With Android One, Google does an Apple, takes over control of its own OS

Google has launched Android One as expected and there’s a lot to be excited about the new programme, though not if you expected this to be your average smartphone launch.

At this moment, Google’s hardware partners are not launching high-end devices for Android One. So if you were looking for great hardware you will surely be disapppointed. The new Micromax, Karbonn and Spice phones have identical specs and identical software. And they will get Android updates at the same time as some of the other hero devices such as Nexus smartphones. So it is that after a long time an Android launch is not about the specs. Android One is about Google taking back control of Android from a hardware and software perspective.

When it comes to hardware, Sundar Pichai explained to NDTV in an interview that Android One partners will have a menu of sorts to pick and choose the components they need to make the smartphone and all of these components will be chosen by Google. So all manufacturers will have to do is pick and choose the components and they will already be ratified for stock Android. Google has announced more partners beyond the three launch partners. Acer, Alcatel, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic, and Xolo, as well as chipmaker Qualcomm have come on board, according to Google. So it has the groundswell to give Android One a huge push.

As far as software is concerned, Google’s major issue is not with Android forks, which are not significant enough to cause a dent in the company’s revenue. The big thorn on Google’s side is vendors choosing to ship phones with apps that replace Google’s own. This could be something simple such as a third-party note-taking app when Google has Keep, or the Opera browser where Chrome can do the same duty. This is something we have come across far too often in Indian branded phones, which have multiple browsers out of the box. It only serves to confuse users. With Android One, such overlapping will be eliminated.

Google has also been known to discourage the use of alternative app stores. In July, the company was reportedly in a discussion with Samsung about the use of apps in the company’s Galaxy line, including some that let users purchase content, that’s also available on Google Play. This obviously eats into Google’s revenue, since any apps sold through Samsung’s app stores will not net the search giant any money. With Android One, Google is getting to the root of the problem by making sure these alternatives don’t crop up.

Yes, the first wave of Android One devices is not going to impress a lot of people, but it signifies a change in Google’s approach. Early in Android’s development, the need was to make sure app development was easy and there were a lot of new features added with each new Android release. This meant that Android device hardware needed to go up a notch with every new version of the OS, and now when there’s a huge user base already, Google is working towards fine-tuning the ecosystem.

Google is standardising Android device hardware and software to an extent never seen before. In a way it’s going the Apple direction, but customising the approach to its unique problem of many hardware players. Will a standardised Android world add to its domination or drive users away to differentiation? That’s the big question now.

Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon to battle it out for Android One market

NEW DELHI: Competition in the booming multi billion dollar Indian smartphone market is further set to intensify with e-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal all set to launch Google's much-awaited sub-USD 100 (around Rs 6,000) handsets tomorrow. 
Google is launching the Android One devices in India tomorrow. 
In June this year, the US-based tech giant had announced the 'Android One' initiative to bring in under-USD 100 handsets aimed at bringing the next one billion population to the Android operating system ecosystem. 

While homegrown online marketplace majors Flipkart and Snapdeal will be exclusively selling Android One smartphones from Spice and Karbonn, respectively, US-based e-commerce giant Amazon's Indian arm will sell handsets from Micromax. 

All the three handset makers have come out with teasers of their launch. 

It is not the first time that device makers have partnered with e-commerce firms for launching their products.  .. 
Motorola and Xiaomi have successfully launched their smartphones on Flipkart, while Spice, Micromax and Intex have launched their devices on Snapdeal. 

Apart from apparels, electronics -- especially mobile phones -- are one of the highest selling items on e-commerce sites. 

According to research firm IDC, smartphone sales in the country grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn. 

In the second quarter of 2014, 18.42 million smartphones were shipped in India. Though Samsung is the leader with a 29 per cent market share, Micromax (18 per cent), Karbonn (8 per cent) and LAVA (6 per cent) are close competitors. 

While Android is the dominant operating system globally, other OS' like Windows and iOS (Apple) are also gaining traction. Also, newer platforms like Firefox and Tizen may emerge as strong challengers to Google's platform. 

