Apple Watch to hit Indian Market in February

Apple is targeting India as its priority market for its wearable device, Apple Watch. The device is expected to hit the Indian domestic market by early February.

The bullishness of the company comes from initial market studies that show the Apple Watch has the potential to become a bestseller in India, after iPhones and iPads.

Apple also proposes to engage Indian developers to create apps for the device and is firming up the launch.

"Apple is bullish about the success of the Apple Watch in India since it already has a base of more than 4 million iPhone and iPad users who are initially the potential target," says one company executive in India.

The Apple Watch is expected to be launched globally in early 2015.

As per estimates, the price of the Apple Watch will be about Rs 28,000-35,000, which will be more than the cost of wearable products sold by rivals Samsung and Sony. The device will be compatible with the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, which run the latest operating system.

Apple last week rolled out the software that will help developers to come up with new apps for the Apple Watch. The company is hopeful the Indian base of developers will roll out local apps to expand the appeal of the device in the domestic market.

Apple is set to launch its latest tablets in India sooner. Pre-order demand for the latest iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 has been encouraging and is expected to exceed levels reached at last year's launch of iPads. Demand for the new iPhones - iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, too has not come down and supplies have become regularized.

Sony developing e-Paper Watch

Sony Corp is developing a watch made out of electronic paper to be released next year in a trial of the company's new venture-style approach to creating products.

The watch's face and wrist band will be made from a patented material that allows the entire surface area to function as a display and change its appearance. The device will emphasize style, rather than trying to outdo more technological offerings like Apple Inc's watch and Sony's own SmartWatch.

At stake is more than a win against Apple and Samsung Electronics Co. A decade of cost reductions and job cuts has soured Sony's culture of innovation, once celebrated for the Walkman and the Trinitron television. Chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai formed a business creation division this year under his direct control to fast-track promising products, and the watch is one of the effort's first results.

Hirai's new division is aiming to come up with products and services that don't fit the mold of Sony's existing businesses.

Besides the e-paper watch, the group is developing technology building blocks designed to help professionals and amateurs rapidly create prototypes of new products. The MESH project -  for make, experience and share - is a collection of sensors, light-emitting diodes and buttons encased in colorful blocks smaller than a pack of chewing gum. The devices are linked wirelessly and can be operated via a tablet interface, friendly to people without programming or engineering skills.

The e-paper watch will be a litmus test for Sony's new division. Though the market for wearable technology is still small, with only 22 million of the gadgets sold worldwide this fiscal year, the industry is expected to grow fivefold in the next five years.

Focusing on appearance may help distinguish Sony's new product from the crowd of devices serving as a second screen for smartphones. The company's own SmartWatch acts as a music player remote control, while Samsung's Galaxy Gear offers hands-free calls. Both push e-mail and Facebook notifications and require a phone.

Top 6 Smartphones with Big Screen

Today, we have hundreds of smartphones available in the market. Most of them are coming with big screens these days. 

With so many huge smartphones on the market, here are some of the best with big screens.

The six best gigantic phones are following:

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 4


Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 features an enormous 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display that’s as beautiful as it is huge. But the Note 4, which runs on Android 4.4 KitKat, is more than just a pretty face. That’s because Samsung made sure that the handset’s screen is as functional as it is big.

Its Multi Window mode lets you interact with two onscreen apps at once, and a new Pop-up View that allows you to open as many apps as you want in resizable windows, the Note 4 is a multitasking monster. And its excellent S Pen stylus, which lets you write on the Note 4 just like a notepad.

And with a 16-megapixel camera and optical image stabilization, the Note 4 captures some seriously impressive photos.

With so much going for it, it’s easy to see why Samsung’s Note 4 is one of the best big-screen phones.

2. Apple iPhone 6 Plus


Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus is the company’s first attempt at a giant smartphone. Packing a massive 5.5-inch Retina HD display, the iPhone 6 Plus is a full 2 inches larger than the very first iPhone that debuted in 2007.

To compensate for its significant footprint, Apple equipped the iOS 8-powered 6 Plus with a special Reachability feature that pulls the top of the screen down to within reach of your thumb whenever you double-tap the home button.

What’s more, a new landscape view takes advantage of the phone’s larger display by letting you view apps like Mail, Calendar, and Stocks in a horizontal landscape orientation rather than the traditional portrait view.

The 6 Plus is also the first and only iPhone to get an 8-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization.

3. Nokia Lumia 1520


The first big-screen Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 1520, is also among the best Microsoft handsets.

With its 6-inch display, the 1520 bumps right up against the line between phone and tablet. But the Lumia 1520 is more than a big-boned behemoth. It also offers impressive performance and a slick interface.

There’s also a whopping 20-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and the Nokia Camera app, which lets you control everything from the camera’s ISO to its shutter speed settings. And it’s available in an eyeball-searing bright green.

The downside? Well, because it runs on Windows Phone 8, the Lumia 1520 doesn’t have access to the same apps as Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus or its Android-based competitors. This is the downside associated to this smartphone.

4. LG G3


LG’s G3 is one of the rare smartphones that sports an enormous display yet won’t be mistaken for the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. In fact, despite its 5.5-inch display, the G3 is only slightly larger than Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy S5. That’s some impressive space saving.

Like the Galaxy Note 4, the Android KitKat-powered LG G3 also offers multitasking by letting you open two onscreen apps at once, as well as multiple resizable windows apps. And as with many of the other contenders on this list, the G3’s 13-megapixel camera comes with optical image stabilization.

The G3 takes some flak for its Rear Key button, which sees the power and volume buttons move from the side of the handset, like a traditional phone, to the back panel. Once you get acclimated to its odd design, the G3 is a certified winner.

5. OnePlus One

The OnePlus One is the odd man out in this roundup, as it’s easily the least well known of the group. But that doesn’t mean you should overlook this 5.5-inch handset. That’s because you can buy this smartphone off-contract for just $300. That’s more than $300 less than your average smartphone.

But don’t think that just because the OnePlus One is inexpensive. On the contrary, this smartphone easily rivals its biggest competitors. Thanks to its gorgeous display, excellent sound, and slim design. It’s also incredibly fast and offers an impressive battery life.

The One is also the only phone in this group to run on the highly modified and customizable CyanogenMod for Android.

Well, it’s the only smartphone on this list with a camera that doesn’t offer optical image stabilization. And it’s rather hard to get your hands on one. At the moment, you have to sign up for an invite to be able to purchase the handset.

6. Google Nexus 6


Before its unveiling, Google’s Motorola-made Nexus 6 was known by the folks in nerd circles by its codename, “Shamu”. It turns out that there was good reason for the moniker, because with a 6-inch display, this Google phone easily dwarfs all of its predecessors.

Beyond its enormous screen size, the Nexus 6 also gets a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. But the Nexus 6 gets special recognition for being the first smartphone in the world to come preloaded with Google’s new Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system.

And as a Google phone, the Nexus 6 is also guaranteed to get the latest Android updates as soon as they’re available, rather than having to wait months for your handset manufacturer to provide a modified version of the operating system.

This one is a real big-screen smartphone with a pure Android experience.

The Winner:

Each of these big-screen smartphones is a winner in its own right, but there can be only one true king among the giant phone category, and that is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.
With its beautiful display, excellent multitasking capabilities, long battery life, top-notch camera, and included stylus, the Galaxy Note 4 easily offers the most for money.

Apple launches ‘Apps for (RED)’ to fight AIDS

Apple has teamed up with the (RED) campaign, founded by U2 singer Bono, to raise money to fight AIDS. It has teamed up with a bunch of iOS developers for its biggest fundraising push yet for World AIDS Day. Between now and December 7, hundred percent of the proceeds from selected apps will go to the Product RED charity, and Apple will be throwing in a portion of the proceeds from every product sold on Monday, December 1.

The move came as the California-based maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac computers shows deeper support for social and environmental causes under the leadership of Chief Executive Tim Cook.

It also comes as Silicon Valley technology titans use their smarts, resources, and cash to help tackle global woes including Ebola, climate change, and overfishing of the seas.

Apple launched a version of its App Store featuring exclusive (RED)-branded content, with all money from sales to be donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

The (RED) App Store will be open through Dec. 7.

“Apple is a proud supporter of (RED) because we believe that the gift of life is the most important gift anyone can give.”

 “For eight years, our customers have been helping fight AIDS in Africa by funding life-saving treatments, which are having a profoundly positive impact”, said ,” says Cook.

Apps in the (RED) App Store include versions of games Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, Farmville, FIFA 15, and Kim Kardashian Hollywood.

Apple also said that on World AIDS Day, held Dec. 1, the company will donate a portion of every sale at its real-world and online shops to the global fund.

On Friday, the company will begin rewarding some purchasers of its products in the United States with special-edition (RED) gift cards, with money donated to the Global Fund for each card distributed.

According to Cook, "this is the biggest push yet by Apple to raise money for the cause".

Is Google Glass just an Experiment?

After two years of popping up at high-profile events sporting Google Glass, the gadget that transforms eyeglasses into spy-movie worthy technology, Google co-founder Sergey Brin sauntered bare-faced into a Silicon Valley red-carpet recently.

The Googler, who heads up the top-secret lab that developed Glass, has hardly given up on the product- he recently wore his pair to the beach.

But Brin’s timing is not propitious, coming as many developers and early Glass users are losing interest in the much-hyped, $1500 test version of the product: a camera, processor, and stamp-sized computer screen mounted to the edge of eyeglass frames. Google itself has pushed back the Glass roll out to the mass market.

While Glass may find some specialized, even lucrative, uses in the workplace, its prospects of becoming a consumer hit in the near future are slim, many developers say.

Many of the glass app makers have stopped working on their projects or abandoned them, mostly because of the lack of customers or the limitations of the device. Few more have switched to developing for business, leaving behind consumer projects.

Plenty of larger developers remain with Glass. The nearly 100 apps on the official website include Facebook and OpenTable.

Google insists it is committed to Glass, with hundreds of engineers and executives working on it. Tens of thousands use Glass in the pilot consumer program.

Glass was the first project to emerge from Google’s X division, the secretive group tasked with developing “moonshot” products such as self-driving cars. Glass and wearable devices overall amount to a new technology, as smartphones once were, that will likely take time to evolve into a product that clicks with consumers.

Brin had predicted a launch this year, but 2015 is now the most likely date for the launch.

The lack of a launch date has given some developers the impression that Google is still treating Glass as an experiment.

In April, Google launched the Glass at Work program to help make the device useful for specific industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing.