Mircromax owned YU Televentures had plans to release the Android 5.0 Lollipop based update by the first week of April, but that didn't happen. Now the Indian startup’s official forum carries a post stating that Android Lollipop for Yureka can be expected soon !!
Yureka will get a firmware update based on CyanogenMod 12S. Apart from the features of Android Lollipop and Cyanogen, the company claims to have added a few more goodies.
The ROM has been submitted to Google for approval. Once approved, it will be rolled to the Yureka. Keep your fingers crossed !!
The unique and rather interesting YotaPhone is launching today in India. The phone will be available exclusively through online retailer Flipkart and is priced at Rs. 23,499 ($382). Although its available for Rs.8999 today !!
The YotaPhone is a first of its kind device with a display on the front as well as the back. The display on the front is a 4.3-inch, 1280x720 LCD but the one on the back is a 4.3-inch, 640x480 resolution electronic paper display. The second screen is what's most interesting about this phone, as it always stays on and shows information, and due to the nature of electronic paper display, that only consume power while changing states, the display is very efficient.
Other than that, the YotaPhone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8960T with dual-core 1.7GHz Krait 300 CPU and Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage space, 13 megapixel rear camera, 1 megapixel front camera, 4G connectivity, 1,800mAh battery and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
I think, for such Awesome specs... This Russian smartphonemaker is charging a very reasonable price. It will be giving a tight competition to the YU Yureka. Although it gets beaten in terms of the 'Looks' and 'Design' but if you're going to buy a new smartphone, give this phone a try ;-)
Micromax Canvas Selfie With 13-Megapixel Front and Rear Cameras Launched at Rs. 15,999
Micromax has finally revealed the pricing of the Canvas Selfie smartphone, which will be available at Rs. 15,999 in India. Initially announced in December, the Micromax Canvas Selfie is expected to go on sale soon.
The company at the launch stressed that the Canvas-series smartphone has been designed for image-conscious women. It features a faux leather rear finish.
The highlight of the Micromax Canvas Selfie is its 13-megapixel front and rear cameras that are both accompanied by LED flash modules and Sony sensors. The smartphone's features few inbuilt camera tools such as eye enhancement; face slimming; skin smoothening; teeth whitening; remove oil; fade dark circles, and make-up.
The Canvas Selfie is powered by 1.7GHz octa-core (unspecified chipset) processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box and supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM).
It features a 4.7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Micromax Canvas Selfie includes 16GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).
It includes a 2300mAh battery with no word on talk time and standby time. Connectivity options on the Canvas Selfie include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, GPRS/ EDGE, and 3G. It will be available in Mystic Blue and Angelic White colours.
Widely criticized for the use of less than premium materials unworthy of upmarket devices, Samsung has made the move recently to metal frames, and the upcoming Galaxy S6 will allegedly join the trend. Solving one problem typically creates others in the process, though, and antenna interference is one result of the metal used on the Galaxy S6′s body.
A report in Korean media states that Samsung is resorting to FPCB antenna technology for the future flagship, aiming to battle the negative effects of the metal frame on signal reception.
FPCB stands for Flexible Printed Circuit Board where thin strips of conductor (say, copper) are laminated in between two layers of PET polymer. They find wide application in the electronics industry when space constraints limit the use of rigid circuit boards.
The predominantly used type of antennas in recent years are manufactured using the LDS technology, or Laser Direct Structuring. It allows for a precise 3D shape to be modeled, thus fitting in whatever space the engineers find unoccupied in the device. This actually makes it superior to FPCB, the flexibility of which is limited.
Additionally, LDS units deliver better reception performance, provided they are not hindered by other design choices. However, the Galaxy S6 has proven incompatible with LDS antennas in terms of interference and an FPCB solution has been chosen as a workaround.
Amazon is the latest major retailer to officially begin offering Motorola Nexus 6. Previously, the high-end phablet was available only through third-party sellers on the online megastore at a higher price.
For the time being, you can order only the 32GB version of the handset directly from Amazon. It is available in both white or blue color scheme for $649.99. However, Indian customers will have to wait till April for the same...
The more sought after 64GB variant is yet to become available on Amazon. It has been in short supply since its launch late last year.
Google Glass GDK isn't ready, but developers can make Android apps while waiting for its release.
Google is encouraging developers to start building apps for its Glass augmented-reality eyewear, even though it has yet to release the official Glass Development Kit (GDK) to help them do it.
According to a blog post by the Glass developer relations team, Google revealed plans for the GDK during its I/O developer conference in July this year, but doesn't want app-makers to wait for it to be released.
"We're still hard at work on the GDK, but in the meantime, you can start designing and developing your awesome ideas with the existing Android SDK," suggests the post.
"Although you won't have all the tools necessary to design the perfect experience for Glass, developing with the Android SDK (API Level 15) lets you try out ideas while you wait for the GDK."
The team add that Glass features including the accelerometer and playing media are already part of the Android SDK. Google has published some sample apps including a stopwatch, level and compass for Glass, with more to come in the next few weeks.
"When we release the GDK, we'll update these samples to demonstrate the migration path between a traditional Android app and a full Glass experience," explains the blog post.
In fact, a number of companies and developers have already released third-party Glass apps, either through working with Google ahead of the GDK's launch, or by using its Google Mirror API for web-based Glassware.
They include media brands, with the New York Times' app pushing breaking news alerts and hourly updates to Glass owners, while CNN and Elle showed off their own apps during the I/O conference.
Social media services, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Path, have all launched Glass apps, too.
Meanwhile, e-commerce service Fancy has a Glass app enabling people to take photos of objects in the world around them then find matching products, and cloud-storage service Evernote have also released a "first look" at its app.
Fancy Glass app
Fancy's Glass app helps people find colour-matched products
All have stressed that it is early days for their apps on Glass, even if they have grand ambitions.
"We believe that wearables are the next frontier in consumer technology and we're hard at work building the Evernote for our wearable technology future," as that company's vice president of marketing Andrew Sinkov put it in a blog post.
"Today, you're getting a glimpse of simple and useful ways that Evernote can be used with Google Glass. This is only the beginning."
Wearable-technology incubator Stained Glass Labs maintains a directory of Glass apps which spotlights apps made by other developers and startups, from YouTube-uploading Fullscreen BEAM and photo-filtering Glassagram to the infamously banned-by-Google Tits & Glass porn app.
Google's Glass Platform Developer Policies for the Mirror API hint at its likely approach to policing native apps for its eyewear once the GDK is available.
It includes rules on collecting and using people's personal data, as well as barring sexually explicit material, depictions of "gratuitous" violence, hate speech, impersonation and deceptive behaviour, gambling and malware, among other categories.
Google Glass is an attempt to free data from desktop computers and portable devices like phones and tablets, and place it right in front of your eyes.
Essentially, Google Glass is a camera, display, touchpad, battery and microphone built into spectacle frames so that you can perch a display in your field of vision, film, take pictures, search and translate on the go.
The principle is one that has been around for years in science fiction, and more recently it's become a slightly clunky reality. In fact, the "heads-up display" putting data in your field of vision became a reality as early as 1900 when the reflector sight was invented.
Google Glass uses display technology instead to put data in front (or at least, to the upper right) of your vision courtesy of a prism screen. This is designed to be easily seen without obstructing your view. According to Google the display is "the equivalent of a 25-inch high definition screen from eight feet away". There's no official word on native resolution, but 640 x 360 has been widely mooted.
Overlaying data into your vision has obvious benefits; many of which are already functional in Google Glass. Directions become more intuitive (although it sounds like there is no GPS on board so you will have to pair it with your phone), you can view real-time translations or transcriptions of what is being said, and you can scroll through and reply to messages - all on the fly.
What can Google Glass do?
As well as Google's own list of features, the early apps for Google Glass provide a neat glimpse into the potential of the headset.
As well as photos and film - which require no explanation - you can use the Google hangout software to video conference with your friends and show them what you're looking at.
You'll also be able to use Google Maps to get directions, although with GPS absent from the spec list, you'll need to tether Glass to your phone.
Google has given its Glass project a big boost by snapping up voice specialists DNN research. To do that, Google offers the MyGlass app. This pairs your headset with an Android phone. As well as sharing GPS data, this means messages can be received, viewed on the display, and answered using the microphone and Google's voice-to-text functionality.
That functionality will also bring the ability to translate the words being spoken to you into your own language on the display. Obviously you'll need a WiFi connection or a hefty data plan if you're in another country, but it's certainly a neat trick if it works.
Third parties are also already developing some rather cool/scary apps for Google Glass - including one that allows you to identify your friends in a crowd, and another that allows you to dictate an email.
The New York Times app gives an idea how news will be displayed when it's asked for: a headline, byline, appropriate image and number of hours since the article was published are displayed.
What are the Google Glass specifications?
As well as a mooted 640 x 360 display, the built-in camera is a 5MP snapper that can film at 720p.
Battery life is apparently a day, although that's with the usual "typical use" caveat, which probably excludes a lot of videoing.
There's 16GB of flash memory built into the device, although only 12GB will be available for user storage. The device will sync to your Google Drive in the cloud
Bluetooth and WiFi will be built in, but no GPS chip - so the Glass will probably work best alongside an Android phone, although you can pair with any Bluetooth enabled phone.
The frame will come with replacement and adjustable nosepads, and is expected to be both lightweight and extremely robust. It will also have a touchpad along one arm.
The sound will be produced through bone conduction transfer - vibrating your skull to transmit to your ears.
There is a Micro USB cable and charger for the dev versions, and all of the above specs are expected to be replicated in the consumer versions when they arrive.
Lastly, Google Glass will come in five colours: Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton and Sky. Using Glass's translation ability to turn that list from marketing speak to plain English, that's black, orange, grey, white and blue.
What's the Google Glass price?
The Google Glass Explorer (the developer version being sent out now) costs $1,500 - around £985 or AU$1,449 or INR 90000.
The consumer versions, which are expected to arrive by the end of 2013, are expected to be a little cheaper, although any actual prices remain speculative. They are unlikely to be super-cheap - but Google's success with the Nexus 7 tablet may prompt the company to subsidise some of the cost.
When is the Google Glass release date?
A final release date has not been announced, but sources tell us that the original suggestion of 2014 was actually overly pessimistic and we could see Google Glass arrive in time for the end of 2013. So start readying your letter to Santa.
I already wear glasses. Will Google Glasses work for me?
Yes - Google is already working on designer versions which will include prescription lenses.
Who is providing the competition?
Of course, with something as high profile as Google Glass, every major company has been linked with building a competitor.
Apple and Microsoft are Google's most obvious rivals - and both are rumoured to be working on their own equivalents. Sony has gone so far as to patent a Glass-alike offering. Vuzix, Oakley and Baidu are other numbered among the potential Glass rivals, and they won't be the last. Indeed, one Taiwanese manufacturer Oculon are readying a cheaper, higher spec'ed (ahem) version.
So, Be Prepared for the FUTURE of Technology !! Google Glasses...
