Book Train Tickets With IRCTC Using SMS

 

 

If you're trying to book a ticket on the website, but find that the portal is down or if your Internet is down, you can easily book tickets offline. No, we don't mean that you have to go to the nearest railway station to book a ticket, but booking tickets via SMS. Booking via text message is hassle-free, but know that your carrier will charge you for each SMS you send. We were charged Rs. 3 per SMS when we tried booking tickets via SMS.

1. The first thing you need is an IRCTC account. You can create it here. Make sure that the phone number you register with IRCTC matches the phone number that your bank has, otherwise this will not work.
   
2. You also need to check if your bank supports IMPS (Immediate Payment Service). If you have an ICICI Bank account then you don't need IMPS, and can jump to step 8. You can check if your bank supports IMPS here. You will need IMPS to authorise payments via SMS.
   
3. If your bank supports IMPS (almost all banks do), then you'll need to call them to generate an MMID or do it on the bank website. This process varies by the bank, so we suggest you check it with your bank. As an example, HDFC Bank's process is described here.
   
4. Note down the MMID and the one-time password (OTP) sent by the bank.
   
5. Now you're ready to book your ticket. You need to send a text message to 139. The format of the message should be BOOK <TrainNo> <FromCity> <ToCity> <TravelDate(DDMM)> <Class> <Passenger1-Name> <Age> <Gender> <Passenger2-Name> <Age> <Gender> (upto 6 passengers) . 
   
   You can book tickets for up to six passengers per ticket. For example, our SMS read BOOK 12011 NDLS CDG 1404 CC Rakesh 55 M Sarita 53 F.
   
6. You'll get an SMS from IRCTC with the transaction ID, fare and availability. To pay, SMS PAY IMPS IRCTCUserID to 139.
   
7. ICICI Bank customers can book tickets without IMPS. They can send an SMS to 139 using this format BOOK ICICI.
   
8. To pay with your ICICI Bank account, SMS *PAY ICICI *.
   
9. Now you'll get a confirmation message from IRCTC if your ticket is booked. Make sure that this SMS is in your phone when you board the train. You don't need to print an e-ticket anymore and you can just show this SMS and a photo ID to the TTE to undertake the journey.

 

Microsoft Lumia 1330 Spec (via Nokiapoweruser)

Microsoft Lumia 1330 Spec (via Nokiapoweruser)

The rumoured Lumia 1330, codenamed RM-1062, features a 5.7-inch display with an HD (1280x719 pixels) resolution. A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 ARMv7 processor is listed, along with Adreno 305 for handling the graphics. Besides DirectX 11 integration, the rumoured Lumia 1330 is also seen to include 1GB of RAM.

(Also Read :Lumia 535)

 

While the launch date, availability or the price details of the handset in question are not yet known, Microsoft may introduce at the upcoming CES 2015 event in January in Las Vegas or during the MWC 2015 in February. Microsoft has until now launched only one Lumia handset without Nokia-branding, the Lumia 535.
 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Smartphones

 

Xiaomi has tasted success in India with its first flash sale for the Redmi Note 4G, seeing 40,000 units of the smartphone go out of stock on Flipkart within six seconds of becoming available.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G went on its first flash on Tuesday via Flipkart, and was priced at Rs. 9,999. 

Xiaomi and Flipkart have also announced that the next sale for the Redmi Note 4G is set for January 6, and that registrations will begin on Tuesday at 6pm IST. 

The Redmi Note 4G, will be also available in Airtel stores in six cities which are yet to be named by the company. Customers will have to register separately to buy a Redmi Note 4G from Airtel stores.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with MIUI v5 skin on top. During the launch in India, Xiaomi had indicated that updates to Android 5 Lollipop will be available in the future, but provided no time frame.

 The Chinese handset brand last week had announced the availability of the Redmi Note 4G for the Indian market. Xiaomi has been lately struggling in India as it was temporarily banned from selling handsets in India as they are alleged to infringe on Ericsson's patents. The company finally scored a reprieve by being allowed to sell its Qualcomm-based handsets in the country.

The smartphone has a quad-core 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU coupled with 2GB of RAM. Other specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G are similar to the Redmi Note (3G), which includes a 5.5-inch 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD display; a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash; a 5-megapixel front-facing camera; 8GB built-in storage with microSD card expansion (up to 64GB), and a 3,100mAh battery with support for fast charging. 

