Samsung planning Galaxy S5 for January 2014?

Samsung management is making plans to launch its next-generation Galaxy S5 flagship in January, to go on sale in February, a report from Korean site Joseilbo notes. Pocket-lint is unable to confirm the rumour, but there is some evidence as to why Samsung would move the launch up from its usual March/April date.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has sold more than 20 million worldwide, yet insiders note the Galaxy S4 has missed the company's internal sales projections, even though record revenue has been hit. With Galaxy S4 demand declining and the iPhone 5S now on the market, Samsung may want to shake things up a bit earlier.

It's worth noting the Consumer Electronics Show is in January, though we're not too sure if we can see Samsung making a big announcement at such a large event. Then again, we wouldn't put it past the company. Joseilbo says to expect mid-January to help juice sales for its flagship Galaxy line, citing internal Samsung meetings.

It's still early days, but according to reports we can expect Samsung to drop its traditional plastic design and go for an all metal chasis like HTC did with the HTC One. This has long been a complaint for Samsung hardware. While speedy, the plastic build is annoying in the eyes of some customers. Additionally, a Exynos 5430 64-bit CPU and 16 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization are expected.

Facebook asks if you 'really' like it

In a first-ever self examination survey, Facebook will be gauging its users’ attitudes towards the site, and how the attitudes evolve over time.
The social media giant has formed its first ‘feedback panel’, where people will be surveyed for six months to check their level of satisfactions with the site and why they change.
According to Huffington Post, the site will be analyzing how users respond to ads and stories in their News Feed in a bid to learn which ads make its members happiest.

Facebook’s product manager for ads in News Feed, Fidji Simo said that the site wants to understand how users feel about ads, so that as the company grows its business, it is able to maintain the right balance between the advertisers’ needs and the users’ experience.

The site will be inviting certain members of its community and the participants will also be asked if they observe variation in the quality and quantity of ads delivered to them, and how they predict their Facebook usage might change in the future.

As Facebookers are the most irritated by ads, according to the ACSI 2013 survey; developer of the feedback panel and a user experience researcher at Facebook, Judd Antin explained that the real purpose of the survey is to connect changes in attitudes over time to the experience which might be driving those changes.

The report said that the first feedback panel will be limited to English-speaking users in the US, though it will include a cross-section of people who are representative of Facebook’s US population as a whole.

Specs of Samsung's curved screen smartphone leak

Specs of Samsung's rumoured curved screen smartphone
have leaked online.

Image credit: AndroidSAS

NEW DELHI: The race for the first curved smartphones is on and South Korean giants Samsung and LG are eyeing to draw first blood. Samsung has already announced its plans to launch a phone with curved screen this month, while LG has not confirmed plans to unveil such a device yet.

After rumours of LG bringing out the curved G Flex phablet hit the internet, specifications of Samsung's curved smartphone have also leaked online.

Tech website AndroidSAS has leaked the specifications of the upcoming Samsung smartphone. Contrary to earlier reports, it says that Samsung would not be bringing out a curved variant of the Galaxy Note 3, but instead would release an all-new handset.

The report states that the device would feature a 4.7-inch curved display with 1280x720p resolution. This phone is said to be powered by a quad-core CPU and have 2GB RAM as well as an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash.

While there is no word about the battery of the upcoming curved screen Samsung phone, it is expected to run on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) out of the box. The report says that the phone will be part of Samsung's Galaxy line-up.

Recently, media was abuzz with news of LG's 6-inch large G-Flex smartphone, with rumours hinting at a November release.

Curved display is already commercially available in large-screen televisions. LG Electronics and Samsung had started selling curved OLED TV sets this year priced at $9,000.

Samsung is also said to be working on a new line of top-end smartphones, named Galaxy F, rumoured to be launched next year. Phones under this range will have a metal body, which has a more premium feel compared to the plastic casing that the company uses in its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note handsets. Rivals like Apple and HTC use metal casings in their phones.

Tata Nano emax coming this October

New Delhi: The CNG version of Nano will be launched this month during navratras. This version of the car has been named as ‘emax’. A spokesperson from Tata confirmed that the CNG powered Nano is on course to hit showrooms this October.

Tata Nano emax CNG was unveiled at the Horizonext where Tata Motors showcased a total of 8 vehicles. The company also revamped the Nano which received some cosmetic as well as feature changes. The Nano emax CNG sports an automatic CNG cut-off system and fuel quality checking system. The Nano CNG will get 623cc twin cylinder petrol engine which can be tuned to both, CNG and petrol. So this version is equipped with CNG as well as petrol tank. The petrol tank will be helpful to the users to drive the car for longer distances. The driver can switch the car from CNG mode to petrol mode.It is being reported that select showrooms in Mumbai and Delhi have started taking bookings for the CNG variants. With the festive season around the corner, the launch of the Tata Nano emax could be a big boost for the sales of the company.

Docomo unveils instant translator glasses in Japan

An NTT Docomo engineer demonstrating the glasses.
(credit: AFP)

Japanese telco NTT Docomo has unveiled augmented reality glasses that translates a menu in real time, that's set to be ready in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The device overlays the wearer's first language on to unfamiliar text, instantly translating them, according to AFP on Tuesday.  The glasses were introduced at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) fair in Japan.

A Japanese menu being translated into
English via the glasses. (credit: AFP)

"Character recognition technology enables instant language translation for users travelling abroad and reading restaurant menus and other documents," said Docomo in the report. This will be especially helpful for travelers as foreign language menus are not commonly found in non-tourist areas in Japan.

The glasses can also turn any flat surface into a touchscreen. A finger ring relays positioning information to the device, allowing wearers to "touch" tags or perform an Internet search--a concept similar to that seen in movies such as Minority Report.

Another application involves facial recognition where the user can look up somone's identity, and other details such as job titles, from his or her smartphone directory.

Docomo's unveiling of the device comes more than half a year after the introduction of Google Glass by the Internet giant amid intensifying interest in wearable technology. Google Glass currently translates via voice, but has yet to marry Google Translate to its device.

AR Rahman-themed phones launched by Celkon

Celkon Mobiles has launched its first AR Rahman-themed
smartphone, named RahmanIshq AR45, in India at
 Rs 7,999.

KOLKATA: Celkon Mobiles has launched its first AR Rahman-themed smartphone, named RahmanIshq AR45, in India. Branded as a music smartphone by the manufacturer, it has dual speakers with K-class amplifier for an enhanced music experience. The launch of this phone marks the commencement of Rahman's global tour.

The RahmanIshq AR45 smartphone has a 4.5-inch screen and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) layered with a proprietary user interface. It packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB RAM under the hood and has a 5MP rear camera with Smile Capture feature.

Connectivity options in the new RahmanIshq AR45 are 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB. This phone also has a 9.9mm thick body 4GB internal storage, Shake & Transfer technology to transfer data, 2,000mAh battery.

AR45 would be available from October at Rs 7,999 across the country.

As the chief guest at the event, Rahman said, "I always believe that technology is very important in the world of music. RahmanIshq stands testimony to this and is a concept dedicated to spreading awareness of how technology needs to blend seamlessly with music for optimum output."

Commenting on the launch and association with RahmanIshq, Y Guru, chairman and managing director, Celkon, said "Partnering with the Mozart of Madras for RahmanIshq is a noteworthy achievement for the company. We are proud to share that our customers can also enjoy the special tune composed by the veteran himself for RahmanIshq that will be used extensively for the RahmanIshq smartphones. Affordable innovation is the genesis of RahmanIshq."