Xbox One : Unveiled

As we said we bring you today, the all-you-need-to-know about the Xbox One, which was yesterday unveiled by the Microsoft at a press event in Redmond.

Microsoft Exec Don Mattrick unveiling Xbox One

After months of speculation, Microsoft finally revealed its "next-generation console" yesterday : the Xbox One. It was announced that the console will be available "later this year." Microsoft executive Don Mattrick called it out an "all-in-one" box. The core strategy is "simple, instant and complete." It was debuted alongside a new gamepad as well as a new Kinect motion camera.

The Microsoft Xbox One

A ton of features were shown off, with an updated version of Xbox 360 Dashboard, which is a tile-system window, in addition to the standards to with Windows 8. The dashboard has a new trending window, in addition to the standards you're used to: games, music, movies, etc. The trending concept stretches across the console's media functions as well as games, with integration in the TV program guide.

If we go by the specifications, the console is having an eight-core CPU, USB 3.0, Wifi Direct, Blu-ray, 500 GB HDD with HDMI input and output, in addition to Wifi 802.11n. Interestingly, there was no mention of the GPU which is used in Xbox One. At these specs, we believe, it enables the aforementioned multitasking and Snap Mode, which allows the user to play much more powerful games.

At the conference, it was also announced that the Xbox Live is getting a major update, with over 300,000 servers backing the service, enabling cloud storage.

The new console is designed specifically for world-class gaming experience

EA sports, Andrew Wilson, who was also invited to the Xbox Reveal event, announced that EA Sports and Microsoft are taking their partnership into a next level, or simply, converting it into a "Strategic Partnership". After this it was also announced that world class game like Fifa 14, NBA Live, Madden 24, and UFC among many others will be launched for Xbox One in "next twelve months".

Xbox One will be a hit or a flop? We do not know yet. But certainly one this is for sure, Microsoft has played a big gamble against it's rival Sony who is soon to announce their Playstation 4 amidst many rumours already on the track. We will keep a close eye on both.

We would appreciate if you guys post you view about the Xbox One in the comment section below!! 

Google I/O '13 : All you need to know

Google I/O '13  in San Francisco, California

Firstly, for those who do not know, Google I/O is an annual developer-focused conference held by Google in San Francisco, California. Google I/O features highly technical, in-depth sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google APIs, Google Web Toolkit, App Engine, and more.
Google I/O was started in 2008. The "I" and "O" stand for input/output, and "Innovation in the Open". The format of the event is similar to that of the Google Developer Day.
As promised by us, we today bring you Everything announced by Google at the yearly Google Conference  the Google I/O. So here it goes...

Android

• Google announced that there have been more than 900 million Android activations in total.
• 48 Billion apps have been downloaded on Android, at rate of 2.5 billion downloads per month.
• Google reveals unlocked Galaxy S4 running stock android, in other words, a version of Samsung Galaxy S4 running 'Nexus OS' has been revealed. Google said that it will be sold via Google Play from 'June 26' at a price of $649 a piece.

Google is to sell Samsung Galaxy S4 with Stock Android, in other words with Nexus OS 

Android Studio

• Google announced Android Studio, an integrated developer environment, which is set to replace Eclipse. It said the aim behind this is to help developers to be faster and more productive.
• Google also announced new App Translation service which lets developers to request their apps to be translated directly in the Developer Console, making the process easier and faster.
• A new feature for developers  called Beta Testing was announced, which will help developers to facilitate alpha testing within apps. This feature rollout allows developers to pick a percentage of users that will get an update, in order to alpha test it, before sending it out to the rest of the users.

Google Play

• A new set of application programming interface (API's) have been released, which targets game developers specifically. 
• Cross-platform Google Play games will now have cloud saving, which allows users to save their progress on the cloud, meaning they can leave and pick up from different devices. New leaderboards will be created, which will be linked with users Google+ accounts and  permitting friends to connect in particular circles.
• Google also announced Cloud messaging, which will be integrated to the platform. Persistent connections, upstream messaging and notification synchronisation are all additions that will be brought to the service. Google also announced that it is sending 200,000 push messages every second, or simply 17 Billion messages a day.
• Google unveiled a new music streaming service via Google Play. It said the service will cost $9.99 per month, or $7.99 if  taken as subscription by June 30. There is also a free 30-day trial period. The announcement also said that songs will be updated according to the users tastes and preferences, and can be easily removed from the playlists with a simple swipe motion.
• Google also announced a store aimed at young children, named Google Play for Education. The apps will be sorted by age and genre. It said that the administrators of the accounts will be able to push out multiple devices in one go.

