Tablet wars: Xolo Play Tegra Note vs Acer Iconia W4 vs Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 vs Dell Venue 8

We pit four of the latest tablets against each other to help you find the device that’s just right for you.

We pit four of the latest tablets against each other in this final instalment of our two-part series to help you find the device that's just right for you.

Xolo Play Tegra Note 

Best for 3D gaming and high-def movies

The Tegra Note sports an all-plastic build, but its back panel has a rubberised finish that makes for decent grip. Powered by Nvidia's chip, this tab shows no signs of lag while playing heavy 3D games like Real Racing 3 and Frontline Commando. Its front-facing stereo speakers, however, are placed on the side of its touchscreen, and holding the tablet horizontally blocks these and muffles its sound. This tab comes with a micro-HDMI port, which works well for when you want to watch a movie on a large display. The Tegra Note's display looks bright, but its colours are rather subdued. Its marker-type stylus is responsive and even pressure sensitive. Unlike the well-supported S Pen in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (see previous issue), this tab comes with just two apps for drawing and writing.



The camera works well in bright settings and come preinstalled with the Camera Awesome app that lets you choose from various shooting modes and creative effects. Its low-res VGA front cam doesn't make for clear and crisp video chats.

The slate gave us a decent six hours of non-stop movie time.

Specs: 7-inch, IPS (1280x800px) touchscreen | 1.8GHz quad-core processor | 1GB RAM | 16GB (internal), microSD up to 32GB | 5MP rear cam, VGA front cam | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, micro-HDMI | 4100mAh | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

Acer Iconia W4

Best for those who want the familiarity of the Windows user interface


This Windows tablet comes with a bright touchscreen with great viewing angles; colours look rich and vibrant. However, in the Windows desktop mode, icons and text appear really small and tend to be a pain to select and edit. This is not the case while navigating the tiled interface. Powered by an Intel Atom quad-core chip, the W4 handles 3D games and Full HD movies without a stutter - and it even features a micro HDMI port.

The W4, like all Windows-based devices, is able to play only popular file formats like WMA, MP3, WAV and AVI. For additional support, you will need to install third-party media players.

The slate also comes with USB OTG support, so you can plug in a pen drive and transfer files directly. In fact, you can also use your data dongles with the tablet.

The W4 comes pre-loaded with Acer's cloud storage services as well as Microsoft's Office Home and Student 2013 productivity suite. Besides, you also get tight integration with OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) that allows you to save documents to your online account without a fuss.

The rear camera produces shots that lack detail due to image compression. The front cam works decently for video chat, but only in well-lit environments.

The W4 gave us a commendable six hours of continuous video playback on a single charge.

Specs: 8-inch, LCD (1280x800px) touchscreen | 1.3GHz quad-core processor | 2GB RAM | 64GB (internal), microSD up to 32GB | 5MP rear cam, 2MP front cam | W-Fi, Bluetooth, micro-HDMI | 4960mAh battery | Windows 8.1

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 

Best for those who want to stay connected while on-the-move

The Lenovo Yoga 8 sports a cylindrical receptacle that houses its battery. This also makes it comfortable to grip when browsing the web or reading. Besides, it also comprises a metallic kickstand which is great for hands-free entertainment and video chats.

Even though its 8-inch screen sports an HD resolution, its low pixel density affects its display quality. Images look grainy and colours seem oversaturated, and this mars the visual experience.

Overall, the device works well for basic browsing and productivity tasks, but it struggles with highquality Full HD videos and 3D games. Also, its frontfacing stereo speakers sound muffled, so it's better to use earphones for movies and music. The Yoga's rear camera is inconveniently placed in the corner where you are likely to place your hand while taking landscape shots. Its output, like most tabs in this range, lack detail and are only good enough for sharing on the web. Its front cam works well for video chats.

However, with voice calling, 3G support and a good battery life of eight hours on continuous video, this tab is a worthy travel companion.

Specs: 8-inch, IPS (1280x800px) touchscreen | 1.2GHz quad-core processor | 1GB RAM | 16GB (internal), microSD up to 64GB | 5MP rear cam, 1.6MP front cam | 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS | 6000mAh battery | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

Dell Venue 8

Best for those who need a budget 8-incher

This Intel Atom-powered slate sports a sturdy build and a rubberized back for much-needed grip. Its HD display is bright and is capable of natural colours, but readability, takes a dip in sunlight. Also - despite its hi-res credentials - its images don't look sharp. This, however, is more of a norm in tabs priced under 20k.

The Venue 8's stock Android installation ensures a lag-free experience and PocketCloud - the only pre-loaded app on this device - works well to let you access documents from a remote PC that's connected to the internet. But without 3G support, you are restricted to using it with Wi-Fi only.

Pictures taken with the rear camera are not sharp; low-light captures include a great deal of noise. The front snapper works well for video calls, provided there is enough light.

As for multimedia, the slate handles Full HD movies and light gaming without a hiccup. Its speaker is loud, but tends to distort at higher volumes.

Battery life is dismal, and a full charge gave us only four hours of video playback.

Specs: 8-inch, IPS (1280x800px) touchscreen | 2GHz dual-core processor | 2GB RAM | 16GB (internal), microSD up to 32GB | 5MP rear cam, 2MP front cam | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS | 4100mAh battery | Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean
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An app to let you ‘donate’ your voice to speech-impaired

LONDON: A new smartphone app may allow people to donate their voice to be customized into synthetic speech for those who are unable to speak, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, say. The app is being developed under a programme called VocaliD, which aims to give a voice to those with severe speech impediments because of a stroke, Parkinson's or cerebral palsy, for example. 

Generally, such patients are stuck with generic computerized voices, like physicist Stephen Hawking. "For these individuals, this is the only way that they interact with people around them," said Rupal Patel, a speech scientist at Northeastern University in Boston and VocaliD's co-director. 

The researchers listen to the limited sounds their patients can produce. These utterances show what that person's speech might sound like — whether it's highpitched, raspy or breathy. 

A surrogate who is similar in age and the same sex is selected to donate his or her voice. That person reads several thousand sample sentences, sourced from books like 'White Fang', 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. Then, using a software tool called ModelTalker, the surrogate's voice is blended with the patient's and stripped down into the tiny units that make up speech. 

Using this method, the group has built a handful of personalized voices. But the process is slow, since surrogates must come to a studio to record for hours. It takes at least 800 sentences to create a usable voice, AGENCIES

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LG outs Smart Bulb for iOS and Android, it will blink when you receive a call

LG has announced its first ever Smart Bulb, a household light bulb that is connectable to iOS and Android devices.

The Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-powered Smart Bulb will blink when users get a phone call, will last for over a decade if on for five hours a day and result in 80% energy savings, according to LG.

The company has baked in a crafty security mode, to make it look like residents are at home, when they're actually away. It's not quite a Kevin McCallister one-man house party, but it'll do.

Users can also set timers and brightness for the bulbs to ensure that morning light is easier on the eyes which "may feel good at daybreak," according to LG's translated press release.

Party mode

There's also a party mode, which will set the brightness to the music emanating from the smartphone and will even blink to the beat, giving users their very own strobe effect. This is an Android-only feature at launch.

The Smart Bulb is out in the coming days, priced at 35,000 won (around $32, £19, AU$33) and is compatible with Android 4.3+ and Apple iOS 6.0+.

International launch plans are unknown, but this is definitely the most excited we've been about a light bulb since Christmas.

It's also the most excited we've been about an LG home product since it announced that Blast Chiller refrigerator compartment that can cool a beer in ten minutes.

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How Google keeps its employees happy and productive

The popular search engine Google leads in keeping its employees in a good mood.

LONDON: From laundry facilities to volleyball courts, from nap areas to a slide connecting work floors, the popular search engine Google leads in keeping its employees in a good mood. 

And this has resulted in a higher productivity, a 12% boost at work, a research said, adding that the firm may actually have hit the right idea that happy employees do work harder. 

"The driving force seems to be that the happier workers use their time more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality," said Daniel Sgroi from department of economics at University of Warwick in Britain. 

According to the researchers, Google was at the forefront of improving its employees' happiness with its perks that include free food, buses and gyms along with sports courts and even a slide to get between floors. 

In a series of lab tests, they found happiness made people 12% more productive. 

The study included four different experiments with more than 700 participants. 

The participants were either shown a comedy movie clip or treated to free chocolate, drinks and fruits. 

Others were enquired about recent family tragedies to assess whether lower levels of happiness were later associated with lower levels of productivity. 

Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and as a result employee satisfaction has risen, concluded the researchers in the study published in the journal of Labour Economics.

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Apple, Comcast in talks for TV streaming deal: WSJ

Apple is in talks with Comcast to enter into a deal for a TV streaming service that would allow Apple TVs to bypass congestion on the web, WSJ reported.

Apple is in talks with Comcast to enter into a deal for a streaming-television service that would allow Apple set-top boxes to bypass congestion on the web, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. 

The discussions are in early stages and there are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before a definitive agreement could be reached, the Journal said. 

Apple, which wants its TV service's traffic to be separated from public internet traffic over the "last mile" for faster transmission, is looking for special treatment from Comcast's cables to bypass congestion, the report said. 

Comcast and Apple declined to comment on the report. 

Apple has been in talks for a faster set-top box with Time Warner Cable, which recently agreed to be bought by Comcast. 

The $99 Apple TV competes with similar streaming devices from Roku and Google. 

Netflix agreed last month to pay Comcast for faster speeds, throwing open the possibility that more content companies will have to shell out for better service. 

The Federal Communications Commission is in the process of drafting a new "net-neutrality" bill that would ensure that network operators disclose exactly how they manage internet traffic and that they do not restrict consumers' ability to surf the web or use applications.

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How Apple has changed under CEO Tim Cook

Since Cook took over as Apple's CEO, its annual revenue has grown by about 58%, and its profits by about 40%.

You could be forgiven, after reading 'Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs', for concluding that Apple is on the verge of going belly up. In the new book by Yukari I Kane, the company is depicted as having radically declined after the death of its former impresario. 

Under Timothy D Cook, who took over as chief executive shortly before Steve Jobs died in October 2011, Apple "teeters at the edge of a reckoning," Kane writes. Its executives, she adds,"cannot find their own way forward. They are tired. They are uncertain. The well of ingenuity has run dry." 

Cook said in a statement that it was all"nonsense." He's right.

There are two ways to assess how well Apple has done under Cook. You could look at its financial performance, which is boring but instructive. Or you could do as Kane does and instead sift through all the noise and commentary surrounding the company — observers' assessments of its shifting corporate culture, of its executives' temperaments during product-launch events, or the fact that such arbiters of taste as Mitch Albom, the author of 'Tuesdays With Morrie', no longer care for Apple's advertising. 

For the most part, Kane sticks with these more subjective assessments, and she arrives at a familiar set of conclusions. She argues that Apple has forgotten how to innovate, that its products are too closed and expensive, and that it is failing to live up to its own well-honed hype. These aren't novel critiques; they've been seen as evidence of Apple's imminent failure throughout its history, even under Jobs. And there isn't much evidence that they're any more true now than they were in the past. 

Cook's book
Let's start with the numbers. In the two and a half years since Cook took over as Apple's CEO, the company's annual revenue has grown by about 58%, and its profits by about 40%. That compares favourably with many of its rivals, including Google, whose profits increased by about 25% in the same period.

It's true that the growth in sales of Apple's biggest product, the iPhone, has slowed under Cook. Last holiday season, the company sold 51 million iPhones, an increase of about 38% since 2011, when Apple was selling the last iPhone that Jobs worked on.

That level of growth is slower than in periods under Jobs; for instance, between the holiday quarter of 2010 and the holiday quarter of 2011, iPhone sales rose by 130%. The iPhone's growth under Cook has also lagged that of the wider smartphone industry, which means that Apple's market share is in decline.

On the other hand, much of the growth in the wider smartphone business has occurred at the low end of the market. Consequently, under Cook, Apple's share of the profits in the smartphone business has actually gone up. When Jobs ran the company, Apple raked in about two-thirds of all the world's smartphone profits. Last holiday season, under Cook, analysts' estimates put Apple's share of smartphone profits at between 76% and 87%. 

Taken together, what do these numbers tell you about Apple under Cook? They paint a picture of a company doing very well, if not as spectacularly as it did at certain times in the recent past. They suggest that while Apple's growth might have slowed, it hasn't stalled.

The numbers certainly do not suggest a company in decline. At worst, you can say that Apple has entered a period of stasis — though if stasis means earning 80 cents of every dollar of smartphone profits, that can't be so bad.

And this analysis doesn't even get to the deeper question, which is how well Apple would have performed during the last two and a half years under Jobs. We can never know that, of course, but it's not unreasonable to assume that Jobs would have run into some of the same problems regarding market share and growth that have dogged Apple under Cook. 

And you can bet your iPhone that he would not have adopted some of the advice that Kane gives — for instance, that Apple "open up its operating system and license the technology." 
The next big thing What's troubling about Kane's book is that she barely pauses to look at Apple's financial success since Jobs's death. When she does consider the numbers, she strangely interprets Apple's growth under Cook as evidence of his failure. There's a suggestion that the numbers don't matter because Cook's domain is numbers:"Tim Cook was a master of spreadsheets, not innovation," she writes. He has hired lots of MBAs, so, of course, the business has performed well.

To really understand Apple's supposed collapse, Kane wants us to consider other, more subjective bits of evidence. 

During Apple's recent product launch events, its executives have taken shots at its competitors — evidence of the firm's "insecurity," she writes. Cook is justifiably faulted for the fact that Apple released buggy apps like Maps and Siri and then, oddly, for the fact that he fired Scott Forstall, the executive in charge of those features. Cook's high standards, Kane says, risks "stifling innovation." 

When Apple began selling the iPhone 5, the company billed the device as "The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone," a tagline that Kane describes as"uninspired" compared to the"bewitching" taglines that accompanied previous Apple launches. Some hits from Jobs's tenure include"The funnest iPod ever" and"If you don't have an iPhone, well, you don't have an iPhone." Bewitching, eh?

Kane's primary objection to Apple under Cook is that it hasn't given us the proverbial "next big thing." 

Since 2010, when it unveiled the iPad, Apple has only made incremental improvements to its devices, while competitors like Google have gone public with their plans for robots and self-driving cars and computerized eyeglasses. (Though they haven't begun selling these doodads.) This is a tired criticism, one that fundamentally misunderstands how Apple works. 

Apple has always created its next big things in secret. Unlike Google and Microsoft, it rarely publicizes its innovations before they're ready. The fact that we don't know what Apple will do next could be evidence that it has run out of ideas. But you could have said the same thing late in 2001, just before it launched the iPod, or in 2007 just before it launched the iPhone, or in 2010 just before it launched the iPad. 

Indeed, people did make such claims then, pointing each time to Apple's slip into just making incremental improvements, and insisting each time that it meant Apple was done for. History hasn't been kind to their predictions. Could those critics be correct now? Sure. The technology industry is brutal, and Apple, like any other company, could fail.

But the fact that Apple has gone four years without some category-defining new product isn't evidence that Apple has lost its way. Instead, it mainly proves that Apple under Cook is operating just like Apple under Jobs. That should be reassuring to anyone who cares about the future of the company
.

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World Twenty20: Dhoni backs Yuvraj to come good in remaining matches

Dhoni was confident that Yuvraj has the ability to get back in form and win matches for his team. (TOI Photo)

MIRPUR: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni expressed confidence that out-of-form Yuvraj Singh will come good in the remaining matches of the World Twenty20 but admitted that he is "under pressure and not in great touch". 

"Yuvraj is one of the best players of T20 but yes you can say that he is not in great touch at the moment. It becomes tough when you are dropped from ODIs and then you make a comeback in the T20 squad. So there's bit of pressure on him," Dhoni told reporters. 

"It's easy to say that it is a short format but when an individual comes into the squad, there is bound to be pressure on him," he added. 

Yuvraj scored a painstaking 10 off only 19 balls during Sunday's seven-wicket win against West Indies but Dhoni was confident that Yuvraj has the ability to get back in form and win matches for his team. 

"It takes one or two matches. Probably, he will get back into flow as we know how good a match-winner he is. He can turn a game on his own. Today the plan was to have a higher net run-rate but at the same time give Yuvraj a chance to settle his nerves. If he is in flow, Yuvi is a good asset to have," Dhoni added. 

About Amit Mishra's splendid form with back-to-back man of the match awards, Dhoni said that his only advice to the Haryana leggie was to back his strengths. 

Asked what was his tips to Mishra, Dhoni smiled and said, "I told him, Just Play!". 

On a serious note, he further added: "People bowl or bat according to their strengths. He was feeling a bit of nerves against Pakistan and I went up to him and told him that you are known to turn the ball, flight it and vary the pace. 

"I told him just don't try to bowl the straighter one. Try to bowl back of length so that batsman can't hit. I told him, biggest strength to flight and deceive batsman. 

"During Pakistan game, I knew he was not bowling his hundred percent. I knew with that man-of-the-match performance, he will get better in coming matches. He bowled well against Gayle and used the odd variations. Their will be days when like other bowlers he may also get hit but it's important that he backs his strength," Dhoni said. 

Similarly, the India skipper was also pleased that Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a splendid opening spell in which he had 16 dot balls. 

"His (Bhuvneshwar) job was to use the new ball well and not give too many loose deliveries. Today there was a bit of help and he was bowling in the right areas. And so that's how, he will contribute," Dhoni said. 

"Whenever there is a bit of help, he should bowl in right areas. Especially, in this game, he bowled brilliantly as he was able to swing the ball and length was also very crucial." 

Dhoni said that while Shami is one permanent choice for bowling at the 'death', he is also trying out options to see who among Jadeja, Ashwin and Mishra fit the bill. 

"Bhuvi is a fantastic new ball bowler. I am not saying that he is a bad bowler at the death. Trying Jadeja at the death is an option I am trying to check as we will have a lot of big hitters coming in the next few matches," he said. 

"We have Shami, to whom we look upon as a death over specialist. I am trying to get one more bowler, it may be Jadeja, Ashwin or whoever, as a death over specialist." 

While Dhoni opened with Ashwin in the previous game, it was a calculated ploy to start with Bhuvneshwar yesterday as he wanted to try a different option against Gayle. 

"You (guys) expected me to open with Ashwin which means Ashwin was a normal choice. If you don't bowl Ashwin, that means that's a surprise! I think with new ball, Bhuvi is someone who has troubled Chris Gayle to some extent. I think even today he bowled really well. 

"It was more of changing the plan when needed. I wanted to bowl Ashwin later depending on how many wickets they lose in Powerplay. I thought of using faster bowler for three to four overs, so that when Gayle starts hitting, I have Ashwin to push him for big shots against a bowler he has more chance of getting out." 

The 32-year-old turned a bit philosophical when someone remarked that now he can "afford to smile" at his bowler's performance. 

"I still smile when I lose. I know cricket is a big part of our lives but it is not the only life we lead. Of course, you are disappointed when you lose a game but there will be times when you won't win," Dhoni said. 

"As far as bowling concerned, I am really happy how they have performed. Yes, there is a bit of help for them but at the same time you need to execute your plans well. Especially in this format, you have got couple of big hitters in the opposition and you have to carefully plan them out. 

"I was really happy that our spinners along with part timers and the fast bowlers have done really well. Still there's long way to go in the tournament. Still there are two matches left in the league." 

Asked about the performance of the Indians fielders, who dropped a few high catches, Dhoni said: "It is not a problem with Indian team only. There has been some catches that has been dropped by other teams also. I don't know whether it's a surrounding, but fielders in deep are finding it difficult to judge the ball. 