Google's attempts to also important as it aims to capture a larger share of the entry-level segment. 

Recently, Firefox (in partnership with Spice and Intex) launched two new smartphones, priced below Rs 2,300, aimed at those looking to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones. 

Aamir Khan's 'Satyamev Jayate' promo to release first on Twitter

The social networking bug has taken the industry by a storm with heavyweight celebrities using social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp to promote their ventures. The latest one to have been bitten by the bug is Aamir Khan. The first promo of his show Satyamev Jayate will be released on Twitter first.

The show's twitter handle tweeted early morning about the same.

Although the first two seasons of the show brought about the harsh realities of our Indian society, targeting the ills that plague our lives at large, the third season is going to be starkly different. This time, the show will encourage a healthy interaction with its audiences and the star would go live post every episode.
The catchphrase for this season is 'Mumkin Hai' and the twitter handle has asked Twitteratis to tweet with the hashtag in order to unlock the promo. Given that Aamir is a huge marketing genius himself, this is definitely a win-win situation for all.

Zoom in, check out this week's top videos

King Khan is back to rule the box office, this time with his 8-pack abs, in his forthcoming release 'Happy New Year'. From the new song 'Manwa Lage' to videos revealing NFL players abuse and Aam Aadmi Party's sting against BJP leader, watch our round-up of the week's most watched videos.
1. Shah Rukh Khan is back with eight pack abs!

2. Sting captures senior BJP leader trying to bribe AAP MLA 

 3. Deepika swoons over Shah Rukh in new HNY song 'Manwa Laage' 

4. Watch top NFL player punch his wife, drag her out of the lift - 

Keep the wife happy for marriage to last

There was a saying “a happy wife, happy life” and a new study support this saying. According to a new study, the happiness of the wife determines how happy a marriage is compared to the happiness of the husband.
The study from Rutgers University and the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research shows that a more content wife brings more happiness to the union and leads to a happier husband. Deborah Carr, a professor from Rutger’s Sociology Department explains that this might be because women that are happy do everything for their husband making the husband happier too.

The research included 400 participants and most of the participants were asked about their health, income and disability. Most of the couples have been together on ab average o f39 years. According to the study, the impact of happiness mostly depends on health and well being of each couples especially as they grow older together.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs OnePlus One vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Best Specifications and Features Comparison

If you want to purchase a much cheaper handset, the new OnePlus One will be a great option for you. It has become a strong competitor in the market. Let’s make a comparison between it and the most popular handsets these days, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5, to see if it’s worth buying.
Display
Though OnePlus One device is not well-known like Samsung smartphones, it still has amazing features that are making it a great rival. The OnePlus One comes equipped with a large display of 5.5inch, which is bigger than the 5.1inched display in Samsung Galaxy S5, but relatively smaller than the outstanding 5.7inched screen display of Galaxy Note 3.
All the three smartphones provide the same screen resolution at 1080×1920 pixels, but they are different in pixel densities. The OnePlus One comes with 401ppi, and the Galaxy Note 3 has just 386ppi, whereas the Galaxy S5 is superior with its 432ppi.
Both the OnePlus One and the Samsung Note 3 comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 technology that assures protection for their display screens. Thus, the Galaxy S5 smartphone has a dustproof and waterproof exterior, and it comes packed with a fingerprint sensor that is a much loved these days.
Processor
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes packed with the least powerful quad-core processor Krait 400 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip, clocked at 2.3GHz. The other two smartphones are powered by a quad-core processor (Krait 400) based on Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801, with a clock speed of 2.5GHz. In addition, all of these handsets come with the Adreno 330 GPU.
camera
Both the Galaxy Note 3 and the OnePlus One come bundled with a great primary camera at 13 MP. Thus, even they have the same camera resolution, the One phone still is beyond the Note 3 with more additional features that are useful, including autofocus, face detection, the dual-LED-flash, and many more.
The Galaxy S5 device is excelling when it comes to the camera, it provide a great 16 MP primary camera that is ISOCELL. When it comes to the secondary camera, the OnePlus One smartphone wins over the other two with its 5MP front facing camera, whereas the Samsung devices feature 2 MP front-facing shooters.

