5 tips to use Facebook for your small business

Facebook is one platform where a wider range of audience can be targeted, while economizing on the resources.


Since research shows that people contribute more than half of their waking hours on Facebook, businesses can very well use the opportunity to drive greater engagement with their audience.

Facebook is one platform where a wider range of audience can be targeted, while economizing on the resources.

A handful of tips could help Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) expand their reach and target their audience better through Facebook.

SMBs can put a little attention to their Facebook pages and keep updating them from time to time to gain better user interest.

Often companies are lethargic when it comes to posting on the social media page. Any new development, be it big or small, must go on the page with highlights about the best offerings.

Another way of engaging the audience is to create photo and video page posts, as users are more likely to hit the 'like', 'comment', 'follow' or 'share' button if the content is interesting.

Crucial to SMBs is to try a Facebook Offer that make it easy for companies to distribute their promotions to an audience beyond the fan base and it is also convenient for people to redeem offers.

Lastly, great brand building can be achieved by boosted posts, which can help SMBs reach wider audiences with greater accuracy and targeted approach.

Businesses can simply enter whatever amount they can set aside for the promotion, and Facebook will tell instantly how many people the post will reach.

Windows 8 useful tips and tricks

1. Open from the lock screen

Windows 8 opens on its lock screen, it looks good but unfortunately displays nothing about what to do next. It’s all very straightforward . Just tap on the keyboard space bar, spin the mouse wheel or swipe upwards on a touch screen to reveal a regular login screen with the user name you created during installation. Enter your password to begin.

2. Handle basic navigation

Windows 8 interface is all with colourful tiles and touch-friendly application. And if you’re using a tablet then it’ll all be very simple: just swipe left or right on the touch screen to scroll, and tap any app tile that you want to open. On a regular desktop PC, you might alternatively spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards.

You can also use the keyboard to. Press the Windows logo key to return to the Start screen; mouse right-click (or swipe down on touch screen ) apps you don’t need and select Unpin to remove them; and drag and drop the other tiles around to arange them as you like. Press the Home or End keys to jump from one end of your Start screen to the other, for instance, use the cursor keys to select a particular tile, hit Enter to select it.

3. Use the quick access menu

Right-click with mouse in the bottom-left corner ( or hold down the Windows logo key and press X ) for a text menu that provides easy access to lots of useful features and applets:Control Panel, Explorer, Device Manager, the Search dialog and many more. Download the Win+X Windows 8 Menu Editor  and you’ll be able for further customization of the list with programs.

4. Group applications

The Start screen apps are initially displayed in a random order, but if you’d prefer a more organised life style then it’s easy to sort them into custom groups.

You might drag Contacts ( People), Calendar, Messaging and Mail over to the left-hand side, for instance, to form a separate ‘Office’ or ‘Contacts‘ group. Click the ‘minus’ icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to zoom out and you’ll now find that you can drag and drop the new group (or any other group ) around as a block.

Right-click within the block ( still zoomed out ) and you’ll also be able to named the group, which – if you go on to add another 10 or 20 apps to your Start screen – will make it much easier to find the tools and apps you need.

5. Make easier access

If there’s an application you use frequently then you don’t have to access it with the search system. Pin it to the Start screen and it’ll be available with one click.

Start by typing name of your application ( just one part of the named for example ). To access Control Panel, type ‘Control’. Right-click the ‘Control Panel’ tile on the Apps Search screen, and click ‘Pin to Start’. If you are using a touchscreen, press and hold the apps icon, then flick down and then select ‘Pin to Start’.

Now press the Windows key, scroll to the right and you’ll see the Control Panel tile at the end. Drag and drop this tile over to the left somewhere if you’d like it to make more easily visible and accessible, then click the tile icon to open the desktop along with the Control Panel window, and press the Windows key to return you to the Start screen when you are done.

6. Find your applications

The Win+X menu is useful, but there is no substitutions for the good old Start menu, as it doesn’t provide access to your applications. To find this, hold down the Windows logo key and press Q , or either mouse right-click an empty part of the Start screen or swipe your finger up from the bottom of the touchscreen and select ‘All Apps’ to reveal a scrolling list of all installed applications. Browse to the tiles to find application that you need and click the app to launch it.

7. Shut down the Windows 8

To shutdown Windows 8 , just move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon – or just hold down the Windows logo key and press I – and you’ll see a power button. Click on it and choose ‘Shut Down’ or ‘Restart’.

Some of the tricks available in previous versions of Windows still apply. Press good old Ctrl+Alt+Del, for example, click the power button in the bottom right corner and you’ll be presented with the same ‘Shut Down’ and ‘Restart’ options. If you’re on the desktop computer, press Alt+F4 and you’ll be able to choose ‘Shut Down’, ‘Restart’, ‘Sign Out’ or ‘Switch User’ options.

Windows 7: Tips & Tricks

Tips and Tricks for Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 7

Microsoft brings many innovations and improvements, however small things are the ones that sell the product.In the few pages that follow we will make review exactly those small and tiny things that make you love the Windows 7.

I decide to transfer my experience in previous work with Windows 7 but not in the form of a standard review of the operating system but rather in the form of tips and best practices (Tips & Tricks). In this way you may be able to help you out and show you how to use Windows 7 better, in other words, Microsoft will show you what you did to make you switch from your XP, Vista or any other operating system to Windows  7 .

Manage your windows in Windows 7

Windows 7 simplifies the management of documents and programs in a way that allows you to “pin” a window or manipulate the same size with one mouse maneuver or a simple keyboard with one click.

