Snapchat to launch Snapcash to send Money to Friends

Mobile messaging company Snapchat is launching a new service that lets users send money to one another, in a partnership with online payments company Square.

The service, dubbed Snapcash, allows Snapchat users to link their debit cards to their accounts and quickly send money to a contact by starting a chat on a smartphone, typing in a dollar sign and an amount and hitting a green button, Snapchat has explained recently.

The move marks the latest sign of expansion plans for Los Angeles-based Snapchat, which lets users exchange photos that automatically disappear after a few seconds. The company has been valued at $10 billion in its most recent fundraising effort, and is considered a growing threat to Web companies including Facebook and Twitter.

“We set out to make payments faster and more fun, but we also know that security is essential when you’re dealing with money,” Snapchat said.

The company said that debit card information will be stored by Square and that Square will process the payments, transferring money between bank accounts. Snapchat said Snapcash is available in the United States for users age 18 and above.

Motorola Droid Turbo : The Smartphone with a lasting battery

It really annoying when your phone’s battery doesn’t last through the workday without needing to be recharged.

This is the exact situation that Motorola and Verizon’s new Droid Turbo, is meant to help you avoid. Packing a massive battery, available for $199 with a two-year contract the Turbo can last up to 48 hours on a single charge.

The Turbo is more than just a giant battery. In fact, it’s easily one of the best smartphones Motorola has to offer.

The Droid Turbo  uses Kevlar to help give it stability while keeping its weight in check. Turbo is available with either a metalized glass fiber back panel or with a ballistic nylon panel.

The ballistic nylon option gives the Turbo’s back panel the feel of an old backpack and also helps keep the phone from slipping out of your hand. The metalized glass fiber  gives the Turbo’s back a soft-touch feel that makes the phone more pleasant to hold.

Unfortunately, the ballistic nylon-clad Turbo is actually pretty fat. Measuring 0.44 inches thick, the Turbo is chubbier than Moto X (0.39 inches), as well as Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Apple’s iPhone 6 (0.27 inches). And at 6.2 ounces, the Turbo is heavier than the Moto X (5.1 ounces), the Galaxy S5 (5.1 ounces), and the iPhone 6 (4.6 ounces).

Motorola strapped the Droid Turbo with a gorgeous 5.2-inch AMOLED (active matrix of organic light-emitting diodes) display, which produces vibrant colors. And with a screen resolution of 2560 × 1440, the Turbo’s display is seriously sharp. 

The Turbo’s AMOLED screen technology made reds and blues look positively alive. Colours were more accurate on the iPhone 6, but I think most people would prefer the Turbo’s screen. The competing Galaxy S5, however, offered the best display of the group, producing absolutely gorgeous colors, with the Moto X not far behind.

The Droid Turbo runs on Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system - not the latest release, Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

KitKat is an excellent operating system. And unlike other Android phone makers that modify the OS with their own overlays, like Samsung’s overly complicated TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense, the Droid Turbo’s version of Android is unmolested. It’s as easy to navigate as Google intended.

Like Motorola’s Moto X, the Droid Turbo comes loaded with the company’s impressive Moto app suite, which includes Moto Actions, Moto Assist, Moto Display, and Moto Voice.

Intel’s Smart Bracelet, MICA to offer Alerts and Texting

Computing giant Intel and New York-based fashion retailer Opening Ceremony revealed the features and final form of their new bracelet, the MICA. Short for “My Intelligent Communication Accessory,” the bracelet will allow you to access text messages, Gmail, Yelp, GPS, and Google and Facebook events. The device, which features a curved sapphire touch-screen display, will be available in December for $495 at Opening Ceremony’s online and retail stores.

Unlike other wristwatch computers, such as the Apple Watch and several devices running Google’s Android Wear, MICA does not have to be connected to a smartphone to operate. Instead, it’ll be powered by its own two-year AT&T data contract, “paid for by Intel,” after which Intel Vice President Ayse Ildeniz says you and AT&T will have to “re-contract.”

The bangle, which was first announced during Fashion Week this past September, is made in two colors: black and white. Both have an 18-carat gold coating. One comes with black water snake skin, Chinese pearls, and lapis stones from Madagascar. The other is made from white water snake skin, tiger’s eye from South Africa, and obsidian from Russia. When I tried one on during a quick hands-on demo, it was light on the wrist, fit well, and was comfortable to wear.

Rather than carry a display at the top of the bracelet, MICA is designed for women to glance at and swipe notifications from the insides of their wrists. These include something Intel calls “Time to Go” alerts, which combine GPS and your calendar events to estimate time it’ll take for you to travel from one place to another. Other notifications include text messages and email alerts from handpicked VIPs.