Google+

• Google announced that its very own social networking site, Google+ will be getting 41 new features affecting the stream, hangouts and photos sections. Stream is getting a new, multi-column design, which will be going live today, though if you do not like the new layout you will be able to go back to single-column view. One of the new features will let you click on pictures to flip them over and reveal related pictures under the same hashtag. Users will be able to opt their pictures out of the feature
• Another feature called auto awesome was announced that automatically combines pictures together in order to create new ones, it will be able to create gifs by linking multiple images with each other and will have the ability to automatically create panoramic photos from pictures taken side by side.
• Google announced that Hangouts is a new messaging service that replaces the current multiple services offered by Google, including GTalk. It is available on android, iOS and Chrome. It is designed in such a way that the user can start one-on-one or group conversations.
• In addition to the new features announced , notably that you will now get 15 GB free storage for full-size pictures, as well as unlimited space for standard resolution images. An Auto Highlight feature will automatically decide which of your pictures are the best and put them at the forefront and a new feature, Auto Enhance, will automatically make your pictures the best they can be with some smart editing.

Google's CEO Larry Page addressing the conference

Google Maps

• Google announced that Google Maps are currently used by as many as 1 million websites on the web. The announcement also stated that a new version of the app, which is to run on iPad was tested. The newer version will incorporate a new suggestion engine to help you find a relevant places nearby, with a live traffic incident reporting and re-routing features.
• Google said that the desktop version of the google maps will now be getting a new version which includes improved interface, imagery and service unification and a more personalised experience. This new version of maps will be tailored to individual users, using the same data Google Now employs. Images from Google Earth, Street view and special projects will all be available at one place, it said. 

Google Search

• Search will turn more personalised this Wednesday. Google introduced a new search which will now have a conversation with you. It will have the ability to predict the information that you might need. Ask Google in Chrome a question and it will speak the answer back to you. Also, Google is making images from its Google Earth service available on the Web browser. Previously, users had to install separate software to use Google Earth.

The Clash Of The Titans : HTC One V/S Samsung Galaxy S4

Ok, so this one's not mine. I was reading newspaper today and just found the article. Full credits goes to the Times Of India's writer Javed Anwar. Just wanted to share with you guys out there.
I just want to thank him for writing such an informative article. I thank you sir on behalf on UltraLap.

Champ V/S Champ : Samsung Galaxy S4 V/S HTC One

The Galaxy S4 boasts some nifty software features. For example, Multi-window allows users to work on two apps in a single screen. Not all apps support this feature, but it's available for a few important ones such as Gmail, Chrome, Twitter, Messages and Youtube. Then there's Dual Shot, which allows a user to superimpose his stamp-sized image taken from the front camera on a scene shot with the rear camera. S Health is another feature that stands out. It allows a user to monitor his physical activity like walking or jogging throughout the day, and also shows the actual temperature and humidity in his surroundings. However, some features don't work as consistently as we would have liked, such as Air View, which allows a user to preview images without even touching the screen, and Air Gesture, which allows a user to take a call with a swiping gesture above the device. Still, the features that work are enough to make the S4 a more useful and handy device than other smartphones. Besides, the S4 allows for interchangeable batteries and expandable memory via a microSD card.


HTC has a history of excelling in product design. With the HTC One, the Taiwanese company is at its sparkling best. The phone is exquisitely designed using premium materials. Its unibody shell, fabricated out of aluminium alloy, feels tough, is wonderful to hold, and is resistant to fingerprints. Its curved back fits well in the hollow of your palms, and the device's chamfered edges give it a finish that feels superior to all other smartphones.

Another highlight of the HTC One is Blinkfeed - a dynamic homescreen widget that connects to various news services and your social network accounts to give you constant updates at all times.

SCREEN: If the screen size is the only criterion, the Galaxy S4 wins with its 5-inch screen when compared to the HTC One's 4.7 inches. But numbers alone don't define experience. In terms of quality, the displays on both the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are excellent. Text looks sharp on both handsets due to their FullHD (1920x1080 pixels) resolution.

But there are a few subtle differences: The screen on the Galaxy S4 has very deep blacks, and is capable of richer colours. The screen on the HTC One, however, shows truer colours. It also offers better readability under direct sunlight and outdoor use.

Winner: Tie

BATTERY: The battery in both handsets lasts long enough to allow for a single day's use, which includes phone calls, 3G videos, web browsing, emails, social networking, some gaming and a little bit of photography.

Still, in absolute terms, on heavy use, the HTC One wins here with an average battery life of 13 to 14 hours, when compared to around 12 hours for the Galaxy S4. In actual usage, this means that you'll have to charge both devices every night.

Winner: HTC One

PERFORMANCE: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are superb performers, running demanding games like Dead Trigger with ease. Web browsing is smooth; GPS is fast and accurate; and 3G speeds are good. In our use, we consistently got over 7Mbps download speeds on both handsets.

The availability of 2GB RAM on both also means multi-tasking is effortless. Overall, however, the HTC One seemed better.

