Microsoft Lumia 535: 5 Reasons Why You Should Buy the Company's First Non-Nokia Smartphone

Lumia 535 is very special to Microsoft as it is the first non-Nokia Lumia smartphone from the company.

Windows phones have been in the market for long but they haven't been able to grab the expected market share that Microsoft wanted. Later entrants Android and iOS did much better than Microsoft Windows phones.

And now that Microsoft is in complete control of the hardware specifications and software features, the company released Lumia 535. Priced at Rs. 9199, the Lumia 535 is a successor to Lumia's budget smartphones 520 and 530.

1. Voice and Skype integration- Microsoft Lumia 535 features a seamless integration between voice calling and Skype calls. A user can shift to VOIP calling direct from the voice only calling screen. While the data rates in India are affordable, the easy Skype access will certainly impress the techno-unfriendly users.
2. XBOX Connectivity- All Lumia based smartphones have XBOX connectivity, but a sub-10k device with a quad-core processor is impressive.
3. Camera- A front camera was the key missing feature of the previous generation Lumia 530 phone. Making amends, Microsoft has featured a wide-angle 5 MP front camera in Lumia 535. We tested the camera yesterday and found it really impressive, particularly while clicking wide angle photographs.
4. Software Integration- the Lumia 535 comes pre-loaded with live Office suite, the most significant software ever made by Microsoft. Office suite is a must have feature. The Lumia 535 also features 15 GB of additional OneDrive Cloud storage which will certainly help the user to manage their documents and multimedia content. The user can also buy 1TB of OneDrive storage later by paying an annual fee of Rs. 799. Another significant feature of Lumia 535 is the Microsoft Outlook.
5. Operating System- Microsoft Lumia 535 runs on the latest Microsoft Mobile OS Lumia Denim 8.1. The Denim update features an improved interface with better software-hardware integration. Microsoft has also promised to deliver the Windows Mobile 10 very soon with lots of improvements. And Lumia 535 is sure get the upgrade.

 Key Specifications:

Operating System	Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
Display	5-inch qHD 960x540 pixels
Processor	1.2 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200
Camera	5 MP Rear + 5 MP front
Memory	8 GB in-built + 15 GB OneDrive + MicroSD support up to 128 GB
Battery	1905 mAh Battery
Extra Feature	Free global HERE maps and HERE drive

Source:International Bussiness Times

iOS 8 strikes an unexpected blow against location tracking

It wasn't touted onstage, but a new iOS 8 feature is set to cause havoc for location trackers, and score a major win for privacy. As spotted by Frederic Jacobs, the changes have to do with the MAC address used to identify devices within networks. When iOS 8 devices look for a connection, they randomize that address, effectively disguising any trace of the real device until it decides to connect to a network.

ANY PHONE USING IOS 8 WILL BE INVISIBLE TO THE PROCESS

Why are iPhones checking out Wi-Fi networks in disguise? Because there's an entire industry devoted to tracking customers through that signal. As The New York Times reported last summer, shops from Nordstrom's to JC Penney have tried out the system. (London even tried out a system using public trash cans.) The system automatically logs any phone within Wi-Fi range, giving stores a complete record of who walked into the shop and when. But any phone using iOS 8 will be invisible to the process, potentially calling the whole system into question.

A PRIVACY WIN FOR APPLE

Combined with inventory and in-store video, the records are immensely valuable to stores as marketing data, and companies like Euclid Analytics and Path Intelligence have made an industry out of providing them. But now that Apple has embraced MAC spoofing, the practice of Wi-Fi sniffing may stop working entirely. With more than one in three US smartphones running iOS, and a notoriously fast adoption cycle for new operating systems, any data collected is likely to leave out a huge sector of the population.

The result is a privacy win for Apple users and a major blow against data marketing — and all it took was an automatic update.

Samsung Launches ATIV Book 9 Plus with Core i7

Samsung is shipping another ATIV Book
9 Plus with an Intel Core i7 processor,
more RAM and more storage.

After originally launching in North
America with an Intel Core i5 , 4 GB of
RAM and a 128 GB SSD, Samsung is
now releasing a second version
of its ATIV Book 9 Plus with an Intel
Core i74500U processor, 8 GB of
memory, a 256 GB SSD and Windows
8.1.
This ultra-slim laptop won't ship
until early November, but customers
can pre-purchase the laptop now for $
1,800 USD.

