Home Tags Posts tagged with "Will"
Tag:

Will

Gadgets News

LG to Break Annual Smartphone Launch Cycle, Will ‘Change as Needed’

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

LG to Break Annual Smartphone Launch Cycle, Will 'Change as Needed'

LG, at a press conference in CES 2018, has reportedly revealed that it will take a departure from its annual smartphone launch cycle. The company will no longer fix a regular timeline to announce its handsets as it has done historically – with the G-Series being launched in the first half, and the V-Series being launched in the second half. The move could be a strategy to revamp its struggling smartphone business that has been incurring losses for several quarters now. Alongside the shift from launch cycles, LG also wants to release more variants of its existing lineup. This means we could see more smartphones in LG’s G and V series. LG is said to be reassessing its smartphone business and everything is up for a change.

As per a report in The Korea Herald, LG Electronics CEO and Vice Chairman Jo Seong-jin (aka Cho Sung-jin) at a press conference at CES 2018 said that the company will launch new smartphones “when it is needed”. Jo was responding to a question about whether the LG G7 would be launched, after recent reports claimed the company may be ditching the the G series entirely.

He also says LG will not unveil new smartphones “just because other rivals do”. Instead, Jo revealed that LG wants to increase the longevity of its existing lineup of smartphones by launching more “variant models in the G series or V series.” LG says that it has changed its strategy as it wanted to “retain a good platform for a long (time)” and also because of growing concerns over the supply of lithium components.

Meanwhile, ZDNet quotes Jo at the same press conference to say, “If there is something that is needed to be changed, we will change it.” This may include changing the name of the G-Series, or even the V-Series. ZDNet also cited a report from South Korea which says that LG will be dumping the G brand and will not name the first flagship smartphone of 2018 as the G7.

LG considers the G6 and V30 well-done products and will keep pushing “good platforms” like those. An earlier report in The Investor had also suggested that “LG is preparing a new brand strategy for the G series in the first half of the year. Numbering the phone with a two-digit number and rebranding the phone with a new name are some of the options on the table.”

The South Korean consumer electronics giant was expected to announce its latest flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona. Meanwhile, Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy S9 will debut at MWC 2018 in February. However, it remains to be seen if LG will be ready with its new flagship device by then.

[“source=gadgets.ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Internet

Apple Responds to Investors’ Demand on iPhone Addiction in Kids, Says It Will Improve Parental Controls

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Apple Responds to Investors' Demand on iPhone Addiction in Kids, Says It Will Improve Parental Controls

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Apple says it already offers a variety of parental controls
  • The company says that more robust tools can be expected
  • Two prominent investors had asked Apple to help curb addiction

Responding to demands to help curb smartphone addiction amongst children, Apple said the iPhoneand other devices running on its mobile software already offer a variety of controls that enable parents to restrict or block “effectively anything a child could download or access online.” However, it would bring “new features and enhancements” in future updates.

“We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them,” Apple said in the statement. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.” The company said it is “constantly looking” to improve its offerings, and that it plans new features that will make parental controls “even more robust.”

To recall, two major Apple investors have urged the iPhone maker to help curb smartphone addiction among children, highlighting a growing concern about the effects of gadgets and social media on youngsters.

New York-based Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System said in open letter to Apple that the company must offer more choices and tools to help children fight addiction to its devices. The two investors collectively control $2 billion (roughly Rs. 12,700 crores) worth of Apple shares.

“Apple can play a defining role in signalling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do,” the letter said.

Among their proposals to Apple: Establish a committee of experts, including child development specialists; offer Apple’s “vast information resources” to researchers; and enhance mobile device software so that parents have more options to protect their children’s health.

The investors’ letter cited various studies on the negative effects of smartphones and social media on children’s mental and physical health. Examples include distractions from digital technologies in the classroom, a decreased ability of students to focus on educational tasks, and higher risks of suicide and depression.

A study published in November suggested that heavy smartphone use and social media exposure among teens may contribute to depression and other traits linked with suicide. But that and similarly designed research cannot rule out that already troubled teens may be more likely than others to be frequent users of smartphones and social media.

