LG L90 review: A good mid-segment smartphone

The knock code has for long been used by prisoners to communicate with each other by producing a series of tap sounds. Alphabets, with the exception of K, are visualised in a 5×5 grid, and each letter is represented by two taps. The first tap signifies the row and the second tap tells the column in which the letter is in the grid. Prison authorities couldn’t decipher the code due to the incessant chatter of prisoners using prison walls, bars etc to tap coded messages. When held in isolation this was perhaps the only way that a prisoner could talk to other inmates.

Decades later, Korean electronics giant LG has patented the Knock Code and introduced a striped down version of it in its new entrant to the L Series Collection, the L90. LG in its press release claimed it to be the “most secure pattern unlocking mechanism”. And we put that to the test.

A user can preset a tap sequence on a 2×2 grid and use it to unlock the screensaver. One would presume, the more the number of taps, the more secure the phone is. For all practical purposes we set a 10-tap unlock sequence. ..

Source: Latest Technology News

From financialexpress News

Mark down the iWatch and new Apple TV as WWDC 2014 no-shows

The "what will they show?" game is always fun to play, and with WWDC 2014 fast approaching, it's Apple's turn to spin the wheel.

It's sounding increasingly like Cupertino will use its annual dev conference to focus on software (a shocker, we know), and shun showing off any significant new hardware.

Sources of Code/red (over at Re/code) say not to expect the fabled iWatch or a new Apple TV. Tim Cook and the other button-down-and-jeans-wearing execs apparently won't even discuss the new software they've developed for the refreshed set-top.

Instead, as was reported May 1, Apple will supposedly announce OS X 10.10 along with iOS 8. There's a chance the company will reveal the Healthbook app to get its foot in the health and activity tracking door...

Source: Tech Guide 2014

From techradar News

Jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $120 million: Here’s why it’s bad news for Apple

The jury deliberation from the latest round in the seemingly neverending Apple vs Samsung battle is over and the verdict is in. After over a month of speculation, Samsung has been ordered by the jury to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing on patents.

But while on the face of it, it seems like a win for Apple, it must be remembered that the Cupertino company had been seeking damages in excess of $2 billion for the same infringements. It’s a big blow to Apple’s patent litigation strategy and the jury-awarded damages seems like pocket change in comparison to the $2 billion.

Much of the $119.2 million would have been spent by Apple towards forming their case. No doubt the countless hours spent with patent experts and the manpower needed to gather expert testimony to bolster their case would have resulted in considerable expenses...

Source: Technology News in Hindi

From firstpost News

Microsoft may cut Windows Phone licensing fees by 70%

Microsoft is reportedly set to cut down the Windows Phone licensing fee by up to 70% in a bid to target the low-end of the smartphone market and compete with budget Android handsets.

Sources have said that once Microsoft takes control of Nokia's hardware division, a licensing fee cut is imminent, as the company aims to compete with Android devices.

According to TechCrunch, the intended purpose of the price cut is to make it possible for OEMs, like Micromax and Karbonn, to build affordable Microsoft hardware that can compete with budget Android devices.

OEM smartphone maker Infosonics, which deals in low-cost Android devices, said that the price drop was coming.

Earlier it was reported that Microsoft was looking at getting rid of the licensing fee altogether, but since the software giant still makes a good portion of its revenue from licensing its desktop OS, it is likely unwilling to cede that stream entirely.

The report said that the licensing fees for Windows Phone were between $20 and $30 as of the last word from a hardware partner, and a 70% cut would put new fees at roughly between $6 and $10 per unit.

The software giant has already lined up some low-cost manufacturing partners, including manufacturers in China and India, for getting its software in the hands of entry-level consumers, the report added.

Source: Tech News in Hindi

From TOI News

Smart phone sales to fall sharply by 2018

Growth in global smartphone shipments would fall sharply this year and keep slowing through 2018, warns research.

“Growth in worldwide smartphone shipments could drop from 39.2 percent last year to 19.3 percent this year, 8.3 percent in 2017, and 6.2 percent in 2018,” said global market firm International Data Corporation (IDC) in its latest 'Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker' report.

Average prices would drop significantly as demand shifts to China and other developing countries, IDC added.

Android would maintain its reign as the leading operating system while Apple's iOS would remain the number 2 platform behind Android in 2018.

2014 will be an enormous transition year for the smartphone market.

Not only would growth decline more than ever before, but the driving forces behind smartphone adoption would change too.

“New markets for growth bring different rules to play by and 'premium' will not be a major factor in the regions driving overall market growth,” informed IDC programme director Ryan Reit in a statement.

IDC forecasts a rise in Windows Phone's global market share from 3.9 percent this year to 7 percent in 2018.

“That may not seem like a huge leap, but such growth will outshine the market share declines predicted for the other major mobile platforms,” it added.

BlackBerry would be under constant attack from the competition. Its higher than average prices compared to other platforms could inhibit its growth potential.

Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on China where many consumers are upgrading from basic cellphones to smartphones selling cheap.

IDC expects the overall smartphone market to become more saturated over the next few years.

Source: Technology News in Hindi

From Authintmail News

Samsung releases SDKs for Galaxy S5 and Gear 2 smartwatch

SAMSUNG HAS RELEASED software development kits (SDKs) for the Galaxy S5 smartphone and Gear 2 smartwatches, which were unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

Samsung released the SDKs to bring on board as many diverse apps as possible following its latest flagship smartphone and smartwatch launches earlier this week.

As well as giving these SDKs to developers, Samsung also introduced a Gear Fit SDK that it hopes will "highlight the potential for wearable apps development".

Samsung president and head of its Media Solution Centre, Dr Won-Pyo Hong, said the release of the SDKs show how the firm will continue to provide more SDKs for its mobile devices while "maintaining collaborative relationships with development partners to present unique and unprecedented content and services to our customers".

Samsung also introduced an upgraded Samsung Mobile SDK 1.5 with finger-scanning technology and support for the motion detection function included in the Galaxy S5, as well as multi-screen technology for developing apps that can operate simultaneously on smart TV and mobile devices.

It also presented the S Health SDK to developer partners. S Health, Samsung's personalised app that uses health information accumulated through sensors, is available on various Samsung mobile devices.

Samsung unveiled the long anticipated Galaxy S5 at MWC on Monday, its latest flagship Android device that boasts a 5.1in HD display, a fingerprint scanner, a 16MP rear-facing camera and even a heart rate monitor.

It also announced two Gear smartwatches on Sunday. The Galaxy Gear 2 offers a number of improvements on the original Samsung Galaxy Gear. The first of these is Tizen, with Samsung dumping Google's Android mobile operating system in favour of its own open-source alternative. This should, according to the firm, make the latest Gear devices nippier than the original model.

Samsung's release of SDKs for these devices should see a number of apps appear to help distinguish them from rivals such as the Apple iPhone 5S and the Sony Smartwatch 2.

Source: Latest Technology News

From MWC News

OIL director Talukdar is new directorate general of hydrocarbons

The government on Wednesday appointed B N Talukdar, director for exploration at Oil India Ltd, as the head of directorate general of hydrocarbons, signalling an end to the highly technical body's confrontationist run under a bureaucrat appointed by former oil minister S Jaipal Reddy.

A search committee under petroleum secretary Vivek Rae had in August chosen Talukdar, who has 37 years of oil-hunting experience behind him, to replace R N Choubey, a 1981 batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre handpicked for the post by Reddy almost two years back.

A petroleum engineering graduate from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Talukdar, 58, has been spearheading OIL's exploration, development, reservoir management and drilling activities since December 2007. Talukdar, with his inside knowledge and hands-on experience, is expected to take a more balanced and pragmatic approach to improve the overall sentiment in the sector. In Oil India, he is known as a person who can take calls based on the situation on the ground. His attitude, thus, would fit well with oil minister M Veerappa Moily's desire to move things and improve investment climate for expanding domestic oil hunt to ensure India's energy security.

 Choubey's tenure saw DGH toeing the hard line taken by the ministry against Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd and other private explorers. It was during Choubey's leadership that the DGH recommended slapping a penalty of $1.8 billion on RIL for failing to produce the promised quantity of gas from its Andhra offshore field. While most of that hard line was taken at the behest of the federal auditor, which had criticized DGH under his predecessor - V K Sibal - for being soft on RIL, Choubey's missionary zeal to act tough with explorers in general did not go down well with the industry. Many of the recommendations were attributed to lack of understanding of the intricacies and peculiarities of the exploration business.

Eyebrows were raised since Choubey was appointed without the post being advertised. Neither was any selection panel formed to choose among candidates.

Source: Auto News in Hindi

From TOI News