Microsoft Office 2016 launches Next Week

September 18, 2015

Microsoft is set to launch Office Suite 2016 next week, most probably on September 22. The software was rumored to initially be offered to professionals and domestic users only.

Julia White, GM of Office 365 Technical Product Management, confirmed the rumors floating around saying:

“You may have heard the rumors but I am happy to confirm that Office 2016 will be broadly available starting on September 22.”

Some of the new features include Maths input tool for Word, improved PowerPoint, cloud integration, Excel and a Darker theme. In addition, it also offers easy file sharing, more efficient grammar check and Real Time Presence in Word.

According to Microsoft, more than 1 million users have used Office 2016 on Mac and Windows platform since it was launched on Windows Preview.

Mobile users can access the utility free while it is being offered at the rate of £95 to students, office and home consumers.

The recent update is for the existing desktop version instead of Universal suite which is more touch friendly and is available on laptops, phones and tablets.

The desktop version will remain the most powerful and practical version and will smoothly run on older systems as well.

Office 2016 also provides OneDrive Outlook attachments, latest interface, IT tools and multiple user editing. Microsoft is also facilitating users with regular update alerts which will benefit users with advanced security patches and latest specs.

Self-driving cars can be fooled by fake cars, pedestrians and other bogus signals

Jia Khan

September 9, 2015

A recent study has revealed that Uber, Google and Apple’s self-driven cars can be misdirected through fake signals via laser.

Jonathan Petit, scientist at a software security organization Security Innovation, has highlighted a huge vulnerability in the self-driven cars through LIDAR system which is the face of the car.

Petit would present his research paper at Black Hat Europe security conference in November where he will highlight how laser and pulse generator can misguide a self-driven car to believe that there is other traffic around.

It is very easy to fool a LIDAR (laser ranging phenomenon of an autonomous car) by creating echoes that appear to be vehicles in the surrounding. The process is quite easy if one has a low-power laser and some operating device (like Arduino or Raspberry Pi).

Petit has managed to attack the cars from a distance of almost 330 meters and his results are fruitful. It is rather a prank with a car, to give the car some acceleration or a sudden stop. He said that:

“Poor inputs for an autonomous car will provide poor driving decisions.”

LIDAR technology costs in tens of thousands and Google has adopted almost $70,000 / €62,800 LiDAR sensing unit on its self-driving vehicle.

The car can be attacked from any angle, from sides, front and back and this wouldn’t alarm the passenger of the threat. Petit says that the echo phenomenon may indulge the car, alarming it that something is very much close to it and ultimately it has to make some decision quickly.

This would not allow the car much time to consult its GPS even and the decision would be quite abrupt.

Fiat Chrysler has remarked that this would allow the hackers a complete control over the car using media services.

Autonomous cars have always been a subject of controversy and after this recent research, the reliability of these cars has been pushed again.

Huawei Watch to launch this Month with Full AMOLED Display

Jia Khan

September 1, 2015

After the successful launch of Samsung and Apple Watches, Huawei has also entered the race and has released complete specifications of its upcoming, Huawei Android Watch.

This watch will hit the market in three different colors including silver, black and gold. Huawei Watch will feature a 400x400p full HD display that makes almost 286ppi.

Huawei Watch will provide a pleasant display owing to its Sapphire crystal glass panel that is basically meant to provide safety. Plus point of Huawei watch is that it could be wirelessly charged.

Huawei Watch will be powered with a speedy Qualcomm APQ8026 1.2 GHz processor which has been coupled with a 512 MB RAM. The specs are kept high so as to ensure a competitive performance.

Huawei Watch interfaces seamlessly with android phones. The company has also provided 4GB of internal memory capacity. Huawei watch comes with an eye-catching design and it includes a gyroscope, accelerometer and barometer.

An important thing to understand is that this device is just water resistant, not water proof. Another tiny mic is included in the phone to record and implement voice commands on Google.

The watch will provide hours of usage due to its 300mAh battery, USB cable and power adaptor.

