Apps to automatically delete Facebook, Twitter posts

The Snapchat app popularized the concept of sending photos and videos that self-destruct in minutes and new apps do the same for posts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

Smartphones and mobile apps have made sharing photos faster and easier than ever, but privacy has become a growing concern. Designers have created new apps because they said people want to control who sees their content and for how long on social media sites. 

"Most of these ephemeral media apps have been focused on private messaging. But this is more to do with control and cleaning things up so that the average user can't see what you've posted in the past on social networks," said Pierre Legrain, a developer of Spirit for Twitter, an app that can auto-deleteTwitter posts. 

Secret.li, an iPhone app, lets users can take a photo with their iPhone's camera and post it to Facebook knowing it will be automatically deleted an hour, day, or week after it is posted. 

"Publishing is so easy but privacy is so obscure," said Deepak Touwari, co-founder of Secret.li, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

After taking a photo with the app, users can decide who they want to share it with and for how long. Recipients will see a scrambled or hidden version of the photo, which they can open and view completely in the Secret.li Facebook or iPhone apps. After the photo is deleted it also disappears from Facebook and Secret.li. 

"We see it more like a photo shedder application," said Touwari, adding the motivation behind the app was privacy. 

"(Social networks) are great keepers of memory but very poor keepers of context," he said. 

Another app for iPhone and Android, called Facebook Poke, which was created by Facebook, allows users to send their friends messages, photos and videos and decide how long they can view it. 

Spirit, a web app for Twitter released last week, lets members of the micro-blogging site add a hashtag to their tweet so it will auto-delete. Users authorize their account and add hashtags such as "#30m" or "#10d", which will delete their tweets after 30 minutes and 10 days respectively. 

Legrain, a former Twitter employee based in Palo Alto, California, said the motivation for the app was privacy. Part of the value of Spirit for Twitter, he added, is its ability to filter out content that loses accuracy or relevancy over time. 

"If you're a meteorologist or weatherman tweeting about an unfolding hurricane, you want the info on Twitter to be as relevant and accurate so tweets from half an hour (ago) shouldn't be there," he explained. 

Legrain attributes the popularity of the apps to the growing privacy concerns among consumers. 

"With the ongoing privacy scares, people are thinking about what they put out there now and looking for ways to have more control," he said. "People now feel they have slightly more control than they had yesterday," he added.

Google Glass: The future‘s on your face

Way back in 1945, Vannevar Bush, the director of the US Office of Scientific Research and Development, wrote a remarkable essay titled "As we may think." In it, Bush predicted the rise of the worldwide web. He also wrote that "the camera hound of the future wears on his forehead a lump a little larger than a walnut. It takes pictures 3 millimetres square, later to be projected or enlarged."

Bush's future is here. With the arrival of Google Glass, the camera is even smaller than a walnut.

In a detailed piece in The New York Times, author Clive Thompson looks at the history of wearable computing, beginning with Bush's vision. He talks about the experiment conducted by mathematician Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon , the engineer and cryptographer known as the father of information theory. Thorpe and Shannon created a small device, the size of a cigarette pack, that they used to beat the odds at roulette at Las Vegas casinos. This was the first wearable computer.

Thompson also talks about Thad Starner, first a student, then a professor at MIT. As a student , in 1993, Starner found it difficult to take notes and concentrate on what his professor was saying at the same time. He built a device to help him. It was made of computer parts stored in a backpack. Input was through a one-handed keyboard called the Twiddler. The user interface was an LED display clipped two inches in front of his right eye. He found the device so useful that he has used it for nearly 20 years now. In 1998 Starner met Larry Page and Sergei Brin, the founders of Google. Years later, Brin and Page would hire Starner to help them work on Google Glass.

Thompson also discusses the design process of Google Glass - how it went from a mad scientist's design to its current streamlined structure, with one arm acting as a trackpad, the other arm acting as a speaker that plays music directly against the skull. A future so bright, you gotta wear shades!

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Apple launches iPhone 5S, 5C; eyes India & China

 Apple has, for the first time, unveiled a cheaper smartphone, named the iPhone 5C. It has almost the same specifications as iPhone 5, which was launched as the company's flagship device last year, but in a plastic body.

The iPhone 5C (with contract in the US) is cheaper than all new iPhones launched till now, and is said to be targeted at emerging markets like India and China. With the launch of iPhone 5S, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 5 that was rolled out last year and served as the flagship model till now.