In its most recent update on teens and media use, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in 2016 that social media and internet use have benefits and potential risks for teens. It urged families to create their own media use plans that include consistent time and content limits.

The American Psychiatric Association does not consider heavy internet use a true mental addiction and says more research is needed.

The letter released Saturday touches upon the growing concerns about the long-term impact of gadgets and social media, especially for those who start to use smartphones at an early age.

While tech companies have not acknowledged openly that their gadgets may be addictive, some Silicon Valley insiders have begun to speak about how gadgets, mobile applications and social media sites are designed to be addictive and to keep users’ attention as long as possible.

Facebook’s founding president, Sean Parker, said recently, for example, that the company exploits a “vulnerability in human psychology” to addict its users. He called its stream of comments, “likes” and reactions a “social validation feedback loop that exploits how human brains work.” And, he said, “God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.”

James Steyer, the CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies kids’ technology use, called the letter a “big deal” in the ongoing effort to make it clear that cellphones are a “public health concern.”

“It’s the beginning of a much bigger conversation about these issues and it’s great that shareholders care about it,” he said.

Apple said it regularly considers how the iPhone and its other products affect the people who use them. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids,” the company said.

Steyer said Apple is in a position to do more. Among other things, he said, Apple can finance independent research on the effects of mobile phone use and pay for public education campaigns that teach parents and kids about responsible technology use. He said Apple can also design addiction-prevention features, such as an automatic shut-off after an hour.

But Steyer said a bigger problem is with social media companies “designing platforms to grab and retain your children.” He said companies such as Twitter, Facebook and Snap will change “only with major pressure from the public and from shareholders.”

The Apple letter is the start of a bigger push by one of the investors, Jana, to focus on socially responsible investing, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The investor, the Journal said, is planning to raise billions of dollars to launch a new fund, Jana Impact Capital, to invest in companies that should be “better corporate citizens.” The idea is that responsible companies can produce better long-term value not just for shareholders, but for society.

[“Source-ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Gadgets News

iPhone Battery Replacement Programme Will Cost Apple $10 Billion From Reduced Sales: Barclays

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

iPhone Battery Replacement Programme Will Cost Apple $10 Billion From Reduced Sales: Barclays

HIGHLIGHTS

  • iPhone software slows down some of the devices with battery problems
  • Apple had reduced the price of replacement of batteries from $79 to $29
  • 16 million iPhone sales may be lost due to battery replacements

Apple’s offer to replace old batteries at cheaper rates may affect new iPhone sales in 2018. Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz, in a note, says that even a small percentage of people opting for battery replacement over upgrade could affect the sale of new iPhone models. Apple had recently
apologised for slowing down iPhone models and offered a new battery replacement programme.

Under the new offer, Apple has reduced the price of replacement for out-of-warranty batteries (in iPhone 6 or later) from $79 to $29. In India, the price of a new battery will cost Rs. 2,000 plus taxes instead of the earlier price tag of roughly Rs. 6,500 (inclusive of taxes), Apple had revealed. In a post on December 28, Apple had apologised over its handling of the battery issue and said it would make several changes for users.

However, according to a 9to5Mac report citing the Barclays analyst note, sales of 16 million iPhone units will possibly be lost. In the note, Moskowitz has said that Apple’s recent iPhone battery controversy and the apology could be a good PR move but it will hit iPhone sales, affecting around 4 percent reduction in revenue.

The Barclays analysis predicts that Apple will exchange around 10 percent of the total 519 million iPhone models eligible for replacement. It adds that the $29 price may generate $1.56 billion in terms of revenue, but Apple will lose around $10 billion due to potential loss of the 16 million iPhone units.