The S4 suffered from the occasional lag, especially while switching between tasks. This is not a deal-breaker and probably won't even be noticed by most users, but we definitely found the HTC One to be smoother.

Winner: HTC One

CALL QUALITY: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are premium phones and as such have no issues handling phone calls. Both feature noise cancellation for background sounds, and we found that we got excellent voice clarity during calls; the people we called could also hear us clearly.

Winner: Tie

MUSIC: Both phones handle digital music formats such as MP3, FLAC, M4A with ease. In terms of audio quality, we found the HTC One's Beats Audio to be better than Samsung's Adapt Sound tech.

Importantly, the HTC One has placed its speakers, called Boomsound, at the front; they are loud, and produce distortion-free sound even at high volume. Also, the HTC One has an FM receiver; the S4 doesn't. Winner: HTC One

VIDEO: The Galaxy S4 gets our nod here. While the HTC One had trouble with certain video formats like AVI at FullHD resolution, the Galaxy S4 handled the same clips like a champ. When used with a third-party app like MX Player, the S4 even handles FullHD MOV files with ease. Its larger screen, which produces rich colours, also makes watching videos on the Galaxy S4 more enjoyable.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

CAMERA: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are very capable shooters. But in our use, we found the S4's 13MP camera to be a more consistent performer. The images shot with it are detailed, comprise good colours, and subjects appear in sharp focus. The S4 especially excels at close shots and is capable of shooting images that match the output of a good point and-shoot camera in good light.

In breaking away from the trend that 'more megapixels are better', the HTC One's main camera is only 4MP. Still, it is just as capable of good colour reproduction and sharp focus. It, however, loses out to the Galaxy S4 when it comes to the level of details.

In low-light, the HTC One performs marginally better, but if you use Galaxy S4's night mode, the difference between the two is negligible.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

USER INTERFACE: The HTC One uses a proprietary UI called Sense, while Samsung calls its custom interface TouchWiz.

In terms of aesthetics, Sense looks better with its subdued and minimalistic design. TouchWiz, on the other hand, uses lots of widgets and is defined by its use of colours.

In terms of usability, we liked TouchWiz. The HTC One has just two physical buttons for navigation - Back and Home. The menu can be accessed through the settings option provided in various apps, while multi-tasking requires double-tapping Home.

Touchwiz uses three buttons - Back, Home and Menu - which is easier to use. It is also easier to customise your home screen and manage widgets here. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

So which one you should buy?

It's actually a tough call to make. Both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are fine devices in their own right. The S4 scores on software features and boasts a fantastic camera. The HTC One, on the other hand, is an elegant handset that you want to show off.

If aesthetics, music quality and battery life are important to you, pick the HTC One. If camera performance, videos and software features take precedence, get the Galaxy S4. Either way, you have a winner.

That said, we don't think either phone warrants a purchase if you already own a high-end handset.

If you are using a smartphone older than one year and feel you need better performance and features, both Galaxy S4 and HTC One are good options.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/gadgets-special/Champ-vs-champ/articleshow/20130481.cms

Full Credits goes to the Times Of India's writer Javed Anwar.

Top-10 : Tablets 2013

We today proudly present to you the Top-10 Tablets list made by us after reviewing each and every product in the market.
So here it goes...

1) Apple iPad (4th Generation)

Apple iPad 

This is the best choice in this category. Retina display with superfast engine makes it one of the best from Apple.

PRICE : Rs.32500


2) Google Nexus 7

Google Nexus 7

Google's Nexus 7 might just be the best 7-inch tablet on the market. The device runs Google's latest mobile operating system, Jelly Bean, and comes with a nice design. It's one of the most affordable devices in this roundup.

PRICE : Rs.17000

Apple Mini

3) Apple Mini
Apple's iPad Mini is something of a marvel in the tablet market. The device comes with a 7.9-inch display, which makes it much smaller than its alternative, but it's also capable of delivering the true iOS experience that many consumers and enterprise users like. Plus, it's more mobile than bigger devices.

PRICE : Rs.25000

Note 800

4) Samsung Galaxy Note 800
The tablet has everything going for it - fantastic power under the hood, a great display and good battery life. The only thing it has against it is an underwhelming build that can be overlooked considering the overall package. If you are in the market to pick up a premium Android device, go ahead and pick this one up.

PRICE : Rs.40000

Galaxy Tab 2 

5) Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is a fantastic device. It hits the sweet spot between the budget tablets and the iPad. It has features and specifications that are value for money, and it is an better overall performer than the Sony Tablet S and the Motorola Xoom.

PRICE : Rs.19300

Apple iPad 2 

6) Apple iPad 2 
At an MRP ranging from Rs. 29,500 for the 16 GB model, to 46,900 for the 64 GB model with 3G support, the iPad 2 is only slightly costlier than its predecessor, but more expensive than any other tablet on the market. However, its leagues ahead of the mob too, and makes a great, (if expensive), addition to your gadget collection.

