Netflix in India: Here’s everything you need to know about bandwidths, censorship and more

Netflix is the world’s top video streaming service that allows users to watch content on screens ranging from a smartphones to a smart television.

Netflix India has pricing similar to its primary US market and users will be able to pay as low as Rs 500 to watch shows and movies on a single screen at one time.
Netflix is the world’s top video streaming service that allows users to watch content on screens ranging from a smartphones to a smart television. It works with a variety of other devices like PlayStation and Apple TV, letting users stream directly onto larger screen. Netflix is also the creator of a lot of original, made for the web content, much of which is now in high-resolution Ultra HD.

Netflix India has pricing similar to its primary US market and users will be able to pay as low as Rs 500 to watch shows and movies on a single screen at one time. For Rs 650, they will get access to two simultaneous screens and four for Rs 800 — this also has UHD content.
The first month is free for all users and they can pay using PayPal and credit card only at the moment. An initial fee of Rs 70 ($1) is charged during signup to authenticate the card.

Netflix standard subscribers now pay $9.99 per month, not much more than the Rs 500 base price in India. Netflix was launched out of California is 1997 as a DVD rental service and now has over 69 million users globally with 42 million in the US alone.

Is the content censored?
During signup you have to specify if you are above 18 and this means there is not going to be a lot of censored content, while everything will be rated. However, while creating a profile Netflix lets you identify children so that they don’t get access to any adult content.

Is there a lot of local content?
An initial recce suggests all the popular Bollywood classics are there from Piku to Hum Aapke Hai Kaun.
No. For now Netflix has limited Indian content, but they are working on getting more partners on board. An initial recce suggests all the popular Bollywood classics are there from Piku to Hum Aapke Hai Kaun. However, Netflix is going to be a big boost for independent cinema. which does not get much screens to show on in India.

How can I watch the content?
It is best to watch on the television, provided your screen is smart or is yoked to an Android box or Apple TV. Alternatively, you can use Chromecast as the Netflix apps is supported by the streaming dongle. You can watch the shows on a laptop, tablet or smartphone, or use a MHL or HDMI cable to mirror this on your television.

Is bandwidth in India and issue?
Since this is the first question most people are asking, we decided to test this bit. I used the service on a MacBook Pro using a 1 Mbps wi-fi connection and the streaming was quite smooth after 30 seconds or so of initial buffering. The picture quality does scale down at times, but it restores within seconds. On a iPhone 6S Plus running LTE, the picture quality was great and the streaming seamless. I switched to 3G on the same phone and the experience was more or less the same except for the initial buffering.

Nokia's Moonraker Smartwatch

These days, it seems like everyone's making their own smartwatch, fitness band or some other variation of wrist-bound wearable. Before Microsoft acquired its services and devices  last year, Nokia was working on its own smartwatch too, which was being developed under the internal codename 'Moonraker'.

Indeed, it seems that the device came very close to actually launching - Nokia is said to have shown working prototypes to a select group of people behind closed doors at Mobile World Congress 2014, with a launch tentatively planned to coincide with that of the Lumia 930 - which was also around the time that the 'moonraker' codenamed first popped up.

Even so, the Nokia device is said to have included some rather nice features, such as sensors that would enable the display to read an incoming text by holding your arm up closer to your face, and switching off the display again by lowering your arm. It also included Facebook and MixRadio integration, and a remote camera control feature for your phone.

It's not clear exactly what software Moonraker would have run if it had made it to market, but the images show an interface that borrows heavily from Microsoft's 'Modern' design language.

But it was still clearly developed as a Nokia product, with color options to match the company's 2014 Lumia handsets, and the use of Nokia's Pure font family, rather than Microsoft's 'Segoe' typography

Letv gadgets come with most upgraded fingerprint technology

Letv continues to demonstrate innovative product development with the ultimate in connectivity, graphics, entertainment, mobile photography and power efficiency.

Letv, a global leader in smart device technology announced that its next generation smartphone devices will be powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI), starting with the Le Max Pro smartphone.

As the world's first tech company to announce the use of the new Snapdragon 820 processor, Letv continues to demonstrate innovative product development with the ultimate in connectivity, graphics, entertainment, mobile photography and power efficiency.