On December 20, Apple had acknowledged that iPhone software slows down some the devices with battery problems. This had lead to lawsuits and consumer outrage based on the common belief that Apple was slowing down older iPhone models in order to push people to buy the newer variants. However, Apple later denied having taken any move to intentionally shorten the life of a product.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
News Update

The Galaxy S9 will reportedly be a more iterative update and could show up at CES

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

All the major smartphones of 2017 are out in the world, but it’s never to early to start thinking about next year’s flagships. Samsung is reportedly starting earlier than ever, with the company reportedly previewing the S9 and S9+ at CES in January, according to Evan Blass at VentureBeat.

The S9 and S9+ are said to be more iterative updates on the existing S8 and S8+ than the radical redesign Samsung offered this year. According to Blass, the new phones should see upgraded processors — likely Qualcomm’s forthcoming Snapdragon 845 — for an extra speed boost, but the biggest change is said to be Samsung moving the fingerprint sensor back below the camera, instead of the problematic location next to the lens that Samsung has placed it on the S8, S8+, and Note 8. Both phones should also see the addition of AKG stereo speakers. And don’t worry, the headphone jack is reportedly sticking around for another year.

According to Blass, the S9+ is also getting a few upgrades over the smaller S9, with the larger device reportedly getting 6GB of RAM (instead of the 4GB found in the S9), and a second rear camera similar to the Note 8.

Finally, Samsung is also rumored to be releasing a new version of its DeX dock that places the phone flat, allowing it to be used as a virtual keyboard or touchpad. (It’s also said to be backwards compatible with older Samsung devices.)

It’s still not clear how much of this will be previewed at CES versus Samsung’s traditional March launch event, which is also reportedly taking place. But with the annual tech show looming in the distance, it won’t be too long of a wait.

source;-.theverge.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Gadgets News

OnePlus Downplays Backdoor Issue on Testing App, Says OTA Update Will Remove Root Access

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

OnePlus Downplays Backdoor Issue on Testing App, Says OTA Update Will Remove Root Access

OnePlus received fresh criticism from experts as well as users of the OnePlus 3, 3T, and 5 for leaving behind a testing app that could leave a backdoor, allowing root access to be gained without unlocking the phone. The Chinese company has finally come out and defended its move. OnePlus has downplayed the root access exploit, and said even this access will be removed from the app in an upcoming over-the-air update.

OnePlus explained that EngineerMode app presence in its devices won’t provide root access for third-party apps, and, even otherwise, root privileges without unlocking the phone can only only be gained with physical access to the device in USB debugging mode.

“Yesterday, we received a lot of questions regarding an apk found in several devices, including our own, named EngineerMode, and we would like to explain what it is. EngineerMode is a diagnostic tool mainly used for factory production line functionality testing and after sales support,” said a member from OxygenOS team.

“We’ve seen several statements by community developers that are worried because this apk grants root privileges. While, it can enable adb root which provides privileges for adb commands, it will not let 3rd-party apps access full root privileges. Additionally, adb root is only accessible if USB debugging, which is off by default, is turned on, and any sort of root access would still require physical access to your device,” the staff member added.

A Twitter user in a series of tweets explained how the exploit can be used to gain root access on the OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T, and OnePlus 5. Carl Pei, Co-Founder OnePlus, had at the time confirmed that the company was looking into the issue.

“While we don’t see this as a major security issue, we understand that users may still have concerns and therefore we will remove the adb root function from EngineerMode in an upcoming OTA,” the company confirmed in its forum post.

[“source=gadgets.ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Blogging

6 WordPress Plugins That Will Speed up Your Site

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

6 WordPress Plugins That Will Speed up Your Site

With all the hard work that you put into building your website, do you know the one thing that can kill it before it even has a chance?

Speed.

Loading speed is essential to your site’s success.

Think about it. How long are you willing to wait for a site to load before you decide to just move onto the next one?

Not long, right?

Most visitors to your site are only willing to wait a matter of seconds for your site to load before they decide it isn’t worth the effort and escape out, back to Google, where they will eventually make their way to your competition.

Speaking of Google, the search engine includes your loading speed in its search algorithms. The faster your site, the better your ranking. (Here’s a great podcaston the subject)

Does a slow loading site equate disaster? Well, it can, but only if you choose not to do anything about it. We have the workaround you need.