Apple also launched its pricey new iPhone 5S, which will take over from iPhone 5 as the latest flagship device of the company. It will be available in three colours - gold, white and black.

But the wow appeal usually associated with Apple's launches clearly seemed to be missing from today's event. Unlike in the past when iPhone's newer models turned slimmer, lighter, glitzier each year, Apple seemed to have reserved most of its attention to what lies inside the body this time.

However, in a bold move aimed to take on rivals Microsoft and Google, Apple also announced that it was making its premium productivity suite iWork, which can be downloaded free with iOS 7.

under the hood of iPhone 5S
Unlike the iPhone 5C, this device is made using aluminium and is powered by the A7 processor. The A7 chip is the only one in the world to feature the 64-bit desktop-class architecture and is twice as fast as previous processors in performing tasks and rendering graphics.

"With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5s is faster and better than ever, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games," claimed the company.

The new iPhone 5S has an 8MP camera, which comes with dual-LED flash. The camera's sensor is 15% larger than that of its predecessor and offers better low-light performance.

Apple claims that this phone's camera can take 20 photos in two seconds, features auto image stabilization and records 720p videos at 120 frames per second (which is the highest for any smartphone). 1080p videos are recorded at 30fps.

iPhone 5S also has an all-new M7 chip that tracks motion data without waking the A7 chip and interacts with health apps to give fitness data. However, Apple claimed the two-chip system does not affect battery life of the device, which offers 250 hours on standby and 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks.

At the launch, the company showcased the gaming prowess of the iPhone 5S, which supports OpenGL 3.0 standard. The new phone delivers more details and makes graphics more vivid.

Google had recently introduced the OpenGL 3.0 standard in Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It can render rich and complex visual effects, previously only possible on desktops and gaming consoles.

Apple has also introduced a new, hi-tech biometric feature called Touch ID, using which one can unlock the phone with the touch of a finger.

Setting up Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognizes the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life.

All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored on the chip itself. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store.

"iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

"iPhone 5S sets a new standard for smartphones, packed into its beautiful and refined design are breakthrough features that really matter to people," Schiller claimed.

Pricey proposition
iPhone 5S ( with contract) will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. The 16, 32 and 64GB unlocked variants have been priced in the US at a hefty $649, $749 and $849, respectively. This is the same pricing format followed by Apple for previous iPhones.

In first phase, iPhone 5S will start retailing in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20. A new iPhone 4S 8GB model will also be available for free on contract.

Cooking old wine for Asia
Apple's move to launch a cheaper version is clearly aimed at boosting penetration in key Asian countries like India, China and Japan. However, many may be disappointed as iPhone 5C comes across as old wine in new bottle since it has received hardly any hardware update.

Instead of cutting the prices of its older models, Apple has adopted a different strategy this time. "In the past, we've lowered the price of the current iPhone, making it accessible to more people. This year, we're not going to do that," said Schiller teasingly.

"The business has become so large that this year we're going to replace the iPhone 5, and we're going to replace it with not one, but two new designs," he reiterated.

Of the two devices launched tonight, this is how Schiller described the cheaper variant made of polycarbonate: "iPhone 5C is beautifully, unapologetically plastic."

iPhone 5C will come in two variants and will have two-year contracts. It will come in five colours - green, grey, light blue, peach, and yellow.

It has a 4-inch screen and comes with Apple's A6 processor, which power the now-discontinued iPhone 5. This new cheaper iPhone has an 8MP camera with a five-element lens, similar to the one used in iPhone 5. Connectivity options in the new handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi.

The 16GB variant of this smartphone will cost $99 on contract, while the 32GB version has been priced at $199. The unlocked 16 and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5C have been priced at $549 and $649, respectively. The company also announced cases in six colours for this handset, which will cost $29 a piece.

iWork now offered free
Earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the launch event at Apple headquarters in Califiornia, US, with an introduction of the company's new iOS 7 operating system. Cook surprised everyone by announcing that Apple was making available free with the new iOS 7 five of its premium paid productivity software apps such as iPhoto, iMovie. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are collectively known as iWork suite. The move clearly seems aimed at taking on Microsoft Windows Mobile and Android devices.

iOS comes on September 18
iOS7 will be available for downloads from September 18, which is in contrast to Apple's past practice of rolling out the iOS update on the day of unveiling the latest iPhone. The delay could disappoint Apple aficionados, as also the fact that iOS 7 updates won't apply to many older generation devices.