As with the previous Core i5 model, the
updated laptop will have a 13.3 inch
LED-lit LCD screen with a massive
resolution of 3200 x 1800, 10-point
touch input, 350 nit SuperBright
technology, and Gorilla Glass
protection. The panel tilts back up to
180-degrees, rendering the form
factor completely flat, and locks at
approximately 110-degrees for a
wobble-free touch experience.

As for other features, the laptop will
have a built-in 720p webcam, a 3-in-1
card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, a
headphone/microphone combo, miniVGA
output and microHDMI output. The
laptop will weigh a mere 3.06 pounds,
and measure just 0.54 inches thick. It
will also supposedly have a boot up time
of up to 5.9 seconds and a wake time
of up to 0.9 seconds.

The laptop will also provide Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth connectivity, an Ethernet
dongle that plugs into a USB port for
when Wi-Fi is not an option, and Intel
HD 4400 graphics. The laptop's actual
measurements will be 12.6 x 8.8 x 0.55
inches, and will ship in Mineral Ash
Black, just like the previous Core
i5-4200U model. The laptop's battery
promises up to 11 hours on a single
charge.

The current Core i5 model reportedly
still continues to sell for around $1400.

Has any phone in 2013 made you switch platforms?

We're in that final stretch of months
before 2013 officially comes to an end,
and it's been a pretty wild year for
mobile all year long.

In the beginning, we saw BlackBerry's
plans and release of BlackBerry 10. In
the following months we saw the
release of two of the most anticipated
Android flagships of the year, the HTC
One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. We
finally found out the dark and
mysterious details of Google's "X"
phone, which turned out to be none
other than the Moto X, which featured
just about none of the things leaks,
rumors and hopes predicted that it
would. Nokia pushed the envelope even
further with their Nokia Lumia line,
famous for its notably good cameras
for a smartphone, by releasing the
Nokia Lumia 1020 with its 41-megapixel
camera. We also have phones like the
iPhone 5s, the Nexus 5, the Galaxy
Note 3 and the LG G2 . Yep, it's been a
pretty good year for mobile.

New phones are released all the time.
But regardless of how many phones
can be produced, each smartphone is
more than likely using one of four of
the most popular mobile platforms that
we have available to us today: iOS,
Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry.

These platforms are constantly
changing and tweaking in order to
become the best, and I have to say
that this year has had one of the
most interesting combinations of new
hardware and new software I have
seen in a while. If you guys have had
any thoughts like I have, you've
probably considered jumping from
whatever phone it is that you have to
something new - perhaps you even
made the switch.

Did any new phones tickle your fancy
enough to make you switch this year?
One did for me (get it? One ? Ha!)
Actually, I should say two . Initially, I
was more intrigued by the Galaxy S4.
However, just as I had suspected in
previous thoughts mentioned across my
articles, there is such a thing as a
phone that's too big for some people.

It seems that a 5" screen is just too
much for me to be able to hold without
dropping onto the floor, my face, or
whatever else I happen to be holding
my phone over. Aside from that and
some apparent issue with overheating
(as in the phone felt hot - really hot
- but didn't show much adverse
effects from it) the phone would have
been dandy. I really did like the
camera and all of the features. But
the fact that I couldn't even hold the
phone comfortably bothered me more
than anything, and I ended up
switching out for the HTC One.
Switching from iOS back to Android
was a lot easier than I thought it
would be, mostly because I still
remembered Android as being the slow,
buggy OS that it was back in 2010. But
once I decided to make the jump back
to Android from iOS after being mostly
happy with iOS for the better part of
two years, I was honestly surprised at
how well Android had adapted.
Whether
it was the advances that Android made
over the past couple of years, or
perhaps just the fact that I had
lowered my expectations when I
switched to the One and my
expectations were surpassed, I am still
to this day pretty darn happy with my
One. Although I will once again stress
that the purple tint on my camera is
still an issue that wasn't fixed since
updating to the official Android 4.3
build. Aside from that, the phone is
fantastic. Great build, great feel,
great battery life, and runs smooth
like butter.

I even entertained the thought of
switching to BlackBerry or Windows
Phone as well, considering the only
hands-on experience I've had with the
devices are limited to retail store
displays. BlackBerry was intriguing; I
was interested in seeing how
BlackBerry 10 worked on the
traditional BlackBerry form factor of
having a small screen and a full
physical QWERTY keyboard. I was also
intrigued by the Z10, BlackBerry's
first attempt at what might be
considered a more "normal" look for a
modern smartphone. However, the lack
of applications made specifically for
BlackBerry wasn't exactly inviting. I
will admit, it is nice that several what
I would consider "important"
applications that were initially made
for Android can be "sideloaded" onto
BlackBerry 10, but in the end I wasn't
exactly thrilled with the idea. The same
"lack of application" problem stopped
me from Windows Phone, but definitely
to a lesser degree.
I was mostly
interested in the fact that the Lumia,
at the time, had some of the best
cameras that a smartphone could have.
I also dig the minimalistic interface of
Windows Phone.
Overall, I'm happy I switched to the
One. It's not the first time I've
switched, nor will it be the last, but I
am happy that I was able to switch to
a phone that I thought I would like,
and ended up actually liking it, because
I'm not always that lucky.
Readers, did you find a phone this
year that made you switch platforms?
Which platform did you come from, and
which one did you go to? Are you
happy with the decision? Let us know
your thoughts in the comments below!

Android Sneaks Onto the Desktop in Giant HP Tablet

It's a tablet! It's a desktop PC!
Actually, the new Android-powered HP
Slate 21 is a little of both. Featuring a
Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and a
kickstand to prop it up on the desk,
the device targets primarily home
users. "This is the rich experience
consumers really want," said Jim
McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias
Research. "I would expect to see more
of this."
T he line separating the mobile and
desktop computing worlds has
become increasingly blurred in recent
months, and HP on Monday unveiled a
brand-new all-in-one PC that
continues that trend.
Announced during its HP World Tour
event in Beijing, the HP Slate 21 tablet
is powered not by Windows but by
Google's Android. It's also designed
for use on the desktop, with a
kickstand in back to prop it up.
The HP Slate 21 is due to begin
shipping in September; pricing will be
US$399. HP did not respond to our
request for further details.
'A Great Laptop Replacement'
Equipped with a Nvidia Tegra 4 mobile
processor, the Slate 21 features a full
21.5-inch HD touchscreen that
supports intelligent 10-point touch
functionality. The device's "memory
hinge," meanwhile, allows users to
adjust the viewing angle by hand
between 15 and 70 degrees.
Android 4.2.2 is the operating system
for the device, which also includes
8GB of memory, an SD card slot, three
USB 2.0 ports, built-in dual speakers,
a webcam and wireless printing
capabilities. KingSoft office software
comes bundled with the device.
The Slate 21 is aimed primarily at
home users interested in
entertainment and content sharing, HP
said. As many as five user profiles
can be maintained on the device,
enabling each to keep their apps and
files separate.
"As tablets are becoming more
powerful and useful, it becomes
natural to attach keyboards to
supplement the touch screen," Roger
Entner, principal analyst at Recon
Analytics, told TechNewsWorld. "Once
you do that, the tablet become a great
laptop replacement for playing casual
games or word processing."
The most likely users of the Slate 21
are consumers and "light-computing
professionals who value high
mobility," Entner added.
'They Hate Waiting'
Indeed, young consumers are more
likely to take to a device like this
because they are "more accustomed
to using their mobile devices as their
primary computing platform," Jim
McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias
Research, told TechNewsWorld.
"My sons would probably love it
because I started them out on Google
Apps rather than Microsoft Office, and
they would rather use a mobile device
because they hate waiting for a PC to
boot," he explained.
It's about time someone came out
with a device like this, McGregor
added.
'Expect to See More'
"You have to remember that computing
is changing drastically," he said.
"When you think about computing
devices these days, the best are really
our smartphones and tablets."
This move, then, essentially "extends
the same experience no matter what
the architecture, to desktop or
clamshell PC or TV or whatever."
Users will still be "stuck with apps
that were really designed for mobile,"
McGregor pointed out.
Still, the use of a Tegra 4 is
compelling, "not to mention integrated
Nvidia graphics," he said.
In short, "this is the rich experience
consumers really want," McGregor
concluded. "I would expect to see
more of this."