50 Shades of Fantastic: Shah Rukh Khan's New Body Proves Impossible is Nothing

While pundits and the movie-going public have been debating who will be crowned the future Baadshah of Bollywood from among Ranbir, Ranveer, Arjun and Sushant, the current occupant of the throne - Shah Rukh Khan - has quietly reduced the pretenders to silence with a single shirtless picture. The emperor's new clothes, or lack of them, puts on display a Shah Rukh so chiseled that fans can't decide whether his ripped torso is constructed of an eight or a 10 pack. (Pics: The League of Bare-Chested Gentlemen: SRK, Hrithik, Salman)

If you aren't impressed yet, consider this - SRK is 48, 17 years older than Ranbir Kapoor who, at 31, is the oldest of the clutch of younger heroes snapping at the heels of the alpha Khans. Even more impressive is the fact that this is the second time SRK has acquired this extreme body. Seven years ago, 41-year-old Shah Rukh's ab-tastic 'item' Dard-e-Disco was among the highlights of 2007 hit Om Shanti Om.

An Adults Only Wedding Proposal: 'Something Hot On That Hot Finger'

Hip-hop doesn't seem to have an impressive history when it comes to setting the right mood for romance and mush - "Shorty love the way that I floss out" and "Momma said no pussy cats inside my dog house" - umm, alright then, Bobby Shmurda.

Given this, who would have thought that a parody of Shmurda's hit song 'Hot Nigga' would be the first step to a happily-ever-after?!?

But as the groom-to-be in the video below puts it, "Sometimes you just gotta throw the dog in a tux and get down on one knee."

He made sure he put in all the elements of a perfect proposal in his rap:

The introduction:
In truth, I got a big question

A little about the cool couple that they are:
We make Indian music
Just like sitar

The perks:
Forget black card
I can get you a green card

And, and, and the big rock:
Still got the receipt
But you can't see it though
Peep it though
Sales tax was egregious though

Yeah, yeah it's a bit offbeat, but not off track. His girlfriend's expressions are puzzling (what a talented girl, this one):

So, did she say yes? Watch and find out for yourself (Viewer discretion advised. Some contents of this video may be unsuitable for children):
video

Panipat Teen Develops Device to Convert Breath Into Words

Arsh Shah Dilbagi aka Robo, a 16-year-old student of DAV Public School, Panipat has been selected as one of the top 15 Google Science Fair 2014 global finalists for his invention - Talk.

This young genius looks up to Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs "for combining technology with art and envisioning products like no other." He also admires author Isaac Asimov and physicist Stephen Hawking.

Arsh's Talk is a pocket-friendly innovative device that breathes new hope in the lives of those who find it difficult to communicate with others due to developmental disabilities like Locked-In Syndrome and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or speech impairments like Dysarthria.

"Approx. 1.4% of the world population suffers from such disorders, which is more than the population of Germany," says Arsh.

According to this young innovator, Talk has many advantages over its predecessors. These are the major ones - it is simple to use and thus increases the speaking rate, it's portable and affordable.

This is how it works: Talk expects a person to be able to give two distinguishable exhales (by varying intensity/time) for converting into electrical signals using MEMS Microphone.'

I have still not understood the game: Salman Khan on 'Bigg Boss'