"Letv has already established itself as one of the world's top innovators and our decision to include the Snapdragon 820 processor in these new devices demonstrates our commitment to creating and delivering the best technology available to our customers," said Jun Liang, chief operating officer at Letv.

"Once the marketplace sees the dramatic performance enhancements in our smartphones, we are confident they will not accept anything less."

The Le Max Pro boasts a robust set of features, including Snapdragon Sense ID fingerprint technology, the mobile industry's first comprehensive ultrasonic-based fingerprint biometric solution, providing a more secure, reliable alternative to capacitive-based fingerprint sensors.

Snapdragon Sense ID fingerprint technology now includes a new live-ness detection feature, helping to ensure that an actual finger is being used for biometric authentication, and making the solution even more difficult to spoof. The Le Max Pro is the first commercial device with Snapdragon Sense ID fingerprint technology and will be the first with the new live-ness detection capability as well.

The Le Max Pro also features Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 for up to 75% faster charging than conventional methods.

Additionally, Letv will be the first to roll out commercial devices integrating 802.11ad multi-band wireless connectivity for multi-gigabit speeds and nearly uncompressed content transfer.

"We are very pleased that Letv is first to bring compelling and advanced smartphones to consumers that are powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor and feature Snapdragon Sense ID fingerprint technology," said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies.

With an ability to move content between devices in near real-time, and with an uncompressed signal, QTI's technologies in Letv's ecosystem of products maximize the user-experience, as well as the display quality on beautifully designed mobile and television devices.

The Le Max Pro is the latest addition to Letv's Le Superphone family, which sold more than one million units last November. 

Run Android on any computer just like Windows

Say you need to run Android apps on an actual computer, be it a laptop or a desktop. What do you do? One option starting this week will be to download Remix OS and run it free of charge on whatever PC you might have around the house. Remix OS is an Android fork that brings over a Windows-like Android experience. Jide, the company founded by former Googlers, manufactured special hardware for remix OS, but it has decided to make the operating system available free of charge for anyone looking to run Android on their computer.

Starting January 12th, you’ll be able to download Remix OS from Jide, and then run it on any x86 computer. 

You’ll need an FAT32 USB 3.0 flash drive with at least 8GB of free storage on it, and that’s it. Just restart your computer and boot directly from that USB drive. At that point, you’ll run Android on your computer, complete with an interface that will remind you of good old Windows. Take the drive with you and you’ll have an Android computer in your pocket that will work on most x86 PCs out there. And yes, before you ask, it’ll even work on some Macs. 

You’ll be able to log into your Google account, install apps, and do everything else you’d do on a smartphone or tablet running Android. But you’ll do it with the help of a keyboard and mouse. For now, you’ll get access to Remix OS 2.0 based on Lollipop, but a Marshmallow version should follow.

ALSO READ: NETFLIX IN INDIA

MOTO G3 get marshmallow update

Motorola has finally started rolling out Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) update for the 2015 Moto G (3rd gen) smartphone starting from the U.S and Canada. Earlier this month Motorola’s Senior Director of Software Product Management, David Schuster confirmed that they have begun Marshmallow soak test for Moto G (3rd Gen) in Brazil and India.

Motorola released the Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) update for the Moto X Style in India last month and the Moto X Play also started receiving Marshmallow update few weeks back. In an interview earlier this month, Amit Boni, general manager of Motorola India confirmed that Motorola will roll out Marshmallow update for the Moto G 2015 in India soon, so India should also get the update in the next few weeks.

Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) update v24.11.25 for the 2015 Moto G (3rd gen) is 460MB in size. It also includes the Android security update for December. Motorola confirmed Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) update for a range of smartphones back in October. It recently added the Moto E (2nd Gen) 4G to list and said that will get the Marshmallow update in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia, excluding China.

Redmi 3 To Launch On 12 Jan! Full Metal Body

As the launch date of Xiaomi's upcoming Redmi 3 nears, more features if the smartphone are coming to light and the latest bit of information concerns the chipset that Xiaomi is using in the smartphone.




According to a post by China-based analyst -- Sun Changxu -- on his Weibo account, Redmi 3 will be powered by the new octa-core Snapdragon 616 processor, running at 1.7GHz clock speed.


