Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Meets PM Modi to Discuss the Digital India Project

 Narendra Modi has a long list of high-profile guests flying over to India to meet him. The recent addition to the list was Microsoft’s Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella.

 Nadella after meeting the PM at his office on Friday commented, “it’s always fantastic for me personally to be in India and the conversation I had with the minister was wide ranging,”

 Nadella is the third major tech executive to meet PM Modi, after Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. While it is largely being dubbed as a personal visit for the India-born chief executive of the American software giant, he was also supposed to address Microsoft’s employees in India on Friday.

 Earlier in the day Nadella met PM Narendra Modi and communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. “I have an aspiration that in this mobile and cloud world, we can empower every individual citizen of India and every business organization and institution in India to be able to try with new technology. So, I am looking forward to be a part of both the Digital India and Make in India,” he said.

 One of the major highlight of this high-profile meeting was the talks between Nadella and telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad where he urged the telecom minister to allow Microsoft to pilot its ‘White-Fi’ technology to provide internet connectivity in remote villages in the country.

 Microsoft India, since last month, has been seeking approvals to deploy a project that will enable Internet connectivity using ‘White Space’ spectrum that is currently used for television transmission by Doordarshan. White space technology has previously been deployed in South Africa, Ghana, and the UK, although to this point, white space broadband hasn’t been deployed at a commercially meaningful scale.

 This was the second courtesy call of the Microsoft CEO to PM Narendra Modi. Nadella met the Prime Minister earlier during his first India visit after taking charge as boss of the top software company.

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Google fibre services in India soon

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 24:  

Internet giant Google is in talks with the IT Ministry to roll out optical fibre-based broadband services as part of the Digital India programme. Google plans to roll out a fibre network in a small area as a showcase project.

According to top officials in the IT Ministry, the discussions are at an initial stage. “We are keen to partner a company like Google in furthering the Digital India plan. Modalities have to be worked out,” the official said. One of the issues being discussed is whether Google can be allowed to do the project without having to acquire a telecom licence.

Google has launched a similar programme in the US called Google Fiber where it provides broadband internet and television to a small area. The service was first introduced in Kansas City. In February 2014, Google announced that it had chosen another 34 cities as candidates for expansion.

When contacted, Google India spokesperson said that the company continuously engages with the Centre on various programmes. The spokesperson did not comment specifically on the fibre project. However, IT Ministry officials said that some experts from Google’s US operation are expected in India to evaluate the project.

In a 2012 blog post, Google had said that Google Fiber will offer a different experience from other internet and TV providers.

“Our internet is 100 times faster. Our TV has hundreds of channels in crystal clear HD. And we’re offering quality service plans that are affordable,” Google had said while launching in Kansas.

For players like Google, internet proliferation is key if it wants to reach the next billion consumers.

However the big challenge is that telecom companies are cash strapped to quickly roll out infrastructure that supports data services. In India, for example, most of the telecom operators are struggling under huge debt and high spectrum costs.

Therefore players such as Google and Facebook have been experimenting with balloons and solar-powered drones to address the need for cost-effective connectivity. The more people are connected on the Internet the more money can be made by selling advertisement space on websites and mobile portals.

This strategy fits in very well with the Indian Government’s agenda of taking internet and digital technologies to the masses.

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Samsung Finally Brings Out the Note Edge in India for Rs. 64,900

 Samsung has brought its edgy new device, the Note Edge to India. The company unveiled the device at the IFA Berlin earlier this year, alongside the Note 4. It was quite a surprise when it was launched as Samsung had done a good job at keeping it a secret. This is a unique device as it has a slightly curved screen on the side that acts a second display and which can be used for viewing notifications without unlocking the main display.

 The device carries pretty much the same specs as the Note 4. The device gets its processing might from a quad-core, 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 processor which is supported by 3GB RAM. It has 32 GB internal storage that is expandable up to 128 GB.

 Just like its un-curved sibling, the Note Edge also sports a Quad HD display. The 5.6 inch primary display is coupled with a curved display also known as the edge display. This display can be used to access frequently used apps, check alerts and notifications, news and more. This display stays on even when the main display is covered, so it’s convenient to catch on with the essentials without disturbing the main screen.

