Wednesday 23 July 2014

Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG vs. Motorola Moto E: Budget Battle

7/23/2014 12:24:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG vs. Motorola Moto E: Budget Battle

Asus launched the ZenFone 4 in India on Wednesday, priced at Rs. 5,999 for the 4-inch variant (A400CG). We decided to compare it to its closest competitor in the Indian market, the Moto E (Rs. 6,999), which has a very similar feature set.

Comparing the Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG and the popular Motorola Moto E, we see the Moto E has a slightly larger display (4.3-inch) and a slightly better resolution (540x960 pixels), and this also means the pixel density of the ZenFone 4's display is lower (233ppi vs the Moto E's 256ppi).

The Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG and Motorola Moto E are both dual-SIM devices, and both feature slots for Micro-SIM cards. Both the phones feature 1.2GHz dual-core SoCs, with ZenFone 4's Intel-based chipset providing 4 threads, compared to the 2 threads the Snapdragon 200 onboard the Moto E offers. Both feature 1GB of RAM.

While on paper this might mean the ZenFone 4 comes out ahead in terms of the chipset, we'll have to compare benchmark scores once the device comes in for review to see if it actually performs better than the Moto E.

The ZenFone 4 also features more inbuilt storage at 8GB, compared to the Moto E's 4GB. Notably, the Zenfone 4 offers microSD expandability up to 64GB, unlike the Moto E, which allows for a maximum of 32GB.

Another bone of contention, is the Android version onboard. The ZenFone 4 ships with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, with a promised Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade (but no timeline provided). The Motorola Moto E on the other hand, comes with Android 4.4 out-of-the-box, and has already received an update to Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and may just be in line for the Android L update.

An important point of consideration, with the prevalence of selfies and video-calling, is the front-facing camera, and the ZenFone here comes out on top, featuring a 0.3-megapixel offering, while the Moto E has does not have one. Both phones feature 5-megapixel rear-facing camera.

In terms of connectivity options, both the Asus ZenFone 4 and Motorola Moto E are nearly identical, however, a big difference is the lack of FM radio connectivity on the ZenFone 4. This is an important feature for a country like India, where with the lack of widespread data connectivity, users look to radio airwaves for their news and entertainment. The Moto E has this feature.

Coming to the battery, the Moto E is the clear winner, featuring a 1980mAh battery compared to the Asus ZenFone 4's 1600mAh battery. Another small difference is the lack of an ambient light sensor on the ZenFone 4, or at least, the lack of a listing of the same. The Moto E does have the feature.

Another really minor difference is lack of colour options on the Moto E, which only comes in Black and White variants, while the ZenFone 4 comes in Black, White, Red, Gold and Blue. Of course, the Moto E does come with the option of interchangeable back covers, however, these are relatively expensive, currently retailing for Rs. 660 on Flipkart.

Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG

Display

4.00-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

0.3-megapixel

Resolution

480x800 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.3

Storage

8GB

Rear Camera

5-megapixel

Battery capacity

1600mAh

See full Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG specifications

Motorola Moto E

Rs. 6999

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Superb pricing
Great performance
Premium looks

Bad
Bad camera
Average battery life

Read detailed Motorola Moto E review

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Lenovo S850 With Android 4.4 KitKat Launched at Rs. 15,499

7/23/2014 12:17:00 pm TECHNOLOGY 1 comment

Lenovo S850 With Android 4.4 KitKat Launched at Rs. 15,499

Lenovo, expanding its S-series of mid-range Android smartphones, has launched the S850 for the Indian market at Rs. 15,499. The company has announced that the latest Lenovo S850 will be hitting market shelves by the end of this month.

Notably, the smartphone is now up for pre-order at the company's official The Do Store at a discounted price of Rs. 15,299 and a shipping date of July 28.

The Lenovo S850 was globally unveiled at MWC this year, alongside the Lenovo S660 (Review |Pictures) which was launched earlier this year in India at Rs. 13,999, and the Lenovo S860 which wasunveiled recently at Rs. 21,500.