This comes just a day after the company posted on its Weibo account that it will launch the Redmi 3 smartphone on January 12 that the smartphone will have a 5-inch display and teased its redesigned metal body.

More specs are getting revealed, it has a 4100 mAh battery. More battery juice. more funs !



 
Other rumoured specs of the smartphone include 16GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 comes just six months after the launch of the Redmi 2 model. It is expected to remain an entry-level device despite the metal body.

Vodafone India launches its 4G LTE services in Mysore and karnataka

Vodafone India has rolled out high-speed 4G network in Karnataka beginning with Mysuru, following the launch of its services in Kerala circle in December 2015. 

 

 

 

Beginning with Mysuru, Vodafone will soon expand 4G coverage across the state in a phased manner to cover important business and tourism centres including Bengaluru, Mangalore and Hubli.

Karnataka is a significant growth market for Vodafone India with data contributing to 20% of total revenues and growing at a rate of over 50% annually.

Vodafone's 4G network will enable Vodafone 4G customers to access internet via mobile with speeds across a range of smart devices including mobile Wi-Fi. Further, Vodafone 4G services can be readily accessed from 4G-enabled handsets offered by vendors like Apple, Samsung, Micromax, Microsoft, and Lava available across the country.

Vodafone said that its 4G service in Mysuru is built on a strong fibre backhaul, and is supported by its own 3G services on a modern network of 2100 MHz. With the launch, Vodafone also becomes one of the leading telecom operators in Karnataka to offer2G/3G/4G services on its own convergent radio technology.

Vodafone is also making arrangements of home delivery of 4G-ready SIMs for its premium high-value customers in Mumbai and formal communication is being sent out to all these customers with details of the initiative, the company recently said in a statement.

 

Lenovo to kill Motorola smartphones brand, call it 'Moto by Lenovo'

While Lenovo took over Motorola way back in 2014, it hasn’t made any significant moves to impose any changes to the latter’s brand. This is all set to change now, with the parent company now announcing its plans to strike off the Motorola name from all its future phones.
Lenovo is looking to streamline its Vibe brand of phones with Motorola’s Moto lineup. It will position the first as affordable smartphones which cost less than $100 and the second as the more premium option. Motorola is set to continue to exist as a division within the Chinese company, though its offerings will now be stamped as Moto by Lenovo.
Motorola Chief Operating Officer Rick Osterloh told CNET that the shift towards the new moniker will take place gradually. The firm’s iconic batwing logo is set to stay in place on its devices, although the symbol will now be joined by Lenovo’s blue icon. Osterloh and his business group are going to eventually take over the latter’s mobile operations.
Hints of this development were hinted at in August 2015, when Lenovo’s financial report came out. The firm had recorded heavy losses during the year and was compelled to lay off 3200 of its employees. The document had mentioned it was planning to let Motorola take charge of its smartphones division in order to simply its product portfolio.

Also Read: Microsoft Surface pro launched in India

Still, it’s a surprise to know Lenovo is getting rid of the Motorola name altogether. The US-based brand is credited as the first to create the cell phone and its flip phones were ubiquitous during the 2000s. However, it couldn’t maintain its success and got taken over by Google in 2012.
Lenovo is probably hoping to establish itself as a smartphone brand by featuring itself more prominently on Motorola phones. The company is better known as a PC maker globally and can now take advantage of the latter’s association with mobile phones to its benefit.

Microsoft Surface pro launched in India

 





 Microsoft today launched the Surface Pro 3 2 in 1 in India, along with the Surface Pro 4.Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is priced at Rs. 73,990 for the Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, which is the only variant that will be available in India. It will be exclusively available from Amazon.in. Pre-order starts today and will be shipped starting January 14th. The Type Cover and the Surface Pen will be available separately for Rs. 12,490 and Rs. 5,990, respectively.



12-inch (2160 x 1440 pixels) 3:2 ClearType Full HD Plus display
4th-generation Intel Core i3 Processor
4GB RAM, 128 GB storage
Pen features 256 levels of pressure sensitivity
5MP and 1080p HD front- and rear-facing cameras
TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module — for BitLocker encryption)
Wi-Fi 802.11ac/802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology, Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port, Charging port
Built-in front- and rear-facing microphones
Stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound
Sensors  – Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
5547mAh battery with up to nine hours of Web-browsing time