 

Microsoft Lumia 1330

Lumia 1330, codenamed RM-1062, features a 5.7-inch display with an HD (1280x719 pixels) resolution. A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 ARMv7 processor is listed, along with Adreno 305 for handling the graphics. Besides DirectX 11 integration, the rumoured Lumia 1330 is also seen to include 1GB of RAM .

Windows Phone handset in the GFXBench test shows a 12-megapixel rear camera, it is actually said to feature a maximum image resolution of 13-megapixel and pack at least a 14-megapixel rear camera sensor as per another source via the website. A 5-megapixel (shown as 4.8-megapixel) front-facing camera is also suggested in the test results.

In addition, 27GB of inbuilt storage is listed for the Lumia 1330, which points to 32GB of overall storage.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE

Samsung on Monday finally launched the "World's First LTE Advanced Tri-Band Carrier Aggregation Smartphone" - the Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE. Carrying model number SM-916, the handset will hit the shelves in its home turf South Korea starting mid-January. 

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE shares the same specifications as the previously launched Samsung Galaxy Note 4. To recall, the Galaxy Note 4 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and includes a 5.7-inch Quad-HD (1440x2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 515ppi. It also features a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with Smart OIS, and a 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/1.9 lens alongside 32GB of built-in storage, and expandability via microSD card (up to 64GB). Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ Glonass, NFC, Bluetooth v4.0, IR LED, USB 2.0, and MHL 3.0. 

Interestingly, the company has not mentioned the handset's processor, though it may be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810, an upcoming 64-bit octa-core SoC due in early 2015 which was reportedly recently undergoing testing for Cat. 9 network support. Reportshad previously tipped the new 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 includes four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 1.9GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz.

How to Download Vine Videos

 

Downloading videos from Vine is pretty simple. For this process, we’ll use a website. Point your web browser to this link here to get started downloading.

Once you’re at the website, locate the URLs to the Vine video(s) you’d like to download. Copy the video URL, then paste it into the “Enter Vine URL” box and press the “Download” button.

The downloader will scan the Vine video and then it’ll generate a download link. Click the download button to grab the video. It’ll then be downloaded directly to your PC. From there, you’ll be able to do what you wish with the video.

Downloading Vines on mobile

Want to download Vines on mobile? It’s understandable. Most people do basically everything on the go. It’s possible to download Vine videos directly to your Android device. Just download this Video Downloader (for Vines) app.
Once the app is installed to your device, open up your Vine app and browse for a video. This usually only works with timeline videos (ones you can share). As soon as you’ve found the video you’d like to download, click the “Share” button underneath it. This will bring up Vine’s sharing menu.

 

Password Protection in Google Chrome

Password Protection in Google Chrome

 

Open your Chrome browser and navigate to the Chrome experiments page by entering the URL “chrome://flags” in the address bar.

Once you are in the experiments page, search and find “Enable new profile management system.” Now select the option “Enable” from the drop-down menu.


Once changed, click on the “Relaunch Now” button appearing at the bottom of the screen so that the changes made will take effect.


After you relaunch, you will see a small drop-down menu on the upper right corner of the Chrome window. Simply click on that menu and select the option “Lock” to lock the Chrome browser.

Once locked, Chrome will close the window and display all the user profiles (if any). To relaunch your current session, select your profile, enter your Google account password and press the Enter button.

While the Chrome browser is locked, others can still use the browser as a guest user by selecting the option “Browse as Guest” located at the bottom left corner. You can also add users by selecting the option “Add person.”

 

Set Up Family Sharing in iOS 8

 

 

1. On your device, head to “Settings -> iCloud -> iCloud Drive.” Tap on the option that says “Upgrade to iCloud Drive.” Why you need to do this is because you must first be using Apple’s iCloud to be able to enable the family sharing function.


2. A prompt will appear showing the message that “other iDevices won’t be able to access iCloud unless they run iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite.” Tap on “Continue” and it’ll let you go ahead. Do remember that you will need to upgrade to iOS 8 for all your iDevices and Yosemite for Mac OS X.


3. Once the iCloud Drive is enabled, head to “Settings -> iCloud.” You should be able to see the “Set Up Family Sharing…” option just below your account name. Tap on it, and it’ll let you set up the family sharing function.


4. The first screen tells you what family sharing lets you do on your device. Once you finished reading the info, tap on “Get Started.”


5. Here’s the screen that asks what Apple account you want to use for the shared purchases. If the shown account is what you wish to use, tap on “Continue,” otherwise hit the bottom link to use another Apple account.


6. The next screen asks if your chosen Apple ID will be used for shared purchases. Tap on “Continue” and you’ll move to the next screen.


7. You now need to agree that you’ll pay for the purchases made on your family members’ iDevices. You have the option to approve or decline purchases made by your family members, so this shouldn’t be an issue for you.

8. Once you’ve agreed to pay, you’ll be asked if you wish your iDevice to be located on your family members’ iDevices. You can say “Yes” or “No” depending on your personal preferences.
9. You are done.

The family sharing is now set up on your device, and you can begin adding family members by going to “Settings -> iCloud.” All the people that you add will receive invitations via email, so make sure to use the email addresses that your family members use with their Apple accounts.

 

How to disable the lock screen using Registry Editor

How to disable the lock screen using Registry Editor



1. Press “Window key + R” on your keyboard to launch the Run bar.
2. In the Run bar, type regedit.

3. Click “Yes” once the UAC asks you for access.
4. From the Registry Editor folders, go to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalisation

5. If you can’t find the folder “Personalisation,” you need to create the folder first to keep the DWORD “NoLockScreen.”
6. Right-click the “Windows” folder and then hover the mouse to “New” and choose “Key.” Label the key “Personalisation.”
7. Right-click the “Personalisation” folder and hover the mouse to “New.” Choose the “DWORD (32-bit) value” and you’ll see the new value in the folder. 

8. Label the DWORD “NoLockScreen.”
9. Right-click “NoLockScreen” and click “Modify.” Change the value from 0 to 1 and click OK.

10. Exit the Registry Editor and reboot/restart your PC. You have successfully tweaked the lock screen if your screen shows you the user login instead of the lock screen.
However, in this tutorial, my first attempt was unsuccessful because of this one letter that the system was unable to acknowledge: “S”

Make Your Portable Dropbox 

When it comes to accessing our Dropbox folder, there are many ways to do it. You can install the Dropbox desktop client on all your computers, open the browser and access the web version of Dropbox, or if you are on the move and own an Android, iPhone or Blackberry, you can download the app and access it on the move. If none of the above work for you, one last way is to carry your Dropbox on your USB drive and bring it everywhere you go.

DropboxPortableAHK is a Dropbox portable app. It is based on the AutoHotKey script and allows you to place your Dropbox folder in a USB drive and sync it anywhere, everywhere.

 Steps:-

1. Download DropboxPortableAHK (~0.5MB, zip file)
2. Unzip the zip file. Plug in your USB drive and move the “DropboxPortableAHK” folder (the folder that you have just unzipped) to the USB drive.
3. Open the DropboxPortableAHK folder and double click the “DropboxPortableAHK.exe” file to run it.
4. It will prompt you to download the Dropbox daemon. Click Ok to proceed. If you are interested, you can also get it to download the beta version of Dropbox.


5. After the download finished, the configuration window will appear. From here, you can set your Dropbox folder and configure the app to update automatically.


6. Lastly, it will walk you through the Dropbox setup process. If your USB drive comes with limited capacity (say 2GB or less), it is best for you to select “Selective Sync” and select only the important folders to sync.

DropboxPortableAHK is not affiliated with Dropbox.com, but it is still easy to install and use. If you really need to bring your Dropbox on your USB drive, this is the best solution.

 

 

 

'Tis the Season! Holidays Special App Deals Worth Rs3000

'Tis the Season!  Holidays Special App Deals Worth Rs3000

The Witcher and The Witcher 2

His name is Geralt of Rivia and he's a witcher - a monster hunter. You play as Geralt on an epic quest to regain lost memories and rid a monster-infested world of curses. Along the way you'll face several tough choices where there is no good or evil and each choice comes with its own set of unintended consequences. One of the best role-playing adventure games is on sale. Go get it, before the third game releases next year
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Rs. 300, usually Rs. 620)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition (Rs. 300, usually Rs. 1200)
 

Scribe

Scribe is a great clipboard app for iOS and Mac. Copy text on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone is the easiest way to describe it. If you keep switching between the two devices, then Scribe is a handy app. Saved a complex password on the Mac? Use scribe to quickly paste it on your iPhone. There are many similar uses, but before you get the app, make sure that your iPhone and Mac supports Bluetooth LE. You can find a list of compatible apps here.
iPhone (Free, usually Rs. 190)
Mac (Free)

Threes!

