Lumia by Microsoft : Lumia 830, 730 & 735

The very first event by Microsoft for Lumia devices has given a lot of features, devices & accessories that can be expected from a mobile devices and we are eagerly waiting for enhancements for the features for Lumia devices as well as devices on the other platform, here is what we have this time for Lumia devices, you can watch the complete event here :

Cortana Beta

At the Sept 4th 2014 event the first thing Microsoft has opened that Cortana Beta will now also be available for UK and China.

Lumia Denim : The next update

The very first thing that came for Lumia lovers is the next update i.e. Lumia Denim and in the major update you will get features for cortana and the camera the rest is some minor updates for the devices and the update for the glance screen

Now you can open cortana from any screen no need to press any key or click any icon just call "Hey Cortana" and you will get your assistant up and running. Lumia Denim update will be available for all Lumia devices running windows phone 8.1 by the end of this year for all regions.

Camera Enhancements 

The new updates for Lumia devices will provide you with better features with camera like easy to access camera, just press the camera button and start taking pictures and now you can take continuous shots and the time between two shots is reduced upto 42ms and the video recording can be started directly by long pressing the camera key and camera will start recording the video at 4K, now that is a big improvement for a camera.

Then the came selfie app for selfie lovers, now you can use your front cam as well as the rear for taking selfies, the camera will take shot only when your face is centered, this feature is specially designed for the phones which doesn't have a front camera for selfies like Lumia 520, 525.

New Additions

Lumia 830("Affordable flagship device"), Lumia 730("Selfie, dual sim") & Lumia 735("4G LTE support, Selfie")

Lumia 830

The first thing it will get is the Lumia Denim out of the box with preloaded Microsoft office and integrated skype subscription for first three months, unlimited video calls worldwide using skype. The rest of the things for 830 are :

• 5.0 inch display
• 8.5 mm
• 10MP pure view with zeiss optics
• 2220 mAh battery
• Quad core snapdragon processor
• Available colors : Green, Orange, White & Gray
• Price : 330 euros(Expected 30000 INR in India)

Lumia 730 & 735

The selfie special phones will come with a 5MP 24mm wide angle front facing camera which will best for taking selfie and group selfie, 730 & 735 will come with the following :

• 4.7 inch 720p display
• 6.7MP rear camera 1.9f with zeiss optics, 5MP front camera
• 2220 mAh battery
• 1.2 Ghz Quad core snapdragon processor
• Available colors : Green, Orange, White & Gray
• Price :

               Lumia 730 - 199 euros(Expected 18000 INR in India)

               Lumia 735 - 219 euros(Expected 21000 INR in India)

The devices are expected to be available worldwide at the end of Q4 2014.

Now Facebook is keeping track of what you are buying

It took Facebook about six months to start using all that offline consumer data it's made deals for more than just "research" and put all thats rewards cards information to good lucrative use.

If you are a user of an Android-powered device that has Google Now running on it, I am quite sure that there has been moments when you found the cards offered to be uncanny, as though it functioned as your digital sixth sense. Well, that goes to show how powerful the application of collected information can be when used in the right manner, and companies like Facebook, too, would want to know more about its users. In fact, Facebook intends to keep track of its users’ shopping habits across devices to aid advertisers in their upcoming campaigns.

However: while targeted advertising seems to be the exact opposite of online anonymity, Facebook says your privacy is maintained by "hashing", as Gokul Rajaram, product director for ads at Facebook told The Atlantic Wire. As he explains it, the brands (with the help of Datalogix) provides email addresses in the forms of "hashes"—strings of letters and numbers—for the people it wants to reach: People in the database who haven't bought a car in five years, for example. Facebook then matches those with hashes of people who fit the hashes that the brand wants to meet. This adds a layer of security — no person sifts through email lists — but it has the effect of helping the computers on one side tell the computers on the other side which individuals are the target audience. The social network requires a group of at least 20 people, so even if a marketer tried really hard it couldn't figure out who within a bucket of say 100 people saw the ad. But ultimately, the most important privacy protection seems to be that neither Facebook nor the brand really care who you are. "Marketers think in terns of segments anyway," Rajaram said. And Facebook just wants to sell the most accurate ads. 

This tool used by Facebook to inform advertisers as to when a promotion was first viewed, as well as leading up to a purchase will surely bring about the specter of privacy concerns among users. What do you think of such a process? By the way, out of curiosity, have you actually purchased anything through Facebook in the first place?

Next Generation Type-C Reversible USB Ports Ready to Hit the Market

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has finalized the specs for connector Type-C. No, wait, don't close this browser tab yet!

