A New Smartphone That Can Print Selfies In Seconds

A French company has developed a brand new smartphone case that can print selfies from the phone itself in less than a minute.

French start-up Prynt recently presented its smartphone case, which includes a built-in printer.

The printer is in turn connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth and can produce a photo in about 50 seconds.

The developers say their case will soon be able to print pictures in just 30 seconds, RT.com reported.

"At the moment, only one sheet of paper can fit in the case. However, this will soon be increased to up to 30 pieces," Clement Perrot, CEO of Prynt, was quoted as saying.

Prynt has been working on the new case since January this year and is planning to launch the smartphone case at the beginning of 2015.

The case was developed for four-inch screen smartphones, but the company plans to make models for larger devices - such as the iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note - in the future.

It is priced $99 (approximately 6,000). Moreover, if you take a snap using the Prynt app, it will record a video of the moment before and after you click the photograph.

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Print Photos From Your Smartphone, Wirelessly

It is a scanner and printer not much bigger than a smartphone. The SnapJet scans images directly from your smartphone screen and prints them out on Polaroid 300 or Fujifilm Instax paper.

"Smartphone displays like iPhone's retina display have achieved amazing resolutions and they are all carefully colour corrected. The light emitted from them could produce a beautiful print on instant film - if only there was a way to focus that light," writes the SnapJet team on its website.

"SnapJet combines vintage analog instant film and cutting-edge fibre optic technology to do just that. It is a modern reinvention of a beautiful, artistic and expressive medium," they added.

The makers claim a resolution of 1200 dots per inch (dpi) for the scanner. The sleek machine uses optical fibres instead of a lens to scan photos and is compatible with all phone sizes. Just place your phone face down on the Snapjet and it will finish the work.

The developers hope to make their next printer seven-mm thick and see to it that it does not require a charger. It is available for $129 (7,960) and shipping to India is only $18 (1,110). The makers hope to deliver it by December 2015 -- so it will take at least a year to get your hands on the product.

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First Lumia Smartphone With Microsoft Logo Is Here

Finally the Nokia phones are coming officially with Microsoft logo on its back panel.

Nokia had partnered Microsoft in 2011 to bring out the Lumia range of Smartphones, based on Windows Phone operating system (OS). Windows Phone is already the fastest-growing ecosystem in the Smartphone market and according to research firm IDC.

With the leaked images of a new Nokia handset without NOKIA logo , it was the first step where all Nokia Lumia series phones will now be known as ‘Microsoft Lumia’.

As reported by Robin Sinha of NDTV, the rear panel of the orange-coloured RM-1090 handset is seen with the Microsoft branding. The front panel features Microsoft branding on top of the display, alongside the front-facing camera.

The Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's devices and services division for more than $7.5 billion was completed in April. The Redmond based company will however keep the Nokia brand name for entry-level phones, such as the Nokia 130, under a license agreement between the companies.

The Windows Phone 8.1-based RM-1090 handset on Tenaa is listed to feature a 5-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) display resolution. It offers dual-SIM support with 3G connectivity, a 1900mAh battery, and measures 140.2x72.4x9.3mm.

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Check Out These 4 New Features For Gmail On Android

With the new Android Lollipop rolling out, the new changes on the Google apps and menus are expected. So, here are some of the changes on the gmail which is expected to make it easier for the user as compiled by the cNET.

# A Completely New Design

On the new Gmail, probably the first thing to cross your eyes would be the red stripe across the top. It comes with a slide-out menu on the left of the app which allows you to switch accounts by viewing the Gmail's categories that include Primary, Social, Promotions and Updates. The slide-out menu category now has an icon on it which makes it much easier to spot and browse through.

The new Gmail feels neater and looks like it’s been inspired by the new Android 5.0 Lollipop. More of the white space and the slimmer look, a small tweak to circular icons for the contacts gives a feeling of space with the new version being much roomier.

# Interacting with your inbox

Google has made very minor changes on the Gmail and will be easier to use.

As far as the changes on the inside are concerned, the compose button is placed now  in the lower right of the screen to enable the user to start writing emails immediately,  the reply buttons are now placed at the bottom of every email allowing users to finish reading the message click and reply instantaneously.

Another change is that the most common actions have been moved out of hidden app menus and into the Gmail app interface. On the inbox, there's a button at the top-right for quickly moving emails to a different folder and with the compose view the new attachment button is on the upper right.