NDTV Gadgets staff members have a thing for indie games with great art. You'll see that love pouring through in our favourite games of 2014, which is why Threes! is featured in the list. Everyone has played the low-quality freemium clone of Threes! - 2048. But the original is so much better than all the clones that it's worth paying for. With such a good discount on Android, who can resist buying?
Android (Rs. 60, usually Rs. 190)
iOS (Rs. 120, usually Rs. 190)

iPhone 6s mini With 4-Inch Display 

 

Apple fans who were disappointed with the launch of the large screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September this year, might soon see a 4-inch iPhone with an iPhone 6-like design arrive in 2015.
Timothy Arcuri, an analyst from Cowen and Company, is reported to have issued a note to Apple investors stating that the Cupertino-based tech firm might be working on a 4-inch handset, which might be called as iPhone 6s mini.
Apple Insider, which claims to have procured a copy of the issued note, also adds that the specifications of the rumoured mini smartphone will match with that of iPhone 5s' and the design with iPhone 6. This piece of information however should be taken with a pinch of salt as Arcuri's predictions is said to be mixed.
If Arcuri's prediction proves to be correct, the iPhone 6s mini could replace the iPhone 5c - the company's current budget smartphone - in the market. The analyst has also added that Apple might rely on Qualcomm for the iPhone 6s mini's components in order to keep the pricing down.
Apple in September this year launched the large screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets showing that it is willing to change its beliefs to cater to the moving market landscape. However, some observers also saw this surprise move by the firm as a bit of a U-turn, based on public comments made by the company earlier.

Nokia N1 Android Tablet's

 

The "first Nokia-branded Android tablet" - the Nokia N1 - has been now officially confirmed to launch on January 7 in Beijing, China.

 The Nokia N1 will cost $249 (roughly Rs. 15,400) before taxes, and will be made available in other markets globally, added Nokia.

The Nokia N1 is the company's first mobile product after the Microsoft acquisition, which forces the Finnish company to no longer use the Nokia brand on smartphones till Q4 2016, and on feature phones for 10 years. Though to bypass the restriction, Nokia may very well launch a smartphone under a different brand.

On the specifications front, the Nokia N1 features a 7.9-inch (2048x1536 pixel) IPS LED-backlit display protected by Gorilla Glass 3; a 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor (4 cores, 4 threads) coupled with a PowerVR G6430 GPU; 2GB of LPDDR3 (800MHz) RAM; 32GB of inbuilt storage (non-expandable); an 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera; a 5-megapixel fixed focus camera; 5300mAh battery, and the predictive Nokia Z Launcher interface on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Connectivity options on Nokia N1 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/n/ac with MIMO, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB with reversible Type-C connector, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 

How to use dSLR as a PC webcam

How to use dSLR as a PC webcam

First, you will need to check that your camera is compatible with the software for this tutorial. It's called SparkoCam, and works with most Canon and Nikon dSLRs. Check the list at the bottom of this page for your particular model.

Step one: Download SparkoCam and install on the PC.

Step two: Connect the camera to your PC using a USB cable. This is usually a microUSB or miniUSB to full USB cable, and one comes with your camera. Turn on the camera and let drivers install if necessary.
In SparkoCam under the Device tab, you should see the software auto-detect your camera. You can change the preview resolution and the video bitrate. Under the Effects tab you can add overlays to the video image if you so desire.

SparkoCam also allows you to change the exposure to adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance. Make sure to set the focus at this stage, otherwise the person on the other end will see you as a blur.



Step three: Start the chat software (such as Skype). Go to Tools > Options, then select Video Settings. Choose the SparkoCam option as your webcam input. You should see the image from the dSLR on screen.

Step four: Find a microphone to record sound, or use your PC's internal mic. You can't use the dSLR's internal mic for this, unfortunately.

Step five: Chat away! The free version of SparkoCam is fully functional but comes with a big watermark, so if you like what it does, $30/£19/AU$36 unlocks the full version. Choose the standard license for SparkoCam and choose either Canon or Nikon.

Google Scribe : Increase your typing speed

Google Scribe : Increase your typing speed

Google Scribe is a new project from Google labs that aids your text typing experience extremely simple, fas and accurate. This new project from Google labs actually provides auto-completion/suggestions as you type along any text input field for example, twitter, comment form, composing email, web chat etc.

Google Scribe is featured with many keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions from which you can make your text typing process quick and error free. You can choose any suggestion from the number pad by just pressing the number stroke and pressing enter. To know more about the shortcuts, click here.
Google Scribe is currently available as extension only for Google Chrome. In case your favorite browser is other than Chrome, you can still utilize it easily using the Google Scribe Bookmarklet.
To install it in your Chrome as extension, just download and install it from Google Scribe Chrome Extension. If you are using browser other than Google Chrome, then Bookmark this link Bookmark this link and place it in your Bookmark toolbar.

