Amazon has introduced the all-new Kindle e-reader in India

Amazon has introduced the all-new Kindle e-reader with a 6-inch touchscreen display in India for Rs 5,999. Pre-orders for the new device begin today via Amazon.in and it will start shipping on October 9.

Some key features of the new Kindle include a Vocabulary builder that automatically adds words to the dictionary and lets you quiz yourself with flash cards, Whispersync to save and synchronize the last page read, weeks of battery life and Smart Lookup. The new Kindle also tells you how much time you will require to read a particular book and there’s an educational feature called Kindle FreeTime that helps parents encourage kids to spend more time reading with selected books .

Amazon claims that the new Kindle is light and ultra-portable, and comes equipped with a process whose speed is increased by 20 percent. The budget price and features indicate that Amazon aims to lure first-time users with this device. However, expect some features to be missing in this device. For example, the it has a lower resolution screen compared to the original Kindle Paperwhite that sells for Rs 10,999.

“Readers who haven’t yet experienced an e-reader will be surprised by how easy it is to read on, with no glare even in bright sunlight, and weeks of battery life. Readers who have never tried eBooks will love enhanced reading features like instant dictionary look-up and adjustable font sizes,” it states in the press release.

“Our new Kindle is small and light, with weeks of battery life, a 20% faster processor, twice the storage, and a touch interface,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “The new Kindle includes all the features readers love—Whispersync, built-in dictionary and new exclusive features like Vocabulary builder, Kindle Freetime and Goodreads integration. It’s never been a better time to be a reader.”

Kindle arrives pre-registered so you can start reading immediately, negating the need for any setup. Needless to say, it gives access to millions of books including bestsellers such as Kindle Singles, and more. Indian users can also expect features like Word Wise and Enhanced Search to be introduced as part of a free, over-the-air software update over the next couple of weeks.

Apple roll back price cut of Iphone 5S in India

Roll back of price drop announced by Apple India on the iPhone 5S last week, multiple sources have told BGR India. Last week Apple India had announced significant price cuts on the iPhone 5S 16GB (from an MRP of Rs 53,500 to an MRP of Rs 44,500) and the iPhone 5S 32GB (from an MRP of Rs 62,500 to an MRP of Rs 49,500).

The cause of the rollback in the price drop is not known at the moment. We have reached out to Apple India to confirm the rollback in the price cuts.

Earlier Apple India had put up September 26 as the launch data of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on its website, which was later postponed to October 17 and then any mention of the launch date was removed from the website altogether. However, we are not hearing any word of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch getting delayed post October 17 though stocks might be limited initially. Apple announced it had sold a record 4 million units of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the first 24 hours of preorders with delivery dates for some models running into November.

While brick and mortar store owners are left with iPhone 5S stock, which they had hoped to sell after the price drops were announced, the iPhone 5S continues to be available on online retailers for as low as Rs 34,899 for the iPhone 5S 16GB gold variant on Amazon India.

Samsumg Galaxy Core 2 got a price cut

Samsung has given its budget Android smartphone, Galaxy Core 2, a Rs 3,900 price cut. Now its being sold on the company's India eStore at Rs 8,007. 

It was initially launched in July at Rs 11,900. The price cut follows the launch of Google's Android One smartphones that offer better hardware specifications and are priced below Rs 6,300. The last few months have witnessed the entry-level segment hotting up with the likes of Xiaomi and Asus launching new devices that offer better value. 

Interestingly, Samsung Galaxy Core 2 is being sold offline at Rs 7,990 according to a smart phone retailer . 

Samsung Galaxy Core 2 is a dual-sim smartphone with a 4.5-inch (480x800p) display. It runs Android 4.4 (KitKat) and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 768MB of RAM. It has 4GB internal storage and supports microSD cards of up to 64GB. 

Galaxy Core 2 sports a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera. Connectivity options in the device include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The smartphone is powered by a 2,000mAh battery and is available in two colours — black and white.

