to] keep trying.'"

Colin still doesn't know about the surprise awaiting him. Cunningham will reveal the Facebook page to him on his birthday in March.
"Colin was telling me all the people from countries all over the world that he has 'met' via friend codes on his DS," Cunningham wrote on Friday, "and I was dying to tell him about the thousands of people all over the world that know his name because of this page, but we have a month to go yet till his birthday, so I kept it in."

Mock-ups of larger iPhone 6 models with no side bezel.


Apple is testing an iPhone 6 with a bezel-free design, the latest in a long line of rumors about an iPhone that puts more features behind the glass.
Will the iPhone 6 finally ditch the bezel? Mock-ups like to think so. The real thing is less certain, though.

The latest speculation comes from the Korea Herald, which said that Apple may bring out a bezel-free iPhone 6 that supports fingerprint scanning.
The rumor was widely reported in blogs that follow Apple.
A bezel-free design -- which some publications depict as an edge-to-edge display -- would presumably require the fingerprint scanner to be incorporated into the display. On the iPhone 5S, fingerprint scanning is done via the home button.

This is by no means a first for this rumor. Speculation about an iPhone with an edge-to-edge display has been around for years.
The problem is, the real next-gen iPhone, aka iPhone 6, isn't due for a long time.

So, Apple could very well be testing a bezel-free design, but what the company ultimately decides is unknown.
And note that there have also been reports of a planned iPhone 6 with glass that is curved at the edges.

The Korea Herald also claims that Samsung's Galaxy S5 will come with the side bezels removed, citing new touch panel technology that would allow this.

HP Slate 6 Voice Tab


HP, the tech giant that it is, can choose not to call its new 6-inch device a smartphone, or even a phablet, but we are pretty sure that the HP Slate 6 Voice Tab is one. And a good one at that too. Here is why.
It looks and feels like a smartphone: If you had doubts of what the Slate 6 VoiceTab would look like, you would be disappointed when you opened the box. For it looks like any other six-inch smartphone, the Sony Xperia Z or the HTC One Max. Six inches means any adult can easily grip the phone and make a call. Six inches means you can afford not to invest in a tablet to go along with your phone. The Slate 6 has superb build quality, the kind you would expect from a company like HP which has always dabbled with premium devices. But we are not so sure about the bling factor. There is a champagne finish metallic frame that runs around that device along with a shiny texture back. Not for everyone I would say.
It does everything that a phone does: Seven inch tablets with voice are primarily tablets that let you make voice calls too. That is meant for people who would use the device primary for tablet-like data-heavy uses. With the Slate 6, you don’t have to make that sacrifice. Use it just as a phone and you would be quite happy. Yes, it is difficult to make calls with one hand. But people won’t stare at you if you keep this device to your ear, unlike those using a tiffin box-sized tablet for the same. The audio quality is really good, and that is a plus for all tablets with voice don’t do all that well on this front. In other words, you can use this as a phone without a Bluetooth device, that is almost a prerequisite with voice tabs. Plus, it has two SIM slots. How many tablets do you know that do that?
Its performance rivals top-end smartphones: Any tablet with voice calling will have the performance of a tablet, which often is not at par with that of a smartphone. It won’t take you long to realise that the Slate 6 is different. It is not powered by a Quallcomm or MediaTek processor, but the Marvell PXA1088 1.2Ghz Quad Core is fast and slick. The multi-tasking that Android 4.3 affords you is seamless and easy thanks to the powerful processor. If benchmarks scores are your dope, then let me tell you that the scores are what you would find in the best mid-range phones. That would be above the Samsung Galaxy S2 and below Google Nexus 4, numbers almost impossible to achieve for the present dayvoice tablets. Use the Full HD screen for gaming or to watch a HD video, you won’t be disappointed with the graphics quality or the overall experience. Plus, it has two front firing speakers that are never seen in tablets.
It is also priced like a smartphone: Of late, seven-inch voice tablets have been priced quite affordably. But the Slate 6 is priced more like a middle segment smartphone at a very competitive Rs 22,999.
However, it has the camera of tablet: With all those smartphone like features listed above you would expect this device to have at least a 8MP camera. But that is not the case. It seems this where HP decided to cut corners, as the rear camera has a measly 5MP sensor. Compare this to the other six-inchers that sport 13MP and so on. The results are decent in daylight and very so-so indoors and in low light. In artificial light it lacks clarity and that is very dissapointng. And yes, it reminds me of tablets, not smartphones.
It also has the battery of  a tablet, and that is good: This is one of the best features of this device. The 3000 mAh battery can easily last 36 hours with decent use. It will last more if you are using it like a second device. If only more smartphones behaved this way.
So should you buy this as a tablet or a smartphone: If you are looking for a tablet that can make calls once in a while then look for cheaper options. But if you want smartphone that is as good as a tablet, then this is a good option that is much cheaper than than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the clear leaders in this segment. But the device is good value for money without an element of doubt.
Tech Specs: 6-inch 720p HD IPS screen | 1.2GHz quad-core Marvell PXA1088 processor | 1GB RAM | 16GB storage + microSD slot (64GB) | 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera | Dual SIM slots 2G/3G | 3000 mAh battery | Android 4.3 |  Buletooth 3.0, WiFi – 802.11b/g/n & WAPI, GPS&AGPS
Rs 22,999