# New options for swiping

On the old Gmail app it only gave you the option to delete emails with a swipe, but hidden new feature in the settings allows you to select how you want to deal with the new messages.

On the general settings, you now have a listing for the Gmail default action where you can set it to either ‘Archive’ to   save the emails in your account or Delete the email entirely. Based on your selection, every time you swipe an email, it will default to that setting.

 # An overall better way to Gmail

The new Gmail app isn’t going to turn the heads around with its new features but instead, many smaller changes refine the interface, making the experience easier. The new access to the other non-Gmail accounts is the best, which cuts down the number of apps you will need to open your email.

However, considering the whole new experience, it looks different, there's lot more space and it doesn't feel as small as before. But with more buttons moved out of menus and into the interface, the similar day to day actions would be easier and efficient for the users.

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Google Nexus 9: The Android Powerhouse

The first tablet to run the Google's new Android 5.0 Lollipop is the Nexus 9. The design might not be very stunning but the Android Lollipop and the NVIDIA’s chipset on the tablet gives it the best boost ever.

Google joined hands with the HTC for the Nexus 9 to offer the best experience that users are looking for on a tablet, so let’s take a look at the tablet from its hardware to the software as compiled by the phone arena with some of the details from the Engadget too.

# Display

The image details are pretty good where the pictures are almost spotless. The Nexus 9 comes with an 8.9-inch screen with a display resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels and a pixel density count of 288 ppi which is quite sharp on the web browser allowing you to read even small texts clearly. With the Benchmarks aside, the screen looks clear with great details on it and has good color reproduction.

# Processor and Memory

The tablet is powered by the Nvidia Tegra K1 chipset clocking a speed of 2.3 GHz. It comes with a 64-bit processor which is faster and is coupled with a 2GB of RAM. It comes with the internal storage memory of 16 or 32 GB which has no expanding options as well.

# Camera

The Nexus 9 comes with an 8 mega pixel rear camera and 1.6 mega pixel front snapper. It produces average photos that won’t disappoint the user as long as the lighting is sufficient for the picture. The camera takes good outdoor shots and if the image is not too steady, the captured image turns out blur and the low light images loses its elements in the image being not as bright as the outdoor shots. When the video recording quality is considered, it’s full HD recording is okay enough to use, but isn’t the first priority choice when we have to record as video.

# Battery and conclusion

The nexus 9 comes with a 6700 mAh battery which is quite big enough to last more than a day. According to the usage on the phone arena, it gives you up to 1.5 days of power usage. The very own standardized battery benchmark test, produced a mark of 9 hours and 24 minutes which doesn’t quite match the Google’s claim of 9.5 hours usage with the Wi-Fi browsing.

The Google Nexus 9 tablet is a serious threat for the other tablets in the range. The specs and design might not be the best out there, but it delivers an overall package that gives it the best presence packing in all the qualities we need in a near perfect gadget.

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Not Lenovo, Xiaomi Now World's Third Largest Smartphone Maker

The Chinese Smartphone maker, Xiaomi is on the Top Five list of best selling phones in the market pushing Lenovo to the 4th position. Samsung still manages to be on top with declining sales every year.

With lots of new Chinese smartphone players in the market, the global phone shipments have gone above 300 million handsets for the second consecutive quarter year with lots of new phone launches and growth in the smartphone markets. So let’s take a look at the top manufacturers with their positions as per the reports by the rediff.com.

# Samsung

Standing on the no.1 position in the market, the Korean company Samsung has a total shipment value of 78.1 million and it claims a market share of 23 percent. Though it remains to be the world’s leader on the Smartphone sales, the company has received a huge blow on the sales from quite some time now. According to the International Data Corporation, “Samsung has long relied on its high-end devices, its mid-range and low-end models drove volume for the quarter”.

# Apple

The iPhone maker, Apple manages to come on the 2nd position with its overall shipment volumes at 39.3 million units and holding a market share of 12 percent. The launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus got the company its highest third quarter revenue returns where Apple managed to sell up to 10 million smartphones in the starting week of its launch. According to the IDC, the demand for the previous generation iPhones has contributed well for its revenue in the third quarter.

