Technology Updates

 "Nexus smartphone" Google working on $100 Nexus smartphone: Report Google's Nexus range of smartphones and tablets is known for delivering premium hardware and stock Android software at a reasonable price, with Nexus 5 and second-generation Nexus 7 being the latest examples. However, the internet search giant may have set its sights on the low-end market now.  According to a report by MTKSJ.com, Google is partnering with Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek to develop a $100 smartphone, which will be part of the Nexus range. There is no word on the specifications and launch of the smartphone yet.  This will not be the first time Google has aimed to tap the budget smartphone segment. The company has optimized the latest version of Android, named KitKat, to run on smartphones and tablets with just 512MB RAM.  Google also launched the low-cost handset Moto G under its Motorola brand in November last year. However, this device runs on a Qualcomm chip rather than a MediaTek

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will hit stores in India today and has been priced at Rs 51,500. The company had initiated pre-orders a couple of weeks back itself. During the launch late in March, the company had not announced a selling price and instead chose to place it in a price bracket of between Rs 51,000 and Rs 53,000. With the US Dollar more or less stable since, the price has been held at Rs 51,500. The only problem here is that even this price tag could be a bit too steep for a lot of aspiring buyers. However, Samsung is sure that it will be able to offer a cheaper alternative within its product range for people who are unable to afford the Samsung Galaxy S5. Incidentally, the phone launched in India is not powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and hence would not be a 4G phone. The version being launched in India is powered by an octo-core processor combo (quad 1.9 GHz + Quad 1.3 GHz) which seems to be similar to the Exynos 5 processors on the latest Samsung Galaxy N

Google's 'Gmail Shelfie' prank takes a dig at selfie obsession ·           It's April 1, and once again Google has taken unsuspecting Netizens on a ride by springing up a new prank — the 'Gmail Shelfie' on the Gmail interface.  After the Pokemon Challenge , Google has come up with this new trick in which they play on people's obsession for selfies. So, what exactly is this Gmail Shelfie. The pop up on the Gmail interface goes like this: A Google blog post   by "Greg Bullock, Software Engineer", says, "You all love setting selfies as your custom theme in Gmail, but you’ve told us there’s one major problem: there isn’t a way to share your selfie with others.  "As the pioneering platform for selfies, Gmail is committed to being at the forefront of innovation in the selfie space. And we think it's a tragedy that your handsome hair, luscious lashes and beautiful brows have been trapped in your own inbox. Until now,

If you're living in China and missing out on the 4G action on your  iPad Air   or   Mini , the good news is that the TD-LTE model of both slates are   now available . Both the Air and Mini sport a different model number -- A1476 and A1491 -- and are meant to work on the China Mobile 4G network. Both TD-LTE slates will be sold alongside current  models  in China (which are actually the global versions and will work with most LTE networks around the world). The 16GB model of the TD-LTE Air and Mini will have the same starting price of 4,488 Chinese Yuan ($772) and 3,788 Chinese Yuan ($610) respectively. Outside of China, the TD-LTE Air and Mini will still be able to connect to 3G networks, but you likely won't be able to hop on a 4G network (unless it uses TD-LTE with the same bands). For those on a holiday in China and thinking of grabbing an Apple  tablet  to take home, be sure not to get the wrong model.

The international variant of Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) has just received the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat update with stock build I9500ZSUDNB3 as part of regular maintenance and bug-fix update from Samsung. Though this is officially the first Over-The-Air (OTA) update for Taiwan region, it can be installed on any unlocked international variant of Galaxy S4 regardless of the country or region as it is an unbranded firmware. Galaxy S4 I9500 users may also install this update manually via Samsung KIES. However, those who missed the Over-The-Air (OTA) update notification or cannot access the update over Samsung KIES for some reason can follow our step-by-step guide to install the same manually, using this guide. I9500ZSUDNB3 And4roid 4.4.2 KitKat Firmware Details Model:  GT-I9500 Model name:  GALAXY S4 Country:  Taiwan Version:  Android 4.4.2 Changelist:  805576 Build date:  Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:49:11 +0000 Product Code:  BRI PDA:  I9500ZSUDNB3 CSC:  I9500OZSDNB3 MODEM:  I9500XXUFNA

Nokia X, which is built using the Android Open Source Project, and is not certified by Google, which clearly means that there's no Google Play store, and that no apps based on Google's APIs will work. While there's no access to Google's Play Store, users can side-load Android apps from any third-party source. However, as per the Nokia Conversations blog, the Nokia X comes with the required security features to protect the data stored on the device without downloading third-party security apps. The three main ways to protect the data on the Nokia X smartphone is the screen security, encryption, and SIM card lock. The screen security feature on the Nokia X has two options, namely - password and PIN. The Nokia X users can select a combination of numbers and letters, or even both, for locking the screen with a password, while for the PIN option, users will have to choose a numerical code consisting of four digits. Another way to protect the data is through enc