Datawind to launch phone priced Rs 2,000 with free lifetime Internet

With an aim to double its volumes, low-cost mobile devices maker Datawind on Thursday said it will launch a Rs 2,000 smartphone before Diwali that will come with free Internet for life.

The company said the device will be based on Android operating system and going to have a 3.5 inch size.

Datawind currently has three smartphones and 5 tablets under its portfolio and is selling 40,000-50,000 devices every month.

"We are looking forward to launch our Rs 2,000 smartphone and few other devices before Diwali and intent is to double our sales by the end of this calender year," Datawind Executive Vice President Rupinder Singh said.

He added the company is in talks with three mobile operators for the lifetime free Internet offer but refused to divulge more details as the deal is yet to be finalised.

Asked about manufacturing in the country, Singh said the company has aggressive plans but did not mention any timeline for implementation.

Datawind had won the contract to supply 1 lakh units of Aakash tablets priced at $49.98 apiece in 2011, translated into a price of Rs 2,276 at that time.

The Aakash project was former minister Kapil Sibal's brainchild. The idea was to provide low-cost computing device at subsidised rate to students to enable them access Internet for educational purposes.

Asked if Datawind would be interested if the government comes out with a tender for Aakash tablet

, Singh said,"Absolutely we will be interested in that. Just a couple of months before the elections, a tender was opened for Aakash 4 by DGS&D and we emerged as the lowest bidder."

Keyboard developed by Microsoft for iOS ,Android and Windows tablet

Microsoft has developed a keyboard designed for iOS,Android and Windows tablets in its latest move to underline the company's focus on providing software services.

The company plans to release the

Universal Mobile Keyboard next month for $79.95.

According to a report by The Verge, the new keyboard is a lot like Logitech's K480 keyboard. Microsoft's version includes a key to switch between iOS, Android, and Windows Bluetooth modes.

The keyboard is unique in Microsoft's range of wired and wireless keyboards without the conventional Windows key.

The Universal Mobile Keyboard requires only 10 minutes of charging for a full day's use.

source:http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/microsoft-makes-keyboard-for-ios-android-windows-tablets/1/210461.html

Apple to unevil new iPads and OS

Apple Inc is set to launch two new iPads and release the next version of its Mac operating system at its next event on October 21.

A report by Daily Dot, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Apple plans to unveil the sixth generation of its iPad and the third edition of the iPad mini, as well as its operating system OS X Yosemite, which has undergone a complete visual overhaul.

Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment on the statement.

Bloomberg had earlier reported that the new iPad is expected to have a 9.7-inch screen while the new version of the iPad mini will have a 7.9-inch screen.

Apple has already unveiled its Apple Watch, two larger iPhones and a mobile payments service dubbed "Apple Pay" last week.

The Tim Cook-led company sold 13.3 million iPads in the quarter ended June, falling short of analysts' projections for more than 14 million.

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'Big screen' battle: Apple vs Samsung

Design & build

Apple's new big-screen iPhone looks more premium with its anodized aluminium body and stainless steel buttons. The iPhone 6 Plus features rounded edges and a slim profile just 7.1mm thick.

The Note 4 looks a lot better than the previous iterations of the device with its metal frame and soft-textured back cover but pales in comparison to the iPhone 6 Plus.

The display panel on the iPhone looks more attractive as it is attached with the phone's edges in a seamless manner with a slight curve. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 4 front panel features a 2.5D glass screen for protection. Apple definitely scores more points in the design department.

Display

Apple iPhone 6 Plus sports a 55.5-inch LCD display while the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED one.

Samsung takes the lead with a QHD resolution (2560x1440p) while Apple's new iPhone 6 has a full-HD display (1920x1080p). Most users would not be able to distinguish between a full-HD and QHD display unless they look very closely. However, the Note 4 also packs in more pixels per inch at 515ppi compared to iPhone 6 Plus (401ppi). This means text and images would look sharper on the Note 4.

It is a little difficult to compare the internals of the two phones as Apple doesn't offer specifics on processor, RAM and battery. The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a custom Apple A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor. The chip uses an advanced 20-nanometer process and is faster and more energy efficient compared to the A7 chip. 

The Indian variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will most likely be powered by 1.9GHz octa core (1.9GHz quad + 1.3GHz quad Core) Samsung Exynos processor with 3GB of RAM, and a 3220mAh battery. It is not clear if the Exynos chip powering the Note 4 is based on 64-bit architecture.

Apple optimises iOS for its devices so the clock speed and RAM won't matter much. However, the Galaxy Note 4 is one of the most powerful Android devices around.

iPhone 6 Plus comes in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants while the Note 4 comes with 32GB internal storage and a microSD card slot for expansion. The Note 4 also comes with a fast charging feature.

Camera

Apple has not increased the resolution of the iPhone's rear camera sensor, sticking to 8MP. Samsung on the other hand, offers a 16MP rear camera with the Galaxy Note 4. Megapixels don't really decide the quality of images and Apple's image sensor and processing engine ensures better photos compared to phones that come with high-resolution sensors.

iPhone 6 Plus comes with optical image stabilization, just like the Note 4, taking its already good camera hardware to the next level. It can take 43MP Panorama shots and record 60fps normal video and 240fps slo-mo video.

Galaxy Note 4 comes with 4K video recording while the iPhone 6 Plus camera is limited to full-HD. With 4K hardware still not being mainstream, we don't think it will matter.

The iPhone 6 Plus sports a 1.2MP front camera and comes with a burst mode, while Note 4 features a 3.7MP front camera.

Snapdeal to hire 1,000 software engineers in 12 months

India's largest digital marketplace Snapdeal will hire about 1,000 software engineers and set up at least three new development centres in the country, as it plans to plough marquee investor funding into building proprietary disruptive technologies to make online shopping even more seamless for consumers.

This addition of engineering talent, which seems to now form the backbone for most e-commerce companies, is happening as Snapdeal nears a run rate of $2 billion (Rs 12,000 crore) in annualized sales.

Snapdeal has 25 million users and 50,000 sellers, which is expected to double in the next six months.

The e-tailer, which has investors like Ratan Tata and Azim Premji, will hire 400 engineers in Bangalore. This will be its second development centre - the only one currently is in the National Capital Region - and will open in 45 days.

Snapdeal has a 300-strong development team in NCR. Pune and Hyderabad are the other cities which the company is looking at to set up development centres in. 

"Software engineers will disproportionately be larger than any other team, as we think of ourselves as a technology company more than anything else,".
Within that basket, mobile is expected to be a big focus area given that over 60% of Snapdeal's sales are generated through handsets.

The four-year-old company will be hiring from top engineering colleges like the IITs and NITs and would also look to laterally hire engineers having 3 years to 20 years of work experience.

Bansal declined to talk about any innovations the company is planning, but provided an overview of SafeShip, a proprietary order delivery platform for sellers. SafeShip aggregates courier companies in India, standardizes the delivery processes, and has an algorithm which automatically finds the best courier company to fulfil consumer orders.

"As soon as an order is placed in our system, based on the package size, it decides which courier company can give the best service at the most affordable rate," explained Bansal.

Earlier this year Snapdeal raised $240 million from existing investors including BlackRock, Temasek, eBay, Intel Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners