Tech PIVI

Portronics has introduced a new portable device called Electropen. The new device captures users' handwritten notes into its memory, converts them to editable text and transfers them to a PC. Portronics says its Electropen can used to write on any ordinary/normal paper. Moreover, refill used in the pen is also a normal refill. The Portronics Electropen is priced at Rs. 7,999 and is available across the country. Portronics says the main highlight of the pen is that it can be used as a transmitter and the clip as a receiver. The Pen works in two modes, online and offline.  The Offline mode works where the user is just carrying a pen and the clip attached to a notebook, a diary or just a stack of papers. According to Portronics, the offline mode is useful for taking quiet notes. Moreover, all the notes are captured in the clip's memory and can be sent to a PC.  The Online mode works with the Receiver or Clip being attached to the computer while the user takes notes....

Prior to the unveiling of the Galaxy Note II, the Internet was abuzz with rumours suggesting that Samsung will utilise a 13MP camera in its latest offering. However, when the brand unveiled this handset, it came loaded with an 8MP sensor instead. A report by Unwired View has information received via a Korean website Ddaily reveals the reason behind Samsung’s decision to employ an 8MP sensor in the phablet. As per the author of the report, Florin, “Samsung was seriously planning to put a 13MP rear camera on the Note II. But it just couldn’t get enough CMOS sensors from Sony for that. Interestingly, Sony is supplying 13MP CMOS sensors for LG’s new Optimus G, and it looks like there won’t be any shortages here. Apparently, LG (through its subsidiary LG Innotek) has secured enough sensors from Sony since early 2012.” If this is a disheartening point for adopters of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, then they need not worry too much as this handset uses the same sensor found on t...

At the Nokia World 2012 event held a few days ago, Nokia revealed everything about the new Lumia handsets except their launch dates and prices. Rumours indicated earlier that Nokia would launch the Lumia 920 in global markets by November. As per a recent report, this handset will be priced at Euro 600 ($758), which translates to approximately Rs 42,000. The author of WMPowerUser , Surur states, “The Nokia Lumia 920 will be released in Germany in mid-October and will retail for 600 Euro ($758, £476). The Austrian art magazine ‘Future Zone‘ reported that Nokia wants to deliver the Lumia 920 from the middle of October in Germany. They expect the handset to initially launch only in a few countries, much like the roll-out of the Nokia Lumia 800, before being available everywhere. The handset will be introduced first in Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Russia, before becomes available in late October in Poland. The Scandinavian countries, Portugal and Spain will receive the handse...

Lenovo has announced the launch of the world’s lightest business Ultrabook – the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, highlighting 20 years of ThinkPad innovation and kicking off the ThinkPad brand’s 20th anniversary celebrations. ThinkPad X1 Carbon is created for those who demand the highest levels of mobility, performance, entertainment and design. Made from carbon fibre, the X1 Carbon is the latest notebook from the ThinkPad stable. This new notebook features the latest 3rd generation Intel Core processor. It comes with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 and Lenovo’s RapidResume and RapidConnect technology to enhance performance. It weighs less than three pounds and features a high resolution 14-inch display on a 13-inch laptop design, while also offering a multi-gesture glass surface touchpad, HD face-tracking camera, dual array microphones and Dolby-tuned audio for improved sound quality. Commenting on the occasion, Amar Babu, Managing Director, Lenovo India, said, “We are extremely proud to celebra...

When Apple took to the stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year, the brand had taken the wraps off its latest notebooks. The notebook that took the centre stage was the MacBook Pro with Retina Display capabilities. This new notebook was praised the world over for reasons much more than its above average resolution. Apple's desktop line-up took a backseat, and did not warrant a mention at the event, though it did receive a slight bump up in specifications. Many rumours since then indicate that Apple could be making a new range of desktops. A recent report by Fox News backs these speculations by claiming that a new range of iMacs are in the works. As per the report, the author Clayton Morris states, “Multiple sources tell me that a new lineup of desktop machines from Apple is imminent. A quick look around Amazon's website shows dried up supplies for the 27-inch version. The popular MacRumors website looked at Apple store supplies and found dwindling a...

Asus recently introduced a new Republic Of Gamers TYTAN machine to its line-up – ROG CG8580, which is powered by an Intel Core i7-3770Kprocessor and features Windows 7 Home Premium operating software. It comes equipped with a quad-core CPU boosting and twin 128GB SATA3 SSD with RAID 0 for 4x faster data access speed. To assist gamers, it includes HD visuals and audio powered by a GTX 680 graphics card with 2GB GDDR5 and ASUS Xonar DX audio card. “Our latest offering, Republic Of Gamers Tytan CG580 desktop system, is loaded with high-end components featuring the latest Intel Core i7-3770K processor and NVIDIA GTX680 graphics card for the gamers always looking for the perfect gaming personal computer. High definition audio codec support will help users to have a superior gaming experience along with the availability of NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors. Features including LucidLogix Virtu MVP improves graphics performance by around 60%, and also increase video conversion speed ...