Mumbai: Superstar Salman Khan has anchored 'Bigg Boss' for the past five seasons, but he says the immensely popular reality show is beyond his understanding.
The Indian adaptation of international show 'Celebrity Big Brother', the show features celebrities from different fields congregating under one roof, without any frills or connect with the outside world, and under constant prying of multiple cameras for three months. It features a lot of emotional highs and lows.
The eighth season of the show is set to air on Colors Sep 21.
So, what should one expect from the show this time?
"I have no idea about it! What you want to know even I want to know -- how they (the contestants) will get along, what will be their tolerance level, how nice or bad they are...I don't know," Salman said of the forthcoming season.
The list of contestants for the forthcoming season is yet to be disclosed officially.
However, during an event here Friday, Salman announced that the new theme of 'Bigg Boss' season 8, will be aviation.
Salman will be seen as the captain and will lead twelve first class passengers who will need to carve their own paths in the show.
When asked how well does he understand the game, the 'Dabangg' star said: "I have still not understood the game! Nobody understands this game. How will you (one) know whether a person is lying or not?"
On 'Bigg Boss', catfights and melodrama are almost tradition -- people backbite, gossip and plot against each other to become the winner. But the ultimate power to retain a housemate or evict him or her, lies with the viewers.
On several occasions, it has been speculated that 'Bigg Boss' is scripted. But Salman says otherwise.
"Tasks are given to the contestants, but there is nothing on what they have to say (while inside). There is no script. It's completely real.
"Actors (contestants) do it themselves -- it's exactly what happens -- some people know how to play the game, some don't know...so, it's a combination. Everyone knows one person will be evicted, so obviously it has to be the best one. Only once you get into the situation, you will understand," said the 48-year-old.
In the last season, Salman was accused of being biased towards Tanishaa Mukerji, who had developed a close camaraderie with Armaan Kohli.
But defending himself, Salman said: "You can't be biased on this (reality show)...you can see how that person is behaving...You all (audiences) see one hour of the show, but I see all the episodes (in detail)."

Kingston MobileLite Wireless review: A good accessory for sure

Nearly all smartphones and tablet PCs come with USB OTG support, which helps us to access data on flash drives and portable hard drives. The major issue with USB OTG cable connection is that the user has to carry the weight of the storage device. Also, the storage unit keeps on dangling down the micro-USB port of the smartphone or tablet- which is irritating.
Limited storage capacity is another issue synonymous with all smartphones and tablets. So, if you are looking for a device to boost your storage capacity or something that will allow you to access your hard drive, flash drive or SD card from your smartphone or tablet wirelessly without connecting to any computer then this review might interest you.
Device: Kingston Digital MobileLite wireless flash reader comes with a USB port and a SD card slot. You can either connect a pen drive or a portable hard drive and a SD card (mircoSD cards are also supported through adapter) and access content wirelessly through the MobileLite application (available for free) on your Android or iOS device. It supports SD, SDHC and SDXC cards.
Three users can connect to the device simultaneous. Which means, the same memory card, hard drive or pen drive can be used by three users at a time to play different content on three different devices.
It also doubles up as a power bank for emergency power requirement. MobileLite doesn’t have any built-in storage space.
The mission of Kingston Digital MobileLite wireless flash reader is to make additional storage units like portable hard drives, pen drives and memory cards a part of our daily lives on-the-go. So, let’s see if it could impress us or not.
Design: The Kingston MobileLite Wireless is simple looking, surprisingly light device and easily fits inside trouser pockets. It offers one microSD card slot, one regular USB port and one micro USB port for charging. There is one physical button along with three LED lights. To turn on the device, users will have to just press the button once and on long pressing the button, the WiFi connection is established.
Accessibility: Users will need to download the MobileLite app on their smartphone. Attach the storage unit to the reader and long press the power button to get a static blue light on the device. On the smartphone, activate WiFi and find the device and enter a password. The content can then be accessed via the MobileLite

Intex Aqua 4X comes to India with 3G support for just Rs 2999

The Intex Aqua 4X smartphone has made its debut in India and it falls in the affordable category carrying a price of just Rs 2999. Wallet-friendly as it is, the phone isn’t the cheapest on the market, but it does have the upper hand as only a few handsets offer 3G connectivity in this range.

The Intex Aqua 4X has been launched exclusively through eBay and it has basic features to offer. One of its biggest downsides is that Android 4.2 Jelly Bean runs the show, while similar devices come with version 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

On the bright side, you get the stock UI and there doesn’t appear to be any bloatware. The phone is decently sized at 4 inches and you get WVGA visuals. What worth mentioning is that most handset in this price range offer 3.5-inch panel with HVGA visuals, so this definitely gives the handset the upper hand.

Other components of the Intex Aqua 4X are pretty much standard, such as a 1GHz dual core CPU, 512MB of internal storage, 256MB RAM and a microSD card slot. Dual SIM card slots also make part of the blueprints along with a 1300mAh battery which can grant around 3 to 4 hours of talk time.