Smart Earrings to track Heart Rate

While the whole world is running around making one-size-fits-all fitness bands and smartwatches for females, the innovators on Kickstarter are leading the charge for smart jewelry for women, a piece of jewelry that is women friendly. Ear-o-Smart is the latest startup to make a splash on the crowdfunding site with a piece of intriguing smart jewellery.

The Ear-o-Smart is a pair of smart earrings that connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth to monitor your heart rate, calories, and activity levels. Ear-o-Smart’s studs are remarkably small and actually look like a normal pair of earrings, in spite of all the sensors inside. Using the same PPG (photoplethysmogram) technology seen in many fitness bands, the earrings take your heart rate by measuring blood flow. Essentially, light from an LED is reflected by blood flowing through your veins and absorbed by a photodiode to determine when the heart beats.

Ravinder Saini, the President of BioSensive Technologies Inc. and the inventor of the Ear-o-Smart, says the ear is the ideal place to monitor heart rate because there is less interference from the wearer’s movement, and quite a bit of blood flow. The Ear-o-Smart also has sensors to track activity and calorie burn.

Saini was inspired to create Ear-o-Smart after he encountered many people — especially women — who just weren’t comfortable wearing fitness bands and smartwatches, but really wanted to track their health and fitness.

As far as batteries go, Saini says he’s got a working prototype with a coin cell battery inside, but he’s working on a version with a rechargeable battery, which would charge using a USB charging cradle. The coin cell battery will certainly last longer, but you’ll also have to replace it. However, the rechargeable version will need to last at least eight hours on a charge.

Android 5.0 Lollipop : Google updating its OS

We all know, Google’s Android is the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. But the operating systems is changing and improving day by day just to keep up with the changing demands of the world.. Google is now making one of its most significant Android updates yet with the new version of Android 5.0 Lollopop.

The biggest update to the operating system since its launch in 2008, Lollipop brings a variety of improvements to the mobile OS.

Lollipop brings a handful of new features to Android, including the ability to read notifications on phone’s lock screen, a built-in battery saving mode, and multiple user accounts.

There’s even a new Smart Lock feature that automatically unlocks your smartphone or tablet whenever a trusted device such as a smartwatch or Bluetooth-enabled car are within a certain range. If you go outside that range, you’ll have to use a regular old PIN or pattern to unlock.

Samsung's first Curved Smartphone hits South Korea

Samsung's first smartphone with a curved display screen has entered the South Korean market, as the electronics giant seeks to maintain its lead in the increasingly saturated market.

Galaxy Round -- a 5.7-inch handset with a display that is slightly rounded on both sides -- will hit stores in South Korea, said SK Telecom, the country's top wireless operator that carries the device.

Curved screens -- said to be lighter and thinner than current display panels -- are at a nascent stage in display technology, which is shifting towards flexible panels that are bendable or can even be rolled or folded.

The new phone is priced at about 1.08 million won ($1,000), said Samsung. 

It did not say when the new phone -- powered by Google's Android system and which offers a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor -- would be available globally. 

The latest device arrived as global smartphone makers vie for growth in the increasingly saturated market.

The displays are supposed to offer a more immersive viewing experience but are significantly more expensive than standard screens.

Mercedes AMG Services S63 Unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show

The all new S63 has been officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The starting price of this machine is somewhat jaw dropping at a huge $188,100.

Even though this car has been unveiled it will not be on sale in the US and UK until late November but it will be well worth the wait as this car comes with a staggering hand-built 5.5 litre V8 bi-turbo engine which is also twinned with an AMG services speed shift MCT seven-speed sports transmission.

This somewhat futuristic vehicle pumps out an amazing 585bhp and 900Nm of torque. The S63 can reach 0-62mph is as little as 4.4 seconds and will hit a rapid top speed of 155mph. Despite all these exciting statistics AMG have also made it their mission to lower the emissions of their cars and this latest release gives out 27mpg and emits 237g/km of CO2 which is quite impressive for a sports car.

Further to all this the S63 is not short on technology either and is fitted with the latest Mercedes AMG sports suspension which includes Magic Body Control and Burmese Surround Sound System as standard features.

Some other features include driving assist package, keyless go, panoramic roof, ambient lighting, tyre pressure monitoring system and last of all ambient lighting. In the rear of the car passengers also benefit from sports seats and a start-up screen which makes it a comfortable experience for drivers and passengers alike.

It is said that the shorter wheelbase models come with rear-wheel drive however the luxurious long wheelbase version of the car gets the manufacturer’s 4Matic system instead which I think makes it safe to say AMG are going after both the speed and luxury market with this new s-class.

Overall it looks like AMG are not going away any time soon if they keep releasing cars like this however that being said the price difference to its nearest competitors are somewhat sizeable with the Audi S8 being $66,000 cheaper and the BMW M6 being $36,000 cheaper this is not a poor man’s car by any means.