Huawei has announced that this watch will soon be made further compatible. The connectivity options are quite awesome including Wi-Fi capabilities and it will have very powerful Bluetooth 4.0/4.1 connectivity options.

The officials haven’t made any proper statement regarding the prices but it is pretty sure that Huawei Watch will be released later this month.

Huawei watch has to compete with its rival watches like Samsung Gear watch and Apple watch. The specs reveal this device to be awesome but still we have to wait for its release to lay our hands on it.

Tesla Model S P85D got 103 out of 100 in Consumer Reports’ rating System

Nitish Singh

August 29, 2015

The Tesla Model S P85D blew away all tests Consumer Reports threw at it and scored 103 out of 100 in the rating system. The all-wheel-drive electric sedan had done better than any car ever did, breaking the Consumer Reports’ Ratings system.

“The car is brutally quick, with instant acceleration. The car’s thrust is forceful and immediate. Its near-instant g-forces can otherwise be achieved only by leaping off a building—literally.”

Says the magazine.

Sports Car Acceleration

Well, let’s just put what the car did to gain some insight. For starters, it started and accelerated from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds.

This is achieved by an “insane mode”, included in the Tesla Model S P85D which gives it acceleration comparable to sports cars.

Now admittedly there are faster cars out there in the market, but Consumer Reports said that due to being super energy efficient with this sort of acceleration. And hence the 103 out of 100 went to P85D.

The car also gives great energy efficiency. Fueling off a mere gallon, the car can go 86 miles (138 km), as per the report from the Consumer Reports.

A programmer Bjorn Nyland had driven the Tesla Model S for 452.8 miles (728.7 km) on a single charge, cruising at an average speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km per hour), though the Consumer reports rates it at 200+ miles.

The Tesla Model S P85D has better brakes and handling than the standard Model S, which also had a decent Consumer Reports rating.

But all this comes at a cost. And to be precise the cost is $127,820 (25,308,360 Naira). Now that is very well beyond the budget of most of us. Plus the car also has other down sides.

If you’re going on a long journey than fore-planning is something you should think about. Driving an all-electric car can be tricky and a bit of concern if you don’t know any nearby charging stations.

Again if one considers the 6-digit price tag, then it is worth mentioning that the interior fittings aren’t that luxurious compared to other luxury cars.

But anyways, the car is an “Automobile milestone” and “a powerful statement of American startup ingenuity” says Consumer Reports.

Goodbye Xbox One Mini, it was good while you were a Rumour

Nitish Singh

August 28, 2015

The Xbox One is a fairly large gaming console. And as Sony had released “mini” PlayStations like the PS Vita, Microsoft it appears will not walk the same path.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of Xbox, has posted on twitter, denying any such launch. The launch was supposed to be during October 2015.

So what created the hype for Xbox One Mini?

Well, a Chinese blog, earlier this year had details about a slimmed down version of the Xbox One coming this October.

The blog said it would be about one-third the size of the current Xbox One. The device was also rumored to be quieter and the Blu-Ray player would be removed.

That is, if games were to be played, they had to be downloaded.

This would in turn be favorable to Microsoft, as they would be able to realize their original online-centric vision for Xbox One.

Microsoft had envisioned Xbox One as an all-in-one living room device. It would be the star of your entertainment center and seamlessly blend streaming services like TV along with gaming.

The step would also reduce the price of the bulky beast.

The miniature version would have been a logical and accurate step in that direction. At least the Windows Media Centre fans would have loved the Xbox One mini.

But, alas, it’s now just a concept, even devoid the status of a rumor. We won’t see the device in reality- or would we?

Upon asking Phil Spencer, he replied on twitter with a “not real” statement. This declaration by no means negates the possibility of a redesigned Xbox One.

It’s just a wait and watch game, after all, Xbox 360 took quite a while to get redesigned to our Xbox One.

Meanwhile, Xbox will have some exclusives coming their way this Fall. So while you wait, enjoy titles like Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

LG introduces world’s first 4K OLED TV in India

Jia Khan

August 26, 2015

LG has introduced the first ever 4K OLED TV in India. LG’s new gadget has been named EF9500 OLED 4K TV and increases LG’s 4K TV offerings for the year to three. The new release include both curved screen and flat-screen OLED TVs.