According to the company, the S850 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box; however, the company's official site still lists the smartphone running the dated Android 4.2. It supports dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) functionality and notably, 3G connectivity is supported for both SIMs.

(Also see: Lenovo S850 vs. Lenovo S860)

The smartphone comes with a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display and boasts an all-glass exterior. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MT6582) processor along with 1GB of RAM. It sports a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera and also packs a 5-megapixel fixed focus front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, with no word on expandable storage support. Apart from 3G, the S850 includes Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth and Micro-USB connectivity options.

The S850 packs a 2000mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 336 hours of standby time, and 13 hours of talk time. The smartphone comes preloaded with apps such as SECUREit, which is security software; SHAREit that offers phone-to-phone data transfer without Wi-Fi or mobile network, and SYNCit, offers permanent backup of all data the device.

Commenting on the launch of Lenovo S850, Sudhin Mathur, Director, Smartphones, Lenovo India said, "As smartphones become more mainstream, consumers expect intuitive and fast products from all premium brands. The need is to go beyond the expected and provide extraordinary design that reflects their personality. Launched at MWC early this year, the Lenovo S850 has been widely-recognised as a stylish and a powerful device that signifies Lenovo's best in-class design."

Mobiles launched in July 2014

Lenovo S850

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

1.3GHz

Front Camera

5-megapixel

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

2000mAh

See full Lenovo S850 specifications

Xiaomi Mi 3 Confirmed to Sport Scratch-Resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3

7/23/2014 12:14:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Xiaomi Mi 3 Confirmed to Sport Scratch-Resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Xiaomi's first smartphone, the Mi 3, is ringing cash bells for the company in India. Ahead of the Mi 3's launch via Flipkart on Tuesday, the company received 100,000 registrations for the smartphone. On Tuesday, Xiaomi claimed the first batch of Mi 3 smartphones in India was sold out within 40 minutes of its availability.

(Also see: Xiaomi Mi 3: First Impressions | Pictures)

However, one of the biggest qualms over the Mi 3 smartphone's specifications was whether the handset available in India came with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Notably, the company's official site and Flipkart's Mi 3 listing did not specify the feature, creating uncertainties for consumers.

Now the company, also referred to as 'China's Apple', has clarified on Twitter that the Mi 3 sold in India comes with scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Mi India's official Twitter handle said, "Did you know? All Mi 3 phones sold in India come with scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3!"

Xiaomi's official online partner, Flipkart, has started taking registrations for interested Mi 3 consumers for the next July 29 sale on Tuesday. The registration for the sale would end on July 28. Notably, the Mi 3, priced at Rs. 13,999, will only be available to registered consumers on the sale day.

Further, Xiaomi on Tuesday confirmed via a Facebook post, "For those who didn't get to purchase Mi 3 today, we know you must be disappointed. We want to make it up to you. For the next sale only, you'll be automatically registered in the next sale."

The Xiaomi Mi 3 runs a highly tweaked version of Android 4.4 KitKat, called MIUI version 5. It comes with a 5-inch full-HD LCD display (1080x1920 pixels) offering a pixel density of 441ppi; a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8274AB) processor; 2GB of RAM; Adreno 330 GPU; 16GB of inbuilt storage; 13-megapixel rear camera; 2-megapixel camera, and 3050mAh battery.

Xiaomi, launched its latest flagship smartphone, which as expected is called the Mi 4, at the company's "The Journey of a Piece of Steel" launch event. It also unveiled the Mi Band budget fitness tracker priced at just $13 (roughly Rs. 790).

Xiaomi Mi 3

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

2.3GHz

Front Camera

2-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

3050mAh

See full Xiaomi Mi 3 specifications

Modi’s budget recognises software product startups as a growth engine

7/23/2014 11:57:00 am JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Modi’s budget recognises software product startups as a growth engine

Budget 2014 holds the promise of transforming India from just an IT/ITeS outsourcing hub popular for providing cheap tech labor to a turf boasting of indigenous software product giants. This would call for hiring of versatile techies with an entrepreneurial streak within emerging software tech startups

According to NASSCOM there are about 15,000 technology start-ups and SMEs operating in India. Among the large number of SMEs mushrooming in various industry verticals in India, you might ask why this number—specifically within the IT industry—is significant.

