Twitter's hottest stuff now in an app called Nuzzel

Twitter is a great medium to stay connected with the world. It is even better if you are really interested in news and want to constantly remain abreast of everything that happens around the globe. 

But keeping an eye on the Twitter feed is not possible for everyone, particularly if you follow too many Twitter handles. That entails missing out on a number of stories that you would have liked to read. 

This is where Nuzzel steps in. 

Nuzzel is a Twitter app designed to curate stories that are popular among your friends on the social network. This basically means that Nuzzel will show you the most talked-about topics among your Twitter friends. 

For example, if you follow the technology industry heavily and your feed was abuzz with the announcement of Android Wear (Google's new platform for wearable gadgets, unveiled on March 19), then Nuzzel will show articles (or tweets with articles) on the web related to the new software.

Source :- Times Of India - India Times
By :- Ravi Sharma,TOI Tech 

Nokia X Android smartphone launched at Rs 8,599

Nokia has launched Nokia X, the first phone from the company to run an OS based on Android, at a price of Rs 8,599.

NEW DELHI: Nokia has launched Nokia X, the first phone from the company to run on Google's Android operating system. The phone, priced at Rs 8,599, will be available through online and offline retailers across India starting Monday. 

Nokia X was unveiled by Nokia on February 24, during the MWC at Barcelona in Spain, along with Nokia X+ and XL. 

Nokia X sports a 4-inch WVGA LCD display (480 X 800p, 233ppi). The dual-sim phone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB RAM. It comes with 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. 

Google, LG Team Up for Nexus 6

Unsurprisingly, Google and LG are reportedly partnering to build the next-generation Nexus smartphone.

According to a report by Gizmodo Germany, the phone makers will once again join forces to develop the Nexus 6 (concept art pictured).

LG manufactured Google's last two handsets—the Nexus 4 and 5. The latter hit the market in late October, equipped with the latest version of Android, KitKat.

In fact, a bright red version of the Nexus 5 just hit the Google Play store a month ago, joining its black and white counterparts in 16GB and 34GB versions.

With that in mind, Android Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai recently said the next Nexus will not reach the public any time soon. "I can assure you it will not be released in the first half of the year," he told a French blog during last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY

But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from spinning. Details are scarce, but the German tech blog suggested that the Nexus 6 will actually be a stripped-down version of the yet-to-be-unveiled LG G3, which CNET suggested will sport a 5.5-inch, 2,560-by-1,440 Quad HD screen, a 64-bit processor, and a 16-megapixel rear camera.

With Google's annual I/O developer conference scheduled for June 25-26, it's possible the search giant will reveal its next-generation Nexus then.

Neither Google nor LG immediately responded to PCMag's request for comment.

LG has been working on its own lineup of handsets, including the world's first curved smartphone, the 6-inch G Flex, which launched nationwide on Feb. 5.

For more, see PCMag's review of the Google Nexus 5 and the slideshow above, as well as our review of the LG G Flex.

The German site also tipped the release of a Google Nexus smartwatch from LG, but offered no further details about the wearable tech.

Sources :PC-Mag

Panasonic to unveil P31 in India; to be priced at Rs 11,990

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Panasonic is ready to bring the P31 to Indian shores.

Under the hood, the phone has a 5-inch display, 8 MP rear FHD autofocus camera and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Facebook Drones Could Give Everyone Internet Access

There are still a few people in the world not on Facebook — and word has it that the social networking giant wants to change that by providing affordable Internet access via solar-powered drones.

Facebook may be buying Titan Aerospace, a startup working on solar-powered drones that can fly continuously for years without needing to land, Sarah Perez and Josh Constine reported in TechCrunch. The writers said the tip about the deal came from someone outside the company with unauthorized access to the information, but they were able to confirm that discussions are taking place.

Technically Titan’s drones are solar-powered “atmospheric satellites” or “atmosats” intended to fly above FAA-regulated space. TechCrunch’s writers reported the deal may be part of theInternet.org partnership, which counts Facebook as a founding partner. That partnership is competing with Google’s balloon-powered Internet initiative, Project Loon.

Affordable Internet access for all sounds altruistic, but there’s often a business angle. “If Facebook could project weak but free Internet to developing nations via Titan Aerospace drones, it could then make a basic version of WhatsApp available to those users,” Perez and Constine wrote. To be fair, I’m also skeptical about nonprofits that are trying to do the same thing.

‘Outernet’ Project Seeks Free Internet Access For Earth

I was on the site back when it was still “The Facebook” but found it increasingly alienating, especially with the ever-changing settings. Now I get important updates directly from friends and family. No drones needed.

Image: Titan Aerospace’s Solara 50 drone is solar-powered and could provide Internet access to remote areas. Credit: Titan Aerospace.

Source: Discovery News,  BY: ALYSSA DANIGELIS

Want to make free calls? Try this service

A team of engineers in Bangalore has a free voice calling service for any part of the world. 

BANGALORE: For those who do not mind the annoyance of advertisements right in the middle of a conversation, a team of engineers in Bangalore has a free voice calling service for any part of the world. Termed FreeKall, it brings voice-over-internet-like services to those without internet access.

The idea, which was thought up in the dorm of M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore, was launched as a service last Saturday. Still in beta, or testing phase, nearly four lakh FreeKalls have been made so far.

"The response has been phenomenal. Our servers crashed about seven times and we had to bring it back up," said Yashas Shekar, a 23-year-old who cofounded the company with college-mates Vijayakumar Umaluti and Sandesh Eshwarappa. "On the flip side Sandesh, and Vijayakumar have not slept since Saturday," chuckled Shekar, a former Godrej Interio employee who shut his first venture, a web development firm, to concentrate on this startup.