"I don't know any other reasons but we need to overcome the problem because if we drop a big hitter, we might end up giving a lot of runs which will be difficult to chase. It's definitely a problem to some extent but we don't know whether it's a technical fault or not.
"

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Becoming Microsoft CEO was 'beyond my wildest dreams': Nadella

Becoming Microsoft CEO was beyond even the wildest dreams, said Satya Nadella, the India-born chief executive of the $78 billion global software giant.

"Having grown up in India, the idea that I would have the opportunity to talk to all of you as CEO ofMicrosoft was beyond my wildest dreams. Admittedly, my interests at that time were a bit more focused on cricket than on technology," he said at the Microsoft Windows Azure Cloud Conference, 2014 that was video-cast to a gathering of developers, business and technology decision makers and IT professionals.

Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as the CEO of Microsoft in February this year.

"I believe the opportunities ahead for India with the Azure cloud platform are tremendous and I encourage you to seize all of them," he said.

Windows Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform. It enables quick deployment and management of applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers.

"It is amazing though, to think of the advancement in technology over the past few years and the opportunity for developers in India today," Nadella, an electrical engineering graduate from Mangalore University, said.

Nadella is the only third CEO after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in the 38-year history of Microsoft.

"We are at a pivotal time in our industry: living in and developing for a mobile first, cloud first world," he said.

Nadella, who joined Microsoft in 1992, had previously served as the Executive Vice President of Cloud and Enterprise Group.

Stating that Azure is a powerful platform for the entire Indian ecosystem of IT professionals, developers and start-ups to bring their applications to markets worldwide, he said: "It helps Indian customers leapfrog to the cloud, and accrue significant cost savings."

"It provides a unique opportunity for our partners to scale their business," he added.

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Google kicks off always encrypted Gmail service

Google said Thursday its popular Gmail service would use encryption to thwart snooping, in the latest move by the tech sector reassuring customers following revelations about US surveillance programs.

"Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us,"Gmail engineering security chief Nicolas Lidzborski said in a blog post.

"Starting today, Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection when you check or send email.

"Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail's servers - no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet."

Google has already begun scrambling most of the traffic at its websites as technology firms grapple with moves by US intelligence agencies to spy on what people are doing and sharing online.

And similar moves have been announced by Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook to use encryption that limits the ability of a third party to read messages or emails.

US tech firms have been ramping up encryption since last year's explosive revelations about the vast surveillance capabilities of the National Security Agency and other intelligence services, based on leaked documents.

Lidzborski said Google's latest move "ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers - something we made a top priority after last summer's revelations."

Some reports say the NSA had been able to access the data centers of Google and other Web firms.

Experts say encryption generally prevents outsiders from intercepting a person's messages or documents, but that a persistent effort can gain access through malware or other methods that trick a person into revealing passwords.

NSA-proof?
Joseph Hall, chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said Google's move is positive even if it does not protect against every potential threat.

"I'm reluctant to say anything is NSA-proof," Hall told AFP.

"But I think what Google is trying to do is make sure they come through the front door and not the back door."

Hall said that Google's encryption "would make it very difficult" for the NSA or others to tap into email traffic directly.

But he cautioned that the encryption would be only for "transport" and that data may still be unencrypted while sitting on a user's browser or stored in certain data centers.

Still, he maintained that this encryption is positive because it is "part of a general trend of strengthening the core Internet structure."

"Unfortunately, this is a case of an American Internet company having to beef up security because of attacks by its own government," Hall said, while adding that it could be positive for people living in authoritarian regimes.

"If you're an activist in Syria or and Iranian democracy activist, it will go a long way to making you secure."

Google's announcement came a day after co-founder Larry Page condemned US government snooping on the Internet as a threat to democracy.

Page, speaking at the Technology Entertainment Design (TED) gathering in Canada, was sharply critical of the NSA.

"It is tremendously disappointing that the government sort of secretly did all this stuff and didn't tell us," Page said.

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Samsung Galaxy S5, Gear 2, Gear Fit up for global preview ahead of launch

Samsung is leaving no stone unturned ahead of the global release of its new flagship smartphone, theGalaxy S5. The South Korean giant has announced that its Galaxy S5 smartphone, accompanied by the Gear 2 and Gear Fit wearables will be globally previewed (hands-on demo) and will also go up for pre-order in more than 61 countries starting Friday (21 March 2014).

The company notes that the three devices (Galaxy S5, Gear 2 and Gear Fit) will be available for global preview at the Samsung Experience Stores, mobile carrier stores, and some retailer stores in about 61 countries.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5: 10 big new features)

According to Samsung, the United States and Switzerland will be the first markets to get the global preview of the Galaxy S5, Gear 2 and Gear Fit devices, which will followed to the remaining 59 markets including Brazil, China, Germany and United Kingdom.

Notably while announcing the Galaxy S5 after months of anticipation at MWC 2014, Samsung had revealed that the Galaxy S5 would launch in 150 countries starting from 11 April 2014. It's worth pointing out that the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit will be also available globally on 11 April 2014.

At the announcement, Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT& Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics said, "The new Galaxy S5 and Gear devices are designed for what matters most to our consumers. We listened closely to our consumers when designing these products, and we want to give as many customers as possible the enough chance to experience of Galaxy S5, Gear 2, and Gear Fit before they purchase."

The biggest new features being touted on the Galaxy S5 by Samsung include a fingerprint scanner on the home button, a heart rate sensor placed near the 16-megapixel camera, and the IP67 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant. The smartphone also features a new design in terms of the back panel now being perforated, and available with four colours at launch, along with optional designer back panels.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. Sony Xperia Z2 vs. LG G Pro 2 vs. iPhone 5S)

The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit on the other hand run the Tizen OS instead of Android, like the original Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Samsung recently revealed the Taiwanese pricing of the Gear 2 and Gear Fit.

For those unaware, the Samsung Gear 2 features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, a 2-megapixel autofocus camera and sports a metal body. The Samsung Gear Fit is smaller and lighter than the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, and is focused on health. No availability details of the Gear 2 Neo have yet been disclosed.

Samsung Galaxy S5

• KEY SPECS
• NEWS

Display

5.10-inch

Processor

2.5GHz

Front Camera

2.1-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2800mAh

See full Samsung Galaxy S5 specifications

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Google tries to bust the 'Top 10 Google Glass Myths'

When Google announced its Project Glass for wearable augmented reality eyewear, there were mixed reactions all around. From disrupting privacy, to even being used in spying, there were numerous concerns and interesting myths that began floating. The truth of the times, both ancient and modern, is anything said repeatedly garners enough potential to actually make it sound like the truth.

Understanding the possible far-reaching effects that the Google Glass rumours can have on its actual use, Google posted an article on Google+ on Thursday called 'The top 10 Google Glass myths'. Recently Google had also published another blog about the etiquettes needed to be followed while wearing the Google Glass in public.

The latest post on Google+ is cheeky as it pokes fun at several urban myths before finally settling down to business. Explaining the reason behind its 'The Top 10 Google Glass Myths' post, Google said, "In its relatively short existence, Glass has seen some myths develop around it. While we're flattered by the attention, we thought it might make sense to tackle them, just to clear the air."

Right from explaining how Glass is not a distraction from the real world, or it is not always recording people, to it being the perfect spying device and owing to its complete disregard for privacy it being banned everywhere, Google takes potshots at urban tales about Glass eyewear to set the record straight.

Google even goes on to talk about how Glass wearers are not technology worshipping geeks and that it doesn't have a screen covering the user's eye like the pirate leader of the Jolly Rogers.

Even then, one cannot but notice the tone of the blogpost. Yes, it is outright cheeky and tries hard to retain the non-serious, serious tone that was evident in the post about Glass wearing etiquettes, but it doesn't quite come across as such in this post. There is a marked defensive tone in it, while trying to officially address the concerns of the masses.

Nevertheless, it is important to note the amount of effort the search giant is putting into clearing the air around its latest wearable augmented reality device. Google is taking up the issue of educating people to drive away their fears, whilst not going too far overboard. 

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