LG had earlier introduced the LG EG9600 and EG9700 models of Curved OLED 4K TVs while LG EC9300 is a Full HD Curved OLED TV model.

The new LG EF9500 4k OLED TV has been launched in two variants, the 55-inch model that costs $3849 (Rupees 3,84,900 or 769,800 Naira) and the 65-inch model that hangs a price tag of $5799 (Rupees 5,79,900 or 1,159,800 Naira).

This new TV features a transparent water clear screen that lacks holes or nuts even on the back. The 4K OLED TV supports 3D graphics along with Harmin Kardon sound technology. 3D glasses are available provided with the TV.

Howard Lee, Director-Home Entertainment, LG. said

“LG has beaten others in the run of innovation. With this enhanced technology TV, we can assure an ultimate immersive cinematic experience.”

This newly launched TV has WRGB technology inside that powers 33 million color sub-pixels (more than 27 million in available in flat-screen TVs). This helps in sharpening and brightening the colors so as to improve the contrast ratio. The display offers a sleek design at just 5.9mm thickness.

OLED is not yet popular but the marvelous technology at the back end has wowed the world. LG is also working to enhance the technology to make it cost effective, because from the price tags listed above OLED TVs are not for the faint-hearted.

LG said that OLED TV was once considered to be next generation of LED TVs that would rule the world and LG has now made it possible!

The new technology by LG is eye-catching but still prices will have to go down if OLED TVs will stand a chance.

Sony SmartBand 2 will hit the Market with a Heart Rate Monitor

Nitish Singh

August 21, 2015

The Japanese tech firm Sony has just launched the successor of the SmartBand. It will be named the SmartBand 2 and feature wise will be identical to the previous version, but with a heart rate monitor.

Just like the SmartBand, the SmartBand 2 will be a “multi-sensor lifelogger that provides full-scale insights about your fitness, well-being and stress levels”, with features like health tracking and sleep tracking functions.

Sony SmartBand with Heart Rate Monitor

The “smart fitness wearable ” market is also quite crowded. Sony has added a new device to the market, claiming it to be most advanced wearable available.

The senior vice president of Sony Mobile Communications, Kaz Tajima said:

“We set out to create the most advanced wearable at this section of the market – SmartBand 2 has the capability to deliver, and make biometric data meaningful for users within Lifelog.”

The new heart rate monitor is the key upgrade in the SmartBand 2. According to Sony, it will give “meaningful” insights on user’s health and stress level.

Apart from this, the wearable can provide you with an insight about your sleep patterns via its inbuilt automatic sleep detection technology.

While you are asleep your band can also wake you up by gently vibrating if you tell it (set an alarm) to do so.

Sony Smarband 2 also has the usual stuff like notification alerts for missed calls, messages, emails, tweets etc on the paired smartphone.

All notifications will be delivered by means of vibration and pulsing RGB LED lights as the band doesn’t have a display.

Sony has also mentioned the Smartband 2 can operate for up for 2 days, on a single charge and is IP68 certified, implying it is water resistant up to 3-meters.

The Sony SmartBand 2 will be available in 60 countries worldwide. In respect of OS, the band will work on Android 4.4+ and iOS 8.8+.

If you are interested then, estimated availability of the device starts from September and will cost you EUR 119.

The Tesla Model X SUV arrives this September

Nitish Singh

August 6, 2015

The highly anticipated electric SUV from Tesla, the Tesla Model X SUV will arrive this September.

News about the vehicle has been around for some time now, and in a letter to shareholders, Tesla confirmed the long-awaited Model X will ship by fall – specifically during September.

About Tesla new Eco-friendly SUV:

The SUV as stated above will be run by Electricity only and will seat 7 people. The rear doors are articulated and will go up, instead of opening out.

Every Model X model comes in all-wheel drive standard, powered by two independent, digitally controlled electric motors.

Brilliantly functional Falcon Wing rear doors fold up and out of the way to allow easy access to third-row seats.

So if you’re car fanatic, this should make you drool. Owning an Electric SUV whose doors go up like a Delorean. However, according to reports even though the Model X is due in September you may have to wait a while to own one.

If you hop into the waiting list now, you will probably not be able to lay your hands on the steering wheel till 2016.

The price of the Model X hasn’t been disclosed yet, but you have to pay $5000 deposit, just to enroll yourself in the waiting list.

Tesla Model X has been delayed for a long time. The first estimated arrival of Tesla Model X SUV was during the end of 2013.

It then got delayed to Q4 2014 and now it’s September 2015. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla has said that the company is having troubles with the suppliers which is causing the delay.

Again Tesla seems quite Enthusiastic about their Stated release in September, which is quite clear from a letter by Musk:

“As we prepare to launch Model X in September, we are building more validation vehicles, executing final engineering and testing work, enabling our new manufacturing equipment and finalizing arrangements with our suppliers,”
“We have been producing release candidate Model X bodies in our new body shop equipped with more than 500 robots.”

However, not all investors are enthusiastic or excited about the venture. The company’s share has gone through a drop of 6% in just hours of trading after announcing its financial records.

Tesla released second quarter earning Wednesday. The company was $61 million in the red zone compared to previous year’s $148 million.

Graava is a new action camera that does the editing for you

Jia Khan

August 6, 2015

Graava is an action camera which comes with an amazing picture editing capability and can do the editing on its own, one area were it betters the GoPro action camera range .

The Graava action camera is capable of shooting full HD videos at 30 fps (frames per second) with its 8 megapixels lens. It is quite small in size and can easily serve as a security camera.

An additional feature which gives this camera an edge over its competitors is its wireless charging. Built-in 1100mAh battery can give 3 hours of performance for an uninterrupted video recording.

This camera features modest specifications. It can record 1080 pixels video at 30 fps and 720p video at 60 fps. Still shots can be captured with 8MP with wide viewing field of up to 130 degrees.

It also provides extreme slow motion 4K videos, magnifying the minute details without breaking pixels.

The Graava action cam features a hyper lapse mode that automatically compiles the 8MP still shots and convert them to equivalent 4K video.

It combines the best moments and molds them into a single video with multiple effects. Video can also be shared to your favorite social site as Graava software provides you plenty of options.

Graava mobile App can be used to cut or trim different shots and assemble them in a video after selecting the desired length. Timeline editor allows addition of clips or audio to the videos.

This tiny action camera is expected to go on sale in February 2016 for a price of $400.

If you can’t go to Mars – Just go for NASA Curiosity Simulator

Nitish Singh

August 6, 2015

Want to see Terrain of Mars without risking your life? Well, NASA has built two interactive web applications to fulfill your wish. The web applications will let you explore the literal “no man’s land” from the comfort of your hospitable home.

So there are the Two Web Apps in brief details:

The first of the two simulators is Mars Trek.

The simulator will show you the red planet, like Google Earth, Shows you the Blue Planet (by the way, Earth is the Blue Planet!). the Application uses 50 years worth of exploration data and represents it like an interactive 3D globe.

It includes 3D and 2D views and the pictures are very deep. The detailing is so good that NASA is currently using Mars Trek to Trek-out potential landing sites for its 2020 Mars rover.

It has bookmarks to show-off interesting points as per NASA’s previous Missions. The controls of the Mars Trek appears to be right out of a video-game.

Checkout the Mars Curiosity Simulator

And the second simulator is named the Experience Curiosity.

This App is going to give you a little more personal touch as you can literally take control of NASA’s latest Mars rover.

It is essentially a curiosity simulator with manual drive controls, multiple camera view angles and a guided tour. You can control the rover and there are narrated lesson about exploring the Mars terrains.

Both Web Apps are completely free and will support any Web Browser. So if you have regret for not seeing through Columbus’s eyes, then open your browser.

History for the first time has given you the capability to see through the eyes of the pioneers.

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