Gadgets to watch out in 2014

It’s almost fall, which means tech companies are gearing up to release their newest smartphones, tablets, and wearable gadgets in time for the holiday season.

Most manufacturers haven’t even unveiled these devices yet, but we already have a pretty clear idea of what the most popular smartphones and tablets of 2015 will look like.

It’s important to keep in mind that these devices haven’t been confirmed yet, so there’s a chance that some of the phones and tablets on this list may not make it to market in 2014.

However, based on numerous rumours and leaks over the past few months, we feel strongly enough to include them in this list.

1. iPhone 6

Apple’s next smartphone, presumably called the iPhone 6, is probably the most anticipated gadget of 2014. The phone is expected to come out at the end of September, and Apple will reportedly unveil it on September 9.

Based on various leaks and rumours, it seems like the iPhone 6 be a noticeable upgrade from the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 6 will reportedly come with a larger, sharper 4.7-inch screen and a completely new design that looks similar to the iPad Air than an iPhone.
2. An even larger 5.5-inch iPhone

 

It’s been widely reported that Apple will unveil two new smartphones this year – one with a 4.7-inch display and another with a 5.5-inch screen. It’s unclear if they’ll both launch at the same time, however. Some reports have indicated that Apple has run into production issues with the 5.5-inch iPhone, hinting that it could be released in late 2014 or early 2015.
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung is reportedly getting ready to unveil its new Galaxy Note smartphone in early September. Like the Galaxy Note 3, the Note 4 is expected to come with a giant 5.7-inch display.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see a Galaxy Note 4 that looks like a giant version of the Galaxy S5, which means it could come with the same dimpled back and a heart rate monitor. We won’t know for sure until Samsung makes an official announcement, which is expected to happen on September 3.

4. Google Nexus 6 (or Nexus X)

Google is also reportedly preparing to release a new smartphone this fall. A report from TKTechNews suggests that it could launch in September, and that Google may call it the Nexus X rather than using its traditional numbered naming convention. Google’s new Nexus phone is expected to be more premium than the company’s previous Nexus phones.

It may cost somewhere in the $499.99 (Rs 30,000 approximately) range (unlocked) compared to the $349 Nexus 5. Naturally, it’ll ship with Android L and is rumoured to feature a 13MP camera, a 2K display, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor.
5. Moto X+1:

 

There’s a strong chance that Motorola’s next flagship smartphone, presumably the Moto X+1, will debut in September. The company is holding an event on September 4, where it’s expected to officially take the wraps off its new phone and a few other gadgets, too. The Moto X+1 is expected to come with a larger, sharper display than the Moto X, a faster processor, and a dual-flash camera.

6. Second-generation iPad Air

In years past, Apple has unveiled its new iPads in October, leading many to believe that an update to the iPad line is coming this fall, too. We haven’t heard too much about the second-gen iPad Air, but a report from Korean news source ET News suggests Apple may already be working on its components.

If the report holds up to be true, we could expect to see a new iPad with the same design as the first Air, a faster processor than Apple’s current tablet, and a better camera. French blog Nowhereelse.fr also posted a leaked image that claims to show the ipad Air 2.

 
7. A new Nexus tablet from Google :

Google is also rumoured to be working on a new gadget with HTC, and many believe this will be Google’s new Nexus tablet. From what we’ve heard, it sounds like this new device will be a tablet version of HTC’s One smartphone.

Codenamed “Volantis,” the tablet is expected to come with a super sharp display, HTC’s aluminium design that’s become the staple of its new smartphones, and Android L right out of the box. There’s no word on when it will come out, but Google has previously unveiled its new Nexus hardware in the fall.

8. Apple’s iWatch

Apple has been rumoured to be working on its first wearable device for more than a year, and a report from Re/code suggests it could finally debut this October. The iWatch is expected to focus on fitness, and will supposedly be able to track the number of steps you take, how many calories you’ve burned, and your heart rate, among other information.

If Apple does unveil the iWatch in October, we can probably expect to see it go on sale by the end of the year.
9. Moto 360

Motorola’s Moto 360 is one of the first devices to use Google’s new software for wearables, Android Wear. It made headlines back in March when Motorola unveiled it thanks to its circular design, which is unusual for a smartwatch with a touchscreen.

The Moto 360 is water-resistant and supports wireless charging. There’s no word on how much it costs yet, but Motorola is expected to unveil more details about availability on September 4. Rumours suggest it will retail for about $250.

Android One set for India debut in September; Micromax, Karbonn ready to launch smartphones!

NEW DELHI: Android One, the Google project that promises rich smartphone experience on low-cost devices, faces its first big test when Micromax, Karbonn and Spice launch products based on it in India early next month.

The three Indian manufactures are set to price the handsets between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000, which is higher than the initially expected sub-$100 (Rs 6,000) tag. At this price, these devices – at least one each initially from the vendors – would give the same experience of usingmid-to-high price range devices, people familiar with the products told ET

Google is expected to roll out similar handsets in other emerging MARKETS depending on consumer response in India. The success of Android One is critical for Google as it would help the company bring in new users to its Android platform, especially at a time when the MARKET share of the most popularmobile operating system could hit a plateau globally.

Google Recent Innovations – Internet balloons

Google’s think tank has created an innovative solution to the problem of low web penetration in developing countries – balloons that beam down internet. As part of its Project Loon, Google sent out balloons that float in the stratosphere at a height of 20km and relay the internet to houses via a special antenna that captures the necessary signals.