Sony launches VAIO Red PCs

Sony recently launched the bold red-colored PCs in limited quantity in an effort to raise the status of its VAIO Duo, Pro, and Fit laptops. The company is calling it “VAIO – Red Edition PCs”. The laptops in red went on sale earlier this year in Japan and Europe. Unlike other models, the red edition PCs combine "premium" design and engineering features, says the company. They come with Windows 8, Intel Core i7 fourth generation processors, and Sony display, camera, and audio technology. All models are touch-enabled.

More specifically, Sony says the VAIO Pro 13 is the first laptop to include a high speed PCIe SSD drive, which provides faster performance than traditional SSD drives. The VAIO Fit 15 offers a hybrid hard drive and optical drive that can read and write Blu-ray Disc media.

The VAIO Duo 13 model is available for $2,999.99. The VAIO Pro 13 model is available for $2,599.99. The VAIO Fit 15 model is available for $1,999.99. 

Top 7 Inch Tablets

Tablets are the new age computing devices which combine performance and portability of notebooks and smartphones. And at 7 inch, these devices stand at lower end of tablet screen sizes, which come even handy than the larger sized tablets. Here are  some of the top 7 inch tablets in the market right now.

The rankings for top top 7 inch tablets are based on ratings from expert reviewers from around the web.

 

Apple iPad Mini :

Apple iPad mini stands unique with Apple’ exclusive apps and lightweight design in a small package of just 7.9 inch. Apart from being an ultimate entertainment source, its IPS display with a resolution of 1024X768 pixels could be great for reading books, magazines and documents. Moreover, like 4th Generation iPad it also includes Bluetooth 4.0, dual cameras of 5 Megapixels and 1.2 Megapixels and optional LTE connectivity via Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.

CNET advocates iPad Mini’s ultrathin and light design, storage capacities, optional LTE antenna, and general functionality offer a full iPad experience. Digital Trends is impressed with iPad Mini’s 64GB capacity whish can accommodate all music and games and an optional 4G LTE through which you can just find your new favourite travel companion. 

Though Apple iPad Mini is expensive, it can be your best buy when you are getting 16GB to 64GB of storage capacity and topmost apps at your disposal.

 

Google Nexus 7 :

The best Android tablet for budget conscious gadget users, this is what Google Nexus 7 can be termed as. Its powerful quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor running at 1.3GHz and HD IPS display with 1280X800 resolution adds to the overall experience in playing intensive games. Also, Google Nexus 7 comes with two storage variants of 16GB and 32GB to accommodate vast amount of apps and data from the tremendous Google Play store.

CNET advocates Nexus 7 for its sharp screen, comfortable design and battery life while Digital Trends is impressed by the power and amenities of Google Nexus 7 at such an affordable price. This tablet is a match for the expensive Apple’ offering.

Overall, Google Nexus 7 can prove to be the best budget offering if you are looking for high performance in a relatively small tablet.

 

Amazon Kindle Fire HD :

Amazon Kindle Fire HD is in actual sense a media consumption tablet which runs on a highly customized Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Its hardware includes a dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor running at 1.2 GHz. There are storage options of 16GB and 32GB capacities for all your movies, music, games and apps which you can get from the Amazon store. Featuring IPS LCD screen of 1280 X 800 pixels same as Google Nexus 7, this tablet gives great battery performance.

CNET appreciates the beautiful screen and refined interface of the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Digital Trends finds the Kindle Fire HD to be a good device for consumption of Amazon content while TechRadar declares it to be highly capable and solidly built tablet providing a good value for money.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD achieves all credits to its easy to use interface and the enormous content from Amazon offered for buying and playing at a very affordable price.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 :

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a mini-tablet offering from the manufacturer which focuses on providing performance with a better display. This Android tablet which runs the 3.2 Honeycomb OS version sports a Full HD Super AMOLED Plus display which is the most striking feature of this tablet. Also this small form factor tablet can perform all of your tasks with ease considering it has got a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor.

CNET praises the gorgeous AMOLED screen and Samsung Exynos CPU which delivers fast game and UI navigation performance and summarizes the advantage of the devices as being the thinnest and small-form tablet yet which includes expandable memory, impressive games performance, and an IR sensor that turns the tablet into a smart remote control. TechRadar too similarly rates this tablet for having an amazing screen and beautiful design. Digital Trends review gives a high about the tablet’s 5100 mAh battery capacity and 4G LTE connectivity but criticizes the device about having a crappy rear camera and being expensive.

Overall, Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a thin and light tablet with the power of Android and really good battery life. But considerings its mid-range features one may not avoid feeling that the device is overly priced. You can choose definitely choose Samsung Galaxy Tab if you need a super quality screen and a quite good performance tablet.