Here’s an App that can make you rich
An app that can make you rich even if you have not developed it? All I have to do is sign up? Well yes, apparently that is all you require to do in the social app called KQingdom. This is the first offering of sorts to users in India who become a partner/share holder in the apps monetary benefits. Collectively the users can own 50% of the shares of KQingdom.
The company says that “KQingdom app users can keep scores with friends and others for fun, while at the same time have real tangible benefits.”
Mr. Lucky Gupta of KQingdom says that,” The business model of all social apps is driven by their user base, and their continued active participation. Effectively, the users are responsible for their sky rocketing valuations with our personal profile information, network connections, and posting of content, while the chat app just provides a platform. However, users end up being short-changed, while the app promoters and investors mint billions. KQingdom management believes that they are correcting this imbalance by partnering with its Users and forging a strong bond with them.”
One has to download the app, sign up and be an active part of the group to reap maximum benefits. Of course they do not start right away, but over a period of time. Users will get rewards periodically, just like one gets dividend annually. As stated above, the company says users are the main reason behind an apps performance and its profits. So why not share some of the profits with the users themselves.
To get some of the profit users would need to put in a bit of effort as well. For example, how early did the user register, number of messages sent and received, time spent in-app, the frequency of use, number of friends joining the app, number of referral credit received from friends for joining the app, the number of likes received and so on.
Mr. Gupta further also said, “In future, the users will be able to collect their rewards in the form of digital money transfer, cash into digital wallet, coupon, discounts, and vouchers, once the company is profitable. The User’s respective profit share at the annual profit declaration will be determined as a percentage of User’s accumulated KQingdom Coins (called “KQins”) over total net KQins of all Users.”
It’s an interesting way to hook consumers on to an app. Probably most will come to make a quick buck, however by the looks of it, the benefits are not short term but long term (only if the app does well). KQingdom is currently available on the Android Play store as well as Apple app store.
Everything you want to know about 4G and how will it benefit Indians.
The evolution in the wireless network technology has been exponential in the past couple of decades. The smart phone revolution has completely taken the market by a storm. A cell phone is no more a mere tool to talk or send messages but has turned to efficient, fast and safe mobile computing devise. Fuelled by innovation it has evolved from the first generation of mobile telecommunication technology to the current third generation and the latest fourth generation which is designed primarily for data, has IP-based protocols and is a truly mobile broadband. To understand the generation leaps it is imperative to start from ground zero.
0 G-Zero Generation Technology
These are also referred as pre-cellular systems, since they were the first generation of mobiles radio telephone systems, devised before the prevailing of mobile telephony technology. These were available as a commercial service, with individual telephone numbers. These were made in the shape of a briefcase or were mounted on vehicles The transmitter-receiver was placed in the trunk of the vehicle and attached to the head, which had the dial, display, and handset, placed near the driver seat.
1G-First Generation Technology
Introduced in 1980’s, more popularly known as the cell phones and were used for basic voice service. The radio signals used are analogs, the voice during a call is modulated to a higher frequency, 150 MHz and above, and with the help of a technique called FDMA (Frequency- division Multiple Access, it is transferred between radio towers.
2G-Second Generation Technology
Launched in the 1990’s, the voice in the call was digitally encrypted and then digitally transmitted across the radio towers. Their advantage over the 1G was more efficiency on the spectrum giving improved coverage and capacity. Secondly data services were introduced starting with SMS text messages and moving on to picture messages and MMS (multi media messages). First digital standards (GSM, CDMA), were introduced.
3G-Third Generation Technology
Introduced in 1981/82, 3G has applications such as voice telephony, mobile internet, fixed wireless internet access, video calls and mobile T.V. The 3G service providers are supposed to meet the IMT-2000 standards, an information rate of at least 200 kbit/s (about 0,2 Mbit/s). The later additions also provided higher speeds than the minimum specifications. It was the first mobile broadband.
4G-Fourth Generation Technology
The Mobile WiMAX and LTE( Long Term Evolution) smart phones were available in 2010 and 2011, respectively in the United States, These were the first phones which were able to access the 4G network. These appliances had all the applications of 3G plus:
- Amended mobile web access
- IP(Internet Protocol) telephony
- Multi player gaming services
- High definition mobile TV
- Video Conferencing
- 3D television
- Cloud computing
- Speed- At an average a 4G network is 4 to 5 times faster than a 3G network. It also has superior, uninterrupted connectivity Downloading movies, games and music is much faster and streaming live videos, live TV, and video chatting is seamless.
