Logitech has announced the launch of M221 Silent and M331 Silent Plus wireless mice in India. The devices are the first quiet mice developed by Logitech. The mice offer a 90 percent sound reduction compared to the company’s earlier offerings in the same space. Logitech M221 Silent and M331 Silent Plus come with the Quiet Mark seal of approval from the Noise Abatement Society. “Whether you work in a shared office space or at home, even small sounds like a mouse click can impair productivity and be disturbing to your colleagues or loved ones,” said Ashok Jangra, Logitech, Cluster Category Head – India & SWA.
“That’s why we created the M221 Silent and the M331 Silent Plus Mice. Our engineers studied the sources of noise made by a computer mouse and created ways to reduce the decibel level without sacrificing quality so you can focus on your work, not the noise,” Jangra added.
The nano receiver in M221 Silent and M331 Silent Plus provides a wireless connection up to 33 feet away. The mice are compatible with Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, or Linux-based computers. The mice are ultra-precise and work on almost every surface, thanks to Logitech Advanced Optical Tracking.
Logitech M221 Silent comes with 18-month battery life, while the M331 Silent Plus offers a 24-month battery. Logitech M331 Silent Plus has contoured grips made of soft rubber. Logitech M221 Silent and The Logitech M331 Silent Plus will be available in red, blue, and black color variants. Logitech M331 Silent Plus and M221 Silent Mouse are priced at Rs 1,395 and Rs 1,095, respectively.
Los Angeles, Oct 6 (IANS) Singer Ariana Grande is reportedly planning to marry rapper Mac Miller, whom she started dating in August.
According to a source, Grande, 23, always wanted to marry at a young age, reports aceshowbiz.com. “Ariana has always wanted to be married by 25, and Mac checks all of her boxes,” the source told Life & Style magazine.
“She thinks he’s cute, sexy and he makes her laugh all the time,” the source added.
According to the insider, the couple is moving fast in their relationship due to their compatibility.
“Mac and Ariana have a lot in common. They’re both from the East Coast, they’re close to their families, and they love a lot of the same music, TV shows, and films,” the source said.
“They would both love it to be outdoors, on an island, surrounded by a dozen bridesmaids and groomsmen. She wants a one-of-a-kind designer dress, white with diamonds, off the shoulder, with a veil and the longest train ever. And she wants Mac in a white tux,” the source explained.
Evernote has confirmed in an email sent out to its users that a serious bug in some versions of its Mac OS app has resulted in “a small number” of users losing their data. Evernote says the bug is causing images and attachments to be deleted in the email, though text remains unaffected. Good news for anyone who only uses text, less great for anyone whose text requires images for context.
Not every Evernote Mac user is experiencing the bug as it only appears in the version of the software released in September and, less frequently, the versions released since June. Even within these versions, the glitch only appears to be triggered “under specific conditions” of use, such as skimming through a large number of notes.
Buggin’ out
Evernote recommends all of those who receive the warning email immediately update to version 6.9.1, released in October, to avoid losing their data. You can update the latest version from within the app by clicking on the ‘Check for Updates option in the ‘Help’ section, through the Mac App Store, or even through the Evernote website itself.
For those who have already lost data, Evernote says it has tried to implement a solution to restore it, but unfortunately, it’s not been possible to restore all attachments automatically. In this case, Evernote is suggesting there’s a possibility of accessing these lost attachments through the note history feature in its Premium service, Add Crazy.
Not every user affected by the issue is signed up to use the service’s premium paid version. In light of this, the company has decided to offer all affected users a year of free access to Evernote Premium to give them a chance of getting their data back.
The bug might have only impacted a small number of Evernote’s users, but it’s still not great for the company. Considering many people use the note-taking app to store important information related to their work and education, the knowledge that there’s even a risk of data loss could easily drive them towards another service with a stronger reputation.
After 16 years of service, Apple has finally retired the name OSX in favor of macOS to streamline its naming strategy. The unique names remain, though, and this version will be called ‘Sierra.’ macOS Sierra brings many new features and changes. The most important of them, and the one we have all been waiting for a long, long time, is the introduction of Siri on the mac.
Additionally, macOS Sierra also brings with it the ability to use Apple Pay through Safari, brings a raft of updates to Continuity, and the ability to unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch.
However, not all of these devices will take advantage of all the features of the macOS Sierra partly due to their age and partly due to planned obsolescence.
Your Mac must be running OS X 10.7.5 or later. You’ll need 2GB of memory.
You’ll need 8.8GB of available storage.
To use iCloud, iTunes, and the Mac App Store, you will also need an Apple ID. Release Date
September 20, 10:30 PM I.S.T.
New Features
Siri on the Mac!
It will be available in the dock and the top-right corner near the spotlight and would be able to search the web, the computer, find photos, answer questions, set up reminders, and so on. Apple also highlighted how Siri could understand the context and follow-up questions in a conversation string.
Mac OS Sierra also brings with it the ability to use Apple Pay through Safari. As the current generation of Mac
Hardware lacks touch; users will authenticate their transactions through an iPhone or their Apple Watch.
Apple Pay is currently available only in the USA, UK, Singapore, Canada, and Australia, though Apple is working hard to increase its coverage of Alie Nation.
Apple also introduced a way for users to unlock their Macs seamlessly by using their Apple Watch for authentication and a way to make space on their macs by moving old and unused files to the cloud. Apple could bundle in higher capacity SSD’s, but that’s another story altogether.
Updates to Continuity
In addition, macOS Sierra also focuses on interoperability across devices or ‘continuity. Sierra introduces a Universal Clipboard feature, where users can copy and paste content across all Apple devices. One can copy the text on the iPhone and then paste that text anywhere on their Mac!
Continuing their ‘continuity’ theme, macOS Sierra will also allow you to share your desktop across devices as well as save it to the cloud.
However, I have been using the beta for quite a while now, and it’s been going great. And macOS Sierra has been in testing for quite a while. Still, I do recommend taking a full TimeMachine backup of your Mac before installing Sierra.
How to Install?
At 10:30 PM Sep 20, head over to App Store > Updates, click on the Sierra update, and you’re good to go!
Amazon’s Great India festival continues till October 20, and there are discounts/exchange offers on smartphones like Moto G4 Plus, Moto G4, OnePlus 3, etc. Amazon is also hosting deals on laptops and tablets, and here’s a quick look at some of the best offers. Apple MacBook Air, HP, Lenovo, Dell, and Asus laptops are available at discounts and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Most of these discounts have a time limit, so you’ll need to claim them quickly. Here’s a look at the best deals on laptops, tablets.
Apple MacBook Air: Apple MacBook Air is available at Rs 59,799 during the deal, well below the Rs 80,900 asking price. This one comes with a 13.3-inch display, Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM + 128GB SSD, Mac OS X, which can be upgraded to macOS Sierra as well Integrated Graphics. If you’ve been waiting to buy an Apple MacBook Air, now is the time to hit buy, as the extra RAM is always worth it. But do note you’ll be sacrificing storage space on this one.
HP Pavilion 15-AU006TX: This laptop from HP is available at a deal price of Rs 53,747, down from Rs 62,386, the MRP. It runs an Intel Core i5 processor (sixth-gen), comes with 8 GB RAM and 1TB storage space. It runs Windows 10 Home and has dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 940MX with 4GB DDR3 RAM for Graphics. However, the 15.6-inch display has a 1366 x 768 resolution, which means you won’t get 1080p. It comes with a full-size island-style backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad, as well as B&O PLAY.
Lenovo is refreshing its consumer personal computer (PC) product line-up ahead of the festive season to boost demand amid slowing growth in the Indian PC market.
The company launched eight products across price points under its new range of consumer laptops on Monday, targeting professionals, gamers, and students.
Lenovo India Marketing Director Bhaskar Chaudhuri said: “We are refreshing our PC line-up. The PC market in India is not growing much. To create demand, we are rolling out innovative PCs that bring more to the table for consumers and address the unmet needs of consumers. This is in line with the company’s evolving philosophy of increasingly launching products that can be differentiated from the rest by giving consumers improved user experience.”
The company was looking to bring new users and expect some increase in demand because of the festive season, said Chaudhuri. “Normally, we see a spike in sales when schools and colleges start, which is when a lot of students buy PCs. With our new portfolio, we are targeting students as well as those who like to watch HD quality videos, gamers, professionals on the go, and those who like fashionable products.” Lenovo had witnessed a decline in market share in India and the global market.
According to International Data Corporation, Lenovo stood third with 16.1 percent of the PC market share in the second quarter of 2016, witnessing a decline of 12.1 percent quarter-on-quarter over Q1 2016. HP came first with a 28.4 percent market share, followed by Dell at 22.2 percent. Overall PC shipment for Q2 2016 stood at 2.14 million units, declining 2.2 percent over Q2 2015 Atticus Blog.
Globally, Lenovo maintained the number one position in the worldwide PC shipments in the second quarter of 2016, despite a 2.2 percent decline in units over the last year, said research firm Gartner Inc. This was the fifth consecutive quarter of declining global PC shipment for Lenovo.
The computer maker had a 20.5 percent market share in the global PC market in the second quarter of 2016, followed by HP and Dell, which have market shares of 19.1 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively. Worldwide PC shipments had declined 5.2 percent in the second quarter of 2016 over the previous year.
Lenovo acquired IBM’s personal computer business in 2005 and became one of the leading players globally in the personal computer business. The company is now eyeing the number one position in the Indian market, said Chaudhuri.
“Similar to the Indian smartphone segment, where players have brought premium features to affordable products to appeal to the mass market segment, we are trying to bring premium PC features like the Yoga form factor (convertible laptops that can be used as tables as well), better video quality and better gaming experience to the affordable range of consumer PCs. In the long run, we are eyeing the leadership position in India,” he added.
Contending that legalizing sports betting was one way to deal with the paucity of funds faced by sports bodies in the country, the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) is mulling petitioning the Niti Aayog in this regard.
The newly-launched apex body to manage the gaming industry in the country has already sent recommendations in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cited the example of Britain, which finished second in the Rio Olympics medals tally, benefitting from betting-permitting laws, an AIGF release said on Friday.
This comes close on the heels of Niti Mayo’s 20-point plan of action, which identifies 10 priority sports with a target to win 50 medals at the 2024 Olympics.
“While I glanced through media reports, one headline which caught my interest was about the Sports budget allocated to Agra school kids by the government, which comes to 30 paise per student for approximately 3 lakh students. No wonder, with a budget allocation like this, India gets to witness the kind of performance we saw at the Rio Olympics this year,” AIGF CEO Roland Landers told IANS.
“This clearly indicates that we have learned nothing from the latest Olympics fiasco. If things don’t change, we will have another appalling performance in the next Olympics even though the country holds an immense talent base.”
According to Landers, the legalization of betting will help the government earn a revenue of Rs.19,000 crore per year which can then be utilized for training Indian athletes and for various talent development programs at the grassroots level Blog Express.
“Although sports, betting, and gambling fall in the state list, the central government can provide advisories/suggestions to all the states and implement this idea. Further, the central government can also start the process of framing a model law under Article 252 of the Constitution on regulating sports betting and providing better sporting facilities,” Landers added.
“What we are proposing is nothing inimitable, and we have already seen countries like Britain benefit from such collection of funds which are utilized for the promotion of sport in Britain. It targeted 350 million pounds ($454.3 million) on supporting participants in the Rio Olympics and Paralympics.”
Reviewing a new iPhone is always a long-term affair. After all, with several new features packed into each iteration–from its processing prowess to the new camera to an improved display–there is much to dissect and experience over the course of discovering and using each new capability.
We spent quality time with the flagship iPhone 7 Plus 256GB variant in the all-new black color this time around. It so happens that the bulk of the phone’s capabilities ups the ante by way of dual cameras, the faster A10 Fusion processor, a brighter and more colorful screen, stereo sound, and more. We decided to first deep dive into two key areas of use. These specifications are honed toward photography and gaming.
