Blue line: Twitter's attempt to make conversations easier to follow

Blue line was one of the trending topics on Twitter, Thursday afternoon, after users started noticing it.

Twitter Inc announced today that they have updated their user interface with a new addition: A blue line that will visually help users read exchanges on Twitter by connecting them to each other. According to the official blog, Twitter admitted that, "To date, exchanges haven’t always been easy to follow. With this in mind, we’ve now made it easier for you to see conversations as they’re taking place."

This means: Tweets that are part of a conversation are shown in a chronological order so it’s easier for users to follow the entire thread.

Up to three tweets in sequence will be showcased in the home timeline, and those who want to read the complete thread can tap a tweet to see all the replies, including those from people they don’t follow. This will also mean that old tweets will show on the timeline if someone you follow replies to them at a later time.

"It's so hard to find new tweets now because anything that's part of a conversation goes straight to the top. I bailed on Facebook when it became jumbled and congested, I'll do the same with Twitter. People like Twitter because of its simplicity. Your update is garbage," posted a user on YouTube.

The new feature is being rolled out to all users today.

Initial reactions to the new blue line haven't been very nice, like they are with most early reactions to interface changes on websites.

Hewlett Packard announces HP EliteBook Revolve 810 and HP ProBook 430

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HP beefs up business PC range with a new hybrid and a sleek notebook.

News | by CIOL Bureau 

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Hewlett Packard Printing and Personal Systems Group, India today extended its commercial PC portfolio with the announcement of HP EliteBook Revolve 810 and HP ProBook 430.

EliteBook is a touch-enabled notebook that pivots to let users share their work and folds to go mobile as a tablet, and is priced at Rs. 90,000/-. HP ProBook 430 is a business notebook suitable for everyday use and is priced at Rs. 39,000/-.

As a sleek and lightweight notebook that also converts to a tablet, the HP EliteBook 810 is designed to revolve around a busy executive's life, and comes with elegant touch computing, enterprise-grade security and military-grade durability.

Driven by the latest, third-generation Intel Core processors and optimized for Windows 8, the HP EliteBook Revolve 810 offers the incredible performance and visuals of a full-power notebook. With a touch-enabled display that pivots to let users share their work or revolves and folds to go ultra mobile as a tablet, the HP EliteBook Revolve 810 is designed for busy enterprise environments, bending over backwards to get more done. Representing the ninth generation of HP's line of convertible tablets, it has all the tools needed to get the job done.

HP also introduced ProBook 430, a business notebook with the power and performance that perfectly suits its solid design and elegant finish. Made of aluminum, with a spill-resistant keyboard and a soft-touch paint job, this stylish notebook is built to perform.

HP ProBook 430 is packed with the tools IT needs to securely deploy and manage a fleet across an enterprise with built-in security, which safeguards your HP ProBook against viruses, detects possible corruption, and alerts you to unauthorized changes. HP BIOS Protection offers enhanced protection against virus attacks and other security threats, and is designed to help prevent data loss and reduce downtime.

Mr. Sunish Raghavan, Head- Commercial PC Category, PPS, HP India said, "Professionals today demand zero-compromise productivity and extreme mobility in a computer, and HP offers the best solution with EliteBook Revolve and ProBook 430."

Apple launches iPhone trade-in programme

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           Apple began letting US iPhone owners trade in their smartphones for credit toward buying new models.  


The California company's trade-in program kicked off in the wake of unconfirmed reports of a September 10 event at which Apple will unveil new iPhones, with rumors ranging from a gold handset to a low-price version aimed at emerging markets.

"iPhones hold great value," Apple spokeswoman Amy Bessette said in an email to AFP.

"So Apple Retail Stores are launching a new program to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse or recycling."

She would not specify how much Apple is paying for old iPhones, but they can fetch $300 or so depending on the model at an array of websites or US consumer electronics shops that buy handsets.

The Wall Street Journal earlier this month reported that Apple had asked its Taiwan-based supplier, Hon Hai Precision, to begin shipping two new versions of the iPhone in September, including a lower-cost model.

Speculation has centered around whether Apple will shift its strategy of focusing on premium devices priced at the high-end of the market to include a lower-cost handset appealing to people with tight budgets.

A survey by Gartner said Apple's share of the smartphone market worldwide fell to 14.2% in the second quarter, while Samsung's rose to 31.7%.

Samsung has found global success with smartphones powered by Google's free Android software, which now dominates the market.

As the smartphone market in the United States and other Western countries matures, companies may have better luck encouraging upgrades rather than reaching out to first-time buyers, according to Gartner analyst Van Baker.

Motives for Apple's trade-in programme likely include keeping iPhone users loyal to the smartphones as well as the lucrative iTunes shop for digital music, films, and books.

"Keeping people in the fold is what it is all about," Baker said. "The question for me is whether it will be competitive with programs that already exist in the market."

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry saw the trade-in program as Apple delivering product management instead of product innovation.

Analysts and Apple fans have been watching whether chief Tim Cook will live up to the legacy of company co-founder Steve Jobs when it comes to wowing the world with culture-changing devices.

"Tim Cook's Apple is very different from Steve Jobs's Apple," Chowdhry said.

"This is not the thing customers are looking for." He said Apple lovers are more likely wondering "Where is my iWatch" and "Where is my Apple TV."

Cook took over as chief of the Cupertino, California company in 2011 as Jobs stepped down to grapple with illness that took his life later that year.

Cook is considered an operational mastermind with a relentless work ethic, and is believed to have played a leading role in the gadget company's turnaround.

Cook was Apple's chief operating officer until his elevation to CEO.

Micromax to Launch Canvas Mega Phablets?