Relief is coming for those who always try to plug USB cables in the wrong way. Theoretically, it can transfer data at up to 10 Gbps, and can deliver up to 100W of power. In fact, the upcoming Type-C plug just might end up being the one plug to rule them all: A single USB connector that links everything from a PC's keyboard and mouse to external storage devices and displays.

Fast forward to the mobile revolution. The mobile ecosystem got a major boost, first from the mini USB and then from micro USB, which virtually replaced all other propriety connectors. The standard micro USB gave immense convenience to folks who could just juice up their devices using their friends chargers instead of finding the adapter made for their phone.

The new Type-C USB intends to take convenience to the next level. Its makers say that they’ve completed work on this innovation and this USB can be incorporated in mobiles as well as bigger devices. The shining glory of Type-C is its reversibility. Which means that you don’t have to keep turning the USB around till the planets align in the exact positions for it to go into the slot.

After that, it'll likely take a couple of years for equipment with the Type-C connector to start displacing the current USB plugs and cables. In fact, SpeedTechs thinks that there will be adapters and dongles that will allow the new technology to coexist with the older USB cables and gear, although you might not get the full advantage of the speed and power upgrades.

HTC One M8(2014) - Windows version

On August 19, HTC and Microsoft are holding a press event in New York, presumably to announce the HTC One(M8) for Windows, a new high-end phone for Verizon wireless in the US.

HTC One (M8) for Windows

• Windows Phone 8.1
• 2.3 GHz quad-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
• 32 GB internal storage; micro SD (up to 128 GB)
• 2 GB of RAM
• 5-inch Full HD, Super LCD3 display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3; 441 ppi
• 2600 mAh battery
• HTC UltraPixel camera; 5 MP front-facing camera
• Nano SIM
• U-Focus
• HTC Dot View case
• HTC Boomsound

Additional specifications of the Android version should also be similar, including:

• Weight 160g
• 36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm

In porting over the designed-for-Android hardware, the HTC One (M8) for Windows looks to keep all the major selling points as it carries over to Windows Phone. Hardware parity is important if a customer is comparing the Android and Windows Phone version as any hardware differentiation could give the edge to one OS over another. Instead, consumers for the first time – at least on Verizon – can have a choice between one phone, and two differing operating systems with no stipulations.

HTC does bring a few marketing terms over to the Windows Phone version, including their 'U-Focus' ability, which is analogous to Nokia's Re-Focus app. U-Focus works in Auto mode though and truly lets the user refocus a photo after it is taken, rather than having to select the Nokia Re-Focus app and take a photo in a unique mode first. However, U-Focus only works in Auto mode, so even in on that phone there are some conditions.T

Duo camera and Boomsound speakers 

There are two other major features unique to HTC’s smartphones. The One M8’s focus-shifting Duo Camera, and the more often seen Boomsound speaker system. Nokia/Microsoft currently rules the Windows Phone market, and impressive cameras are a major selling point of their devices.

According to @evleaks, HTC could shake this up by introducing the Windows Phone world to its Duo Camera. In case you’ve forgotten, this ingenious system uses a camera lens and a separate sensor to let you play around with the depth-of-field in your photos. Yes, it’s a bit gimmicky, but used carefully it can create some eye-catching pictures. Additionally, the new phone may also get HTC’s extra-loud Boomsound speakers and amplifier, potentially lining it up to be the best sounding Windows Phone device to date.

HTC Dot view case

HTC had a fancy trick up its phones when it launched the One (M8) – a special case  that converted the display into a superb and retro style look to give you time, weather and notification information. It will provide you all the information into a  8-bit dot display 

It's the same as Samsung's S View case in that it's an official accessory that adds something to the functionality of the phone by its mere presence, but doesn't just offer a tiny window into the phone.

This is a much more impressive option, as despite being clad in rubber and silicone, the front cover is still able to register touch for a variety of actions.

The front cover of the case is packed with hundreds of tiny holes, but only those in front of the Boomsound speakers are uncovered to make sure sound can penetrate without distortion, but the rest have a clear covering to protect the screen as you'd expect a full case to do.

The main reason to being able to register touch is the double tap to wake the device, making it easy to check the time and see the weather, which alternates between an icon to let you know whether it's sunny or raining, and the temperature in a little animation.

If you get a message, the icon below changes to an 8-bit version of HTC's message notification, and the same happens if you swipe down from the top of the cover to automatically enable voice dialling.

If you've got a call coming in you can swipe up to take it or down to reject, with the latter motion still used when you're on a call – plus you can just hold the One (M8) to your ear to take the call if you've enabled that feature too.