WordPress Plugins.

These plugins are designed to increase the load speed of your page through a variety of mechanisms. Which one you need depends greatly on the structure, design, and reach of your page.

There are plugins for extremely high traffic sites, plugins for image heavy sites, and every need you might have in between.

To help you narrow down which WordPress plugin is best for your site, we have narrowed down some of our favorites, each filling a slightly different focus.

Here is our list of chart-topper, speed-inducing plugins.

1. Faster Rendering: WP Fastest Cache

WP Fastest Cache Comparison

Looking for a plugin that is fast, intuitive and after 3 million downloads, still maintains a five-star review?

WP Fastest Cache is your answer.

You have put in hard work on your site and now you are generating tons of views. This is great.

Except the heavier the traffic flow is generated to your site; the more RAM and CPU is used and this means only one thing.

Slow rendering.

WP Fastest Cache creates a static HTML file, so that multiple users reach the same static page rather than having the page render repeatedly.

Looking at the 5-star reviews this plug in receives, user site speed, functionality and ease of use among the top features.

More than 400,000 active installations can’t be wrong.

The only downside? To take full advantage of all the features will require a premium version.

2. Caching: W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache

If you’re looking for a free web caching option, W3 Total Cache is the most advanced plugin for web performance optimization to date.

This plugin is one of the most respected and recommended WPO frameworks by major web developers and web host. Plus, it has gained the trust of big business names like AT&T and Mashable.

Impressive. But, is W3 Total Cache the right plugin for your needs?

This plugin will do a lot for you. The website boasts perks such as

  • At least 10x improvement in overall site performance.
  • Improvements in conversion rates.
  • Improvements in search engine rankings.
  • Up to 80 percent bandwidth savings.

And, that is just the tip of the cache iceberg.

W3 Total Cache is a big-time plugin with a monstrous number of features. For high volume, high traffic sites, a plugin with these capabilities is essential.

On the other hand, the complexity of this plugin doesn’t make it = user-friendly to the uninitiated and its intended audience is experts in the field. The features can be overwhelming and, honestly, too complicated for the small-time user.

3. Compressing JavaScript & CSS Files: WP Super Minify

WP Super Minify

WP Super Minify, with 20,000 active installations, combines and compresses HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files to reduce the time it takes your website to load.

SEO 101: A Beginner’s Guide
Read Search Engine Journal’s guide, SEO 101: Learn the Basics of Search Engine Optimization.

DOWNLOAD for FREE!
ADVERTISEMENT

The three-step process for installing this plugin include downloading the plugin, uploading it to the directory and activating it through the plugins menu.

The process really couldn’t be any simpler or foolproof.

WP Super Minify won’t increase Google page speed as much as some of the more technical plugins, however, many users can expect an increase of 2-4 percent.

Not too bad for an easy and intuitive plugin.

4. Reducing Image Size: WP Smush

WP Smush It

WP Smush is an award-winning, image compression plugin.

Every image on your site can increase page load time. In the past, the only real way around this was by compromising image quality. With WP Smush, every image is compressed so that the overall size is decreased, yet the integrity and quality of the image remain intact.

What are some of the perks of WP Smush?

  • It supports all common image formats including JPEG, GIF, and PNG.
  • Removes unused colors from images.
  • It is compatible with other plugins.
  • Compresses any image in your directory.
  • Removes metadata from JPEG images.
  • Multiple images to compress? No problem. W3 Smush handles up to 50 at a time.

WP Smush is the go-to plugin for image optimization.

5. Decreasing Pageload: BJ Lazy Load

BJ Lazy Load Options

When a user enters your site, all the content on the page is automatically loaded. No matter how much content there is.

What if your page is large, or contains many images? Loading time is naturally going to be slower.

BJ Lazy Load has the solution.

When this plugin is installed, your page no longer loads all at once.

Isn’t this a bad thing?

Not at all.

Rather than loading content that the viewer is not ready to access, BJ Lazy Load delays loading it until the user is ready.