The reason is simple. Imagine India emerging as hub of even a handful of indigenous software product giants which run a business comparable to the scope of business of say, HP and IBM. Undoubtedly, this will have a direct impact on the contribution of the IT industry to the Indian economy and also on the absorption of Indian techies by the emerging domestic software product companies.

Tech hiring in the past primarily for IT-ITeS services companies

In the past a major chunk of hiring of Indian tech resources happened within the IT-ITeS services industry, with tech professionals being hired at much lesser compensation package than anywhere else across the globe. According to NASSCOM, within India the IT-BPO industry has created direct employment of 2.2 million and indirect employment of eight million. By 2020, the figures are expected to shoot up to more than 10 million.

Data from TimesJobs.com indicates that there is currently a demand of more than 4700 jobs for entry level candidates in the software space, the biggest chunk of it being in the software development space. According to this data maximum (roughly 40,000+) software centric jobs are available in the mid-level, where candidates have experience ranging loosely between 5-8 years. This demand is mainly from large tech companies.

Added to this is the huge potential that tech startups hold to generate tech jobs within the software product development arena. But considering that India is a hub of brilliant tech resources, why have we not yet emerged as a hub for software product companies? This is inspite of the presence of about 15,000 tech startups who have already built their own tech products and solutions.

The answer is a lack of capital as well as lack of proper mentorship which is essential for building the core technology product and also the need to pump money to build proper marketing and sales pipelines to give visibility to the products.

Modi government’s budget that proposes setting aside Rs 10,000 crore for startups and SMEs is a move that would give the much needed monetary push to these budding companies. Most importantly, this is the first time ever that a government has recognised Indian software product startups as an emerging industry that holds immense growth potential and has promised special focus on these startups.

Budget pushes software product startups: Versatile techies to be in demand

There is a huge difference between the kind of tech talent that was so far in demand so far within IT-ITeS companies and the kind of tech talent that would be in demand in the coming quarters.

Explaining this Sanjay Swamy, managing Partner of AngelPrime, a Bangalore based technology incubator “Typically within IT-ITeS service companies, revenue generation is directly proportional to the number of IT support professionals hired and consequently the number of projects being worked upon. But within a product software company, the key focus is on building a robust tech resource pool that is constantly doing R&D centered on the software product being built.”

He says that a good number of experienced tech professionals might like to leverage on Government’s fund backing for startups and look at starting up their own software product companies. There would also be an increase in demand for young and versatile tech brains with an entrepreneurial spark to build the core R&D team of software product companies.

This would also fire up need for technology marketing professionals who have proven expertise in positioning tech products in the competitive market that is already mushrooming with tech startups and large tech vendors.

Techies can catapult themselves to larger business roles within startups
Within software product startups, the key criteria that is looked at while hiring tech professionals is a quiver full of strong skill sets and versatility rather than the number of years of experience. Angel Prime’s Sanjay says that the fact that a particular professional has been working within a tech company for a particular number of years is not going to be enough anymore, when the candidate is looking for a job in tech startups.

This inturn means exciting compensation opportunities for young techies who have exceptional skill sets to jump into the startup environment. If they are able to present a strong argument on how their expertise in a particular tech domain can contribute in building the startup’s business and realize better ROI, the compensation package offered to them might be much more promising than what a large tech vendor could offer.

Apart from the salary aspect, a job role within a tech startup can actually catapult techies to larger strategic business roles, if they show business value and innovation. This is conventionally not easy to achieve within large tech companies where there is a defined hierarchy of growth.

Though the fine prints of the Budget proposals are being awaited, the Rs 10,000 crore debt and risk capital fund proposed that the Budget 2014, to be released in the form of equity and soft loans will definitely give a huge boost to the tech entrepreneurs who have been nurturing brilliant tech products but didn’t have access to capital so far.

5 ways to behave well at office parties

7/23/2014 11:36:00 am JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

5 ways to behave well at office parties

You do not want to be labelled a bore, but nor would you want to be the conversation starter for a spilled drink on a colleague. Restricting yourself to a few drinks and moving around in groups could help you strike the right balance at office parties, says Anumeha Chaturvedi.

1. Be Yourself

Confused identities, unnecessary jargon and a put-on image can be discovered. Marketing manager Nisha Mehta restricts herself to just a drink as those help her loosen up. Nishchae Suri, partner and country head for people & change practice at KPMG feels If you are mindful of who you are & where you work,you can build lasting relationships with colleagues.

2. Move Around

Mehta suggests moving around between groups to keep oneself engaged and be noticed. “If you keep moving between groups instead of grabbing one corner, you might find interest groups you’d like to a be a part of and where you can add some value. But beware of gossip mongers,” she says. Her advice on dealing with that set: smile, ask questions, and don’t speak much.

3. Be a Good Listener

While talking about one’s personal interests and passion is good, one should also pay attention to what others are trying to convey. “One should practice deep listening and should have the patience to listen and appreciate what others are trying to say,” says Suri.

4. Ask the Right Questions

Contentious and sensitive issues like caste and religion should be avoided like the plague according to Suri. Conversations should be about finding a balance between learning something new, and could be about sports, travelling, even global warming.

5. Be on Time and Use Wit

Whether it’s an office party, one should be on time, and should be clear about the purpose. “People could be celebrating a new promotion, or bidding farewell to a lieutenant. It’s important to know the purpose to strike the right note,”says Amit Nandkeolyar, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at ISB.

Have you reached a dead end in your career?

7/23/2014 11:34:00 am JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Does your present job feel like a tunnel without light at the other end? It’s because sometimes the tunnel is a cul-de-sac. If your career is going nowhere, despite the money and security, then it’s time to take stock of the situation and make changes.

DIAGNOSIS

Conduct a P&L analysis Carry out an audit in writing. What is the goal of the business? How much is the revenue (salary/bonus) and where is it coming from? What are your expenses to get this revenue? How many hours are you investing and what are the commuting costs? Are there other operational expenses? Have you invested in making this business grow? How much are you investing in sales? How good is your marketing communication? Finally, is this business viable or are you losing out on time and alternative opportunities? Now, separately audit yourself. What do you like doing, what are you good at and what skills will the market be willing to pay you for? Put these in three intersecting circles to reflect your passion, talent and job market. In the centre of these three circles lies the right spot where you want to be.

Get external inputs

Share your situation with friends and family. They will help you make sense of what you are feeling and, perhaps, stop you from overreacting to minor irritants like an aggressive colleague or a micro-managing boss. Next, talk to colleagues about what’s happening around you; maybe you are misjudging the situation. Discuss with peers in the industry to get a sense of where the industry and your firm is headed. Is there scope for advancement internally or with the competition? Finally, speak to friends in other industries to find out what is hot in the job market.

SOLUTION

Change your daily routine

Reinvent the day, say, by doing yoga in the morning or taking a different route to work. Reorganize your work and walk across your office to meet people from other functions. Plan a visit to a client or another company office. The changes will help you see your situation in a different light, get a grip on your priorities and, perhaps, climb out of the hole you are stuck in. Once the ‘sameness’ mindset is broken, new possibilities can be invented out of nothing. The next step is to push the envelope. Sign on for that dance class on weekends or go for a monsoon trek in the hills. The moment you take physical action in a space that is challenging and outside your comfort zone, your confidence will go up and change will look possible to you.

Work your cash flow

Before you get going with your plan, calculate its financial impact. Then, target the problems you can solve immediately. This could include asking for a shift to another team if your current one does not suit you or requesting for a change in job description. Negotiate for a higher salary or bonus in case you are underpaid. Where you are unable to find easy solutions, look for alternative roles. Start speaking to people in your network to find suitable vacancies. If changing jobs is not an option but the cash flow is tight, figure out if you can do consulting on the side. Or, maybe, teach as a weekend faculty member.