Intex Aqua 4X smartphone specs at a glance:

> Platform: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
> Chipset: 1GHz dual core processor
> Screen: 4-inch WVGA panel
> Memory: 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 32GB expandable storage
> Connectivity: Dual SIM, 3G, Bluetooth, AGPS, Wi-Fi
> Camera: VGA front, 2MP rear
> Battery: 1300mAh

Salman Khan on SRK’s 8 packs: There is nothing fake about that, it is 100 percent genuine

Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan might not be best of friends, however time has helped them get over their grudges and take heart in admiring each other. The man with a big heart Salman Khan recently appreciated Shah Rukh’s effort in making that chiseled body that he has been sporting in upcoming film Happy New Year.  Salman who is in Dubai at the moment for work commitments admired Shah Rukh’s body with no bars held in an interview with an international channel.

When asked what was his take on Shah Rukh’s fake 8 packs, the superstar promptly replied, “It is not a fake 8 pack. He has become really ribbed. In fact that picture that you see is not even touched up picture, it’s a raw picture.” He added, “So I am really impressed with the way he is looking right now. He is really fit. It takes a lot of hard work to get into that shape, and I know because I do that kind of hard work. And it takes a lot of hard work to get that ribbed. And there is nothing fake about that. It is 100 percent genuine.” Looks like at least this Khan has buried the hatchet and is all up to share a neutral vibe with Shah Rukh if not be pally with him. 

WhatsApp Download with Top 10 Best Tricks That You Should Know

WhatsApp is one of the most used messenger applications on mobile platforms. It is available for most of the mobile operating systems such as iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Symbian and it requires an internet connection. It’s “almost” free, and we’re saying this because in the first year you won’t have to pay to use it, but after that, you’ll be charged 0.99 dollars annually. However, that’s not expensive at all and let’s be honest: what can we do with one dollar nowadays?

Here are the top 10 best tricks that you should use on the WhatsApp application.

1. HIDE YOUR “LAST SEEN” ON WHATSAPP

One of the great features WhatsApp comes with is the “Last Seen” feature. However, there are many users who don’t want to share this and want to be as “hidden” while on WhatsApp. However, maybe you just don’t want to talk with somebody but (s)he sees you online and will eventually know that you were online and ignored him/her. To disable the “Last Seen” feature, go to the Menu and select Settings -> Account -> Privacy. There you will have the option to choose who can see you online.

2. HOW TO RECOVER WHATSAPP DELETED MESSAGES

If by mistake you deleted WhatsApp messages or you lost them due to a system error, don’t worry because you can recover all your messages.

WhatsApp, by default, saves all your conversations on your microSD card. To access the file, simply go to your microSD card and access WhatsApp->Database folder. In there, you will notice a file named msgstore.db.crypt which contains all your messages sent and received in the current day and the file that has the yyyy format msgstore.dd.db.crypt contains messages that you received on WhatsApp in the last 7 days. Open the files with a text editor and you will be able to see all the messages. To restore them on your phone uninstall and install back WhatsApp and the application will notice that it found a Message backup and tap on “Restore”.

3. CHANGING YOUR WHATSAPP THEME

If you got bored of the default WhatsApp theme, then you should try WhatsApp Plus Holo, which comes with a new interface, but it gives you the possibility to change it with one that you like. Do a simple search on WhatsApp Plus Holo and give it a try!

4. SEE YOUR WHATSAPP STATS

If you are using WhatsApp almost daily, you should look for your WhatsApp stats in order to not exceed your mobile data plan. To do this, you have to install WhatStat for WhatsApp which will give you a lot of information about the time and how much data you’ve used on WhatsApp, plus many other things.

5. DELETING YOUR WHATSAPP ACCOUNT

Many users register to WhatsApp, but later they decide to not use it anymore for some reason. Keep in mind that if you uninstall WhatsApp, your account won’t be deleted because it’s registered on WhatsApp’s database. To completely delete your WhatsApp account, go to Settings->Account->Delete your account. After that, enter your phone number in international format and you’re done.

6. CHANGE YOUR PHONE NUMBER WITHOUT LOSING MESSAGES

Most users will uninstall and install back WhatsApp when changing phone numbers. This is a wrong thing to do, because you will lose all your messages. However, you can change the phone number without having to uninstall WhatsApp. To do this, you will have to go to WhatsApp Settings-> Tap on Account-> Tap on Change Number. After that, just type your old and new phone number and tap “Done”. WhatsApp will then send a number to verify you and when the new phone number is added to your account, your old phone number will be deleted from WhatsApp’s database.

7. SPY YOUR FRIEND’S WHATSAPP ACTIVITY

One of the most wanted tricks on WhatsApp is the one that lets you spy your friend’s WhatsApp activity. By using this trick, you will see who your friend is talking to. You will firstly need to install Spymaster PRO, an application that you can find by doing a simple Google search. This application has the ability to show you the entire conversation, the shared videos or pictures and has even a timestamp to find out when those messages were sent. However, you will have to buy this application and it’s pretty expensive, costing you around 85 dollars for the license.

8. RECEIVE WHATSAPP NOTIFICATIONS BY VOICE

If you are too busy to read your WhatsApp notifications, don’t worry because now you can get those notifications as Voice messages.

Here are the steps that you must do in order to be able to get your WhatsApp notifications by Voice:

Download and Install Voice Notification and Text To Speach

Open the Voice Notification application and you will be asked to enable the accessibility for the application. Go to Settings->Accessibility and setup the accessibility for Voice Notification application and after that open again the application. You will notice that you will have a few options that the application read notification from, which are: Gmail, Viber, WhatsApp and Spotbros.

Set it for WhatsApp and you’re done!

9. Extending WhatsApp license until 2022 for FREE

Even if the WhatsApp license costs only 0.99 dollars per year, why not get it for free until 2022? To do this, you will firstly need a second smartphone (yours or a friend’s phone). Now, follow the next steps:

1.Delete your WhatsApp account (as we told you in the tip #5 above) and uninstall the application from your phone.

2.Use the second phone to register on WhatsApp with your phone number.

3.You will get a verification code through SMS your phone. Enter the verification code on the second phone.

4. Delete your WhatsApp account from the second phone.

Install WhatsApp on your first mobile phone and register again by using your phone number.

After that you will see that your license has been extended until 2022. Enjoy!

10. Adding WhatsApp Friends Profile pictures to your Contacts

If you don’t have a picture of one of your contacts from your phone book, but that person has a picture on his/her WhatsApp account, you can use that picture and add it to that person from your phone book.

All your WhatsApp contacts profile pictures are saved on your microSD card->WhatsApp->Profile Pictures. The pictures are saved with the phone number instead of the contact name, so you will want to look for your friend’s phone number. After you find the picture, you can use it on your phonebook for the specific friend.

SanDisk beats rivals to 512GB SD card

The world's first 512 gigabyte SD card is designed more for video and photo professionals than for the average consumer.

SanDisk has just broken a new record with the largest-capacity SD card ever unveiled.

Revealed on Thursday at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, the new SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I memory card offers a hefty 512 gigabytes of storage space. This far surpasses the capacity of the current crop of cards on the market, which generally range from 8GB to 128GB, though there are some 256GB SD cards available. The new SanDisk card is also fast, offering write speeds of up to 90 megabytes per second.

That all sounds cool, but note that this card is not geared for the average buyer. Instead, it's aimed specifically at industry professionals who work in the fields of high-speed photography and ultra-high definition video.

As SanDisk phrases it: "The new offering is designed to meet the demands of industry professionals who require the most advanced gear available for shooting 4K Ultra High Definition (3,840x2,160p) video, Full HD video (1,920x1,080) and high-speed burst mode photography."

As such, the card can deliver a high enough recording speed, designated as UHS Speed Class 3, to ensure high resolution, real-world color reproduction, and stutter-free 4K ultra HD video. SanDisk also promises transfer speeds as high as 95 megabytes per second to quickly move the data off the card to the computer for post-production work.

SanDisk said it tested the new card to make sure it could survive harsh conditions, meaning it's temperature proof, water proof, shock proof and x-ray proof. Users can also download the RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software to recover any images accidentally deleted.

At least one professional seems sold on the new card, according to a testimonial offered by SanDisk.

"The new 512GB SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I card offers incredible speed and capacity," Grant Petty, CEO of video post-production house Blackmagic Design, said in a statement. "Our Pocket Cinema Camera customers shoot in every type of circumstance and location, and get amazing wide dynamic range RAW images capturing the brightest highlights and darkest shadows at the same time. The additional capacity of the SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I card will extend the creative freedom for our customers shooting in RAW and open up the ability to use wide dynamic range RAW files with even more productions."

Okay, and what will you pay for 512GB of SD storage? The new card retails for a hefty $800.

Yes, that sounds quite pricey for the average person. But professional videographers and photographers may be less likely to balk at the price tag. Professionals as well as average consumers who don't need as much storage space and want to save money can instead opt for other SanDisk SD cards ranging in capacity from 8GB to 256GB.

SanDisk didn't specify when the new card would hit the retail market. CNET contacted the company for comment. However, eager buyers can preorder the card for $729 through Adorama, which listed an availability date of late September, or B&H Photo, which said the card would be available on October 15.

Haryana teenager comes up with device that turns breath signals into speech

A 16-year-old boy who hails from Panipat in Harayana has come up with an innovative contraption that can turn breath signals into speech using the assistance of Morse code. Arsh Shah Dilbagi is the name of this youth who is the only finalist from Asia to have been chosen for the Google Science Fair 2014.

He has named his device Talk, and has emphasized that it has been built to help speech impaired and paralysed people to better communicate with others. As if that wasn’t enough to impress, Arsh has pointed out that it is world’s fastest and cheapest such gadget.

It falls under the category of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and apparently costs just $80 or around Rs 5000. This will definitely enhance its reach to a much wider audience than other similar products available with different technologies onboard.

As to how Talk works, it can take input of your breath either from your mouth of from your nose and read it in the form of Morse code. The machine then interprets the breath and converts it into sentences to say out loud what you want it to say.

While speaking to The Times of India, Arsh has mentioned that he wishes to improve upon his invention furthermore soon. His future goals include adding auto-predictions to his computing engine as well as the integration of Talk’s functions with those of Google Glass.

Arsh Shah Dilbagi, who calls himself a fan of applied science, will be requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Harshvardhan to consider this project for a wide release in India.
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The Big New iPhones Are Already Delayed

It took just hours after the next-generation iPhones became available for online pre-order on Friday morning for Apple (AAPL) fans to erase any doubt about whether they want phablets. Apple’s website now warns of a three- to four-week delay for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. The 4.7-inch phone, which is still bigger than any iPhone to date, remains available for pre-order for delivery on Sept. 19.

The delay for the iPhone 6 Plus comes even though Apple prepared to have more supply on hand than usual this year. Of course, shortages during iPhone launches are nothing new. The company didn’t offer pre-orders of the iPhone 5S last fall, but the iPhone 5 exhausted its pre-order stock in about an hour in 2012.

While the flood of early orders reflects the insane demand for new iPhones, the company is also suffering from some technical glitches. Apple’s website went down intermittently overnight on Friday, creating another awkward moment following the highly visible struggles with the live video stream of Tuesday’s announcement.

The immediate popularity of the iPhone 6 Plus also shouldn’t come as a surprise. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, whose screen is even larger than the largest iPhone’s, was a hit when it was released last fall, selling 5 million units in a month. Samsung unveiled new versions of the Note this month, but those won’t be available until October.

Big-phone enthusiasts are a small minority of smartphone users, but they’re growing in number. Six percent of mobile users were using phones with screens larger than 5 inches as of January, up from just 3 percent in February 2013, according to mobile analytics firm Flurry. On average, people with big phones are more enthusiastic app users than those with smaller phones. A recent study by Adobe also found that phablet owners browse the mobile Web more than their regular-size-smartphone counterparts.