For example, let’s say you have a long page and lots of written content filled with images. Obviously this isn’t a quick browse.

As the viewer scrolls along, content iframes are replaced with placeholders so that the page loads bit by bit, rather than all at once. The visitor won’t notice this, and that’s exactly the point.

6. Optimizing the Database: WP-Optimize

WP Optimize

Running a WordPress site and/or blog can lead to a highly inefficient database.

Every time a new page or post is saved, WordPress creates a revision of that post or page. So, if you edit a post 6 times (as I’ve done so far with this post) there might be 5 copies of this post as revisions.

As you can imagine, this quickly adds data to the database table resulting in unnecessarily bloat and slower access.

In other cases, a large blog might have thousands of spam or un-approved comments saved in their tables, causing further inefficiencies.

In short, WP-Optimize allows you to clean up and optimize your database to make it run better. You can also remove all those post revisions and comments automatically to ensure your database is running neat, fast, and efficient.

Once enabled, you can define a schedule which will automatically clean-up your database by removing all unnecessary data like spam comments, trashed content, etc., compact/de-fragment your MySQL tables, show database statistics and potential savings and more.

What Are You Waiting For?

Once upon a time, WordPress was viewed as a platform for the blogging niche. Over time it has evolved into a highly functional content management system that can be used to create any type of website.

We want your site to reach its potential. This can only be achieved when it is fully optimized for speed and usability. These WordPress plugins help your site to appear professional and user-friendly, two factors you need for success.

Downloading is easy, and you need at least one of these plugins right now. Don’t wait.

Increase your speed and start optimizing traffic today.

[“Source-searchenginejournal”]

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Education

‘Your child is at risk’: Will Carrigan’s parents say education is key to suicide prevention

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Will Carrigan with his nephew Eddie.

Rugby league is a big deal in the Upper Hunter in regional New South Wales. But on a recent weekend, fierce competitors put rivalry aside and came together for a common cause.

The event was the Where There’s A Will round, named in honour of the former front rower for the Scone Thoroughbreds, Will Carrigan, who took his own life on Christmas Day 2015.

Will’s parents, Pauline and Hilton Carrigan, do not want anyone to go through what they have endured.

They have turned their grief into action and are campaigning to save lives.

“Someone said to me, ‘What would have saved Will?'” Mrs Carrigan said.

Her answer: “Education.”

Rugby players stand in a rowPHOTO: Rugby League players taking part in the Where There’s A Will round. (ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

‘Don’t be us’

Will, 24, was a fun-loving larrikin, his father said.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

  • Lifeline on 13 11 14
  • Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
  • MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
  • Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
  • Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
  • Headspace on 1800 650 890

“Just an ordinary country boy that did his work, loved his sport and loved all his mates,” Mr Carrigan said.

“Took his own life. We never saw it coming.”

The couple said they could now see their son was struggling.

“How does a boy who has everything explain to someone that they’re not well, and it’s not what they want, or it’s not how they saw it going?” Mrs Carrigan said.

Will Carrigan's parents, Pauline and Hilton.PHOTO: Will Carrigan’s parents, Pauline and Hilton. (ABC News: Simon Beardsell)

After their son’s death, the Carrigans set out to learn more about youth suicide and depression.

“If I can say one thing, don’t be us,” Mrs Carrigan said.

“There’s a certain amount of guilt that came when I found out the statistics and I realised our children had been at risk for an awfully long time and we didn’t know.

“So we are doing you a favour by telling you your child is at risk.

“Don’t assume there is a typical type that commit suicide. They’re just normal, everyday children.”

Hopes program will go national

Hilton and Pauline Carrigan stand with rugby playersPHOTO: Hilton and Pauline Carrigan with some of Will’s former teammates. (ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

The Carrigans launched the Where There’s A Will charity with the aim of improving children’s mental health through education, starting at school but involving the whole community.

“I realised that you could actually immunise a child for their future, that you could teach them resilience and give them a cup half-full [mentality] in simple terms that prepares them for the knockbacks that they are going to take,” Mrs Carrigan said.

With funding from the charity, school teachers have undergone special training. Positive education programs have been introduced into more than 20 schools in the Hunter Valley.

Kim Wilson, a Year 1 teacher at St Mary’s Primary in Scone, said she was already seeing results.

“In two terms of doing this the language has changed, the kids are expressing their feelings, and they can say why they are happy and why they are sad,” Ms Wilson said.

Where There’s A Will is also running “mental health first aid” programs for adults in the community to help them identify children who are struggling.

Media player: “Space” to play, “M” to mute, “left” and “right” to seek.

VIDEO: A message from the sons of the Upper Hunter to their fathers. Video by the Where There’s A Will charity. (ABC News)

Simon Murray, who heads the Positive Education Schools Association, said he was convinced what was happening in the Upper Hunter could lead to change across Australia.

“We will get data and evidence and publish that and this could become an exemplar for other regional centres and cities,” he said.

“This is a terribly important initiative for the rest of this country and I just hope the policy makers, the bureaucrats and the politicians, are actually noticing what’s happening.”

Mrs Carrigan said the hard work by Where There’s A Will and its supporters was paying off.

“We know that two boys who were contemplating suicide reached out for help and both came from that fact that they had been involved in [positive education] programs within the last six weeks,” she said.

“We lost our son, we won’t get him back. It’s our duty to make sure that other people don’t have to go through this and that’s the bottom line.”

‘Makes you pretty proud’

Hilton and Pauline Carrigan with Todd Greenberg.PHOTO: NRL CEO Todd Greenberg is proud the sporting community came together for Where There’s A Will. (ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

Back at the rugby league, Will’s former teammates said what happened to their friend had changed them all.

“It’s a big thing and I think it’s great what Pauline and the foundation are doing,” Tom Hagen said.

“Just getting word out into the community, just get a bit of awareness into people that it’s alright to talk and they don’t have to fight all their battles alone.”

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg attended the Where There’s a Will round.

“Makes you pretty proud as a leader of a sport to be here today and actually see this community come together for such an important cause,” he said.

After the game the local sports club was jam-packed for the auctioning of the players’ jerseys, with all proceeds going to the charity.

The last jersey to go was number 14, Will Carrigan’s.

“I think a lot of people in the room will know what it stands for,” Mr Greenberg told those gathered.

“I encourage you to bid strongly for it. I’m going to put the first one up for the NRL at $3,000.”

The bidding was fierce but the final offer of $13,500 was made by Mr Greenberg. And he’s sending the jersey home.

“This jersey could take pride of place in the rugby league museum, in a lot of places, but it belongs with the Carrigan family,” he said.

[“Source-abc”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Tech Update

The next Google Maps update will answer all of your questions

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Google Maps now includes a helpful Q&A section in the app

Google Maps now includes a helpful Q&A section in the app
Google Maps has rolled-out an update to its mobile app that takes advantage of local knowledge.

The latest Google Maps beta includes a new Q&A section that lets users pose queries about local attractions, restaurants or bars to the owner – or the “broader community”.

According to Google, questions will be answered by “the owner and broader community” as well as local guides and experts.

When you tap on a venue in the updated Google Maps, the Q&A section will appear between the address and photos.

It looks very similar in appearance to the Q&A section included with items on Amazon.

This could prove to be a great way to quickly access local knowledge, or pass along feedback directly to the owner of your favourite restaurant or pub.

Google Maps users can now ask questions to local guides, restaurant owners, and moreANDROID POLICE • GOOGLE

Google Maps users can now ask questions to local guides, restaurant owners, and more

Google Maps version 9.59.0, which is currently available as an APK installation, includes the new feature.

Another new addition to the software is picture-in-picture support.

According to AndroidPolice, users running Android 8.0 are able to run Maps as a standalone floating windows on your homescreen, allowing you to access other apps and respond to notifications while still in sight of the directions.

This is still in the early stages of beta, so don’t be surprised when text and navigation elements start to jumble together.