Invest in permanent change

Lastly, invest in permanent change so that you do not find yourself in a dead-end job again. Instead of choosing a role on the basis of salary alone, evaluate criteria like learning opportunities and growth. If you have reached the peak of where your current skillsets will take you in the marketplace, invest in acquiring additional certification or skills. Make sure to pick learnings and skill combinations that are in short supply and the market is willing to pay for.

If taking a class is not an option, consider getting executive coaching or acquiring skills by working on projects where you will learn while you implement outcomes. Make sure you are working towards a planned goal. Then, at each stage of your career, you will be able to ask yourself if you are on the right path and are taking the right actions. The answers will help keep your career on track and out of dark tunnels.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A DEAD END

I am happy in my shoes.

I don’t want to step into my boss’s shoes. I don’t want the extra work hours, responsibility, travel and sales targets for negligible increase in benefits. Should I choose to remain in a place where I am not happy to grow?

My boss hasn't been promoted in five years.

And his boss has been around for 10 years. There is no attrition here. No one wants to leave because either they are too comfortable or there are no options outside. The company or industry is in a limbo and I have no future growth.

I have been doing the same thing every day for two years.

I am doing exactly the same work that I did when I joined. It is a niche job and does not leave time for any additional responsibility or learning. I can choose to stay here and see my other skills atrophy.

It’s okay if I don’t work every day.

Work pressure is negligible and I get plenty of time for my golf or trips to the mall. On some days, I can choose to work from home and spend the time reading. It’s a semi-retired lifestyle with no challenge to push me. I will soon become completely unemployable.

I am becoming a zombie.

I dread going to work every single day. My mind shuts down when I am on my chair and I feel demotivated and burnt out. I am drained of energy by the end of the day and endlessly wait for weekends. Either I will be fired or I will turn into a full-time zombie.

Google Maps Hindi version launched

7/23/2014 11:29:00 am TECHNOLOGY No comments

Google Maps Hindi version launched

Hindi maps will be available on the new Google Maps (web interface) and on the latest Google Maps for mobile app on Android devices.

NEW DELHI: Google India has launched the Hindi version of its popular mapping and navigation app, Google Maps.

Announcing the availability of Hindi language maps via a blog post, Google informed that these maps will be available on the new Google Maps (web interface) and on the latest Google Maps for mobile app on Android devices running versions 4.3 and above.

Hindi name labels appear directly on the map for cities, localities, important roads, and other popular points of interest such as public parks and schools.

Google said the Hindi labels were created by transliterating English names to Hindi, and ensuring that the text resonates with local dialects.

In order to see the Hindi labels on Google Maps, users need to enable Hindi as their preferred language. For accessing the Hindi interface on the web version, users can change their language preference to Hindi on their Google account settings or by selecting the 'Hindi' option at the bottom of the page on the google.co.in home page. To enable Hindi on Android devices, they need to select the Hindi option in the 'Language and input' menu through phone's Settings menu.

"Part of providing people with a great map means making sure that the information we display is available in as many languages as possible. Today's release of Hindi language is our latest endeavour to bring people in India a better experience on Google Maps, and we'll continue working on providing you with most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps possible," the blog post said
.

Windows 9 Start menu, apps appear in new leak

7/23/2014 11:13:00 am TECHNOLOGY No comments

Windows 9 Start menu, apps appear in new leak

Microsoft will offer Windows, including Windows Phone, for free to any computing device that has a screen size of less than 9 inches.

Two screenshots of what appears to be the next version of Microsoft's flagship OS, Windows 9, have been published by a well-known leaker.
Posted on myce, the first shows a rejigged Start menu that incorporates tiles a la Metro while the second one apparently shows an app running in Windows mode (rather than full-screen).
The screen captures appear to have been taken on July 14 while the build, called #9795, which was compiled a day before as part of the uip_dev feature build lab, appears to make changes to the user interface.
They have shed more light on what appears to be a rethink of the start menu, although there's no way to prove the legitimacy of the screenshots; even if they were genuine, the features may or may not make it to the final version of Windows.

One-two

The purported leaks come a week after another website, MyDigitalLife, posted a similar picture of the Start menu.
Oddly enough, the pictures appear to be in 4:3 aspect ratio and still show the development version of Windows as Windows 8.1 Pro (rather than Windows 9)
.

Design becoming central to Microsoft's future

7/22/2014 03:50:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Design becoming central to Microsoft's future

Microsoft is putting an emphasis on design excellence more than ever — to make its products more competitive.

REDMOND, WASHINGTON: Before Ralf Groene helped devise the look and feel of Microsoft's Surface tablet, he designed food — or "food concepts," he says, for people on the go. Among them: dried noodles that come wrapped around a pair of chopsticks; a tubular meal that can be pulled with two fingers from a car cup holder base; and a fork that squeezes out sauce.

Though none of these ideas made it into production, the principles behind them can be applied to computing devices that fit into busy lives, says Groene, and they are just as varied as the ones Microsoft now uses to redesign all its software and devices.

"In a way, we've designed Surface with very similar principles," Groene said on a recent tour of the Surface lab on Microsoft's sprawling campus in Redmond, Washington. "Surface is trying to dissolve into your day."

Groene and his team designed the Surface to accompany its users everywhere. It can be used as a tablet-style news reader propped up on its kickstand while you eat your morning bowl of cereal, as a notepad to be scribbled on with a digital pen at a business meeting, and for watching a movie while sitting on your couch later in the day.

Microsoft is putting an emphasis on design excellence more than ever — to make its products more competitive with offerings from rivals Apple, Google, and Amazon and to prod its hardware making partners to dream up new, more innovative devices. In recent years, the software giant has put a priority on fashioning devices that work around people's lives, help reduce information overload and become intimate, personal and knowledgeable about their users.

And yes, Microsoft is even trying to make devices attractive, cool and desirable, top executives say.

Over the last four years, Microsoft has doubled the number of designers it employs to some 1,400. They have backgrounds as varied as filmmaking, food and footwear. While that pales in comparison to the 64,000 engineers who make up over half the company's workforce, designers are now shaping products, building user interfaces and mocking up devices with wood and 3D printers.

"It used to be that engineers ruled the roost and engineers would bring in designers to make icons," says Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's corporate vice president overseeing personal computers, tablets and phones. "It's changed now."

Even as the company eliminates 18,000 jobs — most of them related to its purchase of Nokia's devices unit — Microsoft is empowering people like Belfiore and Groene to challenge conventional notions of what Windows devices can do.

Microsoft's new design ethos is a break from the past — a time, not long ago, when the company's software was largely a workplace necessity housed in functional plastic that was crafted by other companies.

It's no secret that Apple is the world's most beloved technology company in part because its devices are sleek, comfortable, and easy to use. And Microsoft now wants to infuse its products with the same qualities.

Designers today are woven into the process, from the early stages of product development to the way products are marketed to consumers, Belfiore says.

Microsoft has also recently elevated designers to more prominent leadership roles.

Take Albert Shum. A former designer for Nike, Shum was part of the team that revolutionized the Windows Phone software design to feature the boxy Live Tiles that are central to the Windows 8 touch-based interface. Shum now heads "interaction design" for PC operating systems, Xbox game consoles, and phones, all of which were previously managed separately.

Microsoft's modern design philosophy draws upon the minimalist Bauhaus movement, which stresses function over ornamentation, while adding in clean typography and swooping motions. This common design language is key to making Microsoft's offerings seem like a related family of products and services.

With minimal market share in both tablets and phones, Microsoft has its work cut out for it. Yet a focus on design over compatibility under new CEO Satya Nadella means Microsoft can make products and services for non-Windows platforms, such as Apple's iOS and Google's Android, and still retain the look, feel and functionality of the Microsoft brand.