The all-new camera(s)
Clearly, the most standout feature of the iPhone 7 Plus is its dual-lens camera system. With a 12MP resolution, the camera is actually composed of two separate f/1.8 lenses–one wide-angle and the other telephoto. Switching between the two is a simple matter of tapping the ‘1x’/’2x’ icon on the camera interface, enabling re-composing your subject in two different frames. The camera also features a wider color gamut that lets it capture more hues than most smartphone cameras and our of a marketplace at noon, the camera impressed with its ability to reproduce natural tones while nailing the exposure even during challenging lighting situations such as backlit subjects or mottled light that shines through trees. Also, the optical image stabilization made for razor-sharp shots of fast-moving subjects (a toddler, in my case), which would otherwise result in blurry pictures in cameras without this feature.
And when roaming around the outdoors hunting for the next photo op, the one new feature that unexpectedly came in handy is its IP67 dust and water resistance. A sudden downpour? Passing lorry kicked up a dust cloud? The ability to use this phone in such scenarios is a huge plus–more for peace of mind than anything else.
Even the front camera made for vivid selfies with its support for its sensor’s wide color gamut capabilities. Apple does state that about 100 billion computer operations go into the capture of each photo. And while it’s not really possible to verify this, the results certainly do reflect.
High-def gaming
The new A10 Fusion processor in this phone is supposedly twice as fast as the iPhone 6, with higher battery efficiency to boot. To put it through its paces, I played a fair bit of the new Oz: Broken Kingdom game–one that is known for its intense graphics and character detail. This became especially evident in the phone’s HD screen and wide color gamut capability–the fight sequences seemed to pop with the specular lighting effects and in the hundreds of flying monkeys Blogging Kits.
Teamed with the phone’s Haptic feedback, stereo sound (a first for the iPhone, with speakers at both ends of the device) was responsive and immersive. With its increased abilities as a gaming platform, it’s clear that the iPhone 7 will enable game developers to push the limits on what they can deliver.
There’s plenty more to talk about on this phone, but my initial experience has been very positive. There happens to be a forthcoming update–iOS 10.1–which will add the much-anticipated ‘Portrait’ feature to the camera, enabling the kind of depth of field otherwise only reserved for DLSR photos.
We’ll be covering this and more as we continue to experience the new iPhone–stay tuned for more.
It’s day two of Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale, and there are still many deals one can take advantage of. Buyers have access to deals across categories like smartphones, mobile accessories, home appliances, and even gaming, among others. Amazon India offers buyers additional discounts if they use a Citibank credit or debit card to buy a product — 10 percent on a website and 15 percent on the app. If you are looking to buy electronics like mobiles, tablets, laptops, or even home appliances, you can take advantage of exchange bonuses of up to Rs 15,000. Other offers include no-cost EMIs for Bajaj FinServ cardholders and early access to deals for Amazon Prime users. Following are some of the deals you shouldn’t miss out on day two of Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale.
Coolpad Note 5: Coolpad launched the Note 5 last month, and the smartphone is available for the first time today on Amazon India. It is on sale for Rs 10,999, and in this segment, it competes against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, LeEco Le 2, and Lenovo Vibe K5 Note, to name a few. The new smartphone features a 1080p display, Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera, fingerprint scanner, and a 4,010mAh battery. Amazon India also offers an exchange bonus of up to Rs 8,325 that can potentially bring the price tag down to Rs 2,674. Buy the Coolpad Note 5 for Rs 10,999.
Lenovo Vibe K4 Note: The Lenovo Vibe K4 Note was available on Amazon India yesterday with a 17 percent discount, which brought the price tag down from Rs 11,999 to Rs 9,999. The e-commerce company is today offering Rs 1,000 worth of gift cards with the purchase of the smartphone. An exchange bonus of up to Rs 7,793 could bring the price tag down to Rs 2,206. At this price tag, you get a device that offers a 1080p display, MediaTek octa-core SoC, 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera, and fingerprint scanner. Buy the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note for Rs 9,999.