Google Maps – Tips and Tricks Everyone Needs To Know

The tips and tricks that every Google Maps user should know

EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS • GOOGLE
Monthly driving statistics are also expected to arrive in a future Google Maps update.

The nifty new report would report on your average driving speed, time spent in traffic, and time saved thanks to Google Maps.

Google will also include useful tips it believes will be useful for your driving style.

Expect to see some of these feature roll-out to all Google Maps users in the coming months.

In the meantime, you can sign-up as a beta tester and gain access to all of the feature beforehand.

[“Source-express”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Tech Update

Indian Smartphone Market Will See Strong Growth in Q3, Says JP Morgan

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Indian Smartphone Market Will See Strong Growth in Q3, Says JP Morgan

A strong pick-up in smartphone market is expected in the third quarter of 2017 driven by improved sentiments and inventory build up before the upcoming festive season, according to a report by JP Morgan.

The report estimated that demand was soft in the Indian smartphone market in the second quarter (April-June) 2017 compared to the year-ago period, given the lack of clarity around GST implementation that “postponed the usual inventory build”.

Also the demand was impacted on account of slower conversion of feature phone users to smartphone users.

“We believe that sentiment has improved in early July and the third quarter of 2017 should see a strong pick-up with inventory builds and preparation for the peak sell through season in late third quarter and early fourth quarter,” the report on ‘India smartphone market’ said.

It added the July-September quarter could see 25-30 percent sequential growth in smartphone units, implying a seven percent year-on-year growth.

The report noted that smartphones accounted for 45 percent of the total handsets in April-June quarter. It “may remain in the same range, affected in the short-term by the launch of the Rs. 1,500 ($23) Reliance Jio feature phone”.

Last month, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio had announced its new feature phone, offering life-long free voice calls bundled with 4G data streaming at an “effective price of zero”. The phone, targeted at 50 crore feature phone users in the country, will be available for pre-booking from August 24 on payment of a refundable security deposit of Rs. 1,500.

“This is likely to appeal heavily to current feature phone users, who are primarily on the 2G network. This may slow the migration from feature phone to smartphones for some users in the near term…,” the JP Morgan report said.

However, as prices come down, the adoption should again pick up, the report added.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Tech UpdateUncategorized

Lenovo K8 Note, Launching on August 9, Will Be an Amazon Exclusive in India

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Lenovo K8 Note, Launching on August 9, Will Be an Amazon Exclusive in India

 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Amazon India has created a dedicated webpage for Lenovo K8 Note
  • Users can sign up to be notified about the smartphone
  • The Lenovo K8 Note India launch is on August 9

Lenovo K8 Note will be available exclusively on Amazon India when it launches on August 9, according to the dedicated Web page set up by the e-commerce company. The Amazon India Lenovo K8 Note page shows that the smartphone’s highlight features will be performance and photography. Users can also opt to get notifications regarding updates about the K8 Note from the e-commerce site by signing up on the page. The upcoming Lenovo handset adds to the list of Amazon-exclusive smartphones in India, which includes the BlackBerry KEYone that was announced on Tuesday.

Lenovo K8 Note specifications

The Amazon India page for the Lenovo K8 Note highlights performance and photography as the notable features of the smartphone. A GeekBench listing revealed some key specifications of the upcoming ‘Killer Note’ model. According to the leak, the smartphone will run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and will be powered by a 1.4GHz MediaTek Helio X20 SoC, backed by 4GB of RAM. Both the processor and RAM are improvements over the K6 Note’s Snapdragon 430 SoC and 3GB of RAM.

Lenovo K8 Note India launch was confirmed last week on social media by the company, after a series of math-based quizzes asking fans to guess the name of the phone. The company has skipped the K7 Note moniker, and is skipping directly to the K8 Note name.

The reason behind going with ‘8’ is still unknown, but the number does suggest that the smartphone could sport a dual rear camera setup. To recall, the Lenovo K6 Note only featured a single rear camera, which makes it even more likely for the next iteration to get a dual camera module.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
error: Content is protected !!