To set your window on one half of the screen, drag it left or right and the window will change its size tofit left or right half of your screen. To manipulate the vertical size of the window, you can drag the window to the top of the screen and the same increase, double click on the upper or lower limit of the window and it vertically will increase until its maximum width will remain the same.The above manipulation you can do using the keyboard:

[  = Windows button with the sign of the keyboard]

  + Left arrow hangs window on the left side of the screen

  + Arrow right hook window on the right side of the screen

  + Up arrow maximizes the active window

  + Down arrow to minimize the active window

  + Shift + up arrow maximizes the active window vertically

  + Shift + down arrow restores the active window in original size vertically.

These possibilities  whether they used with a mouse or keyboard  , it would be a lot easier if you have a need to compare the contents of two locations, so easy … Attach one location on the left and the second location on the right side of your screen (Windows 7 itself to tweak the size of the window) and there …. required contents side by side.

Aero view of your desktop

Completely new but definitely very interesting and probably much needed tool for instant view on your desktop. During the operation the user opens a bunch of windows so desktop is rarely seen, but at times you need something right out there so you want to view. Just go with the mouse in the lower right corner, immediately after the date and clock and all your open windows will become transparent, so your desktop is available. I get the same while pressing start typing.

  + Space.

Walking through the open windows

Of course you happened to have started a few text documents in MS Word, and you need time to time to see them (Alt + Tab window will open all possible), then press Ctrl (control) and mouse keep clicking on the icon the application in question (in our example Word) and Windows 7 will only roam between open instances Word. The windows will be opened in order in which they were first window opened.

Release of inactive windows

Many times it happens to our desktop is crowded with open windows, in addition to the active window in which you work from all sides protruding corner of the window, small or large windows and all it is sometimes одзима attention or annoys you. Cure in Windows 7 is simple, just press the    + Home and all the windows that are active at that time will be minimized. To restore just repeat the procedure.

Look clearly

With improved zoom tool in Windows 7, you can increase the different parts of the screen, very quickly and very easily. Zoom Tool in Windows 7 allows you to zoom in on any area of your screen, define the scale factor to increase and track and field mouse focus. Launch the “Magnifier” from the Start menu, and set the glass in a certain part of your screen. It will remain in that position, in relative proportion with the boundaries of your screen. Move the mouse cursor around and clearly see that the view to the desired portion of the screen increases.

You can also programming one of the buttons on your mouse (if your mouse software is compatible with Microsoft IntellPoint) to include or exclude Zoom Tool. Go to the Control Panel and click on “Hardware and Sounds”, then “Mouse” and select the “Buttons” tab and you get the option to program your mouse as you like.

Change the background

Windows 7 allows you to completely customize your desktop to suit each of the many moods that you possess all the new Shuffle feature for your desktop.You can set the background of your desktop to “walk” on your favorite photos and background to change as often as much as you want. 

To enable this feature right-click your mouse on your desktop and select “Personalize” then “Desktop Background” Select the folder where are your favorite photos and choose as you like.Tick ​​”Shuffle” box and select how often you want your wallpaper to change. Get a simple way that your background will always be new, fresh and interesting.

Clean desktop , Immediately!!

You always had the ability to automatically adjust your desktop using auto-arrange option that you get when you right-click your mouse on the background of your desktop and then selecting “Sort By”, now Windows 7 makes it even easier.

 To adjust your desktop according to your predefined settings simply press F5 and zadzhete typed. Immediately, I is aligned properly.

Oppo Mirror 5 launched in India, priced at Rs 15,990

One of the key features of the new smartphone is its crystal-patterned back.



China-headquartered company Oppo has officially launched its Oppo Mirror 5 smartphone in India at Rs 15,990.The phone will be available starting this week in white and blue colour options.

One of the key features of the new smartphone is its crystal-patterned back. The Oppo Mirror 5 sports a 5-inch display with a qHD - 960x540p pixel resolution. It measures 143.4 x 71.2 x 7.65mm and weighs 160gm.

The smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor and boasts of 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board storage and microSD card support for cards of up to 128GB capacity.

On software front, the smartphone is powered by ColorOS 2.1 (based on Android Android 5.1 Lollipop).

The dual-sim equipped Oppo Mirror 5 packs a 2420mAh battery.

The Mirror 5 has an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP shooter at the front. It supports 3G, 2G, Bluetooth and GPS.

Gionee launches Marathon M4, priced at Rs 15,499

Gionee Marathon M4 comes with a 5-inch (720x1280p) HD Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop skinned with Gionee's Amigo 3.0 UI.


Gionee has launched the Marathon M4 smartphone -- priced at Rs 15,499. The dual sim smartphone comes with a 5-inch (720x1280p) HD Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop skinned with Gionee's Amigo 3.0 UI.

Powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor, the phone has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. Gionee Marathon M4 can also hold microSD cards of up to 32GB.

The new Gionee phone offers 5000mAh battery and comes with an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front camera.

The phone supports 3G, 4G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB and GPS as connectivity options. The smartphone is available in black and white colours across online platforms and brick and various mortar retail outlets in India.


Specifications:

General

2G Network: Yes

3G Network: Yes

4G Network: Yes

SIM: Dual sim

Dimensions: 144.70 x 71.20 x 10.18mm

Weight: 176g

Display

Size: 5-inch

Type: Super AMOLED display

Memory

Card Slot: microSD card, up to 32GB

Internal: 16GB

Data

GPRS: Yes

EDGE: Yes

Bluetooth: Yes

Infrared Port: No

Camera

Primary: 8MP

Secondary: 5MP

Features

OS: Android 5.0 skinned with Amigo 3.0 UI

CPU: 1.3GHz quad-core

Browser: HTML5

Radio: Yes

GPS: Yes

Colors: Black, white

Battery

Battery Capacity: 5000mAh

First 3D-printed pill approved by US authorities

In a world first, the US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a 3D-printed pill to be produced.