Now whenever you want Google Scribe tool to appear just click on the Bookmark link.

You’ll see similar screen as below when it loads the necessary scripts to enable word detection:

Script files loading from Google apps

How To Use USB Pendrive as RAM In Windows XP, 7 And 8

How To Use USB Pendrive as RAM In Windows XP, 7 And 8 

Method 1St:-

• First of all Insert Your Pen Drive
•  Then open "My computer" and Right click >> Then open "Properties".
• Now Properties window will appear, then click on "Advanced system settings" from left side.

• Then in "Advanced" Tab click on "Settings" Button appear in "Performance tab".
• Again new window will appear then click on "Advanced" Tab.
• In Advanced Tab there is an option of  "Virtual Memory box", Then click on "Change Button".

Process of Increasing Virtual Ram

• After click Change Button "Virtual settings" will appear.
• Now unchecked the box of  "Automatically Manage Page size feature"
• Then in Custom  size Add Your Pen Drive current same in below format.

Note:- If Your Pen Drive is of Size 4Gb then always add 10Mb less from current available size. As i am using pen drive of size 4Gb and current space available is 3700 Mb then use 3690 minimum approx or remove more as you can because it better of device safety.

• Now Add same "Value" in both boxes and click on Apply button.
• Restart Your PC or Laptop and Now pen drive work as "Virtual Ram".

Important:- If you face problem in above method then can also follow below method which is easy to perform and work on Window 7, 8

 

Method 2nd:-

• Firstly Insert your "Pen Drive" >> Now Right click on your pen drive.
• Open "Properties" >> Then "ReadyBoost" Tab.

•  Then switch to "Use this device" and reduce your current memory space. If your current device place is 3700MB then reduce it with approx 200-300MB.

• Then click on Apply button and all Done.
• In case if you want to change back your pen drive to normal then switch it back Don't use device in Readyboost tab.

iBall With Windows Phone 8.1 Launched at Rs. 4,899

iBall seems set to launch a Windows Phone handset in India, the iBall Andi 4L Pulse, as the handset is said to be already available at Rs. 4,899 in the Indian market according to an established retailer. The smartphone will be the firm's first Windows Phonehandset.

The company has not officially announced the iBall Andi 4L Pulse, but based on the Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom's track record, iBall will likely announce the smartphone's launch and availability details soon.

Other specifications of the iBall Andi 4L Pulse listed by the retailer include a 4-inch (480x800 pixel) TFT display, a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with BSI sensor, 4GB of built-in storage, and Bluetooth v3.0 connectivity. A 1500mAh battery is said to power the handset, which reportedly offers 3G connectivity.

If the retailer turns out to be correct, and iBall officially launches the Andi 4L Pulse at Rs. 4,899

Hyundai Australia ix35 Fuel Cell

Hyundai Australia ix35 Fuel Cell

The zero-emission ix35 Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, and Hyundai plans to operate a fleet of them from Australia, with testing and demonstration drives commencing early 2015.

The ix35 Fuel Cell runs on Hydrogen and only emits water vapour - the hydrogen from the car's fuel tank mixes with air and is converted to electricity by a fuel cell stack, which then powers the car's electric motor.
Hyundai claims the ix35 Fuel Cell has a maximum range of 594km, and produces 100kW of power with 300Nm of torque.

As part of Hyundai's environmental ambitions, installation has also begun on Australia's first Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS) at the Macquarie Park Hyundai headquarters in Sydney's north west. 

The HRS is scheduled to commence operation in early 2015, and Hyundai hopes it will be the first step towards building 'Hydrogen Highways' for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) like the ix35 Fuel Cell across Australia, similar to ones proposed in Europe and the US.

HTC Desire 620G Dual SIM Launched at Rs. 15,900

HTC Desire 620G Dual SIM Launched at Rs. 15,900

HTC has launched the Desire 620G Dual SIM for the Indian market, priced at Rs. 15,900.
The  company has announced that the new Desire-series smartphone will be available starting from the second-week of December. The HTC Desire 620G Dual SIM recently went on sale in India via an e-commerce website. The company stresses that the Desire 620G Dual SIM is the successor to the popular Desire 620 smartphone.

Launched earlier this month, the Desire 620G Dual SIM is the 3G-variant of the Desire 620 Dual SIM, which supports 4G connectivity and is yet to make its way to Indian shores. Both the Desire 620 Dual SIM and Desire 620G Dual SIM went on sale in Taiwan starting this month.
Both the dual-SIM smartphones share similar specifications excepting network connectivity, processor and the inbuilt storage expansion limit.

The 3G-supporting HTC Desire 620G Dual SIM is backed by a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with storage expansion support via microSD card (up to 32GB). The 4G-enabled HTC Desire 620 Dual SIM, on the other hand, is powered by a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, and supports storage expansion via microSD card (up to 128GB).



The Android 4.4.4 KitKat-based Desire 620G Dual SIM comes with popular HTC BlinkFeed. It features a 5-inch LCD display with HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution with a pixel density of 294ppi; 1GB of RAM; 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash; 5-megapixel front-facing camera with BSI sensor; HTC Eye Experience; 8GB of inbuilt storage, and a 2100mAh removable battery. The company claims that the battery on the Desire 620G Dual SIM can deliver up to 19 hours of talk time and up to 525 hours of standby time.
Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/ A-GPS and GPRS/ EDGE. The Desire 620G Dual SIM supports dual Micro-SIMs. Measuring 150.1x72.7x9.6mm, the Desire 620G Dual-SIM weighs 160 grams and also sport the company's iconic design with dual front-facing speakers. The new Desire-series smartphone will be available in Santorini White and Gunmetal Grey colours.

Nokia Lumia 638 4G LTE Launched at Rs. 8,299

Nokia Lumia 638  4G LTE Launched at Rs. 8,299




Microsoft on Tuesday has launched its affordable 4G smartphone in India dubbed the Nokia Lumia 638, which had made its debut in China earlier this year in June.
Priced at Rs. 8,299, the Nokia Lumia 638 will be exclusive to the company's newly launched Microsoft Brand Store on Amazon India, and will go up for pre-orders from Wednesday.

The Lumia 638 in India will come with Cat. 4 LTE support for bands 3, 7, 38, 39, 40, and 41. Other specifications of the Nokia Lumia 638 smartphone are same as the Chinese variant.

The Nokia Lumia 638 in India includes a 4.5-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) ClearBlack LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3 and a pixel density of 221ppi; a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC; 1GB of RAM; a 5-megapixel rear autofocus camera; no front-facing camera; 8GB of built-in storage with expandability via microSD card (up to 128GB); an 1830mAh battery, and Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update.

The new Nokia Lumia 638 by Microsoft will also come bundled with an exclusive offer on Airtel 4G. Consumers on Airtel postpaid in Bengaluru will get up to 5GB of free data on 4G for 2 months post activation of their Airtel connection on the new Lumia 638, and the offer will be available until March 31, 2015.

Indian Users Can Make Free Calls to US and Canada Phones

Indian Users Can Make Free Calls to US and Canada Phones

Good news for Indian Skype user, now they can make free call to US and Canada.

Skype announced a limited time offer that gives Skype users in India the ability to call any landline or mobile number in the US or Canada free of cost.

The offer is valid for both new and existing Skype users until March 1 2015 (11:59pm IST). This is for a limited time only all calls from India to mobiles and landlines in the United States and Canada are completely free. And you don't even need to do anything other than start calling, states the Skype India home page. The offer is evidently to gather more users in India to use Skype's service.

Deadlines of Christmas 2014 online shopping

Deadlines of Christmas 2014 online shopping 



Adorama
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.

Order deadline	Shipping method
Fri 12/12 1:00PM	Super Saver (7-10 business days)
Wed 12/17 8:00PM	Standard
Fri 12/19 1:00PM	Expedited
Fri 12/19 1:00PM	UPS 3-Day
Mon 12/22 8:00PM	UPS 2-Day
Tues 12/23 8:00PM	UPS Next Day

See Adorama's deadlines.
Amazon
Choose these shipping options by the listed cutoff date to receive your order by December 24. Items must be marked "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" or "Fulfilled by Amazon.com."

Order deadline	Shipping method
Tues 12/16	Free shipping (non-Prime) on orders $35 or more
Fri 12/19	Standard (arrives 3-4 business days)
Mon 12/22	2-day
Tue 12/23	1-day
Wed 12/24	Same-day delivery (where available)

See Amazon's deadlines.
Apple
Apple is not posting shipping deadlines this year. Instead, it will show you the estimated delivery date once you add an item to your cart and enter your zip code.

Order deadline	Shipping method
Fri 12/19	3-business-day
Mon 12/22	2-business-day
Tues 12/23	Next-business-day

Barnes & Noble
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your Nook order by December 24.

Order deadline	Shipping method
Tues 12/16	Free standard shipping
Fri 12/18	Express
Tues 12/23	Expedited

See Barnes & Noble's deadlines.
Best Buy
For many items, Best Buy offers free two-day shipping, but it has not posted its Christmas shipping deadlines this year. The below dates are based on its standard shipping policies.

Order deadline	Shipping method
Wed 12/17	Standard (3-7 business days)
Fri 12/19	Expedited (3 business days)
Mon 12/22	Express (2 business days)

B&H Photo and Video
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.

Order deadline	Shipping method
Mon 12/15	Super Saver
Tues 12/16	Standard, UPS Ground
Thurs 12/18	Priority Mail
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How To Copy data from other devices in Android 5.0

How To Copy data from other devices in Android 5.0 



Log-in and select

For this option, skip the Tap and Go screen, then sign-in on your new device. Now follow these quick steps to copy your apps:


Step 1: Select the source device for your apps. The setup wizard will show you the available devices and when you last used each.

Step 2: Tap the next drop-down box under the device name and select which apps from the list will be installed.
Step 3: Check the Google Play Store to make sure your apps have started installing.
The new copy data feature is a welcome time saver for individual users who are adding or replacing a device, as well as businesses that are managing many devices on a regular basis.

Scan business cards for Android

Scan business cards for Android

Step 1: Open the Evernote app on your Android device and tap the new button in the lower right-hand corner. Select the Camera function and then swipe to the Business Card option on the far right.
Step 2: You'll see a prompt that says you need to upgrade to Premium in order to use the feature. Under that will be a link to connect your LinkedIn account, so you can try business card scanning free for one year. Put in your details to authorize a connection and you'll be able to use the scanning feature immediately.

Step 3: For best results, you should place any business card you want to scan on a contrasting surface. Then, just tap the screen to focus, and then the camera icon to snap the photo. Evernote will automatically parse the data to create a contact note.

ET deals: Dell Inspiron 20 touch all-in-one desktop for $249

ET deals: Dell Inspiron 20 touch all-in-one desktop for $249

This Dell Inspiron 20 is powered by a latest-gen Intel Celeron N2830 dual-core processor, which will be able to handle your typical slate of office and internet tasks. It runs Windows 8.1 with Bing on a 19.5-inch 1600×900 touchscreen display, allowing you to tap, pinch and swipe your way through Windows 8 on a spacious screen. This all-in-one is equipped with a multi-angle kickstand, so it’ll be easy to adjust your angle for use with a keyboard, watching a movie, or even laying it flat for playing games.

A 500GB hard drive gives you plenty of storage space for videos, music and more. There’s also 4GB of RAM installed, so it’ll be a snap to run multiple programs at once if you have to. These specs are firmly in the mainstream category – despite the budget price, you’re not stuck with a 320GB hard drive and 2GB RAM here.

A trio of USB ports can be found to help get you hooked up to the world around you, as well as an HDMI and Ethernet port. When you need to go wireless, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth have you covered.

Android Gaming Phone With a Joystick at Rs. 12,990

Mitashi on Thursday introduced two new Android-based gaming devices in its Thunder series, the Mitashi Play Thunderbolt smartphone and the Mitashi GameIn ThunderPro Quad-core Console, priced at Rs. 12,990 and Rs. 9,990 respectively. While the company hasn't given out the exact availability of both the devices, it said they will be available via Flipkart.

Designed for gamers, the Mitashi Play Thunderbolt smartphone comes with a joystick, dual speakers, OTG, and an 'ultra-sensitive' G sensor. The smartphone runs Android Jelly Bean OS out-of-the-box and also supports dual-SIM cards.

The display on Mitashi Play Thunderbolt is 5-inch, with an HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution and 320dpi pixel density. It is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with PowerVR SGX 544MHz GPU and 1GB of RAM.

The smartphone features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The 16GB internal storage on the Play Thunderbolt is expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB). The battery on the device is 4200mAh.The company added the first few lucky buyers will get a free sleek leather flip cover worth Rs. 990.

The second Android-powered portable gaming console by the company, the Mitashi GameIn ThunderPro Quad-core Console, comes with a 5-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) display, a quad-core 1.6GHz processor with a quad-core Mali 400MHz GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB), and Android KitKat.

YouTube Offline Playback Launched in India

 

YouTube on Thursday announced the start of the India rollout of the new offline feature that allows users to download videos to their Android device for later consumption when without usable network connectivity.

YouTube's offline feature, which was announced earlier this year alongside the Android One, is ad-supported and available for Android and iOS.

The firm said starting Thursday, "much of India's popular YouTube content" is available to view offline.