# Xiaomi

The Chinese company Xiaomi created ripples in the smartphone market with its hardware and its stunning quality on the phones. The phone Mi3 in India had created so much demand that it almost crashed the e-commerce site, Flipkart. The company’s focus on the markets like china and India, has led it to succeed over the times.

 “Xiaomi, Lenovo, and LG Electronics posted market-beating growth and with markedly different strategies," said Ramon Llamas, research manager, IDC.

# Lenovo

Another Chinese company which has managed to stay on the list in  the fourth position is the Lenovo. With the total shipments volume of 16.9 million in the third quarter and the market share of 5.2 percent, the sales have swiftly improved with a hike of 20 percent in the third quarter. Phone models like the A369i and A316 which are priced right have driven the sales from the emerging markets like AsiaPacific and the Middle East and Africa.

# LG

With the total shipments being 16.8 million and a market share of 5.1 percent, LG has good results with its low-cost smartphones pushing the total volumes past the 15 million units level for the first time in the company's history. LG’s F and L series smartphones have managed to receive good response from both emerging and developed markets with its flagship G3 making a good presence in the high end phone market.

# Other manufacturers

Its not just these top 5 companies which claim the market share, there are other phone manufacturers like the Oppo, Sony and many more. The total shipments volumes of the other manufacturers amount up to 159.2 million claiming the market share of 48.6 percent.

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OPPO Launches 2 New Phones; Bets Big On India

Chinese handset maker OPPO considers India as a key strategic market for the company and is collaborating with Flipkart and Amazon for online sales of its products.

"In our global expansion, India is no doubt one of the key strategic markets. Right now, we are retailing in over 20 major cities and regions, mainly through multi-brand chains," OPPO India CEO Tom Lu told reporters during the launch of two smartphones, OPPO N3 and OPPO R5, by the company here.

OPPO N3 with automated swivel camera is priced at $649, while OPPO R5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest smartphone measuring 4.85 mm in width, costs $499.

The new launches will be available in India around December. When asked how much the new phones will cost in India, Tom said the company will decide on prices based on cost. He, however, added that the company has no intention of competing on price.

"Our opportunity is to continue delivering incredible quality with products covering a range of prices," he said.

OPPO is planning to build its own showrooms and exclusive stores shortly. It is aiming to have over 4,000 retail points in one year.

"We are targeting 200 service centers in the next one year and over 4,000 sales points," he said.

Stating that all its phones are doing well in India, the OPPO CEO said that the company is investing heavily in the country.

When asked whether the company would launch products specifically for the Indian market, he said: "May be in the future. We are working towards it."

With the India smartphones market growing at a good pace, he said that the company's aim is to ensure that it has a diversified product portfolio to meet thechanging needs.

OPPO has launched 10 smartphones in India till date.

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Samsung Galaxy Devices Are The First Consumer Mobile Devices

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced its solutions have been approved by the United States government as the first NIAP-validated consumer mobile devices to handle the full range of classified information. 

After completing ten Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs), the government added the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Tab S 8.4, Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and the Galaxy IPSEC Virtual Private Network (VPN) Client to the Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Program Component List.

This accomplishment is the direct result of Samsung’s successful testing and certification under the U.S. government’s Common Criteria Mobile Device Fundamental Protection Profile (MDFPP) and VPN Protection Profile (VPNPP) programs. 

The listed Samsung devices are available for use with classified government networks and data. All devices and capabilities incorporate security features powered by Samsung KNOX.

“The inclusion of Samsung mobile devices on the CSfC list proves the unmatched security of Samsung Galaxy devices supported by the KNOX platform,” said JK Shin, CEO and president of IT and mobile business, Samsung Electronics.

“At Samsung, we continue to address today’s increasingly complex security challenges, and are committed to delivering the most reliable mobile platform satisfying the needs of professionals in all industries, from SMBs and enterprises to governments and additional regulated markets.”

Earlier this year Samsung mobile devices were officially included on the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Department of Defense Approved Products List for Sensitive But Unclassified use.

The CSfC list for high security solutions supplements the DISA listing, enabling the U.S. government and its contractors to create composed solutions meeting the full range of U.S. government security objectives. Samsung is the only manufacturer with mobile devices on both lists.

The growing number of Samsung devices on both lists allows the U.S. government to enjoy cost effective and highly secured mobile experiences with a variety of options.

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