It is a bad news for many existing owners of Apple's mobile devices such as iPhones and iPad. The older generation devices won't get the iOS 7 update which will apply only to iPhone 4 and 5, iPad 2 and 3, iPad mini, and the 5th-gen iPod touch. This means the owners of the iPhone 3GS and iPad 1 would be left high and dry.

The iOS 7 which will come pre-loaded on the two new iPhones, will feature new icons and ringtones; several new Siri features (including a male voice option); redesigned search and Safari browser; new multitasking layout in a 3D look; new camera features, including Sqaure (for Instagram photos) and better segregation of images as per location, occasion and time.

It will also have a new Control Center, besides Notification Center that can be opened even on a locked screen by merely swiping down from top to bottom of the screen. Other features include improved multitasking, AirDrop and iTunes Radio.

iOS and Android evenly poised
With Apple shipping its 700 millionth iOS device next month, it will become the most popular mobile operating system in the world. claimed Cook.

Interestingly, Apple and rival Google are neck to neck vis-a-vis app downloads. Apple's App Store had 900,000 apps and 50 billion total downloads according to the company's announcement made at the time of launch of iOS 7 on June 10. Google's Android had 1 million apps and same 50 billion downloads as announced by the company while launching the Android 4.3 on July 24.

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Asha is the new hope for Microsoft

Microsoft-Nokia may never reach the market share highs that Nokia saw in India-it was 56% in 2008-but the merged entity stands a good chance of arresting the fall (the share is now down to 27%) and making gains in the mid and upper segments of the mobile phone market.

Most analysts don't think Microsoft will bother about the low-end of the feature phone segment, where margins are very low and local players like Micromax and Karbonn have proved too competitive for Nokia. This market remains big in India, and so long as it remains big and Microsoft does not play significantly in it, the company's share in the overall market will stay low.

The big opportunity that Microsoft perhaps sees is in the mid- and upper-end, where it has the Asha and the Windows-based Lumia brands. Manasi Yadav, senior market analyst with research firm IDC India, believes Microsoft will bring greater focus to the mid segment in the short run. "Access to Nokia's patents and OS will help it to create powerful devices in the market. Going forward, we will see more launches in the sub-Rs 10,000 market that will lift volumes. Nokia has strong brand equity in feature phones and since Microsoft has inherited strong legacy from Nokia, they will look at new launches in that price point," she said. IDC categorizes Asha phones, priced at Rs 4,000-6,000, as feature phones, though some call them low-end smartphones.

Soma Sundaram, founder of mobile payments platform iKaaz, said Asha was a huge win for Microsoft, "From a growth with profitability perspective, the Asha and higher-end smartphone segments are what Microsoft will likely focus on."

Yadav thinks Microsoft will take a longer time to build its smartphone strategy because Lumia is still a nascent platform compared to Android.

Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst in Gartner, said since the Nokia deal puts Microsoft closer to the customer-as it now controls both hardware and software-they would be in a better position to understand what the market wants. "This deal is good for the Windows ecosystem and MS should be able to manage device upgrades easily," he said. But Sridhar Pai, CEO of telecom research company Tonse Telecom, said Microsoft would find the going tough. "They are late entrants into a market dominated by Android phones. They have a set of adaptive issues and they have to execute their strategy faster to accelerate their capabilities," he said.

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Sony announces Xperia Z1 with 20MP camera

Sony on Wednesday announced Xperia Z1, world's first smartphone with a 20.7 megapixels (MP) camera, at IFA, a trade show, in Berlin. The company said that the device has the "world's leading camera in a smartphone", implying that it can shoot better images than what Nokia's Lumia 1020, which has a 41MP camera, can manage.

"The Xperia Z1 is the absolute embodiment of that one Sony ethos," said Sony CEO Kaz Hirai. "We designed Z1 to deliver Sony's compact camera performance in a smartphone."

While the camera is the highlight of Z1, it is a high-end and powerful device. The phone has a 5-inch TFT screen with FullHD (1080x1920 pixels) resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm's S800chip, which is theoretically the world's fastest mobile processor. The quad-core S800 in Z1 runs at 2.2GHz and uses an Adreno 330 chip for graphics-related processing. The device has 2GB RAM, an aluminum and glass body, 16GB internal storage and support for a microSD card.