Apple is believed to be introducing its next generation of iPods when the brand takes the stage at the Apple media event scheduled for September 12, 2012. A report a few days ago stated that there could be at least two new updated iPod lines which will be showcased at the event and possibly there could be a third as well. The third iPod line-up could refer to the updated iPod touch and it could feature a display the same size as the next generation iPhone aka the iPhone 5. A report by  9to5Mac  sheds some more light on what to expect and has categorically provided a break up of what type of iPod will receive what update. As per the report, the author Mark Gurman states that sources have informed them that the iPod shuffle will not receive any major change but will be available in eight colour options, up from five that are currently available in the market. The price of this iPod will cost around $49. May come in multiple colour options Last year, Apple merely...

For the first time the telecom subscriber base in the country has registered a decline. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) data, users base has dipped to 944.81 million in July from 965.52 million. The TRAI reveals that the decline is driven by the wireless segment, which saw a slump of 26.1 million. Reliance Communications saw a loss of 20.48 million users. RCom was followed by Tata Teleservices, which lost about 2.4 million customers. Uninor lost more than 1 million users, while Videocon 0.41 million. Loop Mobile and state-run MTNL lost around 0.15 million subscribers in July. RCom says removal of inactive users has caused the drop. "With an objective to release the substantial blocked resources of number series and in context of DoT's stringent guidelines on issuance of fresh numbers, RCom has decided to deactivate the inactive prepaid subscribers who have not had any usage in the last 60 days," a RCom spokesperson is q...

Nokia  and Motorola have recently added new smartphones in their Lumia and Razr series respectively. The new flagships and mid-range smartphones by the two companies have broken cover just a week ahead of the unveiling of the next Apple iPhone and are expected to be launched in the next few months. Here is a round up of the new phones, showing how they fare against each other on specs front. Display Nokia Lumia 920 : 4.5-inch IPS TFT touchscreen with PureMotion HD+ Nokia Lumia 820 : 4.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with ClearBlack Display Motorola Razr HD Maxx : 4.7-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen Motorola Razr HD : 4.7-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen Motorola Razr M : 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen Operating system Nokia Lumia 920 : Windows Phone 8 Nokia Lumia 820 : Windows Phone 8 Motorola Razr HD Maxx : Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradeable to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) Motorola Razr HD : Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradeable to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) Motorola...

Sony’s handheld gaming console recently received a new software update, v1.80, which brings PSOne classics to the device. The software update also brought with it a slight change in the user interface. The initial list of PSOne games that came to the PS Vita was small and included the following: Arc the Lad Cool Boarders 2 Final Fantasy VII Hot Shots Golf 2 Jet Moto Syphon Filter Tomb Raider Twisted Metal 2 Wild Arms The official PlayStation website says, “This isn’t the end though, we’re doing our best to get even more PSOne titles on PS Vita as quickly as possible. As a reminder, if you’ve already purchased any of these titles you’ll be able to re-download them directly from your PS Store account or transfer them to your PS Vita from your PS3 at no extra charge.” The list of 26 new games are: Alundra Arc the Lad II Championship Bass Extreme Pinball Grandia Hi Octane: The Track Fights Back Klonoa: Door to Phantomile Magic Carpet Medal of Honor M...

Lenovo has introduced three new Android IdeaTab tablets at the IFA show in Berlin. The new devices namely S2110, A2107 and A2109 run on Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. “The newest line of Ideatab products provides an option for everyone who wants to keep all of their favorite books, songs and movies at their fingertips, no matter where they go,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, and president, Mobile Internet and Digital Home business. “Whether consumers crave a pocket tablet with 3G connectivity or seek a premium entertainment tablet for games and graphics, Lenovo has it, and at every price point.” Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 Previously showcased at the CES event as the IdeaTab S2, the Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 is being touted as a 'premium entertainment tablet'. The IdeaTab S2110 has thickness of just 8.69mm and weighs about 580 grams. The 10-inch Lenovo tablet features a 10-point multi-touch display, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.3MP fro...

As the Windows 8 release date nears, we are seeing a number of devices being announced running on the latest PC / tablet platform. At the IFA 2012 event in Berlin, Lenovo introduced its Windows 8 Pro-based tablet called 'ThinkPad Tablet 2'. Like the Samsung's ATIV tablets, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 also comes with an optional keyboard dock that helps transform the device into a full-desktop. Lenovo has already announced its Windows 8-based ThinkPad Tablet 2. The Tablet 2 is said to be the Windows version of the original Android-based ThinkPad tablet. The device also comes with an optional pen and digitizer. Other features of the ThinkPad Tablet 2 include an Intel Atom (unspecified) processor, 10.1-inch IPS display with 1366x768 resolution, dual cameras front 2MP and rear 8MP, miniHDMI, microSD slot, USB 2.0, docking connector, stereo sound, dual-array microphone. Check out the full specs of the device  here . “Customers want a versatile device that fits their ...

Days after releasing a site redesign, professional networking website LinkedIn has now added a new notification feature which keeps users notified in real-time, similar to Facebook notifications. Users can see the notification when someone in your LinkedIn contact likes what you have shared on the network, views your profile, accepts your invitations and more. A notification flag will appear at the top of your homepage, and a new inbox envelope icon. If you receive something new, such as new comments or likes on your content or new in-mails, a red circle will appear. With the new notification feature, LinkedIn aims to make it easier for users to keep engaging discussions going with the platform. “We’ve been working hard to bring you new ways to access the most relevant professional information and insights to help you be even better at your job, everyday,” says the company in a blog  post . LinkedIn will be soon rolling out notifications to mobile device, includi...

HTC has unveiled the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-based 'Desire X' smartphone at the IFA event in Berlin. Even though HTC did not reveal the Desire X's pricing, the device is said to bridge the gap between the company's low-end Desire C and mid-range One V. The Desire X is slated to hit the European markets in September this year. The HTC Desire X, previously rumoured as the HTC Proto, runs on Android 4.0 with Sense on top (no word on the Jelly Bean update yet). The device is powered by a Qualcomm 1GHz dual-core processor. It has 768MB of RAM. The Desire X features a 4-inch LCD with 800x480 resolution, 5MP rear camera with autofocus coupled with company's proprietary ImageChip, Beats Audio, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB. It comes with a 1,650 mAh battery, which is apparently rated to deliver talktime up to 1200 minutes for GSM. For connectivity, the device supports 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 2.0. Check out t...

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB (Indian Market Research Bureau) in their I-Cube report have projected a significant surge in the number of the Internet users in the country by the end of 2012. The report estimates the number of users in rural India who accessed the Internet at least once in their lifetime to grow to 45 million by 2012-end. The claimed Internet users are those who have accessed the Internet at least once in their lifetime. The IAMAI report says claimed Internet users in rural India has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 73 percent, up from 2.6 percent in 2010 to 4.6 percent in 2012. On the other hand, the penetration of the active Internet users has grown from 2.13 percent in 2010 to 3.7 percent in 2012. The report says the country's rural community has 38 million “claimed Internet” users, while 31 million out of them are active users. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, in the next two years, a combination of affordable...

Kojima Production showed off a demo of the next Metal Gear Solid game called Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. The game was showcased on the 25th Anniversary of the franchise and the game was demoed using the new Fox Engine. No images or videos of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zero were released when the demo was showcased but those that attended the event say that the demo started with a real-time cutscene that went straight into gameplay. The game featured Naked Snake, not Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 4. This adventure belongs to Big Boss. The demo showed off an open world level in which Snake kills guards, evades searchlights by crawling and riding around in a jeep. The demo was reportedly running on a PC rather than the PS3. What remains to be seen is whether this is just a tech demo for the new Fox Engine or is this part of a new Metal Gear Solid game. The demo was 20-minutes long and the highlight was the open world structure of the game. Up till now, the mos...

Bing has introduced a new feature that allows users to search Facebook photos within the search engine. Users can access this via Bing social sidebar or by visiting www.bing.com/friendsphotos. When you use Bing search engine to browse photos, you will get results arranged in Pinterest-style waterfall layout, as in the image below: The new feature also enables users to look for photos by keywords (matching texts in photo captions or album titles). It may be noted here this feature isn't available on Facebook right now. “With more than 300 million photos uploaded to Facebook per day, photo viewing is one of the most popular things people do on Facebook,” Bing wrote in a  blog post . “Bing now lets you quickly find that special photo (out of your friends’ thousands) on Facebook with the new Friends’ Photo feature.” Bing has also taken care of users' privacy, as it only lists photos that have been made public or viewable to friends by a user. Once users a...

Dell introduced three Windows 8 devices at IFA 2012, the XPS 10 hybrid, XPS Duo 12 touch laptop, and a refreshed XPS One 27 all-in-one PC. Unfortunately, the company revealed very few details about the devices, and none at all about pricing. All three devices should be available in October, after the Windows 8 launch. Sam Burd, global vice president, PC product group at Dell, spoke about the new announcements at IFA 2012: "The XPS 10, XPS Duo 12 and XPS One 27 represent the culmination of a deep understanding of the 'Bring Your Own Device' movement and insights gained from both our consumer and business customers. The new set of products Dell unveiled today represents a milestone in our design and approach to user experience. Our vision for our XPS line of computers is not just about the device or technology, it's about achieving the perfect balance of amazing design, end user productivity and IT enablement." Dell says the XPS 10 “embodies the intersection ...