The FDA has previously approved medical devices - including prosthetics - that have been 3D printed.

The new drug, dubbed Spritam, was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy.

The company said that it planned to develop other medications using its 3D platform.

Printing the drugs allows layers of medication to be packaged more tightly in precise dosages.

A separate technology developed by the firm, known as ZipDose, makes high-dose medications easier to swallow.

Printing the drug meant it could package up to 1,000 milligrams into individual tablets.

The 3D-printed pill dissolves in the same manner as other oral medicines.

Replica jaws: 

Being able to 3D print a tablet offers the potential to create bespoke drugs based on the specific needs of patients, rather than having a one product fits all approach, according to experts.

"For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals and for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient," said Dr Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire.

It would mean that medical institutions could adjust the dose for individual patients with just a simple tweak to the software before printing. Previously, such personalised medicine would have been extremely expensive to produce, said Dr Alhnan.

3D printing works by creating an object layer by layer. In the case of medicines, printers are adapted to produce pharmaceutical compounds rather than polymers which are more usually used.

Such methods are already proving very useful in healthcare with doctors using the system to create customised implants for patients with injuries or other conditions.

And dentists, for example, use 3D printers to create replica jaws and teeth as well as other dental implants.

Spritam will launch in the first quarter of 2016, according to Aprecia.

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

On the heels of Apple's new, lighter iPad, Amazon has come out with a full-size tablet that weighs even less yet sports a sharper display and a lower price tag. Although Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the strongest challenger yet to Apple's device.

The new Kindle shares many of the features found in a smaller version that came out Oct. 18.

A row of tabs at the top of the screen gives you quick access to Amazon services such as e-books, music, video and shopping. Recently used apps and content appear in the middle so you can return to them quickly. The bottom row has icons for frequently used apps such as email and the camera.

Need help? Just hit the "Mayday" button. You'll be connected within seconds to a live customer-service representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You see the representatives in a video box, but they can only hear you and see what's on your screen. They can also help guide you by placing orange markers on your screen or taking control of your device completely.

I found all the reps to be patient as they walked me through attempts to locate a missing book, play a podcast and download items from the Dropbox storage service. In one case, the representative called my cellphone as promised an hour later to follow up. We never found a solution on Dropbox, though - but more on that later.

The best part of the new Kindle is its price. Amazon.com Inc. begins shipping it Thursday, starting at $379. That's cheaper than the new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.

If you can afford a $499 tablet and aren't a heavy user of Amazon services, you might still consider the iPad Air.

Yes, the Kindle is lighter, at about 0.83 pound, or 17 percent less than the Air. But I couldn't really tell the difference holding the two side by side.

And yes, the Kindle has a sharper screen, with a resolution of 339 pixels per inch compared with the iPad's 264 pixels per inch. But I couldn't really tell the difference watching the Pixar cartoon "Monsters University" side by side.

Where the Air shines is in the build. I find the Air more pleasant to hold because of its curved edges. The Kindle has a soft, rubber-like back, but it doesn't make up for the boxy edges. The Kindle promises more battery life - at 12 hours, compared with 10 hours for the Air. But I found the two devices drained battery at roughly the same rate when watching Hulu streaming video.

In addition, the Air has access to a wide variety of apps available through Apple's app store. The Kindle uses a modified version of Android and can run a variety of Android apps - but not all of them. In fact, the new Kindle doesn't run all the Android apps that are supposed to work with Kindles, including the app for Dropbox. Many of these apps need to be updated every time a new Kindle device comes out, whereas they simply work when new Android devices are out, just as iPad apps work on new iPads.

If you are drawn by the Kindle's price and don't mind the limited selection, though, the Kindle is a wonderful option. That's especially so if you're a frequent Amazon customer. The Kindle is tied to your Amazon account, making it easy to buy everything from audiobooks to vacuum cleaners with a click or two. You also get Amazon's recommendations for more things to buy, based on physical and digital purchases you've made on Amazon in the past.

With a $79-a-year Amazon Prime membership, you also get quick access to thousands of free movies and television episodes and the ability to borrow one e-book a month from a select list. You can download the free Prime video to watch wherever you are. On older Kindle Fires and other devices, you're limited to streaming, which requires a constant Internet connection.

Another exclusive Kindle feature is called X-Ray. When you're reading a book, you get information about characters and places from Wikipedia and other sources. When you're listening to music, you see lyrics for selected songs. When you're watching a movie or TV show, you get information on actors, character summaries and trivia. While watching "Monsters University," I particularly liked the callout to a pizza truck that appears in most Pixar movies. A little note pops up in the lower left corner.

I'll forgive the fact that it actually shows up during the wrong scene. I didn't get any supplemental material at all with the iPad.

Another thing I didn't get with the iPad is live help. I had trouble playing "Monsters University" on the iPad initially because I hadn't finished downloading it yet. I had to figure out on my own that I had to switch to a different app to do that. Both the iPad and the Kindle let you start watching as the download continues.

The new full-size Kindle is a great deal at $379. It might even make a nice gift for your tech-challenged friends and relatives, as they can call Mayday rather than you. The Kindle isn't as good as the iPad Air, but it's an excellent choice for its price.