Apple iPad mini 2 (16GB Wi-Fi): If you are looking for a tablet that is not too heavy in your pockets, you can’t miss out on Apple‘s iPad mini 2. After the 32GB variant was listed on Amazon India yesterday with a discount, today it is the turn of the 16GB variant. With a 19 percent discount, the price tag comes down from Rs 21,990 to Rs 17,599. This discount is only applicable on the 16GB Wi-Fi only variant in Space Grey color. Buy the Apple iPad mini 2 16GB Wi-Fi Space Grey for Rs 17,599.
Lenovo A8-50 Tablet: If you are on the lookout for a budget tablet with voice-calling capabilities, you should consider Lenovo‘s A8-50. Available on Amazon India with a 37 percent discount, the tablet’s price has come down from Rs 14,990 to Rs 9,499. For this price, you get an 8-inch tablet with MediaTek quad-core SoC, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, 4,200mAh battery, and Wi-Fi, LTE, and voice calling support. Buy the Lenovo A8-50 for Rs 9,499.
Micromax Canvas Lapbook L1160: Micromax launched the Canvas Lapbook L1160 earlier this year, which is among the cheapest Windows 10 netbooks available in India. Launched for Rs 10,499, the laptop is currently listed on Amazon India with a 29 percent discount, bringing the price tag down to Rs 8,990. The 11.6-inch laptop features an Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 4,100mAh battery. Buy the Micromax Canvas Lapbook L1160 for Rs 8,990.
Micromax 40-inch full HD LED TV: Micromax‘s 40-inch full HD LED TV is available on Amazon India at a tempting price tag of Rs 18,990. This is, in essence, a 53 percent discount on the launch price of Rs 39,990. The TV offers a 1920×1080 pixels resolution display with a contrast ratio of 3500:1. For connectivity, you get two HDMI ports, one VGA port, and two USB ports. Buy the Micromax 40-inch full HD LED TV for Rs 18,990.
TCL 40-inch full HD L40D2900 LED TV: If you do not manage to get your hands on the Micromax TV, you could check out the 40-inch full HD LED TV from TCL. The TV is available with an 18 percent discount that brings the price down from Rs 21,990 to Rs 17,990. At this price, you get a TV with 1920×1080 pixels resolution and a 3000:1 contrast ratio. As for connectivity, you get two HDMI ports, two USB ports, and one VGA port. Buy the TCL 40-inch full HD LED TV L40D2900 for Rs 17,990.
Xbox One with Kinect – Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bundle: For gaming enthusiasts, the Xbox One with Kinect and Halo: The Master Chief Collection bundle is available after a discount of Rs 28,989. The console available on Amazon India is the 500GB variant, and the price will go down further if you are to use either a Citibank debit or credit card. Buy the 500GB Xbox One with Kinect – Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bundle for Rs 28,989.
ANTVR Headset: With the Vibe K3 Note, Lenovo had also launched the ANTVR headset. While the headset was launched for Rs 1,999, it is now available on Amazon India for just Rs 299. The VR headset is compatible with Lenovo’s smartphones like the Vibe K3 Note, Vibe K4 Note, Vibe K5, Vibe K5 Plus, and the Vibe X3. These smartphones support Lenovo’s TheaterMax technology. Buy the ANTVR Headset for Rs 299.
Iota Lite Smart LED Bulb: Cube 26 launched its ultra-affordable Iota Lite Smart LED bulb in India towards the end of last year with a price tag of only Rs 1,599. What impressed us was the Iota smart LED bulb offered much of the functionality offered by more expensive smart bulbs from the likes of Philips offer at a very pocket-friendly price. The smart bulb is currently on sale on Amazon India at a discount that brings the price tag down to Rs 1,499. Buy the Iota Lite Smart LED bulb for Rs 1,499.
Gears of Wars 4 is perhaps one of the most anticipated games of the year. HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology, has introduced its second official Xbox-licensed gaming headset, CloudX Revolver Gears of War.
The head comes with a 3.5mm plug and a 2M PC extension cable. It is certified by Team Speak and Discord and is further compatible with SkypeTM, Ventrilo, Mumble, and RaidCall. The headset is backed by a 2-year warranty and is available on Amazon for Rs 11,999. Users can visit the company’s homepage HyperX for more information.