Steve Kaneko, a design manager who has been with Microsoft since 1991 and has worked on Office, Windows and other projects, said it's important for the company to not only design its products to work well on other platforms, but to talk about what design means to Microsoft.

That's become an easier conversation to have with top executives including Nadella, who took over as chief executive in February. It's a dialogue the company wants to start with consumers, Kaneko says.

As part of one noteworthy design project, the company plans to make greater use of the tiles in an update to the Windows 8.1 operating system. Pressing Start while in desktop mode will soon bring up several boxy live tiles in the pop-up menu, from which users can launch touch-first apps in the traditional mouse-and-keyboard environment — a feature it previewed at its Build developer conference in April.

Groene's Surface team already showed off design improvements with the Surface Pro 3, released in June. Clicking the device's accompanying pen launches the OneNote note-taking app, so it's as ready as a yellow legal pad for scribbling. And a new bar magnet on the keyboard cover and a kickstand with a wider range of motion helped created a sturdier foundation for typing on a lap.

Another problem the design team is working on: fixing the hamburger icon, says Shum.

The icon, featured in Windows Phone and the Xbox One, has three stacked lines resembling two buns and a patty. It mostly acts as a "junk drawer" for random menu items, so it's not clear what you'll get when you click on it, Shum says.

On the Xbox One controller for instance, a physical hamburger button represents "enter" on a virtual keyboard. In games like Titanfall, it brings up a menu of various in-game options. In Windows Phone's Cortana app, though, a hamburger button will bring up options for interacting with the digital assistant.

Shum says his team wants to make the icon work similarly across devices. A hint: it will act like a signpost in a city with many neighborhoods. "It should always be this thing that allows you to go to different parts of the city," he says.

The company is also working to expand the use of the Cortana digital assistant, which is active on some Windows Phone devices. The voice-activated persona is meant to offer help proactively — giving you a snapshot of traffic on the route from the office to your home when the workday ends, for instance.

Kat Holmes, a principal designer who helped design Cortana, is working on ways that it might work in other Microsoft devices, from PCs to the Xbox. The guiding principle, which adheres closely to Microsoft's new philosophy, is to help the user in various ways depending on the situatio
n

iPhone 6: Apple orders production of 80 million units

7/22/2014 02:52:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

iPhone 6: Apple orders production of 80 million units

Apple has asked suppliers to manufacture between 70 million and 80 million of its two forthcoming large-screen iPhones by the end of the year.

Apple has asked suppliers to manufacture between 70 million and 80 million of its two forthcoming large-screen iPhones by the end of the year, its largest initial production run of iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Its forecast for the iPhones with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays is much larger than the initial order last year of between 50 million and 60 million for iPhone 5S and 5C models, the people told the Journal.

Foxconn and Pegatron plan to start mass producing the 4.7-inch iPhone model next month, and Hon Hai Precision Industry, whose parent is Foxconn, will begin making the 5.5-inch version exclusively in September, the people said.

Both iPhone 6 screens will be larger than the 4-inch panels on Apple's existing iPhone 5S and 5C models.

The new phone models are also expected to feature metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S and likely come in multiple colors, the people said.

Both iPhone 6 screens are expected to use in-cell touch panel technology, built into the screen and allowing for thinner construction than with standard touch panel films, that was introduced with the iPhone 5, sources told Reuters in March.

READ ALSO: Apple logo may glow when you get a text on iPhone 6

There could be difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources told Reuters then.

To factor in the possibility of a higher failure rate for displays, Apple has asked component makers to be prepared to make up to 120 million iPhones, the people told the Journal on Monday.

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG vs. Motorola Moto E: Budget Battle

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Lenovo S850 With Android 4.4 KitKat Launched at Rs. 15,499

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Xiaomi Mi 3 Confirmed to Sport Scratch-Resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3

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OS

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Modi’s budget recognises software product startups as a growth engine

5 ways to behave well at office parties

Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Google Maps Hindi version launched

Windows 9 Start menu, apps appear in new leak

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Design becoming central to Microsoft's future

iPhone 6: Apple orders production of 80 million units

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