The internet search titan aims to provide 3G-like speed via these internet balloons, which cover an area of 1,256 sq m each. Seeing an innovative and eco-friendly means to solve the problem of poor internet connectivity, several nations (including India) have shown keen interest in Google balloons.

Virtual Reality Experience using CARDBOARD: GOOGLE claims

techviewsblog

The entire virtual reality experience is surprisingly intuitive, and is as impressive as anything we’ve seen, especially for what it is. Cardboard is essentially an enclosure that creates a window to the future. If you have one of the supported Android devices, you just drop that into Cardboard’s slot, hold it up to your eyeballs, and suddenly you’re looking at the Earth from space, or following a little mouse as he explores the forest.

Cardboard itself uses a pair of biconvex lenses (these prevent distortion around the edges), along with some regular household items, including magnets, velcro, a rubber band and an optional NFC tag. The magnets are one of Cardboard’s key components, and Google has found an ingenious way to implement them with the enclosure. They’re basically there to “click” inside of demos; when you pull and release the ring, your phone’s magnetometer detects changes in the magnetic…

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Google aims to store all human knowledge

LONDON: Google is building the largest store of information in human history – a knowledge base that autonomously gathers and merges data from across the web to provide unprecedented access to all facts about the world.
The search giant is building Knowledge Vault, a type of knowledge base – a system that stores information so that machines as well as people can read it.

Google’s existing knowledge base, called Knowledge Graph, relies on crowd sourcing to expand its information ..
However, humans could only take it so far so Google decided to automate the process.

It started building the Vault by using an algorithm to automatically pull in information from all over the web, using machine learning to turn the raw data into usable pieces of knowledge.

Knowledge Vault has pulled in 1.6 billion facts to date. Of these, 271 million are rated as “confident facts”, to which Google’s model ascribes a more than 90 per cent chance of being true, ‘New Scientist’ reported.

 

 

Barnes & Noble and Samsung introduce co-branded tablet!

Barnes & Noble and Samsung today unveiled a new co-branded tablet called the ‘Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook’ that will replace B&N’s own Nook tablets.

The 7-inch Wi-Fi tablet will sell for $ 179 after a $ 20 instant rebate, the same entry price of the non-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab 4.

The Nook will have a front-and rear-facing camera. It comes with more than $ 200 in content from the Nook Store, including three e-books such as “Freakonomics”, TV show episodes including HBO’s “Veep” and free 14-day magazine trials.

It also offers access to both the Nook app store and Google’s Google Play store for Android apps.

B&N has been trying to turn itself around as competition from discount stores and online retailers toughens, and as consumers shift away from traditional books to digital formats.

The New York company spent years investing heavily in its Nook e-book reader and e-book library, but they struggled to be profitable. And in December the chain said it was evaluating the future of its tablets.

Nook Media, whose investors include software company Microsoft Corp. and educational book publisher Pearson Inc., houses the digital and college businesses of Barnes & Noble.

The company expects the separation to be complete by the end of the first quarter of the next calendar year, implying April of 2015.

China launches advanced HD Earth observation satellite

China today successfully launched the most advanced high-definition Earth observation satellite, which could clearly show small objects with clarity in colour.

It was boosted by a Long March-4B carrier rocket. The satellite is China’s most advanced high-definition Earth observation satellite.

The Gaofen-2 was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense ( SASTIND) said.

It was boosted by a Long March-4B carrier rocket. The satellite is China’s most advanced high-definition Earth observation satellite, and is able to see a one-metre-long object in full color, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It will be used for geographic and resources surveys, environment and climate change monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster relief and city planning, the report said.

 

BlackBerry Passport Square-Shaped Smartphone Pre-Registration Begins

BlackBerry is leaving no stone unturned ahead of the global release of its new flagship Smartphone, the Passport. The company on Thursday opened pre-registrations for the square-shaped Passport smartphone.

The Canadian firm announced the commencement of pre-registrations of the smartphone on its official blog post and said, “Starting today [Thursday], you can pre-register to receive emails about BlackBerry Passport availability and other upcoming BlackBerry products and services.”

 

Apple iPhone 6 to go on sale on October 14?

Customers may have to wait till October to get their hands on iPhone 6.

The iPhone was earlier expected to be launched in September as it has been the month for the launch of all the previous iPhones by  Apple for several years. An unnamed source has hinted that the new  mobile phone may hit the MARKETS on October 14, reported CNET.

The source also added that  Apple may launch the iPhone in mid-October, but it is planning to introduce the phone at an event planned for September 16.

Apple has been launching the new iPhones in September for the past few years because it enabled the company to add sales of a new iPhone to the September quarter which, in, turn boosted the FINANCIAL results before the quarter came to an end.

The change in strategy may affect Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results badly.

However, if Apple will launch just the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in October or the 5.5-inch model as well is unclear.

Here’s why Microsoft killed Nokia X Android phones

The Nokia X phones that Microsoft discontinued this week blend two rival operating systems, but leave out the best of each.

As a result, the devices didn’t become a runaway hit as Nokia’s low-cost answer to serving emerging markets.
Nokia X phones were devised to be a gateway to the company’s pricier Lumia phones. The operating system that runs the phones was to blend the core technology found in Google’s Android system with services and designs found in Microsoft’s own Windows Phone system. Nokia looked to Android as a way to sell phones with locally tailored apps unavailable on Windows.

But Microsoft completed its deal to buy Nokia’s phone business in April, and Nokia X is gone less than three months later.