The videos are available for offline playback only through the YouTube app, and can be downloaded via mobile data or Wi-Fi.

A video downloaded via the YouTube offline feature is available for viewing within 48 hours, the firm specified at its launch event in Mumbai, thus helping avoid issues involved with the free downloading of copyrighted content. Users have to sync with YouTube to watch the videos.

Notably ads will be downloaded alongside the video, and these will be refreshed once the user re-syncs to YouTube. The re-syncing process allows YouTube to calculate metrics such as views and ad data.

John Harding, Vice President of Engineering at YouTube, said of the new offline feature, "In a country like India, the future of the Internet is mobile... By launching this offline experience on YouTube in India today, we hope to help people move past the challenges of data connection, speed and cost to enjoy a smooth, buffer-free version of YouTube."

Google Nexus 9 Tablet at Rs. 28,900

Google Nexus 9 Tablet at Rs. 28,900

Google's latest Nexus-series tablet, manufactured by HTC, the Nexus 9, has finally gone on sale in India, priced at Rs. 28,900.
Launched exclusively on Amazon India, the Google Nexus 9 16GB Wi-Fi only variant is currently on sale and is available starting Thursday in Indigo Black colour.

The online retailer currently lists just the Wi-Fi only Nexus 9 variant with no word on availability of the 32GB cellular variant.
The Google Nexus 9 tablet back in October first made an appearance on the Google Play in India. Unfortunately, the tablet is still listed as 'Coming Soon' in the Devices section of the Google Play. The Nexus 9 has been priced at Rs. 28,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only variant, while the 32GB cellular variant is priced at Rs. 44,900. The 32GB Wi-Fi only variant is listed as unavailable.

the HTC Nexus 9 tablet along with the Google Nexus 6 smartphone is the platform lead of Google's next generation mobile operating system dubbed Android 5.0 Lollipop. Google has touted Android Lollipop as the company's "sweetest release yet."

 Google Nexus 9 features an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with QXGA (2048x1536 pixels) with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by a 64-bit Nvidia Tegra K1 processor coupled with Kepler GPU and 2GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera with f/2.4 aperture and LED flash. There is a 1.6-megapixel front camera as well. Backing the device is a 6700mAh battery rated to deliver up to 9.5 hours of browsing time; video playback time of up to 9.5 hours, and a standby time of 30 days for the Wi-Fi model. Connectivity options include 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB, GPS, Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth.

Offers:-

Amazon India is offering a gift card of worth Rs. 2,000 for shopping on its e-commerce website with every purchase of Nexus 9 tablet.

Antec AMP SPZero and Antec AMP SP1

 

The Antec AMP SPZero and AMP SP1 Bluetooth speakers are steps in that direction. We played around with these rugged speakers to figure out if this is a good idea for Antec.

Design and specifications

At first glance, the AMP SPZero resembles a weight used on a weighing scale. This boxy speaker has dimensions of 3.4x2.2x3.7mm and weighs around 218g, which is on the higher side for a portable speaker of this size. There are two metal handlebars on top of the AMP SPZero. Antec bundles a carabiner clip inside the box which can be attached to the speaker to help carry it around easily. The AMP SPZero's tough plastic shell is covered by a layer of rubbery material. This material is not attached tight and disfigures easily, which takes away from the otherwise decent looking speaker.

The three control buttons - power/pairing, volume up and volume down - are lined up on the top. There is a hole for a microphone in between the volume down and power buttons. The LED indicator is on the front. On the right of the speaker are the Aux in, Aux out and Micro-USB ports. The Aux out port can be used to create a daisy chain with another AMP SPZero. We couldn't test if this worked because we only had a single review unit. Antec touts that these speakers are splash-proof but we are don't think the open ports are a good idea as there is a possibility of water seepage.

Performance

Pairing a Bluetooth-enabled device to the AMP SPZero is not very intuitive. We had to resort to the manual to figure it out. To power on the speaker you have to hold the button for a good 15 seconds, and in order to pair with an audio source you have to continue holding the button until you hear the "pairing mode" prompt in a female voice. Unfortunately, there is no pre-recorded voice on the AMP SP1 and you will have to make do with beeps. However, the pairing process is much simpler on the larger speaker because of the separate power switch. Once paired with either speaker, there is no need to pair your devices again.

The drivers inside the AMP SPZero and AMP SP1 are placed such that low frequency sounds emanate from the rear and the rest of the frequencies are played through the grille on the front. This is slightly annoying since the ranges don't mesh together nicely to create a coherent sound. This is more apparent on the AMP SPZero than AMP SP1.