Micromax Canvas 4 review

Following the success of its Canvas 2 and Canvas HD smartphones, Micromax has been able to establish itself in the Indian smartphone space as a player that offers the best value for its customers' money. While the company's two best selling smartphones brought a large screen and a 720p screen, respectively, at a crowd pleasing price, it now wants to leverage its Canvas sub-brand further by offering niche products while continuing to expand its portfolio of flagship devices. 

For its new flagship, the Micromax Canvas 4 (A210), the company created a lot of buzz, right from the promo teasers on TV during the high profile India vs. Pakistan clash in the ICC Champions Trophy to taking pre-orders for the phone without announcing its specifications. The Canvas 4 promises better build quality and new smart features but essentially builds on the Canvas HD, and includes almost the same hardware, under the hood. Does the phone live up to the hype around it? We try to answer this question in our review.

Build/ Design
The Canvas 4 follows the same design cues that we've seen in the Canvas HD and Canvas 2, and from a distance, the phone doesn't look very different.

On closer inspection you'll find that the phone looks a bit more polished than its predecessors, though it's still a little bit plasticky for our taste. The phone is available in White and Grey colour variants and we had a White Canvas 4 as our review unit.

The front of the phone is dominated by the 5-inch display, below which you'll find the three capacitive touch keys for Menu, Home and Back. A chrome grill that serves as the earpiece, the sensor array and the 5-megapixel front camera are placed above the display. The bezel is wide but it's not flat as it meets and the edges and there's some embossing, similar to the Galaxy SIII.

The phone is surrounded by an aluminium frame in the middle, which gives it a premium look and makes it feel sturdy. The company says that it also acts as the cellular antenna. You will also notice that the frame has small white bands at the left side, at the bottom and at the top. 
The Power/ Screen-lock key is located at the right side of the phone, while the Volume rocker key is place at the left side. Both these keys are also made of metal but are a bit rickety as they are not firmly fixed. When you shake the phone, you'll also hear some sound coming from the same area due to their movement. The Micro-USB port is located at the bottom. The 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top of the phone.

The back features a removable plastic cover that sports a glossy finish but there's a mild texture effect as well, which you'll only see when you look closely. There's some Micromax branding at the lower part, and a silver sticker like m! logo as you go up. The 13-megapixel rear camera is located right at the top in a round chrome ring enclosure, along with an LED flash and a secondary microphone.

Opening the cover reveals the battery compartment. The microSD card slot and two SIM card slots are placed just above the battery compartment.

Display
While everyone was hoping that the Canvas 4 would come with a full-HD display, Micromax has decided to skip the upgrade and has included a 720p display, similar to that of the Canvas HD. The phone's 5-inch HD IPS screen sports a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and a colour depth of 16.7 million. Thanks to the higher resolution, text, icons and images look much sharper compared to qHD phones. There was no pixelation. However, we felt that the screen's colour temperature was skewed towards the colder side, with whites carrying a blue tinge.

Under sun visibility was good, though the screen is very reflective. Thanks to the IPS panel, we found that the viewing angles were very good, which essentially means that more than one person can view content playing on the screen properly, even from different angles. We also found the touch response of the screen to be better than most budget phones. Micromax has also included Corning Gorilla glass protection to guard the screen from scratches.

Software/ Interface
The Micromax Canvas 4 runs Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, the latest iteration of the OS. Micromax has skinned some elements of the user interface, such as the app icons and the Settings menu. 

The phone also offers four themes, namely Mint, Mocha, Raspberry and the default theme that bring minor changes in the phone's colour scheme.

The notification tray features a settings shortcut and a clear all notifications button, along with expandable notifications (expanded with the two-finger pull gesture). It features the same setting toggles shortcut that's found in stock Android and adds some of its own as well, for quick access to Airplane Mode, Battery status, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Data connection, Data usage, User (audio) Profiles, Brightness, Screen backlight timeout and Auto rotation.

Similar to most other Android devices, there are five customisable home screens that can be filled with app shortcuts and widgets. The three capacitive buttons, Home, Menu and Back help in navigating through the phone, with the Home button also doubling up as an app switcher on long press.