 The camera was one of the highlights of the Note 4, and it is true for the Note Edge as well. It carries almost all the features of the Note 4 including wide selfies and OIS. The main camera on the device is a 16 MP shooter that comes with optical image stabilization. The camera on the front has been designed keeping selfies in mind. It gives you the option to shoot 90-degree selfies and an option to take even wider 120-degree selfies by panning the device around.

 The S-pen, that separates the Note family from the rest of the smartphones in the market, is incorporated in this device too. Samsung has added improved functionalities to the S-pen this time around. You can use it like a mouse to click and drag multiple files, use smart select to combine multiple files together and it offers better handwriting recognition than previous generation S-pens.

 Samsung claims that the Note Edge has improved battery life. The device has a 3000 mAh battery which is 220 mAh less than the Note 4. Samsung claims that using its adaptive charging feature; the device charges 30% faster than conventional methods.

 The device is priced at Rs. 64,900 and will go on sale in January 2015. It will be available in ‘Charcoal Black’ and ‘Frost White’ color variants in the India.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note to Go on Sale on 30th December

 Xiaomi returned back today with fresh stocks of the Redmi 1S, its blockbuster low-cost smartphone. The sale went on longer than the usual Xiaomi flash sales, but the company did end up selling all of its stock as usual. The company has now revealed the date of the flash sale of the Redmi Note.

 Xiaomi will hold a flash sale for the 4G variant of the Redmi Note 0n Tuesday 30th December at 2pm. The device has a price tag of Rs. 9,999. It is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The 5.5-inch 720p HD display will also be appreciated by multimedia enthusiasts.

 A 3G variant was also launched by the company and it was priced at Rs. 8,999. This variant of the phone has been banned from sale by Delhi high court following an infringement accusation from Ericsson India.

 So if you want to enjoy the big screen goodness of the Redmi Note, make sure you register for the sale on Flipkart by the 29th of December.

Sony Teases the New Xperia Z4

 January is the month when CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics trade show comes to town. CES 2015 is just a few weeks away, but the buzz around it is already heating up in this excruciating winter. Sony has put its foot forward and posted a new video which might be a teaser for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4.

 Sony hasn’t had a good time with the market in the past couple of years, and they have seen their profits shrink year by year. The company is in a major re-invention period, and it is currently focusing on bringing itself back to profitability even if that means losing 25-30% of their market share in the smartphone business.

 The video posted by the company is titled ” Welcome to the New World”. It shows a girl licking a lollipop that seems to signify that the device will run on Android Lollipop. There have also been rumours that the new flagship device from Sony will feature a Snapdragon 810 processor which would make it one of the first devices to feature this latest chipset. The company had previously launched the Xperia Z3 at IFA Berlin last September and keeping with its six months update schedule; the new flagship is ready for the world. The Xperia Z3 was appreciated for its design and features but was berated for being too pricey.

YU Yureka vs The Rest : Quick Comparison

SPECS	MICROMAX YU YUREKA	XIAOMI REDMI NOTE	XOLO OMEGA 5.0	ASUS ZENPHONE 5
Display	5.5-inch HD	5.5-inch HD	5.0-inch HD	5-inch HD
Processor	1.5GHz  Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615	1.7GHz  Octa-core MediaTek MT6592	Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A7	Intel Atom Dual-core 2.0 GHz
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	1 GB	2 GB
Storage	16 GB internal microSD upto 32 GB	8GB internal, microSD upto 32 GB	8 GB internal memory, microSD upto 32 GB	8 GB internal, expandable upto 64GB
Primary Camera	13MP	13MP	8MP	8MP
Front Camera	5MP	5MP	2MP	2 MP
Battery	2,500 mAh	3,100 mAh	2,100 mAh	Non-removable Li-Po 2110 mAh battery
Operating System	Cyanogen OS 11 based on Android v4.4.4	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	Android v4.4 KitKat OS with Hive UI	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Price	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 8,499	Rs. 9,999

 Newly launched brand YU unveiled its first smartphone, Yureka, a few days back. The new company has been born from a collaboration between Micromax’s Founder Rahul Sharma and custom ROM maker CyanogenMod. The arrival of the high-speced low-budget smartphone has created quite a stir. From day one it was off to a rocky start; it began by banning OnePlus from selling their popular handset in India.

Countdown Starts for CES 2015 – Here’s What You Can Expect

 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) can simply be explained as a 3-day long extravagant exhibition of geeky stuff in Las Vegas. The event has been a launching pad for many concept devices and this year as well, we’ll be seeing some exceptional innovations for the first time. With new segments in the tech industry mushrooming and touching every corner of our lives. This year’s show is expected to be heavily focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and latest automobile tech. Along with this, many global smartphone makers are expected to show off their devices including Huawei, Alcatel, Lenovo among others.

Here’s what you can expect from the Consumer Electronic Show 2015:

1. TVS

 Since the commencement of this annual show, televisions have been the primary focus. CES has been the wonderland of colour televisions, HD TVs and almost every new technology that has shaped the television industry. This year at CES, we can expect to see more 4K TVs from LG and Samsung. LG has already confirmed that it will be showing off the new quantum dot-enabled 4K LCD TV. The new display technology uses nanocrystals placed in front of the LCD backlight to increase the range of colours, saturation and brightness over traditional LD displays. Samsung is also expected to launch TVs with similar technology, considering the traditional rivalry between of both South Korean electronic giants.

4K content streaming is also expected to go big at this year’s show. With Sony expected to launch a new range of 4K TVs, Sony Pictures will surely be coming up with more of 4K content to use those extra pixels. Along with this, 4K disc format is also said to make its debut at the CES 2015. However, we are not sure if it’s the right time.

2. SMARTPHONES

 Probably, the biggest announcement in the smartphone segment will be the Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 810 processor. LG looks geared to continue its smartphone bending tradition by revealing the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015. The original G Flex featured LG’s flexible OLED display, but the structure of the phone itself was rigid.

 Huawei, the Chinese firm, is trying mightily to break into the US market along with Alcatel and Lenovo. So, we can expect some big announcements from these companies. Also trying to get hold of the market is Microsoft. The company has avoided CES for the last couple of years, but Microsoft may make push its smartphones this time. And of course, there will be a vast amount of stages devoted to smartphone cases, headphones and other accessories.

3. WEARABLES

 Last year’s CES saw the introduction of wearables. Subsequent launch of Android Wear fuelled the wearable segment and exploded the market with strings of new wearables. This segment has now started to congeal into a more manageable market. This CES should bring heart rate sensors to the must-do list of every fitness bands, which earlier were restricted to counting stairs, steps and sleep.

Well, not much can be said about the launch of new devices. It is expected that Apple Watch may finally start to sell. Other than that, not too many wearables are expected to launch this year.

4. VIRTUAL REALITY

 Google’s much controversial Glass eyewear has proved to be a breakthrough in the VR segment, which encouraged more companies to join the race. A bunch of big names are expected to announce their VR devices at CES 2015 including Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus and Samsung’s VR headset.

CES has a long history in the entertainment industry. There is no way big game makers will be losing the chance to show off their new VR headsets. We can expect new games, movies and apps to be announced at CES 2015.

5. AUTO TECH

 In 2010, Ford CEO Alan Mulally took the stage of CES. Since then, autombiles have become a significant part of the show. This year, many big brands like Ford, Audi, Mercedes, Hyundai, Toyota and more will be present at the CES. Toyota stole the show last year with its hydrogen-powered car  and we can expect to see more next-gen fuel cars this year; at least we hope to. Along with this, we can expect to see some driver-less cars too but not from Google, as it doesn’t usually drop by CES .

Also, with Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay on full consumer mode, we can expect car-makers to show off some new models equipped with these automobile communication systems. Navigation systems and head-up display on windscreens are also expected to go big at the CES 2015. We can also expect a peek into the future of car infotainment system, which is somehow still in a nascent stage.

This CES is warming up to be quite an exciting event, from which we can expect many new launches and perhaps a few surprises.