Images of HTC One Max leaked

The phablet market is growing at a fast clip globally, with top companies like Samsung, Sony, Huawei etc rolling out big-screen smartphones to gain a larger share of this booming market. Even the likes of Apple and Nokia are said to be preparing phablets to get into the fray. Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, which won acclaim for its flagship smartphone One, is also said to be preparing such a device, whose pictures have leaked on the internet. 

Alleged photos of the yet unannounced device, currently being called HTC One Max, were leaked by the Weibo user TDZhijia, who released several images of the handset. As per the alleged leaked images, it appears that the company will be continuing with the design language it introduced with HTC One in this handset. The phone will have BoomSound speakers above and below the display and a fingerprint scanner on the back. The images are reported to be the Chinese version of the smartphone codenamedHTC 8088. The Chinese version is said to have a removable back and supports microSD card, both features are expected to be missing from the international version. 

The latest batch of leaked images show that the HTC One Max is bigger in size than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has a 5.7-inch screen. This is in line with earlier rumours which claimed that the upcoming HTC phablet will have a 5.9-inch display. 

As for the HTC One Max specs, speculations suggest a full HD (1920x1080p) display resolution and Google Android 4.3 operating system. The phone is said to pack a 1.7GHz quad-core processor under the hood, though it is not clear which chipset will be used Snapdragon 600 (that is also used in HTC One) or the older Snapdragon S4 Pro. Other rumoured specifications of this phablet include 16GB internal storage, 3,300mAh battery, 2GB RAM and 4MP UltraPixel camera. 


Though there is no official word from HTC about the device, it is expected to be announced in October. 

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iOS 7 users face problems while downloading OS

Users of iPhones and iPads, were reportedly unable to download the iOS 7 update on their devices. 

Customers complained that the download, which required a Wi-Fi signal, was taking a number of hours to complete. 

According to the Guardian, the iOS 7 brings in a number of new navigation features, which is said to be the biggest change in the look of the software since the iPhone was launched in 2007.

Irritated users took to Twitter to post their concerns as one user posted that the update downloading process was so slow that 'iOS 8 will be available by the time the iOS 7 update ends'. 


Another user's post read as '43 minutes remaining to download iOS 7.0 but now 10 minutes later there is an error, and I have to upload it again with another 2 hour wait'. . The report said that users not only got error messages while downloading but some were unable to download the new software at all. 

Apple did not comment on the issue.

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Nikon unveils water-proof AW1 camera

Nikon has unveiled what it claims is the world's first camera with waterproof and shockproof interchangeable lens, Nikon 1 AW1. The AW1 is waterproof to depths of 15m, shockproof from heights of 2m and freezeproofto temperatures as low as -10°C. 

With AW1, Nikon brings a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera that allows users to continue taking photographs even underwater. While shooting underwater, the camera has a custom white balance setting to cater to the conditions underwater and it also features a few special modes like scuba and close-up. While we gush over its physical toughness with the stainless steel body, Nikon AW1 comes with in-built GPS for automatic geotagging of your photos and videos. The model also has a built-in WiFi to connect to readily available internet anywhere. 

The AW1 has a CX-format sensor and has an ISO that tops at 6400 along with an HD video capture. The camera also has an altimeter, depth gauge, compass and an accelerometer-powered option for switching modes with one hand. There are also options of pop up flash with the camera to clearer pictures in darker areas under the water. The camera can capture still images at 15 FPS and can go all the way to 60 FPS when the autofocus is locked. 

Though the camera technically works with any Nikon 1 series lens, the company has warned that any NIKKOR 1 lens that is not all-weather should not be used under water. This means to use the camera under water, users need to use the two new NIKKOR all weather (AW) lenses 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5 - 5.6 and a 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8 lens. 

However, the company has warned that any any NIKKOR 1 lens that is not the all-weather sealed type should not be used below water. 

The camera comes in the colour options of black, white and silver. 


Nikon 1 AW1 with an 11-27.5mm lens will be available in October for $799.95. A second set scheduled to arrive at a later date in a 10mm lens will be sold for $999.95. 

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Indian start-ups‘ billion dollar opportunity

A new breed of Indian software companies is profiting from the hunger of smaller enterprises for cutting-edge technologies, unlike their bigger IT services brethren that depend on large corporations in markets abroad. 