Like other recent Xperia devices, Z1 uses a waterproof and dustproof design. It will run Android 4.2.2.

Sony said that Z1 would be available in markets across the world in the coming weeks. In India the device is expected to be launched within this month. For now Sony has not revealed the country-specific prices.

Highlighting the camera performance of Z1, Sony said "independent testing has confirmed that Xperia Z1 provides the best overall image quality of all leading smartphones". The camera in Z1 features 1/2.3-inch image sensor, a dedicated chip for image processing and a lens with F 2.0 aperture.

'Lenses' that attach to a smartphone

A smartphone with high-resolution camera was not the only highlight of Sony's event in Berlin. The company also announced two 'lenses' that can be attached to almost any Android device or iPhone to convert the phones into powerful cameras.

While Sony is calling QX10 and QX100 lenses, they are tiny full-fledged cameras that have their own image sensors, memory card slot, battery and microphone. QX10 has a 2/3-inch, 18MP image sensor while QX100 has a 1-inch, 20MP image sensor. QX10 offers 10X optical zoom while QX100 can zoom up to 3.6X. However, QX100 also features a lens with F1.8 aperture, which should help users click far better images in low light.

The QX10 and QX100 will have to be controlled by an Android device or iPhone through Wi-Fi or NFC, if it is available. Once the 'lenses' have been paired with a smartphone, the screen of the phone turns into a viewfinder.

QX10 has been priced at $250 and QX100 will cost $499. The country-specific price of the two has not been yet revealed by Sony. Both QX10 and QX100 are expected to launch in India along with Xperia Z1.

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In Depth: Android 4.4 KitKat release date, news and rumors

Well, this is a surprise. Having long expected version 5.0 of Android to be given the code name Key Lime Pie, Google has instead handed the 'K' release name to Android 4.4 and in a weird cross-promotional deal it's called it Android KitKat.

As part of the deal Nestle is running a contest to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit through specially branded Kit Kat bars.

So, apart from the fact that the chocolate bar has a space between Kit and Kat and Android 4.4 doesn't. what do we know about KitKat so far?

Android 4.4 release date

Android 4.3 recently arrived on the Nexus 7, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus but is yet to roll out to other devices. It'll also be arriving 'soon' on the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google versions, with HTC saying it expects to push it out to developers by the end of September.

So now we can start to look forward to the Android 4.4 KitKat release date. But when? We'll take a guess at late October or early November 2013 for now – which is when we were previously expecting to see Android 5.0 break cover.

Android 4.4 features

Android 4.3 came with a few minor upgrades including better multi-user customisation, support for Bluetooth smart technology and an updated keyboard. As a minor release, Android 4.3 didn't even get its own desert-themed name, sharing the Jelly Bean moniker with Android 4.1 and 4.2.

So with a brand new code name, we can expect Android 4.4 to bring some bigger changes, but all Google is saying at this stage is: "It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody."

From this, we can assume that Google wants to get Android onto less powerful devices, something we were previously hearing about Android 5.0 when it was claimed that the new OS would be optimised to run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM.

We also learned from Android Central back in February 2013 that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel. One improvement that this kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which fits with Google's goal of bringing Android to more devices.

Android 4.4 phones

In a commercial for its new operating system, Google revealed what seems to be the long-awaited Nexus 5.

Shown off in a 38 second advert, the new Nexus handset looks to be equipped with a large camera and a matte black finish, carrying an LG logo on the back.

Google has since taken the video down, leading to further speculation that it did indeed reveal the Nexus 5.

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Oracle to launch skill development courses in UP

Leading software and hardware company Oracle on Monday announced that it will introduce its courses in Uttar Pradesh schools, vocational, technical and higher education institutions under its Train The Trainer initiative.

Oracle Education Initiative's India director Ajay Kapoor, who met senior officials from departments of secondary education, vocational training, and technical education, said that Oracle would be offering courses at three levels.

"As part of investment in community, Oracle intends to contribute meaningfully under its non-commercial educational reform programme in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

First level involves 'Introduction to Computer Science', which is mainly targeted at school and ITIs in the state and would be available free of cost to the faculties and students while second level comprises of 'Advance Computer Science' aimed at technical and degree students and under the third level of programme, 'Business Applications of Computer Science' would be taught, officials added.

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Google wants you to click “Incredible India”

Google and the Ministry of Tourism want you to shoot the images that show the life, culture and places within India, and share them on a Google+ page. The company and the ministry have joined hands to launch a photo contest, which invites people from across the world, and especially in India, to share their best clicks that reflect the essence of India.

The contest will run for the next few weeks and winners will be declared at the Delhi Photo Festival, which is slated to start from September 27. Sources told TOI that the contest would be formally announced in the coming days.

While there is no cash reward for winning entries, sources said that the winners would be offered a week-long trip to any location of their choice within India by the tourism ministry. It will be an all-expenses paid trip.

The official Google page for the contest is already online and accessible. To participate, contestants will have to share their images on their page at Google+, a social networking site, and tag their posts with #IncredibleIndia hashtag. Once tagged, the images will appear on a special web page created by Google for the contest.

Tourism ministry will select 10 photos that have received the highest number +1 votes on the social media site. After that it will pick three top photos from the list and declare them winners.

Google will not play any role in deciding the winners.

Microsoft CEO‘s email to staff on Nokia acquisition

Microsoft Corp has announced that it is buying Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44 billion euros. Below is Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's letter to employees on the acquisition.

From: Steve Ballmer
To: MS FTEs
Date: Sep. 2, 8:00 PM PDT (Sep. 3, 6:00 AM EET)
Subject: Accelerating Growth

We announced some exciting news today: We have entered into an agreement to purchase Nokia's Devices & Services business, which includes their smartphone and mobile phone businesses, their award-winning design team, manufacturing and assembly facilities around the world, and teams devoted to operations, sales, marketing and support.

For Microsoft, this is a bold step into the future and the next big phase of the transformation we announced on July 11.

We are very excited about the proposal to bring the best mobile device efforts of Microsoft and Nokia together. Our Windows Phone partnership over the past two and half years has yielded incredible work - the stunning Lumia 1020 is a great example. Our partnership has also yielded incredible growth. In fact, Nokia Windows Phones are the fastest-growing phones in the smartphone market.

Now is the time to build on this momentum and accelerate our share and profits in phones. Clearly, greater success with phones will strengthen the overall opportunity for us and our partners to deliver on our strategy to create a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most.

We have laid out Microsoft's strategic rationale for this transaction in a presentation that I encourage you to read.

This is a smart acquisition for Microsoft, and a good deal for both companies. We are receiving incredible talent, technology and IP. We've all seen the amazing work that Nokia and Microsoft have done together.

Given our long partnership with Nokia and the many key Nokia leaders that are joining Microsoft, we expect a smooth transition and great execution.

As is always the case with an acquisition, the first priority is to keep driving through close, which we expect in the first quarter of 2014, following approval by Nokia's shareholders, regulatory approvals, and other closing conditions.

But I also know people will have some questions about what happens post-close. While details aren't final, here is what we know, and how we're generally approaching integration:

1. Stephen Elop will be coming back to Microsoft, and he will lead an expanded Devices team, which includes all of our current Devices and Studios work and most of the teams coming over from Nokia, reporting to me.

2. Julie Larson-Green will continue to run the Devices and Studios team, and will be focused on the big launches this fall including Xbox One and our Surface enhancements. Julie will be joining Stephen's team once the acquisition closes, and will work with him to shape the new organization.

3. As part of the acquisition, a number of key engineering leaders will be joining Microsoft from Nokia, reporting to Stephen in his new capacity: * Jo Harlow, who will continue to lead the Smart Devices team
* Timo Toikkanen, who will continue to lead the Mobile Phones team
* Stefan Pannenbecker, who will lead Design
* Juha Putkiranta, who will lead the integration effort on Nokia's behalf

4. Regarding the sales team, we plan to keep the Nokia field team, led by Chris Weber, intact and as the nexus of the devices sales effort, so that we can continue to build sales momentum. After the deal closes, Chris and his team will be placed under Kevin Turner. We will develop a single integrated team that is selling to operators, and there may be other integration opportunities that we can pursue. Kevin will work with Chris Weber and Chris Capossela to make those plans.

5. Our operating system team under Terry Myerson will continue unchanged, with a mission of supporting both first-party and third-party hardware innovation. We are committed to working with partners, helping them build great products and great businesses on our platform, and we believe this deal will increase our partner value proposition over time. The established rhythms and ways of working between Terry and his team and the incoming Nokia team will serve us well to ensure that we do not disrupt our building momentum.