How to make your passwords more secure

An Australian man is suing Twitter for defamation after he was wrongly named as the author of a hate blog, a report said Friday.

If the Heartbleed security threat teaches us anything, it's that passwords don't offer total protection.

Browsers are supposed to keep passwords and other sensitive data safe, but a technical flaw in a widely used padlock security technology allows hackers to grab the information anyway. Even without this latest discovery, there have been countless disclosures of hackers breaking in to grab usernames and passwords, plus credit card numbers and more.

That's why many security experts recommend a second layer of authentication: typically in the form of a numeric code sent as a text message. If you're logging in to a website from your laptop, for example, you enter your password first. Then you type in the code you receive via text to verify that it's really you and not a hacker.

I've been using what's known as two-factor authentication or two-step verification on most of my accounts for more than a year, after seeing too many mysterious attempts to reset my Facebook password by someone who isn't me. The main exception was Gmail, but I enabled that recently after the discovery of Heartbleed. I was afraid the second authentication would be a pain to use, but things are going more smoothly than I expected after the initial setup.

The idea behind these double-layer passwords is to make it harder to use a password that's compromised or guessed. You're asked for a second piece of information that only you are supposed to know.

To balance security and convenience, you can typically bypass this check the next time you use the same Web browser or device. It won't help if someone steals your laptop, but it'll prevent others from using your password on their machines. If you're logging in at a library or other public computer, remember to reject the option to bypass that check next time.

The second piece of authentication could be your fingerprint or retina scan, though such biometric IDs are rarely used for consumer services. Financial services typically ask for a security question, such as the name of your childhood pet, the first time you use a particular Web browser or device. That's better than nothing, though answers can sometimes be guessed or looked up. Some banks offer verification codes by text messaging, too.

I like that approach and use it for a variety of email and social networking services. To me, email accounts are the most sensitive because email can be used to reset passwords elsewhere. That includes my banks and shopping sites.

The two-step requirement is fairly simple to turn on. With Google, for instance, it's under the Security tab in your account settings. On Facebook, look for Login Approvals under Security in the settings. With Apple IDs, visit appleid.apple.com rather than the account settings on iTunes.

After you enable it, you'll typically have to sign in to your account again on various Web browsers and devices. After entering your username and password, a code will get set to your phone. You'll have to enter that to finish signing in. This has occasionally meant getting off my couch to grab my phone from the charger, but that's a small price for security.

What if you're somewhere without cellular access and can't receive texts?

Most services have backup mechanisms. Google, Facebook and Microsoft have apps that will let you receive verification codes even when you're offline. Google and Facebook also let you generate 10 backup codes that you can download or print to keep in your wallet. Each can be used only once.

You can also turn off the two-step requirement temporarily if you'll be traveling without cellular access, though I don't recommend it. The reason I turned it on last year was because I was leaving the country and wouldn't be able to deal with further mysterious reset attempts.

Occasionally, you'll run into an app that won't accept the text code. Apple's Mail app on iPhones, iPads and Mac computers is one. Microsoft's Outlook software is another. If that happens, you'll have to go to your service's settings to generate a temporary password for that particular app. It's a pain, but I've rarely needed to do this.

There are several other challenges to making this work smoothly. For example, if you have a shared Twitter account, such as for your company or organization, two-step verification isn't very practical unless you also share your phone. There's a 12-character, hard-to-guess backup code you can use instead. But it's no security if you jot it down next to your main password.

The biggest problem, though, is losing your phone. Some services will let you provide a backup number, including a friend's cellphone or a landline phone. With Google, the code can be sent as a voice message instead of a text. Others offer a complex recovery code, which you'll have to jot down and keep in a safe place.

I know two-layer security is inconvenient. The first password is difficult enough to deal with. But think of the inconvenience involved should someone break into your account and shut you out. Consider the use of verification texts to be insurance.

Apple's sales surge, CEO promises exciting new devices

Apple unveiled a 7-for-1 stock split that should go down well with individuals who want a piece of a household name but could not afford to fork over $500 a share.

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple just bought itself some much-needed time.

On Wednesday, the company surprised Wall Street with news that it sold more iPhones in the March quarter than even the most bullish analysts had expected. It threw another $30 billion into an already sizeable stock buyback program and instituted an 8% quarterly dividend increase to boot. And profits rose by an unexpected 7%.

To top it all off, Apple unveiled a 7-for-1 stock split that should go down well with individuals who want a piece of a household name but could not afford to fork over $500 a share.


The litany of positive numbers sent Apple's long-stagnant shares up 8%. But it masked a more fundamental concern that has kept the company's once-unstoppable share price in check for over a year: when will, or can, Tim Cook pull another gadget out of Apple's hat?

"Most people will be talking about the split, increased dividend and buyback. But the real focus for the company and the stock is what and when is the new category" of product coming, argued Hudson Square analyst Daniel Ernst.

"Being an Apple investor in the last couple of years has required patience. And that's something investors in the last 10 years have not had to have."

No one would argue that Apple has had a phenomenal run over the past decade - first with the iPod, then the iPhone in 2007, and finally the iPad in 2010. But now, as Google spends billions to buy up technology from robotics to artificial intelligence, and Samsung Electronics and other Android-device makers swallow chunks of Apple's market share, some are impatient to see what Apple can come up with next.

Many Apple observers are betting on another successful emerging from its secretive labs in Cupertino, California in the second half of this year. Wednesday's strong showing will appease investors who want to see some stock action in the meantime, given Apple's stock has been stuck largely just above $500 for months.