While the likes of Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services earn more than $75 billion (Rs 4.7 lakh crore) by providing software services overseas, the upstarts are targeting millions of small and medium businesses in India eager to adopt the latest technologies. 
"The factors driving the movement towardsSMBs are SMBs themselves, which have realised that software can make a difference to their businesses. Thanks to cloud computing, software is getting cost-effective," said Sharad Sharma, former R&D head of Yahoo in India, and part of iSpirt, the industry thinktank for Indian software product firms. 

Among the up and coming lot are business phone services provider Exotel, helpdesk software manufacturer Freshdesk, medical practice management-focused Practo , customer engagement solutions provider Capillary, and digital commerce solution provider MartJack, all of which cater to the needs of small businesses, both in India and abroad. 

While older, established companies that provide services to SMBs operate through sales partners, start-ups are going online, obviating the need for large sales teams and providing services through the internet. Telephony provider Exotel said large sales forces pounding the pavement to sell to small businesses are no longer necessary. 

A $15 billion opportunity
Exotel is backed by Blume Ventures and Mumbai Angels. "India's SMB owners are changing. And we have to stop assuming they are not connected. All these second-generation owners who have inherited businesses from their parents have smartphones and use the internet," Exotel co-founder Vijay Sharma said. 

Exotel has 450 customers, which it acquired mainly online, including bus-ticketing portal Redbus, taxi service Ola Cabs, and e-commerce company Groupon India. According to technology consultancy Zinnov, the addressable market for SMB-focused companies in India comprises at least 10 million enterprises. 

Their technology spending is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 15% to $15 billion (Rs 94,000 crore) by 2015. Sharma's iSpirt is attempting to boost the usage of software products in the country and intends to reach at least 100,000 SMBs in at least 19 different industry verticals by February. Its software adoption initiative focuses on helping small jewellers understand the software that can help them manage their business better. 

While companies like Exotel are targeting the Indian SMB market, those like WebEngage, which provides a web survey and feedback service, are moving to tap markets abroad. "We made up our minds to crack the Indian market and now we have a good list of clients here. Now the segment we are looking at is the nearly 500,000 small and medium e-commerce websites in the US," said Avlesh Singh, co-founder of WebEngage. 

In India, the company counts Flipkart, Myntra and Homeshop18 among clients. Freshdesk, which provides helpdesk software as a service, has more than 10,000 clients and expects to have more than 13,000 by the end of the year. Even though the majority of its customers are SMBs overseas, it has a few Indian clients, among them travel website MakeMyTrip and jobs site Naukri. 

Moreover, companies that start out with a focus on SMBs need not always stay in that space as they grow, said Girish Matrubootham, co-founder of Freshdesk. 


"A good example is Salesforce.com. They started out targeting SMBs, but now you can see them everywhere. That is one of the inherent advantages of providing software as a service. Even if you start small, you can sell to big companies because there is no problem with scaling."

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Xbox One, PS4 in spotlight at Tokyo Game Show

The Tokyo Game Show -- one of the world's largest gaming events -- has opened, featuring next-generation home game consoles from Sony and Microsoft that will go on sale later this year in overseas markets. 

A record 352 exhibitors, including 162 from abroad, are showcasing game titles and devices at the four-day video game expo held at the Makuhari Messe convention centre in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, according to the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 

One of the highlights of this year's show is a hands-on demonstration of Sony's PlayStation 4console, which is set to hit the US and Canadian markets on November 15. 

Its predecessor, the PlayStation 3 console, was introduced nearly seven years ago. 

Andrew House, president of Sony's gaming unit Sony Computer Entertainment, said in a keynote speech that the company is aiming to sell 5 million units of the PS4 globally by the end of March 2014. 

PS4 will "provide the highest standard of gaming experiences," House said. 

At the game show, software developers like Capcom are displaying a total of 22 titles for the PS4. 

Rival Microsoft is pitching its Xbox One game console, a successor to the Xbox 360 launched eight years ago, along with eight titles for the device. 

The latest console is slated to hit 13 overseas markets, mostly in North America and Europe, on November 22. The companies are hoping their latest video-game machines will help draw fans as more and more players enjoy game titles for smart phones and tablet computers that can be downloaded free or at low prices. 

The game show is a good opportunity to promote the products, although the consoles will not hit the Japanese market in time for the year-end shopping spree, with Sony's PS4 set to debut on February 22 and Xbox One sometime next year. 