You also get lock-screen widgets, an Android 4.2 feature. You can choose from the Clock, Camera, Gmail, Google Now and Messaging widgets in addition to widgets offered by third-party apps installed on your phone. These widgets offer glanceable information from the apps and allow users to perform certain app actions even when the phone is locked.

The phone also offers another Android 4.2 feature, Daydream, that displays photo albums or the clock while the phone's charging. The option to wirelessly mirror the phone's display with an HDMI enabled device through a wireless display adapter is also present.

Micromax has also added some software tricks to the phone, one of which is a new lock screen mechanism that allows the phone to be unlocked with a blow of air or if the phone is shaken. This can be activated through the M! Unlock app that has been developed in partnership with FoneClay. It works as promised but disables the lock screen widgets, so we just feel it's too gimmicky.

Micromax has also bundled a new Video Player app with the phone that offers features like 'Pause on look away' using the front camera to detect if you're looking at the screen of the phone, and automatically pausing and resuming videos. We've seen this feature in high-end phones like theSamsung Galaxy S4 and the LG Optimus G Pro. You can increase and decrease the volume or brightness while playing a video by just swiping up and down the screen at the left and right hand sides. It also allows you to preview one video while playing another one, and view videos on a floating player window while doing other tasks through its pop-out feature.

The Music player has also been revamped and now features fancier controls in the Now Playing screen and integrates the Micromax Online music store. The Music Store is still a website wrapped into the app and allows you to download music tracks and videos. It only lets you download tracks when you access the site through 3G/ Edge as billing is integrated with the telecom operator. The Music Player app also features Equalizer settings.

Micromax has also included some of its own apps including content stores, M! Live and Game Hub, and services store, M! Zone, in addition to a few 'try and buy' games (Fruit Devil, NFS Shift, The DarkMan). There's also security software powered by NQ Mobile that allows you to backup contacts, and track your mobile in case you lose it. However, even this utility is not free and you need to pay additional charges to get all the functionality.

The handset also offers FM Radio and FM radio recording.

Micromax has also modified the Messages app, adding a Smileys input option next to the text entry prompt, and a button for attaching multimedia, contacts and audio clips, among others, with it. Micromax has also added a file manager app, a NoteBook app, a ToDo app, in addition to a universal search app and a Popup Browser that can be used for browsing the web in a floating window while working on another app. It has also replaced the stock camera app with a different one. 

For the first time Micromax has replaced its own instant messaging app, HookUp with a Micromax branded version of Hike, the mobile messaging app from Bharti Softbank. It has also pre-installed the movie streaming app Spuul, that allows users to watch movies for free.

It's also worth pointing out that the Canvas 4 is the first Micromax smartphone that supports over the air software updates via a System Software app. Previously one had to take the phone to the service centre to get the latest Android update installed.

The phone also offers gestures like flip to silent, ability to answer the phone by bringing it near to the ear, and dial the number on the screen when the user brings the phone near the face.

Camera
The Micromax Canvas 4 has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. Both the camera lenses are an upgrade from the Canvas HD's 8-megapixel rear shooter and VGA front facing camera.

As we mentioned earlier, Micromax has put its own camera app. The app includes Normal, HDR, Face Beauty, Smile detection, Exposure compensation, Panorama, Photosphere(multi angle view) modes. It also offers a burst mode, letting users click up to 99 shots at once. The photo mode allows users to modify settings like Exposure, colour effect, ISO and white balance, among others. There's a self timer of up to 10 seconds as well.

We experienced a minor lag when we tried to focus on an object and press the shutter. We also noticed that there is minor delay between two consecutive camera shots in the continuous shot mode. This makes it hard to capture images quickly. The quality of the pictures taken during daylight was decent. However, photos taken indoors under artificial light were a bit grainy and at times looked different than the actual setting. The camera tends to soften the tone to a cooler shade. 

The Canvas 4's camera also struggled when trying to capture images in low-light.

The camera is capable of recording full-HD video and takes good quality videos depending on the ambient light. However, it saves video clips in .3GP file format, which is an older file format.

The 5-megapixel front camera takes above average pictures, and can be used for video conferencing. We wish the phone had a dedicated camera button to help click a quick picture.