- Wider Coverage– Coverage of 30 miles and more and complete connectivity at all times.
- Online Security-Guarantees high security. The network prevents hacking and keeps your data private and secure, which is an asset for business purpose.
- Better Signal– More reliable signal, can be assured of connectivity, even on trains.
- Easy Installation– All that is required is a mobile phone which is 4G compatible or a PC card or USB port that can be easily plugged into a laptop.
- Low Cost Introductory Offers- Flexible plans available to suit your needs and usage.
- Business- Increased productivity and efficiency due to large file transfers at high speed, can set up workplace fast, even in transit, rich machine to machine and monitoring applications, videoconferencing, and media collaboration, can have remote access to business applications.
- Connectivity is limited to certain specified regions and carriers.
- Technology is new so initial hurdles, shortfalls and teething problems might be there.
- Switching cost will be there and hardware compatibility will have to be kept in mind.
- Poorer battery life with this network, so larger devices with more battery power will be required, especially when in use for longer duration.
- Health hazard- Stronger radiation and more high power towers can cause health problems at a later stage.
Apple on a new high ends second quarter with excellent earnings
Apple has announced their second quarter earnings for the fiscal 2015 with the quarter ending on March 28, 2015. The company did exceptionally well with the iPhone, Mac and App store sales in this quarter. As much as 27% jump was seen here when compared to same time last year.
The company did really well here and has posted quarterly revenue of $58 billion and quarterly net profit of $13.6 billion, or $2.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $45.6 billion and net profit of $10.2 billion, or $1.66 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
An area that has also accelerated total quarter revenues for Apple is international sales. These accounted for 69% of the quarter’s revenue. This just shows that Apple is doing a fabulous job in international waters as they expand further in to developing nations such as India.
“We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”
“The tremendous customer demand for our products and services in the March quarter drove revenue growth of 27 percent and EPS growth of 40 percent,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “Cash flow from operations was also outstanding at $19.1 billion.”
Apple suggests that in the third quarter they will generate revenues between $46 billion and $48 billion.
Spice launches Stellar 519 4G at Rs 8,499
4G network is becoming stronger in India and the mobile companies know it. This is the reason why many of them are launching 4G variants or newer 4G models of phones and expanding their lines.
The latest to join the 4G ranks in India is Spice Stellar 519, this the makers first offering that is open to 4G networks and can work on it. The phone is available in two colours – Steel Blue and Slate Grey. In pictures the phone does look a bit similar to the HTC One M7/M8.
Spice Stellar 519 comes with an 8MP rear camera and 3.2MP front shooter. It has a 5-inch touch display that supports 480 x 854 pixels resolution. The motherboard consists of a 1.2 GHz Quad-core CPU and 1 GB RAM. As far as the internal storage is concerned, Spice Stellar 519 has 8 GB of it that can be expanded by up to 32 GB using a MicroSD card.
The phone is still on the older version of the Android (Kitkat 4.4.4) and comes with a 2,500 mAh battery to keep it alive for long. Apart from 4G connectivity Spice Stellar 519 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Prashant Bindal, CEO, Spice Mobility Ltd, said, “We are thrilled to introduce our first 4G LTE smartphone, Stellar 519, which promises to deliver an outstanding and seamless internet browsing experience. The new Stellar 519 offers a scintillating combination of an amazing user experience with excellent speed and multi-tasking options. This is a great device for customers looking for a smartphone that has it all. We have packed in our latest technology complimented with a one-of-its-kind, unique 4G experience never before seen on a mid-range smartphone.”
The phone is built to go head to head with mobiles such as Moto E second Gen 4G, which has the latest OS and is less expensive than the Spice Stellar 519 by Rs 500.
Moto E second gen Review: A decent budget phone with latest Android OS
Motorola has made quite a remarkable re-entry in the Indian market. They were down and out; however with the new innings they have launched some great phones and accessories in India to capture a decent chunk of the pie. Last year we saw the Moto E from the brand and it was a fabulous device. Now they have launched the second version of the phone, which is not a significant upgrade over the previous one, but does get the job done.
Design
The Moto E second gen is available in two colours, black and white. We got our hands on the white one and right of the box we fell for it. Yes, some might say it is a bit chunky or fat, but we didn’t mind it one bit. This mobile has a nice feel to it and the white colour gives it the edge.
The battery is locked in. Hence users cannot replace it by themselves. Moto E second gen can accommodate two Micro SIM cards. The slots are well hidden under the detachable band, which runs all around the phone. The MicroSD card slot is also placed under the same band in between the two SIM slots.
Moto E second gen has a 4.5-inch IPS qHD display, which is slightly bigger than the last version. However, the resolution of the phone is much lower than what its competition is providing. Above the screen, consumers will find the front camera for selfies and at the back Motorola has incorporated a 5 MP shooter (without flash).
The power button is located on the right side of the phone along with the volume key. The USB port is located at the bottom and the audio port is available at the top. Audio port on top always works for the younger generation. The phone is aimed towards youngsters and we all know what they love to do, listen to a lot of music. People can easily slide the phone in the front pocket and listen to music using the headphones, which come with a nice long wire.
Performance
Moto E is not a power house when it comes to under the hood performance. However, it does justify its price. Moto E second gen has the Qualcomm 1.2 GHz CPU that comes along with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory. Out of which users only get about 5 GB to store files. For graphics an Adreno GPU is also installed on board.
We didn’t face any challenges as far as basic entertainment needs were concerned. The place where the phone stresses a bit is gaming. You can’t play high-end games on it. Power hungry utilities also run a bit slow on this phone.
On the other hand Music apps and video galleries ran beautifully. Talking about which, the audio quality is very fine. The supplied headphones get the job done and one can hear the beats clearly. Screen, image and video quality is above average.
We tested the phone out with Quadrant and it managed a score of 9,522 points. Not the best in the class, but is pretty much up there. Camera quality of the phone is not too shabby, when clicked in well lit rooms and outdoors. It becomes a bit sloppy in low light and dark areas. Front snapper is just about fine for selfies. You do get noise in pictures if the light is low.
Moving on to its battery life, Moto E second gen does manage to stay awake for a long duration. With 2,390 mAh battery inside it, we did get between 20-24 hours after a full charge (under nominal use). It will go down by couple of hours if you are using Wi-Fi network as well.
Verdict
Moto E second gen is definitely built for the masses. The voice quality is very good and you rarely end up missing a note, unless your mobile network is acting up. We did like the built quality and the looks. It has the latest Android Lolipop OS with stock apps. If users want to download more app on this phone they can do with the Play store. The price also plays a huge factor here. The Moto E second gen can be picked up for Rs 6,999. Not a bad price for this package. The 4G version of the phone is now available too and one can get that for Rs 7,999 from FlipKart.
Pros
Good built
Good price
Cons
Rear camera flash missing
Not built to play high-end games
The power button is located on the right side of the phone along with the volume key. The USB port is located at the bottom and the audio port is available at the top. Audio port on top always works for the younger generation. The phone is aimed towards youngsters and we all know what they love to do, listen to a lot of music. People can easily slide the phone in the front pocket and listen to music using the headphones, which come with a nice long wire.
Performance
Moto E is not a power house when it comes to under the hood performance. However, it does justify its price. Moto E second gen has the Qualcomm 1.2 GHz CPU that comes along with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory. Out of which users only get about 5 GB to store files. For graphics an Adreno GPU is also installed on board.
We didn’t face any challenges as far as basic entertainment needs were concerned. The place where the phone stresses a bit is gaming. You can’t play high-end games on it. Power hungry utilities also run a bit slow on this phone.
On the other hand Music apps and video galleries ran beautifully. Talking about which, the audio quality is very fine. The supplied headphones get the job done and one can hear the beats clearly. Screen, image and video quality is above average.
We tested the phone out with Quadrant and it managed a score of 9,522 points. Not the best in the class, but is pretty much up there. Camera quality of the phone is not too shabby, when clicked in well lit rooms and outdoors. It becomes a bit sloppy in low light and dark areas. Front snapper is just about fine for selfies. You do get noise in pictures if the light is low.
Moving on to its battery life, Moto E second gen does manage to stay awake for a long duration. With 2,390 mAh battery inside it, we did get between 20-24 hours after a full charge (under nominal use). It will go down by couple of hours if you are using Wi-Fi network as well.
Verdict
Moto E second gen is definitely built for the masses. The voice quality is very good and you rarely end up missing a note, unless your mobile network is acting up. We did like the built quality and the looks. It has the latest Android Lolipop OS with stock apps. If users want to download more app on this phone they can do with the Play store. The price also plays a huge factor here. The Moto E second gen can be picked up for Rs 6,999. Not a bad price for this package. The 4G version of the phone is now available too and one can get that for Rs 7,999 from FlipKart.
Pros
Good built
Good price
Cons
Rear camera flash missing
Not built to play high-end games 4G services from Airtel to go live in Delhi
Airtel is already providing 4G services in 19 cities across India. These include Chandigarh, Bangalore, Kolkata, Nasik and Pune. Delhi has been one its toughest targets to achieve. Finally the dark clouds might be evaporating as Airtel sees a ray of hope. They have got the go ahead from Department of Telecom (DoT) to deploy 4G services in Delhi.
Airtel has been fighting a court case where DoT had asked them to pay 436 crores for 4G deployment in the Delhi circle. As the mobile and broadband service provider had acquired 4G spectrum using Wireless Business Services, which was earlier part of Qualcomm and now has been taken over by Airtel under Airtel Broadband Services.
The court has asked Airtel to give and undertaking in which the company has to state that if their petition fails in court then they would need to pay Rs 436 crores to the Union of India with interest. On the same basis DoT has given to green signal to Airtel to deploy 4G services in the Indian capital.
This does seem like a sticky surface for Airtel, if you ask us. However, some sources do say that Airtel is confident of the situation and can go ahead with 4G deployment in New Delhi. The pricing of the service in Delhi is still not out and no one has commented on the same. Hopefully in the coming months we would have a clearer picture.
The go ahead from DoT could be the opportunity Airtel needs to get the edge over any other service provider in Delhi, but if it does not go in their favour in the court they would end up paying a lot of money.
Nikon is probably bringing new full-frame mirrorless cameras this year
Let the rivalry begin! Sony has enjoyed good market space, created by them, with a full-frame mirrorless camera in the form of A7. Now, Nikon is going to take the fight to Sony by introducing their very own full-frame mirrorless camera.
Sony’s A7 is top-of-the-line mirrorless camera that has seen great results with most photo enthusiasts. Sony has the monopoly here and is going strong. Nikon might play spoil sport to Sony’s party by bringing a full-frame mirrorless camera by the end of this year or early 2016.
If we go by the reports, Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless camera will be smaller than Sony’s A7. Its size will be identical to the Olympus E-M1. Nikons camera is said to be in the testing phase at the moment and more details will be released soon. However, the pricing and other tech-specs are still unclear. Do stay tuned as we bring you more on Nikons mirrorless camera, once additional information is revealed.
Nikon launches a range of new cameras
April is usually the time when we see camera companies such as Nikon bring a flurry of new cameras in the Point and Shoot category. This year is no different, as Nikon launched 12 new camera variants that are available in multiple hues. The new offerings are now available to the customers through online and offline stores.
Hiroshi Takashina, Nikon India’s Managing Director, said at the launch ‘’that the company would also hold workshops to promote the photography culture in India.
“Over last few years, we have witnessed a surge in the demand for high performance cameras from the southern states of India and we thought it to be perfect opportunity for us to expand in the region,” said Sajjan Kumar, Vice-President of Nikon India.
The launch saw new models being added to P, S, L and AW series. The price of the cameras starts from as low as Rs 6,950 for S series entry level shooter and goes up to Rs 29,950 for the advance CoolPix P900. The P900 is their flagship offering in the super zoom category. It has 83X optical zoom, which is highest in its class. With the new series of cameras, Nikon is set for the year 2015. They have brought something for everyone.
Moto E second gen 3G Video Review
Moto E second gen is a great device. Here is our video review of the Moto G second gen 3G.
Philips does a comeback, re-enters Indian market with 4K LED televisions
Philips is a brand that is pretty much liked by the matured audience in India. It is a brand that people have complete faith on. Weather it is your trusted Philips iron or the CFL bulb, people from the pre-2000’s era knows the brand well and trusts it to the core.
However, when Philips somewhat retracted from the home entertainment industry in India, people kind of forgot about it. As brands like Samsung, LG and Sony quickly gained speed. Now, the brand is back with an all-new UHD 4K LED television range that can give some of the best in the business a run for their money.
Philips 4K LED TV range sports its patented Ambilight feature, which emits an ambient light around the television panel (on to the rear wall) in accordance to the picture being shown on the LED screen. This has been seen in earlier LCD models from Philips and was quite a hit. So it made sense for them to bring it back in the newer version of televisions as well.
The Philips 4K televisions support 3,840 x 2,160 pixels resolution to bring movies, sports and games to life. 3D capability is what these TVs possess as well; the TV’s use active 3D method for the same. The range is available in 50, 58 and 65-inches, and the range starts from Rs 1.55 lakhs and goes upto Rs 3.72 lakhs.
Philips is again trying to make a mark and own a piece of the pie in the Indian TV industry. Yes, they are a bit behind in the race, but we do expect them to bounce back and hold a decent TV market share, considering they will launch more TV models in the near future.