6. We are planning to integrate all global marketing under Tami Reller and Mark Penn. It is very important that we pursue a unified brand and advertising strategy as soon as possible.

7. Finance, Legal, HR, Communications, DX / Evangelism, Customer Care and Business Development will integrate functionally at Microsoft. Sourcing, customer logistics and supply chain will be part of Stephen's Devices organization. ICM / IT will also integrate functionally for traditional IT roles. We will need to work through the implications for factory systems given the differing manufacturing processes and systems at both Nokia and Microsoft.

8. We plan to pursue a single set of supporting services for our devices, and we will figure out how to combine the great Nokia efforts into our Microsoft services as we go through the integration process.

9. There are no significant plans to shift where work is done in the world as we integrate, so we expect the Nokia teams to stay largely in place, geographically.

10. Tom Gibbons will lead the integration work for Microsoft. While today's announcement is big news, we have to stay heavily focused on running the current business. We have a huge fall and holiday season ahead of us, so we need to execute flawlessly and continue to drive our business forward. I have no doubt we will.

Steve Text courtesy: microsoft.com

Microsoft buys Nokia for $7.2 billion

Microsoft's acquisition of handset major Nokia's phone division has drawn a lot of interest in the tech and business world. Will beleaguered Nokia be better able to succeed at what it could not as a standalone player? Will Microsoft be able to rewrite its smartphone story now & compete better with Apple and Google? These are the questions only time can answer. But the two are definitely expected to derive better synergies with the merger.
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LG unveils G Pad Android tablet with 8.3-inch display

LG has announced its foray into the tablet market with the announcement of the G Pad tablet. The South Korean electronics giant will launch the tablet in North America, Europe and Asia towards the end of the year. There is no information available on the pricing of the tablet.

The G Pad has an 8.3-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. LG claims that this is the first 8-inch tablet with a full HD display. The tablet runs on a Snapdragon 600 chipset with a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.7GHz. It also houses an Adreno 320 GPU coupled with 2GB of RAM. The tablet also comes with 16GB built-in storage. The rear of the tablet has a 5MP camera and the front has a 1.3MP camera. The tablet runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and a 4600mAh battery powers the entire package.

The LG G Pad is 8.3mm thick making it thinner than the recently launched Nexus 7, which measures 8.65mm in thickness. At 338 grams, the weight of the tablet is however a bit more than the Nexus 7. 

LG has announced the QPair app that comes pre-loaded with the G Pad 8.3, along with a number of other software customizations. The app allows you to connect any smartphone to the tablet. You will be able to sync your messages, calls and even notes created by QMemo (an app available for free on the Play Store) on both the devices.

We think that the the launch of the G Pad tablet will be timed to coincide with the launch of the next geniPad mini, which is expected before the end of the year.

Micromax launches dual core, Android 4.2 Canvas Fun A74 for Rs 7,749

Micromax has added another budget Android device to its Canvas series with the Canvas Fun A74. The smartphone is available online on Snapdeal and Infibeam for Rs 7,749.

The Micromax Canvas Fun A74 has a 4.5-inch capacitive display with 854 x 480 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 218 ppi. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512MB of RAM. It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with flash support and a VGA front camera for video calling. The smartphone has 4GB internal memory expandable via microSD card support to 32 GB and a 1,500mAh battery. Connectivity-wise the device offers 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS and Bluetooth support and has a 1500 mAh battery. 

Micromax had also launched another phone in the Canvas Fun series called the Canvas Fun A76 with a bigger 5 inch display and a 2000 mAh battery. The rest of the specs on the phone are similar to the Canvas Fun A74, with a 1.3 GHz dual core processor, Android 4.2, 5 MP rear camera and a VGA front camera. The Micromax Canvas A76 is available for Rs 8,499 on Flipkart and Infibeam. 

The company has also listed the Canvas Fun A73 on its official website hinting that the phone will be launched soon. The Fun A73 will have a smaller 4 inch display, a 2MP rear camera and a VGA front facing camera. It will be powered by a 1.3 GHz MediaTek (MTK 6572) processor, Android 4.2 OS and a 1500 mAh battery. The launch date and price of the device has not yet been revealed. 

Micromax has become the second most preferred brand in the Indian smartphone market according to a recent IDC report. Micromax now has almost 22 percent of the market share and is second only to Samsung which has 26 percent of the market share. The brand rules the Phablet market which has grown nearly 30 percent in Q2 2013.