The service, in some ways, is reminiscent of the trunk calls of the last century, except that the cloud infrastructure does the job instead of an operator. To make a FreeKall a user dials number 080-67683693 and the call is disconnected after just one ring. Following this, the system calls back the user, and an automated system prompts the user to dial the desired number. Lo and behold, the call is connected. The system can currently support 10,000 requests per second. If it goes beyond that, it will not be returned.

"I must say, someone has thought out of the box. This can be truly disruptive if it works out well," said Hemant Joshi, who oversees the telecom practice at consulting firm Deloitte.

FreeKall makes money by making people listen to advertisements. So, when the call is connected, the user hears an advertisement instead of a ringing tone. And at intervals of two minutes, the caller and the called party will have to pause the conversation and hear an advertisement for soaps, shampoos and the like.

For now, unregistered users can make calls that last three minutes. For those who register, the conversations can last 12 minutes. In about a month, there will be no limit on the amount of time a person can FreeKall. International calls will be possible in about a month, once legal clearances are obtained.

The company is aiming for 10 million calls a day in India and expects revenue of $30 million ( 185 crore) by the end of the next fiscal. It plans to take its business to Africa soon.

Freekall has tieups with a media agency called Streetsmart Media Solutions for the advertisements.

The idea originated in 2008 when Umaluti, 25, thought of facilitating free calls, albeit manually, through a call centre. The other cofounders, with their experience in web development, looked at a cloud-based implementation and decided to revisit the college project idea last year.

FreeKall has received 10 lakh in seed capital from Ranjith Cherickel, a telecom professional who has worked at Nokia Siemens Networks, Verizon Wireless and Skype. "I expect them to expand internationally in less than a year. This will work well in developing countries and potentially in high-tariff developed markets," said Cherickel.

Although there are several applications that provide free calls, the 3G infrastructure in India is not robust enough to support calls at all time and all places. What FreeKall is doing is trying to tap into areas that services such as Skype and Viber are yet to penetrate.

"The company should move fast in terms of engaging with advertising networks and digital agencies and consider how best to get IP protection. A lot depends on them showing value to advertisers by profiling users accurately and delivering relevant targeted ads," said Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Nasscom Product Council.

By launching an app in about a quarter, the company is also looking to capture the smartphone market and minimise the number of steps to make a call.

Shekar knows that smartphone adoption and internet connectivity will only increase. "But it's not going to happen in the next five years at least. By then, we would have captured a big market," he said.

Joshi of Deloitte warned of problems such as heavy loads and connectivity problems for cloud telephony. As for telecom service providers, for whom a major chunk of the revenue originates from voice calls, this will not be disruptive in the short term, said Joshi.

"Those who use this service will mostly be prepaid users, and the average revenue per user is small enough."

Pizza Hut Considers Amazing Interactive Touch-Screen Tables

Pizza Hut isn’t exactly the first company we think of when we hear the words “cutting edge technology,” but that may change if the fast food chain makes good on a concept video for futuristic touch-screen tables. The short video, which was created with help from Chaotic Moon Studios, shows off a pretty amazing take on ordering pizza in the future, though we don’t expect to see the technology actually put to use any time soon.

In the new concept video, Pizza Hut swaps out the tables at its dine-in restaurants for massive touch-screen displays. Once you sit down, the first thing you’ll do is place your smartphone on the electronic table, activating the display and automatically signing into your own personalized account. Then you’ll design your pizza using the interactive screen before finalizing your order and paying through your device. Finally, the display lets you and your friends play popular mobile games while you wait.

There’s a lot to love in this concept video, from easy mobile payments to the interactive pizza menu. We have to wonder how Pizza Hut could keep these touch-screen’s clean and germ-free though, especially considering how greasy the main item on the menu often is. But in the end it may not matter. The technology is likely a long way off from rolling out to any fast food chain, though hopefully we’ll get to experience it ourselves at some point.

SOURCE PIZZA HUT (YOUTUBE)

Apple puts iOS in the car, launches CarPlay

CarPlay is essentially a hardware and software solution built into the car that lets drivers use their iPhones without getting distracted.


NEW DELHI: In line with a report that appeared last week, Apple has officially announced its much awaited 'iOS-in-the-car' solution, naming it CarPlay. It has also announced tie-ups with auto manufacturers on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show. 


CarPlay is essentially a hardware and software solution built into the car that lets drivers use their iPhones without getting distracted. Once the iPhone is connected to a vehicle that features CarPlay integration, Siri, the iOS voice assistant, helps users access contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails. When incoming messages or notifications arrive, Siri responds to requests through voice commands, and reads drivers' messages and in addition to letting them dictate responses or make a call. 

According to Apple, CarPlay also makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Users can also ask Siri and receive spoken turn-by-turn directions, along with Maps, which will appear on the car's built-in display. 

CarPlay also gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts and audiobooks with navigation through listening choices from the car's built-in controls or simply by asking Siri to pull up what they'd like to hear. CarPlay also supports select third-party audio apps including Spotify and iHeartRadio. 

The Cupertino giant has announced that vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay. Other auto manufacturers bringing CarPlay in the near future, include BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. 

"CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimised distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we're thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva." 

The deal "marks the first time that Apple is embedding its software in devices other than its own branded products. 

On the user end, CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning connector-enabled iPhones, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. CarPlay will be available in select cars shipping in 2014. 

Apple had announced the 'iOS in the Car' solution during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2013. Apple, of course, is not the only technology company looking to tap the market for in-car infotainment systems. BlackBerry and Microsoft are also in the market to integrate their own in-car solutions in cars by major manufacturers.