"Agree completely with (Apple's) increased buyback and extremely pleased with results. Believe we'll also be happy when we see new products," tweeted billionaire activist Carl Icahn, who waged a Twitter campaign to get the iPhone maker to boost its buyback program.

For my next trick ...

That's not to say investors on Wednesday did not applaud a much healthier outlook for the company than was apparent in January, when disappointing holiday iPhone sales and a revenue forecast that implied flat growth in smartphone shipments sent the stock below $500.

Apple reported sales of 43.7 million iPhones in the March quarter, far outpacing the 38 million Wall Street had predicted. That drove a 4.6 percent rise in revenue to $45.6 billion - a record for any non-holiday quarter - beating Wall Street's projections for about $43.5 billion.

Executives singled out greater China and Japan, where iPhone sales jumped by strong double-digits, boosted by the recent inclusion of NTT Docomo Inc and China Mobile Ltd as carrier partners.

But whether Apple can again devise a revolutionary new product remains the central question in the minds of investors and Silicon Valley executives. Many hope the next iPhone, which sources have said will sport a larger screen with new display technology, will provide a timely lift to the company's bottom line in September.

In the longer term, the company still needs a game-changer, not so much to end up being Apple's next "iPhone," but because a truly successful new product will shore up Cook's stewardship. That would boost Wall Street's confidence in the post-Steve Jobs leadership while restoring Apple's reputation as a leading light of Silicon Valley innovation.

"Apple may never make a product that's as successful or generate as much revenue as the iPhone," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello. But "investors still want to see new innovation, new products under Cook's leadership."

Cook has promised "new product categories" for 2014.

"We didn't ship the first MP3 player, nor the first smartphone, nor the first tablet," Cook told analysts on Wednesday's post-results conference call.

"It means much more to us to get it right than to be first."

OnePlus One: A high-end device that may kill Nexus 5, iPhone 5S

Chinese phone company OnePlus today announced its first Android phone called OnePlus One, a flagship device that will be sold at a price of just $299.

OnePlus, a phone company founded last year in China, on Wednesday announced its first Android phone called OnePlus One, a flagship device that will be sold at a price of just $299. Despite its price, which is lower than even the price of Google Nexus 5, on paper OnePlus One looks every bit like a flagship device with good design and powerful hardware.

"Embodying the OnePlus motto of 'Never Settle', the OnePlus One boasts industry leading design, superior build quality and top of the line specs at a disruptive price point," the company said on Wednesday.

OnePlus was founded by Pete Lau in December 2013. Lau was earlier vice president at Oppo, a phone company that has made a name for itself in China by selling attractive and high-end phones at affordable prices.

For OnePlus One, the firm has tied up with Qualcomm for the core hardware. For software, it has tied up with Cyanogen Inc, a group that modifies Android to make it more suitable for older devices as well as to make it more feature rich.

"I am incredibly proud of the effort our team has put in to the CyanogenMod build for the OnePlus One. We've brought out the full potential of the hardware and complemented it with innovative new features to give users a fresh new experience and the tools to tailor the One to their personal style," said Steve Kondik. "We will continue to expand this effort to provide a genuinely enjoyable and powerful operating system for the user."

Kondik kickstarted the software modding for Android phones in 2008 when he managed to root an Android phone. He also later worked for Samsung.

OnePlus One is powered by Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor running at 2.5GHz. It has 3GB RAM, option of 16GB to 64GB internal storage, 5.5-inch screen with 1080P resolution, 13MP camera with F2.0 aperture and Sony image sensor, 5MP front camera, 3100 mAh battery, NFC and stereo speakers. The device weighs 162 grams and has a thickness of 8.9mm. While the shell of the phone is made using plastic, OnePlus says that wood, Kevlar and denim backcovers will be available as accessories.

The phone runs a custom version of CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4.

"By paying attention to the smallest details, taking a holistic approach to product design, and working with the best partners such as Cyanogen Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, we have been able to create the greatest day to day user experience in a smartphone without compromise," said Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus.

The OnePlus One will be available in May in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States in 16GB Silk White for $299/269 and in 64GB Sandstone Black for $349/299.

At the moment the price is the real appeal of OnePlus One. The other flagship phones like iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 cost over $600.

Sony beats own estimates, sells 7 million PS4s

Sony says it has sold seven million PlayStation 4 worldwide since its launch last year and admitted it can't make them fast enough, in a welcome change of fortune for the Japanese consumer electronics giant.

"The response from the global gaming community for PS4 (PlayStation 4) has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice," Andrew House, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., said in a statement.

"The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers," he said.

Software sales for the console are also strong, with more than 20.5 million copies sold in retail stores worldwide and through digital downloads on PlayStation Store as of April 13, 2014, it said.

The PS4 is up against Microsoft's Xbox One, and Nintendo's Wii U for dominance of the digital home entertainment market at a time that consoles are under intense pressure to prove their worth in a world of ubiquitous smartphones and tablets for games and videos.

By comparison, the Wii U, launched in late 2012, took more than a year to sell 5.86 million units.

Sony's gaming division has emerged as a potential saviour for the company, which is struggling to reinvent itself in the digital age, having been left in the dust by nimbler rivals like South Korea's Samsung.

Sony launched the PS4 in the global company's homeland Japan on February 22, more than four months after it debuted in the United States and well behind many other markets.

The company said it had wanted to give developers more time to exploit the potential of the console in the Japanese gaming market, where top-selling titles are often markedly different from popular offerings in the US and Europe.

Reports surfaced last month saying that Sony will sell properties at a prestigious Tokyo site where it had its headquarters for six decades, as the once-world beating firm struggles to improve its bottom line.

Sony warned in February that it would book a $1.08 billion loss in the fiscal year to March as well as cut 5,000 jobs and exit the stagnant PC market.

The embattled company said in January last year it was selling its US headquarters in Manhattan for $1.1 billion.

Free Download: 

Mobile Wallpapers(Nature)

Mobile Wallpapers(Abstract)

Comics

Windows Phone 8.1: Finally, a worthy rival to Android and iOS

It has been nearly four years since Microsoft launched Windows Phone. The OS is beautiful to look at and with its unique tile-based user interface, offers an approach to software that is fresh and modern compared to Android or iOS. The OS even forced both iOS and Android to change their approach to user interface and go for a flatter design.

Unfortunately, each time we reviewed a Windows Phone device - all Lumia phones run this operating system - in the past we also found that Microsoft's mobile operating system, while good to look at, could not match the functionality of iOS or the flexibility of Android.

In fact, the early version of the OS - Windows Phone 7 - was incredibly light on functionality, lacking even the option to copy and paste text.

Since 2010, Microsoft has been hard at work, trying to fix Windows Phone. The OS improved somewhat with each iteration. The Mango update was decent and so was Windows Phone 8. But it is only now with Windows Phone 8.1 (WP8.1) that we feel Microsoft has finally caught up to Android and iOS.

WP8.1 is a big update. It adds a number of features. It became available through developer channels on April 14 (see below to know how to get it). We have been using it for the last three days and we can tell you that finally Windows Phone fans have the OS they deserve.

Why do we say that? First let's talk about the two big features:

Windows Phone gets a personal assistant
Windows Phone, though an operating system for smartphones, never really felt all that smart. That is until now. With Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has added a virtual assistant to the operating system.

It is similar to Google Now in Android and Siri in iOS. Similar but not the same. Unlike Google Now, which is not the chatty type and won't tell you any jokes, Cortana can talk back and say funny things. And unlike Siri, which doesn't believe in the background tracking of your flight, Cortana can be like Google Now and can track a courier package for you after getting the tracking number from your email. In a way, Cortana is the best of Siri and Google Now.



The key bit about virtual assistants is that they may have all the features and sound sexy and funny, but unless the technology behind them, especially the search and voice recognition, is not good, they are useless. Cortana, however, is great!

Even while dealing with heavily-accented English pronunciation, it recognizes voice commands almost all the time. It is as good as Google's voice recognition on Android phones. This is an impressive feat.

Once Cortana has done hearing what you are saying, it can perform several tasks for you. It can set alarms and reminders. You can dictate messages to it and ask it to call a contact. It can search internet (Bing is supported, Google is not) for a topic. It can show you headlines of the day on topics that interest you. And of course, it can track your flights and courier packages, though this functionality is not yet available in India. (In fact, Cortana is not yet officially available in Windows Phones in India).

Apart from adding the functionality to perform tasks on the phone with the voice commands, Cortana makes Windows Phone sexy. It makes the OS smart. The OS no longer looks like or feel like second rate to Android or iOS. It is just a perception. But we feel it will go a big way in attracting consumers to Windows Phone devices.

You can haz notifications!
At last, Windows Phone has a notification centre. And it is uncannily similar to the one in Android. But we are not complaining because the notification centre in Android is amazing and works well.

In WP 8.1, you can swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notication centre. By default, there are four toggles to control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode and Rotation Lock. There is also an option to go to "all settings" directly from the notification centre. Notification can be cleared with a swipe. In the settings for Notifications+Actions, a user can configure which apps are allowed to give notifications and which apps aren't.



Compared to Android, the notification centre in WP8.1 is still basic but it works well and goes a long way in making Microsoft's OS more approachable and easier to use for mainstream consumers.

Other than these two big features, there are also a number of small enhancement in the OS. Some of them are really useful, some not so much. But all of them improve Windows Phone in one way or other. Some of the important new features are:

SMS search: Phew! Finally, you can search through your messages on a Windows Phone. This one simple features adds so much usability to the OS.

Set a wallpaper: Windows Phone now allows a user to set a background image on the screen. The tiles became transparent if you set a background image. This looks good and helps a user customize the phone in a personal way.

New camera app: The camera app in the WP8.1 has a new layout as well as adds a feature to capture images in 'burst mode'.



Extra row of tiles: Instead of two rows of tiles, now you can have three rows of tiles if you want. On phones with smaller screen, this will not be much useful but those who use Windows Phone devices with bigger screens will appreciate it.

Updated calendar: Among the major changes, weekly view is the most significant.



Swype to type: The Windows Phone keyboard now supports "swyping." This means that in order to type a word, users can swipe finger on the alphabets in that word. A lot of people using Android find it a faster way to type so it is good to see it now available to Windows Phone users. In our use, we found that typing through "swyping" in WP8.1 keyboard is easy and words are recognized accurately.

New Internet Explorer: WP8.1 comes with Internet Explorer 11. It has a reading mode as well as a few user interface enhancements. However, we still prefer Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS compared to IE on Windows Phone.

* You can tell Cortana to enable "Quiet Hours" if you don't wish to get calls or messages while you are sleeping or in a meeting. This is similar to Do Not Disturb on iOS and works very well.

* The Facebook integration with Me hub has been removed. This is a welcome change and simplifies the user interface.

Conclusion
As we said earlier, WP8.1 allows Microsoft to finally match what Google and Apple offer with their Android and iOS operating systems. And this makes Windows Phone a very good operating system and a viable option if you don't want Android and iOS.

Essentially, the strength of Windows Phone remains the user interface. The flat, tile-based user interface is unique. With emphasis on bold colours, it is also catchy and looks fresh. Another good thing about the Windows Phone user interface is that doesn't lag, even on budget phones like Lumia 520. If there are performance issues, the OS hides it well from users with clever use of animations.

This makes Windows Phone better than Android, especially on the budget phones. Until now, it was missing too much on functionality to be really a good choice for consumers but with WP8.1 Microsoft has more or less fixed it.



Android is still more flexible, has better integration of Google services like Gmail and Google Maps, which almost everyone uses, and offers access to much better third-party apps. iOS too is a mature operating system and offers consumers very good smartphone experience. But with the latest update Windows Phone is finally at a stage where we don't have any qualms about recommending it if you don't like the look and feel of Android or iOS.

How to get Windows Phone 8.1
Currently, Windows Phone 8.1 is only available to developers. It will be rolled out to all devices that run Windows Phone 8 in coming months, but for now there is no definite timeline on when different devices will get it. In case you don't want to wait, you can get the version meant for developers but it is not final and may have bugs/software glitches and performance issues (we didn't encounter any). Also, installing developer version of the OS will void your warranty.

Here is how you can get the developer version of Windows Phone 8.1:

* Go to Windows Phone App Studio website and register yourself using the Microsoft account. It is free.

* Download and install an app called "Preview For Developer" from the Windows Phone app store.

* Open Preview For Developer and register using your Microsoft account.

* Go to settings and use the "phone update" feature to download the latest updates, including Windows Phone 8.1

How to enable Cortana
If you are in India, you will not get Cortana in Windows Phone 8.1. But you can enable it by following these steps:

* Go to Language in Settings and select English (United States).

* Go to Region in Settings and select United States.

If required, download the language pack (around 22MB) and reboot the phone if prompted. After the phone has been rebooted, you will see Cortana in the list of apps. Open it and configure it using onscreen instructions.

Nokia stops sales of Lumia 2520 tablet over electric shock fears

Nokia issued an advisory for customers in the US and parts of Europe warning them of electric shock from a battery charger meant for its Lumia 2520.

LONDON: Mobile devices company Nokia issued an advisory for customers in the US and parts of Europe warning them of electric shock from a battery charger meant for its Lumia tablet 2520 due to a defect by its vendor.

During an internal quality control process, Nokia identified a potential product quality issue that may lead to a safety concern with certain AC-300 chargers, manufactured by a third-party supplier.

"Under certain conditions, the plastic cover of the charger's exchangeable plug could come loose and separate. If loose and separated, certain internal components pose a hazard of an electric shock if touched while the plug remains in a live socket," Nokia said in a statement.

Lumia 2520 is the first tablet from stable of Nokia which was unveiled in October for $499 before taxes. It is not yet launched in India.

AC-300 chargers are exclusively used with Nokia's Window based Lumia 2520 tablet.

Nokia issued advisory for customers in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and UK , strongly advising them to suspend use of the charger until further notice.

The company also warned consumers to suspend use of Lumia 2520 travel charger accessory purchased in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, UK and the US.

"In total, approximately 30,000 chargers are impacted by this advisory. This includes approximately 600 travel charger accessories sold in the US," the statement said.

The company has temoprarily delayed sales of the Lumia 2520 tablet and the travel charger accessories, including the AC-300 chargers in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and UK. It has suspended sales of the travel charger accessory in US.

"While there have been no confirmed consumer incidents related to this potential quality issue, product quality and safety are top priorities at Nokia. We apologise to the owners of the Lumia 2520, and we are working with urgency to minimise the inconvenience," Nokia's Executive Vice President for Smart Devices Jo Harlow said.

Social networking site Wikia adds new feature Fan Studio

Social networking site Wikia announced a new effort to attract more brands to its platform with the creation of Fan Studio.

The idea behind the studio is to help advertisers connect with Wikia's network of users, many of whom go to the site for entertainment and games.

As part of the launch, gaming company Carbine Studios is using Wikia to roll out one of its forthcoming multi-player online games, called WildStar, for a large number of players.

"One of the things that really struck us the most about Wikia is it's a social universe for fans by fans," said Mona Hamilton, vice president of brands at Carbine.

While Carbine Studios has bought advertising on Wikia in the past, this is the first time it has partnered with the network to engage with WildStar players to help develop and market the game.

Founded in 2006 by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley, a former board trustee of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, Wikia has more than 100 million monthly unique global visitors, according to online measurement and advertising company Quantcast. It has more than 400,000 existing communities and attracts many video game users.

Wikia is not alone in enticing brands to connect with its community. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

are also trying to court Madison Avenue with the idea that brands can better target users based on interests.

Jennifer Betka, senior vice president of marketing at Wikia, said Wikia's fan base is "extremely knowledgeable" about what they love.

"This is the brand acting as a peer," she said. "We go through an extensive green-lighting process with the brands and fans and make the decision," she said about the vetting process for Fan Studio, because Wikia must balance the needs of the community without alienating members.

Wikia depends on advertising revenue but does not disclose the figure.

Wikia has partnered with other advertisers in the past and is doing more now that it has unveiled Fan Studio.

In December, it struck a deal with Warner Brother's video game division, which tapped Wikia's community for its games based on the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit."

Wikia also said it hired Simon Cox as director of programming for games to help Fan Studio increase the number of partnerships with advertisers. Cox previously was the head of creative for content marketing start-up Dialect.

Spice launches Stellar Guide Mi-438 smartphone at Rs 5,199

Spice has launched a new entry-level smartphone, Stellar Guide Mi-438 at a price of Rs 5,199.

The phone sports a 4-inch OGS display. Powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 512MB RAM, the phone comes with 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. It also offers 2GB free storage space on Spice Cloud, the company's cloud storage service.

The dual-sim phone (3G+3G) runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It sports a 2MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3MP front-facing camera. The phone comes with a 1,350mAh battery, which the company claims delivers a talk-time of up to 4.5 hours and up to 170 hours standby time.

In terms of connectivity options, Stellar Guide Mi-438 offers Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi and HSPA. Spice is offering a free flip cover worth Rs 500 and a screen guard with the phone.

Facebook to clean up News Feed

Facebook has announced that it is cleaning up its News Feed to weed out spammy posts, so that users of the social networking website don't miss important and relevant stories and to penalize spammers.

Elaborating on the move, Facebook posted on its blog that it's introducing a series of improvements to News Feed to reduce stories that users frequently flag as spam. "Many of these stories are published by Pages that deliberately try and game News Feed to get more distribution than they normally would," said Facebook employees Erich Owens and Chris Turitzin.

Facebook will essentially take steps to counter three kinds of news feed spam - Like-baiting, frequently circulated content and spammy links.

Facebook says "Like-baiting" is when posts explicitly ask readers to like, comment or share the post, to get additional distribution beyond what the post would normally receive. " The improvement we are making today better detects these stories and helps ensure that they are not shown more prominently in News Feed than more relevant stories from friends and other Page," said the Facebook executives.

The update will not impact Pages that are genuinely trying to encourage discussion among their fans, Facebook clarified.

Facebook is also improving News Feed so that it doesn't focus on pages that reshare content as most users do not find such content relevant.

Stories that misguide users into clicking on links to pages that contain only ads or a combination of frequently circulated content and ads, will also be restricted. For instance some stories may claim to link to a photo album but instead take the viewer to a website with just ads, the social networking giant iterated.

"By measuring how frequently people on Facebook who visit a link choose to like the original post or share that post with their friends, we've been able to better detect spammy links," it added. According to Facebook, the update improves News Feed to reduce cases of spammy links, and in early testing it has witnessed a 5% increase in people on Facebook clicking on links that take them off of Facebook.

A device to make your computers faster

Here comes an optical device that may lead to new and more powerful computers that run faster and cooler. 

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have developed an essential component of new computers that would run on light.

"We believe that our discovery would benefit many other fields involving electronics, acoustics, plasmonics and meta-materials," said Lan Yang, an associate professor of electrical and systems engineering at Washington University.

The team created an optical diode by coupling tiny doughnut-shaped optical resonators - one with gain and the other with loss - on a silicon chip.

This diode is capable of completely eliminating light transmission in one direction and greatly enhancing light transmission in the other nonreciprocal light transmission, explained lead author Bo Peng from Yang's team.

"Coupling of so-called loss and gain devices using PT (parity-time)-symmetry could enable such advances as cloaking devices, stronger lasers that need less input power, and perhaps detectors that could 'see' a single atom," Yang added.

To make the optical diode, the researchers used two micro-resonators positioned so that light can flow from one to the other.

One device is the "lossy" silica resonator. The other incorporates the chemical element erbium into the silica structure for gain.

When the rate of gain in one resonator exactly equals that of loss in the other, the "phase transition" occurs at a critical coupling distance between the resonators.

Simply put, when a "lossy" system is coupled with a "gain" system such that loss of energy exactly equals gain at an equilibrium point, a "phase transition" occurs.

"Our resonators are small enough to use in computers and future optical information processors," Peng noted.

According to Yang, we built our optical diodes from silica which has very little material loss at the telecommunication wavelength. The concept can be extended to resonators made from other materials for better performances.

The PT symmetry concept can be extended to electronics, acoustics and other fields to create one-way channels, and photonic devices with advanced functionalities, said the paper, published in the journal Nature Physics.

Robot ‘soldier’ to help develop protective gear

A state-of-the-art robotic 'mannequin' that can run, sit and even mimic the movement of a soldier has been created by Britain's ministry of defence.

The "Porton Man" has more than 100 sensors on its body to record data during tests and will help defence scientists create the next generation of protective equipment.

The $1.8m robot has been developed using Formula One technology. The robot was based on data collected from 2,500 soldiers. It has been made for UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), where clothing systems for soldiers are tested against chemical warfare agents.

The UK's MoD said, "Built using advanced lightweight materials developed for Formula One cars, Porton Man is able to walk, march, run, sit, kneel and can even lift his arms to sight a weapon like an infantry soldier." The data from the sensors enables scientists to "carry out real-time analysis on equipment such as chemical and biological suits in a realistic but secure environment," it added.

The mannequin was designed and built by I-Bodi Technology in Buckinghamshire. "Our brief was to produce a lightweight robotic mannequin that had a wide range of movement and was easy to handle," IBodi CEO Jez Gibson-Harris said. "There were a number of challenges associated with this and one way we looked to tackle these was through the use of Formula One technology. Using the same concepts as those used in racing cars, we were able to produce very light but highly durable carbon-composite body parts for the mannequin."

DSTL is the only laboratory in the world that uses chemical warfare agents to assess the effectiveness of complete clothing systems. Britain's defence minister Philip Dunne said, "This technology designed by a British company is enabling the UK to lead the way in this important testing."

At 14kg, Porton Man is much lighter than its predecessor, which weighed in at 80kg.