PRICE : Rs.25000

Microsoft Surface Pro

7) Microsoft Surface Pro
Microsoft's Surface Pro is one of those devices that gains a lot of attention but doesn't necessarily get the right kind of attention. Whenever it's brought up, a discussion follows about how Windows 8 is having trouble gaining traction. Nevertheless, the Surface Pro is a well-built, nice product that will catch on with Microsoft fans in 2013.

PRICE : Rs.44000

Asus Pad Transformer

8) Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101g is a dream come true which pairs a very good Android tablet with a tried-and-tested netbook keyboard to create one great product. It's sleek, stylish, and extremely practical and well worth its asking price.

PRICE : Rs.30000

9) Sony Tablet S 

Sony Tablet S 

The Tablet S catches your attention with the excellent performance, unique design and interesting extra features like the Universal Remote and the PlayStation app. However, Sony needs to address the issue of internal storage space available - only about 9GB is available for the user out of the 16GB. If it is an Android tablet you desire, you now have the choice between this and the Google Nexus 7.

PRICE : Rs.23000

10) Acer Iconia Tab A501
In a straight comparison to the Motorola Xoom, the Iconia A501 has the advantage of feeling lighter and bearing a much better display.

Iconia Tab A501

PRICE : Rs.32990

Mac or Windows? Find Out!

The debate was always on and still will be. There have been developers, programmers, experts, and even the CEO's who have given a numerous reasons to prove why Windows is better than Mac or vice-versa.
So, today we put our view on the same. We have been getting quite a few queries about the question - Which one to buy - Mac or Windows?
So firstly lets see the pros and cons of both and then we will proceed to a 5-point conclusion.

Firstly the MAC...
Pros : 

• Reliable platform
• More stable
• Design, Look excels 
• LED back lit screen
• Energy efficient and long battery life
• Best to use in digital (a/v editing) career 

Cons :

• Complex to use
• Only 2 USB ports 
• Not a gamer-friendly platform
• Expensive ( even at base model )
• Body gets scratched easily
• Limited upgrades and updates
• Limited softwares 
• Choices are less b/w the Mac's 
• Limited Support available
• Outrageous license agreements

Now, lets come to Windows...
Pros : 

• Used by almost more than a billion people worldwide, making almost 90% of the global market
• Easy to use
• Gamer-friendly
• Everything is available
• Support easily available
• Large shareware and freeware softwares available 
• Numerous updates and upgrades

Cons : 

• Prone to viruses and spywares
• Little instability is seen
• Outrageous license agreements
• Poor support for older hardware
• Poor remote access

Conclusion :
Firstly after going through the Pro's and Con's of both, you guys are free to post your views in the comment section below. Now coming to what we feel, definitely we will go with a billion users of Windows. To prove the same we are going to lay down some points :

Compatibility
Windows has and will always give you more hardware choices, and this perhaps is it's greatest strength. PC's give you a lot more choices and capability at less price. You can have the color you want, the size you want and the features you want. You even have an option for a fully customised PC.
On the other hand, Mac's, are only run on a limited set of hardware, mostly which are designed by Apple

Customizability
Windows have always proven this that there are almost a million developers around the globe which use windows for designing and publishing. It has much more open environment for developers.
Windows has a capability to be heavily modified, from XP to Windows 7/8 or form dual-core processor to i7 processor.
As far as games are concerned, windows has been the best for the gamer platform  It is a platform for world wide game tournaments. And this is reason why Windows gets much more and much better games as compared to Mac's.

Support
Microsoft has always provided better and secure technical assistance to it's users. In any city around the world you will find much more Windows stores that will provide technical assistance for your PC than you will find for you Mac. And obviously at a much lesser price.

Simplicity
Windows is much much easier to learn as well as to use. Actually if we go by the official data, the Windows has not changed much from the past 20 years or so, though, each new version has its own new features and capabilities, its quick to learn and to use.
The latest change in Windows 8, with its Live Tiles, has taken some off guard. It’s bringing the same look across all of Microsoft’s platforms: PC, tablet, phone, and Xbox. This is just another change that in time will be quickly accepted, and only make the interface more familiar not just with PCs, but all other Microsoft devices.

Price
The price has always been the center of the debate for anything that exists in this world. Same goes for the products that are manufactured by Apple and those by Microsoft. If we go by the logic, Microsoft (with the exception of the Surface tablet) doesn’t make computers. They leave that to their manufacturing partners; the Dells, HPs, Toshibas, and Acers of the world. And every one of these companies provides world class support as well as security for their products using Windows, but the point is that they do it cheaply. The price for which they sell products which have Windows is very low as compared to that of Mac's.