Japanese game giant Nintendo, which will market a low-cost version of its 3DS portable game console capable of showing 3-D images on October 12 in the United States and Europe, skipped the event. The creator of the Super Mario Bros series has seen slow sales of its Wii U console launched last December. Game developers also showcased a total of around 230 titles for tablet computers and smart phones including Apple iPhone. 


Japanese social game site operator Gree is pitching 25 titles for smartphones, but only a few of them are new.

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YouTube to bring in offline video viewing feature

YouTube has now come up with a new feature that can allow users to watch videosfor a temporary period in offline mode. 

The online video giant said that the upcoming feature will allow users to add videos to their mobile device to watch for a short period when an internet connection is unavailable. 

According to news.com.au, the feature if set to launch on YouTube's mobile app in November. 


The time for which the videos will be available for offline viewing is speculated to be around 48-hours, the report added.

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Amazon workers go on strike in Germany

Several hundred employees of the online retail giant Amazon went on strike in Germany in a planned three-day walkout over pay, unions said. 

Between 300 and 400 employees on the morning shift halted work at two logistics centres in Bad Hersfeld in the west of Germany, said Mechthild Middeke, a representative of the giant service-sector union Verdi at Amazon. 

The union is calling for three days of strikes at both Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig, with a demonstration planned in Leipzig on Friday. 

Verdi has been trying for months to get Amazon to bring the pay of its 9,000 workers in Germany in line with wages in the distribution sector. 

Amazon refuses, arguing that its distribution centres are logistic sites and that it pays its staff accordingly. Wages in the logistics sector in Germany are lower than in the distribution sector. 

Employees staged a number of walkouts already in May and June. "Amazon can expect further strikes," said Joerg Lauenroth-Mago, who is in charge of pay negotiations in Leipzig. "With the Christmas season coming up, that's going to hurt." 

Amazon's German headquarters are in Munich. But it also operates eight logistics centres and two customer service centres. 

Some 3,300 people work on two sites in Bad Hersfeld and 2,000 in Leipzig in the east of Germany. 


Amazon's employment practices were the subject of a critical documentary broadcast on German public television at the beginning of the year.

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Samsung‘s 12.2-inch tablet spotted again

Samsung's speculated 12.2-inch tablet is back in news. According to reports, the tablet has just recieved Bluetooth certification. 

The tablet, which was earlier rumoured to launch at IFA, is now said to expected to launch in October. Part of Samsung's Galaxy Note family, the 12.2" tablet is expected to run on a 1.9GHz octa-core processor, likely to be one of Samsung's Exynos processors. Other speculated specs include, 3GB RAM, 2560x1600 display resolution and S Pen support. 

Though so far there are no details on the Androidversion, the tablet may come preinstalled with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat preinstalled. 


So far, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, both having 10.1 inch display, share the title of the company's biggest tablets.

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Anger, the most powerful emotion on Facebook, Twitter

Anger is viral! Anger is the most influential emotion on-line inciting more responses than other sentiments such as joy or sadness, a new study has found.


Anger spreads faster and more broadly than joy, say computer scientists who analysed emotions on the Chinese Twitter-like service Weibo. 

The research by Rui Fan and colleagues at Beihang University in China compared the way that tweets labelled with specific emotions influence other people on the network. 

The results clearly show that anger is more influential than other emotions such as joy or sadness, a finding that could have significant implications for our understanding of the way information spreads through social networks. 

In just four years, Weibo has attracted more than 500 million users who post around 100 million messages a day. 

During six months in 2010, Rui and co collected some 70 million tweets from 200,000 users and constructed a social network in which users are linked if they mutually interact by sending messages to each other or re-tweeting each other's tweets, 'MIT Technology Review' reported. 

To ensure that they only studied people who were strongly connected, Rui and colleagues only included people who had more than 30 interactions during the test period. 

They determined the sentiment of each tweet in their database by analysing the emoticons they contained. They divided these into four categories, expressing joy, sadness, anger or disgust. 

Finally, they studied the way sentiments spread through the network. For example, if one person sent an angry tweet, how likely was it that a recipient would also send an angry message, and how likely was it that the recipient of this message would pass on the same sentiment and so on. 

The results were something of a surprise. When it comes to sadness and disgust, researchers found very little correlation between users. Sadness and disgust do not easily spread through the network in this way. They found a higher correlation among users who tweeted joyful messages. 

But the highest correlation by far was among angry users. Researchers say anger strongly influences the neighbourhood in which it appears, spreading on average by about three degrees. 

"Anger has a surprisingly higher correlation than other emotions," researchers said.

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