After the launch of their Canvas series phones, looks like the Indian Samsung is all set to follow the footsteps of global phone makers and jump in on the ‘Mega’ trend. Every smartphone maker is looking to make the smartphone bigger and bigger and the line between phablets and tablets is not just blurry but almost non-existent today.

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Similar to Samsung, Micromax seems to be in the mood for launching not just one but two Mega series phablets! While one is pegged to be a 5.7-inch device, the other will be a 6-inch (or bigger) fonblet. The smaller of the two Mega series phones is rumoured to be named Canvas A240 while the bigger 6-inch or above phablet will be a part of the Canvas Doodle lineage and be named the Canvas Doodle 2.

Micromax Canvas A240 will sport a 5.7-inch 720p HD display. There’s still no word on the resolution and we hope Micromax provides a decent resolution to match the big screen size. The phone will run Android Jelly Bean version 4.2 and hopefully will be upgradable at a later date as Jelly Bean 4.3 becomes popular. Micromax Canvas A240 will run a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor. The RAM will be 1 GB and internal memory is said to be 16 GB. It is still unclear whether the phablet will support a memory card slot or not.

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What interests us most about the phablet is the camera. Not only is Micromax Canvas A240 said to come with a 12 MP rear end camera, but Micromax will reportedly also cater to the selfie-lovers with a better front camera. Micromax Canvas A240 will reportedly come with a whopping 5 MP front-end camera! This will definitely boost the deal for Micromax. Apart from the high-resolution camera, Micromax Canvas A240 will also come with all the software tweaks of Micromax Canvas 4 like the vertical panorama, video pinning, etc.

The phone will come with a mammoth 2600 mAh battery and support dual-SIM. Also, considering it is a Micromax device, the phablet will be priced well under the 20k segment. Pegged directly against Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Micromax Canvas A240 definitely has an edge if the rumoured specifications are anything to go by.

Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 available online for Rs.19,990

Micromax has launched the Canvas Doodle 2 smartphone and the device is available online for Rs. 19,990. It has a 5.7-inch display.

 

 

Micromax has been teasing the Canvas Doodle 2 for quite some time and the smartphone is now in a position to reach customers hands. Carrying a price tag of Rs. 19,990, it is the most expensive handset to come from the budget smartphone maker. The smartphone is listed on snapdeal, but as of writing this article, we couldn’t find it on any other online shopping portal like flipkart, infibeam or saholic. There hasn't been official announcement regarding the launch of the smartphone yet.

The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 A240 shows off a 5.7-inch HD display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. Under the hood, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM powers the smartphone. The rear houses a 12MP camera with dual LED flash and it has a 5MP front-facing camera for video calling.

The Canvas Doodle 2 has 12GB of built-in storage and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The package is powered by a 2,600mAh battery, which the company claims has enough juice to run for 8 hours of talk time. It also shows off dual-SIM capabilities. The smartphone comes preloaded with a bunch of apps including M! Doodle, M! Live, M! Security, M! Zone, Hike, Spuul, Foneclay and Facebook.

Priced at Rs. 19,000 and showcasing a 5.7-inch display, the Canvas Doodle 2 aims to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Sony Xperia L, Spice Pinnacle FHD, Panasonic P51, and many more. Recently Micromax launched its flagship smartphone, the Canvas 4. The device retails for Rs. 17,999.

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Sony Xperia S, Xperia SL & Xperia Acro S receive firmware update

The Sony Xperia S, Xperia SL and Xperia Acro S smartphones, launched earlier by the company, are now receiving a firmware update.

 

 

Sony has posted information about the update on its official blog, "We've started rolling out the maintenance release for Xperia S, Xperia SL & Xperia acro S." The new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean firmware update for the three Xperia devices brings performance and stability improvements.

Some of the major highlights of the latest firmware update include boosted connection stability for 2G network data, enhanced full-HD video recording and introduction of Google Now by long-pressing the home key. The update also fixes the volume up bug which now ensures the volume up button is fully responsive. The company has also posted a change-log detailing the fixes that includes fixes for camera, apps, battery, hardware and UI.

The new firmware update is being rolled out over the air (OTA). The blog also suggests that the timing and availability of the update may vary by market and carrier. However, Sony has not revealed any plans of releasing the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update for the devices.

Earlier, XperiaBlog reported that Sony will release updates for Sony Xperia S and Xperia SL. A screenshot of firmware build 6.2.B.1.96 for the Sony Xperia SL was also leaked, showing the handset with 3.4 kernel.
Recently, Sony Xperia SP HSPA+ and LTE versions also received a firmware update.

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Google Nexus 7 Up For Pre-Order In Korea; India Launch Expected Soon.

Google Korea announced Monday about the launch of its second generation Nexus 7 tablet in the South Korean market. The latest Nexus device is up for pre-order on various online retailers like E-Mart, Hi Mart, Shinsegae Mall, Auction and Lotte Mart.


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As per a report published in Korea IT Times, the 16GB Wi-Fi variant of the Nexus 7 shall carry a price tag of 329,000 won ($294) while its 32GB Wi-Fi variant shall carry a price tag reading 369,000 won ($330). Nothing has been revealed about the exact availability date, but yes, an Indian launch of the Nexus 7 is expected by end-2013.

The second-generation Nexus 7 is thinner by 2mm and lighter by a 50 grams when compared with its first-gen model, and is thus scores more on portability. The USA launch of the same model took place in July. The Android 4.3 (JellyBean) running tablet as of now is available in just select countries, and boasts a 7-inch FHD display, Qualcomm SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core Processor, 2GB RAM, 16/ 32GB of internal storage and Wi-Fi support. It has a 5 megapixel camera. The tablet is also 3D-compatible. With pixel-per-inch estimated at 323, this tab is wonderfully optimized for entertainment outlets like movies and games.

Keep watching this space for more on Google Nexus 7.