No need to have a free space of 5.5 gb for ios 8 update

Here's the link in which Huffington post has described it :

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5837714?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000042

Don't Put iOS 8 On Your 4S

If you use an iPhone 4S, do NOT update it with iOS 8.Apple says you can load your 4S with iOS 8, the new mobile operating system Apple releasedon Wednesday. But you really shouldn't.iOS 8 was not made for us 4S users. It was designed for bigger screens than the 4S has. And that's the least of our worries. Ars Technica did some experimenting and found thatiOS 8 slows the 4S downsignificantly. It takes an iPhone 4S 2.16 seconds to launch Safari in iOS 8, vs. 1.25 seconds in iOS 7.1.2. Launching the calendar takes 1.25 seconds with iOS 8 instead of 0.8 seconds in 7.1.2. Not cool.I downloaded iOS 8 on my iPhone 4S (for science), and I can say from personal experience that it is murdering my battery. On Wednesday night my iPhone completely died from lack of battery life for the first time in years. I was using a battery case and charging it intermittently throughout the day, but it still didn't last from 7 A.M. to midnight.If you have a 4S you're probably eligible for an upgrade pretty soon. Our advice is to just hold out until your contract is over and then get a new phone. Be patient.

Apple Just Made Your iPhone A Lot Safer From Thieves

Apple's new mobile operating system quietly fixes one of the iPhone's most-criticized features: its allure to thieves.iOS 8, which Apple released on Wednesday, activates the iPhone's anti-theft feature by default, meaning consumers don't have to turn it on. The feature, also known as a "kill switch," will disable a stolen phone.Law-enforcement officials have said a kill switch, if universally adopted, could virtually eliminate thefts, leaving criminals with no incentive to steal them. But if consumers have to turn on the kill switch themselves, many might not remember to do it.Apple's new operating system solves that problem: The kill switch turns on automatically when people download iOS 8, thereby increasing its adoption and decreasing theft over time, officials said."This is a game changer,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.“Apple products are the most commonly targeted smartphones, so deploying this technology on a default basis will safeguard almost all iPhone users in the years ahead," Gascon said.Apple introduced its Activation Lock anti-theft feature last fall along with the previous iPhone operating system, iOS 7. Activation Lock shuts down the phone when a thief tries to turn off the Find My iPhone program that locates missing devices.iPhone thefts have declined since Apple introduced the feature, police said in June.Law-enforcement officials say turning on Activation Lock by default will go a long way toward their goal of deterring thieves, who stole an estimated 3.1 million phones in the U.S. last year, nearly double the number from 2012, according to Consumer Reports.Apple's new mobile operating system is available to owners of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as older models.Samsung introduced a kill switch for its smartphones in April. It is not turned on by default.

Fine-tuning of ESA maps to be over by this month end

Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to issue revised draft notification soon

Following up on the massive ground truthing exercise to demarcate the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the State, the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has embarked on a project to fine-tune the cadastral- level ESA maps of the 123 villages identified by the K. Kasturirangan committee.

The block- level cadastral maps demarcating the ESAs are being electronically stitched together to prepare village- level maps. The maps, along with a report on the ground truthing exercise, are sought by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for inclusion in the revised draft notification expected to be issued on the basis of feedback from other States.

KSBB chairman .Oommen V. Oommen said the report would indicate the ESA and non- ESA areas within each survey number. The work, he said, was expected to be over by the end of the month.

The cadastral-level maps, with different colour codes to indicate forests, residential areas, waterbodies and rocks, were prepared following a draft notification issued by MoEF in March redefining the territorial extent of the ESAs in Kerala. Earlier, the Kasturirangan committee had earmarked 13,108 sq km across 123 villages in Kerala as ESA. Following widespread protests and political turmoil, the State government, on the basis of a ground- level verification, had proposed the exclusion of 3,117 sq km from the ESAs.

The team, which held a preliminary meeting with State officials here in June, is expected to carry out field verification in at least 25 per cent of the 123 villages.

The KSBB had taken up the job of fine-tuning the cadastral maps after paucity of funds forced the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC) to drag its feet on a project to digitize the ESA maps and convert them to the GIS (Geographic Information System) format.

Official sources said KSBB had received requests from Karnataka and Goa for assistance in preparing ESA maps.