Performance
The Micromax A210 Canvas 4 is powered by a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 quad-core processor with 1GB RAM onboard, and PowerVR SGX544MP GPU. There is 16GB of internal storage, 10GB of which is available to the user.
 
With Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the overall experience of navigation through the interface was impressive, thanks to Project Butter and the phone's quad-core processor. We did not experience any lag while launching apps, playing games, scrolling web pages or switching between apps. It is safe to say that performance wise, the Canvas 4 scores well. We were able to play games like Jetpack Joyride, Chimpact, Asphalt 7 and Shadow Gun without encountering any lag.

We were also able to play full-HD clips, with the phone supporting formats like .AVI, natively, though we experienced some issues with audio while playing an MKV format video. This was easily fixed by downloading a third-party video player. The speaker on the phone delivers average quality sound at high volume levels, but there's some muffle when the phone lies on its back, as the speaker grill is located on that side. The headphones that come with the phone offer average quality sound output. Call quality was good, during our testing process.

The phone comes with a 2,000mAh battery, and based on our experience, it will just about last you a full day. We charged the phone in the morning (at around 10am), and with medium to heavy usage, including 1-1.5 hours of phone calls, two e-mail accounts with push notifications, screen at maximum brightness, playing some music and video clips (about an hour), casual web browsing, Twitter notifications and WhatsApp chats, the phone lasted 8-9 hours. We had put the phone on Wi-Fi for about an hour or two while the rest of the day it was connected to data via 3G. We had turned off auto-brightness, and the phone was on the highest level of brightness. Altering these settings might help in running the phone for a longer duration, depending on your usage pattern.

Verdict
The Canvas 4 is at best an incremental upgrade to the Canvas HD. Apart from the 'better camera' which we didn't find any better and slightly improved build quality, it doesn't bring anything extra ordinary to the table. The software features that it offers are gimmicky and can be added with the help of some third party apps available on the Google Play Store. You are unlikely to use them on a regular basis. The only thing we're happy about is the increased internal storage capacity, which will allow users to install more apps.

The asking price of around Rs. 18,000 is on the higher side when you compare it to the Canvas HD or to phones like the Zen Ultrafone 701HD and Gionee Elife E3. We'd recommend waiting for a price cut or buying the Canvas HD if you're in the market for a good value for money Android smartphone.

 
Micromax Canvas 4 

Price: Rs. 17,990

Pros

• Good screen
• Decent performance

Cons

• Questionable value for money
• Underwhelming build quality
• Camera performance could be better

Ratings (Out of 5)
Design: 3.5
Display: 4
Performance: 4
Software: 4
Battery Life: 3.5
Value for Money: 3
Camera: 3
Overall: 3.5

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Micromax A34 with Android 2.3 now available for Rs. 4,399

Micromax seems to be targeting the budget mobile segment yet again with its latest smartphone, the Micromax A34, priced at Rs. 4399. The handset is now available on online retailer, Flipkart.

The Micromax A34 features a 3.95-inch HVGA display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels. The handset weighs 85 grams. It is powered by a 1GHz processor with 256B RAM.

The handset is a dual SIM device with GSM+GSM support. It sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with flash. The camera includes features like multi-shot, night mode, zoom (8x) and brightness control (7x).

The device is backed by a 1350mAh battery that the company claims, delivers up to 4 hours of talktime and 120 hours of standby time. The Micromax A34 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread which is disappointing considering that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been released recently. It includes an internal memory of 165MB that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE and Micro-USB. Other features include FM Radio, G Sensor and Light Sensor.

The Micromax A34 does not support 3G networks. With the launch of A34, the company hopes to strengthen its budget smartphone range. The indigenous handset maker has been aggressively launching smartphones across different price segments.

Recently, Micromax launched the Bling 3 A86 at a price point of Rs. 9,599 through online retailers. It features a 4-inch capacitive touch display and comes with dimensions of 65.5x128.5x11.4mm. It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device that runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by 1GHz dual-core processor. The Bling 3 A86 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front camera. There is no mention of the internal storage but it comes with expandable storage of up to 32GB. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPRS, EDGE and GPS. It comes with Micromax's own apps and content stores such as M! Zone and M! Live. It also supports FM Radio.

Micromax A34 key specifications

• 3.95-inch HVGA display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels
• 1GHz processor
• 256MB RAM
• 165MB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 2-megapixel rear camera
• 1350mAh battery
• Dual SIM (GSM+GSM)
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

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Google announces Android Device Manager to help you track a lost phone

Google has announced a new tool that will let users track their lost Android phones on a map, ring them and remotely erase all the data on the phone. 

Google has informed that the service will be available later this month on devices running Android 2.2 or above. To use the service, users will need to be signed into their Google Accounts. Google will also offer an Android app to allow users to track and manage their Android devices.

In a blog post, Google mentions that Android Device Manager, can quickly ring a linked phone at maximum volume so that users can find it (even if it's been silenced), or locate it on a map, in real time. It mentions, "If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device to keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands."

We're not sure why Google jumped the gun early and made the announcement, even though the service is still awaiting a launch. It could have announced it when the service was ready.

Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry have been offering online utilities, namely Find My iPhone, BlackBerry Protect, and Find My Phone, respectively, that let owners of phones track the location of their handsets, lock them, trigger an alarm and wipe data remotely, for a long time.

Google is late to the party, however, making the utility a part of Android would benefit a large number of users. Handset makers like Samsung and HTC already offer similar tools with their Android phones. Sony had also started rolling out its remote security service "my Xperia," in July.

While third-party services offered by companies like McAfee, Norton, Quickheal and Kaspersky, among others also offer mobile security services, they charge users a one time or recurring fee.

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10 foods bad for your skin

10 Foods that are bad for your skin (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

With growing awareness, people have become more health as well as beauty conscious. In this aesthetic-loving age, it is very essential to let people know that what they consider 'aesthetic' is also related to their skin. 

Importantly, manifestations of your nutritional status as well as body's nutritional needs reflect on the skin's health.

That's why we have today Priya Jain, Dietician, P D Hinduja National Hospital & MRC, Mahim, Mumbai who is going yo share with us a list of 10 foods that can harm your skin.

Foods that disturb water balance
Dehydration causes drying of the skin. Wrinkling is a common side effect of lack of moisture in the skin. Dehydration and acne are interlinked because drying of skin and dead skin cells coming together cause acne.

Excess salt
Excess salt retains additional fluid in the body causing swelling and apuffy look to the skin. The skin texture is spoilt on prolonged salt abuse. Papads, pickles, salted foods, table salt, brined/canned food products are the potential sources of salt to the body.

Excess caffeine
Caffeine is a known stimulant which increase the cortisol production in the body and enhances the ageing process by thinning the skin. This dehydrates the skin and even leads to wrinkling. In addition, caffeine is a diuretic which further increases the risk of dehydration. So beware when you decide to go for an additional helping of coffee, tea or chocolates too!

Alcohol
Alcohol inhibits the Anti-Diuretic Hormone secretion thus causing dehydration. Furthermore, it also causes vasodilatation, which then leads to excess water loss through the skin. This is also known to be a contributing factor to acute phases of psoriasis as per the American Academy of Dermatology.

Foods with high glycemic load
These foods cause drastic fluctuations in the blood sugar. This leads to excess secretion of insulin and androgens during the high and low bouts respectivel. A major reason to contribute to surplus sebum production, enhanced skin cell division and aggregation of dead skin cells - leading to acne.

Excess sugar 
Not literally only sugar, but even jaggery and honey!

Aerated beverages 
Aerated drinks can be nightmarish for the skin. Exceptions are the so-called diet-cokes and the family. But their caffeine content makes them the villains for skin health.

Processed foods
Refined or processed foods like maida (refined flour) and its products, canned and sweetened fruits and juices are low in fiber content, thus increasing the glycemic load. Moreover the processed foods are often high in their salt/sodium content. As a by-product of processing, these also lose the nutrients of the parent food products important for skin health.

Foods that enhance free-radical production
Free radicals are known to disrupt the skin's structure by destroying collagen and elastin; the fibres that support the skin structure. They also cause damage at the cellular level by disturbing the DNA structure.

Red meat
Consumption of red meat, especially fat-laden parts can lead to inflammatory reactions. This is by the virtue of saturated fat content of meats. In excess, free radicals generated overpowers the anti-oxidation capacity of the free radical scavengers in the body.

Fried foods and hydrogenated fat
Excess heat application like during frying of foods and production of hydrogenated fat (margarine, vanaspati ghee) leads to oxidation of fatty acids and destruction of anti-oxidant nutrients like vitamin E, omega-3 fats present in the oils/fat. Generation of trans-fatty acids encourages free radical production by fueling the oxidation process. So next time you thing margarine is healthier to butter...you'll remember reading this!

Excess use of artificial sweeteners/colours/flavours
These chemicals lodge into our systems and are difficult to flush out of our body. Overuse and inability to flush them out in time could be the pre-cursor for free radical production.

Crash diets
Crash diets affect skin health through all the 3 mechanisms discussed before. Dehydration is a side effect of crash dieting. Studies suggest that consuming lot of water throughout this phase barely helps and this is because body doesn't retain water due to nutritional deprivation and lack of balanced meals.

Crash diets are known to cause dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels, no wonder acnes are so common amongst anorexics and bulemics. Skin requires antioxidant nutrients (Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, selenium, etc.) that scavenge the free radicals. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology (Feb, 2005) testifies that long term vitamins C and E intake is linked with reduced incidence of sunburns from exposure to UVB radiation. These antioxidant vitamins help protect against DNA damage by protecting the skin structure. Crash diets are known to cause nutrient deficiencies and thereby the lack of antioxidants too
.

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‘Journalists, anchors, sales professionals in-demand in the broadcasting industry’

Interview of the Day: ‘Journalists, anchors, sales professionals in-demand in the broadcasting industry’

Preet Dhupar, Chief Operating Officer – India Operations, BBC World News 

What is the most important thing one needs to keep in mind to make a career in the broadcasting industry?

“Change is the only constant” – anyone wanting to make a career in the broadcasting industry must make this a mantra. It is important to have the ability to adapt to change. Advancements in technology occur at a phenomenal speed and that has a direct impact on the industry, largely to do with how audience across genres wants to view content. And you have to have the ability to think quickly on your feet and adapt to the change if you want to remain relevant.

Which are most in-demand profiles in the Broadcasting industry?

There’s always demand for talent – specifically good journalists, anchors and also for advertising sales professionals.

According to you, what are three must-have skills for a candidate to work in this industry?

Besides professional competency required for the specific role, the ability to adapt to change is a must. Excellent communication skills are very important as is the ability to connect with people. Ability to think creatively and out of the box is another must have.

Since, the broadcasting industry works 24X7, how do you motivate your employees to work for long hours and maintain a healthy work-life balance?

To be able to cover a 24X7 operation, it is important to have work allocation in shifts and rotas. However, the nature of news business is such that it is not unusual for people to work beyond their contracted hours. When work is exciting and fulfilling, long hours and hectic travel schedules are less of a problem so the trick is to keep people engaged and excited about what they do. Their work is not just a job – it means something more valuable to them.

How do you attract the best of talent while facing stiff competition from domestic players?

Due to the size and diversity of the organisation globally, it has the capability to offer superior training and diverse work experience. As a professional, you get an opportunity to learn a lot and grow. Creativity is the life blood of the organisation and people come for an exciting and rewarding role.

In your business, employees are based at various locations, how do you manage employee development and engagement centrally?

Internal communications works very hard to ensure that leaders are in regular touch with people through the web and e-mail. The BBC intranet is regularly updated with news from around the world so that everyone feels included. We use all possible ways to ensure that people are engaged. Local management is responsible for employee development but there is also an oversight from London. Above all, what works is a very open culture where everyone feels valued and is encouraged to voice their opinions.

- See more at: http://content.timesjobs.com/?p=7834&fromsite=toi&utm_source=toi&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=toi-tj-whitelabel#sthash.MoTsol78.dpuf

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Indian man wearing dhoti stopped from travelling in Dubai Metro

Madhumati said that she tried her best to explain to the policeman that the dhoti was an Indian traditional dress, which covers the body fully but to no avail.

DUBAI: A 67-year-old Indian visitor was stopped from entering the Dubai Metro, apparently for wearing a traditional Indian dress - dhoti.


According to the victim's daughter Madhumati, a policeman stopped them near the punching gates of the Etisalat Metro Station on last Saturday and told her father that this dress was not allowed and he could not go on the metro wearing it.

"I pleaded with him to let us go... But the policeman wouldn't hear a word. It was really embarrassing and my father was really upset," she was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.

Madhumati said that she tried her best to explain to the policeman that the dhoti was an Indian traditional dress, which covers the body fully but to no avail.

She said her father, who is on a visit to Dubai, had travelled on the Metro wearing the same dress on various occasions but had never been stopped.

According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), it has no official dress code or policy.

"What has happened is really surprising. There is no official restriction from the RTA and we have not given instructions on dress codes," saidRamadan Abdullah, director of operations at the RTA's rail agency.

"I think anything that covers the body and is respectable should be allowed. I believe it was a personal reaction on the part of the policeman and this matter will be investigated."

Abdullah urged the victim to approach the RTA with details of the incident which would help in the investigation.

Madhumati has lodged a formal complaint in the matter
.

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8,517 seats still vacant in engineering colleges in Gujarat

According to the Supreme Court guidelines, the admissions into professional courses should get over by August 15.

AHMEDABAD: Now, less than 10 days are left to the deadline for engineering, pharmacy, MBA, MCA and Bachelor of Architecture admissions and still there are many seats left to be filled by the admission committee. According to theSupreme Court guidelines, the admissions into professional courses should get over by August 15.

As many as 8,517 seats are still vacant in engineering colleges after three rounds of admission. There are also 8,371 seats vacant in diploma to degree quota of seats which are available in second year of engineering. The pharmacy admissions are yet to begin. There are about 5,000 seats in pharmacy courses all over the state.

The admission committee had written a letter to the technical department, requesting it to grant one more round of admissions for courses such as engineering and BArch. The committee was, however, told that it would in violation of the Supreme Court order that admissions should be over by August 1. The technical department, it seems, was not aware that the last date for admissions is August 15.

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Woman buys Apple phones online, pays $1200 for fruit

A 21-year-old Australian woman who was trying to buy Apple smartphones online was conned into paying $1,200 for two edible apples!

MELBOURNE: A 21-year-old Australian woman who was trying to buy Apple smartphones online was conned into paying $1,200 for two edible apples!

The woman, who has not been named, had posted an ad on website Gumtree asking to buy two Apple smartphones.

She was soon contacted by another woman who said she had 'two Apples' for sale.

They met at a McDonald's restaurant where the woman handed over the money for what she thought were two new smartphone boxes. The buyer did not check inside the boxes and on arriving home found they contained real apples.

Senior Constable Jess Hopkin of the Crime Prevention Unit in Upper Mt Gravatt, near Brisbane, warned people to be careful when buying things online, according to 'Herald Sun'.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. It's really just common sense," said Hopkin.

Gumtree spokeswoman Niki Hennessy said the company took the safety and security of its users seriously.

"We are continually improving processes and user education to make Gumtree the safest possible platform for buying and selling," she said.

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Samsung flip phone with dual touchscreens leaked

It seems Samsung is giving flip phones a second chance with its upcoming Android-powered Galaxy Folder.

NEW DELHI: Flip phones went out of favour even among non-business users when touchscreen smartphones arrived. However, it seems Samsung is inclined give these handsets a second chance with its allegedly upcoming Android-powered Galaxy Folder smartphone.

The phone had been leaked previously but dismissed from most quarters as an abandoned prototype. However, a recently leaked photo and accompanied specifications suggest that the South Korean manufacturer is still actively developing this handset.

According to a report by tech websiteGSMInsider, the upcoming Android-running flip phone by Samsung will be sold by the name Galaxy Golden, though it is being developed under the codename Galaxy Folder. It will feature two touchscreens, one on the front and the other on the back of the top panel, while the alphanumeric keypad will reside below it.

The two AMOLEDtouchscreens of the phone will measure 3.67-inch in size and have resolution of 800x480p. The handset is rumoured to run on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and pack a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor under the hood, backed by 2GB RAM. It is also said to have two cameras and 4G connectivity.

Rumours say that the Galaxy Golden will initially be marketed only in South Korea and may hit other countries with the same name later.

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IT hiring could come down by 17% this fiscal: Nasscom

Rising automation and low attrition in IT sector may act as a dampener for job seekers, with Nasscom expecting hiring to decline by up to 17%.

NEW DELHI: Rising automation and low attrition in IT sector may act as a dampener for job seekers with industry body Nasscomexpecting hiring to decline by up to 17 per cent to 1,50,000 in the current fiscal.

The 108-billion dollar Indian IT-ITeS sector provides employment to about 3 million professionals.

"I think we will have net additions of 150,000-180,000 this year. Last year it was about 180,000," Nasscom President Som Mittal said when asked about the hiring environment.

Explaining the decline, he added: "It might be less than last year, as it is getting non-linear and lower-end jobs are getting automated. The profile is changing and we need more Domain experts."

Attrition levels have also come down to around 14-15 per cent against the industry average of 20 per cent earlier.

Mittal also said that campus hiring may fall significantly due to change in hiring patterns.

"Campus hiring may be 60 per cent of what it was last year," he said, adding that now employers are focusing more on soft skills and leadership qualities than on technical skills.

According to an analysis, three years back 80 per cent focus was on technical skills "but now only 40 per cent focus is on technical skills and the rest is on soft skills and Domain," Mittal said.

Hiring by India's four largest IT companies dropped by over 60 per cent in the April-June quarter of this year.

The top four IT services exporters made net additions of about 4,100 to their workforce during the quarter this year, against around 10,900 in the year-ago period.

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Dislike Adobe subscriptions? Xara updates its design suite

Xara Designer Pro X9, which bundles the company's tools for image editing, illustration, Web design, and layout, now is available, and customers don't need a subscription.

Xara Design Pro X9's illustration tools can be used to create complicated vector art.

(Credit: Xara)

Creative types alienated by Adobe Systems' Creative Cloud subscription program have a new alternative for some of their work: new image-editing, illustration, and layout software from Xara.
Last week, the U.K. company released the new version 9 of Xara Page & Layout Designer, and this week, it released the ninth version of its flagship product, Xara Designer Pro X9. The former is geared for page design tasks for which people might use Adobe InDesign, and the latter bundles that layout tool with the company's other newer version 9 products, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer X9 for illustration and photo editing and Xara Web Designer 9 for Web site design.

Xara Design Pro X9's photo-editing tools now include a healing brush to clear up blemishes.

(Credit: Xara)

The software, though available for Windows only, can be bought through a perpetual license. Xara Designer Pro X9 costs $299 or $99 for an upgrade. Xara also offers a $100 discount to attract Adobe customers. Xara Page & Layout Designer 9 costs $90, though there's a promotional price of $70 for an introductory period.
Adobe's shift to subscription-only sales for its new Creative Cloud products has angered some customers, though the Creative Cloud subscriptions are growing and Adobe said it won't backtrack. Adobe's move has spurred competitors into new efforts to woo disgruntled Adobe customers.
Xara Designers doesn't match the product breadth or market penetration of Adobe's older Creative Suite line or its new Creative Cloud products, which cost $50 per month to use and includes software such as After Effects and Premiere Pro for video editing. But Xara's tools do handle some of what Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and DreamWeaver can do.
New in Xara Designer Pro v9 are a number of features, including the following:

Xara Design Pro X9's Web design tool comes with a variety of pre-made Web site templates.

(Credit: Xara)

• A photo healing brush to remove blemishes and scratches, and a "magic erase" tool lets people wipe out even large features in photos;
• A background erase tool designed to make it easier to select foreground subjects;
• Eleven new photo filters with effects such as pencil-sketch and sepia tone;
• Multicolumn text layouts and page-flow support so overflow text can automatically fill new text boxes on new pages;
• The ability to export layouts as formatted Web pages.
• Beta support for importing files stored in Microsoft Word's .docx format;
• Support for newer HTML and CSS standards for Web page creation, including photo slideshow effects using JavaScript and CSS animations;
• Support for Google's free Web fonts in Web page publication;
• The ability to create Web pages that automatically display in high-resolution versions for Apple Retina display products;
• New Web page themes, page layout templates, and logo designs;
• And 64-bit Windows support for projects that require more memory. The 32-bit version still is available, but it's limited to 2GB to 3GB of memory.

Text can be set to flow from one text box to another with Xara Design Pro X9's updated layout tools.

(Credit: Xara)

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Microsoft details hardware requirements for Windows 8 devices

New Bluetooth, audio, and TPM requirements, some of which take effect in 2014 and 2015, are coming for Windows 8.1 (and beyond) devices.

Microsoft and Intel executives detailed some of the new hardware requirements for Windows 8 clients that will be introduced in 2014 and 2015 during a session at this week's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

During a session for Microsoft reseller partners titled "How to talk to customers about Windows devices," Microsoft executives talked about some of the new hardware features that Windows 8.1 and subsequent releases will support.
As we've been hearing at various Microsoft conferences over the past couple months, Microsoft is working closely with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) on making sure new touch-enabled, lighter, thinner, faster devices with longer battery life, support for "modern" security, connectivity, and new sensors will be coming to market. Starting later this year, these machines will make use of the new features Microsoft is building into Windows 8.1, including support for NFC and biometric authentication; new portrait-mode enhancements; and InstantGo (the renamed and updated Connected Standby capability) to allow devices to turn on instantly and keep apps up to date.
(A related aside: "Precision Touchpads" also are now available for Windows 8.1 Certification. Precisions Touchpads are required on all ARM-based systems and are optional for x86/x64, according to Microsoft documentation.)
There will be new, additional requirements for Windows devices seeking Microsoft certification coming in the next couple of years, group manager Lee Sabow told session attendees.
In January 2014, certified Windows systems will be required to support Bluetooth on all devices with Wi-Fi. Front-facing 720p Webcams will be required for systems with integrated displays (tablets, notebooks, and all-in-ones). And higher-fidelity audio requirements for speakers and microphones will be on the list, too, Sabow said, to help partners who want to "upsell" Lync, Microsoft's unified communications technology.
In January 2015, TPM 2.0 will be required on all certified Windows devices, Sabow said. TPM, or Trusted Platform Module, is a spec and implementation for a cryptoprocessor.
Microsoft updated its Windows 8 certification documentation in late June to reflect these additional Windows 8.1, 2014 and 2015 requirements.
During the WPC session on Windows devices, Microsoft executives reiterated the company's goal of Windows 8.1 becoming the No. 1 tablet in the business/enterprise space. From the context of the remarks, it sounded as though Microsoft meant all Windows 8.1 tablets combined -- not just its own Surfaces -- would figure in here.
Microsoft has its work cut out for it with improving OEM traction around Windows 8. As Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner admitted during his keynote speech at WPC, the partner ecosystem was about 18 to 24 months behind Microsoft with Windows 8, resulting in a lack of devices ready to take advantage of touch and some of the other new features in the operating system at the time it was launched in October 2012.
As far as the rest of the "How to talk to customers session," there wasn't a whole lot else that was new. The speakers acknowledged that while some current and potential customers are no longer confused by the differences between Core-based, Atom-based, and ARM-based Windows 8/Windows RT devices, many still don't know the differences.
Executives suggested that partners ask "three hard questions" when trying to help users figure out which PCs and devices to buy: 1) What the business needs; 2) What IT requires; and 3) What do users want. Partners should try to help customers define what they need from a "commercial device," potentially defining them along the "primary PC," "companion PC," "executive PC," and "specialized PC" lines, the speakers said.

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BSNL announces roaming plans with free incoming calls

Following rivals, state-run BSNL Wednesday said it has launched special plans offering customers free incoming calls and cheaper rates for outgoing calls and SMS while roaming in the country.Other mobile operators have announced such schemes in order to comply with directions by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India last month to give consumers the option of discounted roaming plans.
BSNL is offering two special tariff vouchers for roaming wherein customers will get unlimited free incoming calls for Rs. 5 a day and Rs. 69 for 30 days. Outgoing local and national calls will be charged at 1.5 paise per second.
In addition, BSNL has launched two Roaming Tariff Plans (RTP) for post-paid customers for Rs. 145 and Rs. 625 which come with services such as free calls and SMS.
It has also launched RTPs for Rs. 149 and Rs. 825, which include free unlimited incoming calls for a month.
For pre-paid customers, BSNL has announced an RTP for Rs. 405 and free roaming RTP for Rs. 705.

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