The OUYA Android Game-Console Goes on Sale for $100

The OUYA console, backed mainly by the audience on Kickstarter.com has finally gone on sale in a few countries. The Android-powered console uses its own store for games.

The console’s tale started almost a year ago in July 2012 when the project was initially launched. It quickly gained attraction and became one of the biggest projects to date on the site, raising nearly 86 million dollars on the site.

The Console

Hardware-wise, there’s hardly any ground-breaking stuff. Under the small box (the console, i.e.), you get a Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB internal storage. The OS running is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. That’s hardly extraordinary but then again, it simply can’t have Xbox Live or something but we feel that at least Play Store should’ve been on-board.

The Games

Games are obviously not “Crisis-like”. Currently the OUYA website says that there are 176 games available right now. The great thing is that all of them can be tried out before buying. The bad thing though is that they are of of quite low quality. Only a few of them really shine out.

Final Fantasy III and Gunslugs look great fun along with some others but otherwise nothing impressive. Several of the games are already on Android and other platforms but overall, they do feel underwhelming.

The developers will really have a great time with the OUYA. The console itself is really easy to open (as long as you have a screwdriver). They can then post it on OUYA’s store. Still, that number will most-probably pale in comparison to other gaming stores.

The Controller

The console will be shipping with one controller. It itself seems to be inspired by the Xbox 360 processor. Its four buttons on the right have the letters O, U, Y, and A written on them. Alongside them is the 3 inch touchpad. Additional controllers can be bought for $50.

For connectivity, a USB port, HDMI, Ethernet, Wifi, microUSB and Bluetooth 4.0 are there.

The Price

The most attractive aspect of OUYA is its price. At $99, the OUYA is definitely among the cheapest consoles available currently. Its already sold out at Amazon. Competition however is really tough. For $100 more you can get the new Xbox 360. Games will be much, much expensive though.

This means that it all comes down to the end user. If you’re a casual gamer or someone on a strict budget, then the OUYA will do, otherwise a second-hand console or even a mobile phone with an additional gamepad will work.

The Google Play Edition of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Go on Sale

A while back, Google announced that it would be selling the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One with Vanilla version of Android OS onboard. That day has finally arrived and both of the phones have finally gone on sale on Google Play.

The Google Edition of the phones are deprived of their exclusive software features and are exactly the same in this department. It is agreeable that HTC Sense and Touchwiz UI add a lot of features over Vanilla Android but with both of them gone, the phones will feel a bit snappier, that’s for sure.

Specifications-wise, the duo is exactly the same as there original counterparts. The Galaxy S4 version packs a SnapDragon 600 chipset underneath instead of the octa-core version but that won’t be hurting anyone much. Instead, it will yield better battery life. HTC One, on the other hand, will be packing the same quad-core SnapDragon 600 version as the original phone.

Here are the specs of the Google Edition of Galaxy S4:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Stock Android
• 7.9mm thick
• 130g heavy
• 5 inch display with Full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 1.9Ghz quad-core Krait 300 processor with SnapDragon 600 chipset
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2 GB RAM with 16/32/64 GB expandable memory
• 13 megapixel camera with Full HD video recording, image stabilization and HDR
• 2 megapixel Full HD front-facing camera
• Wifi Hotspot, microUSB 2.0, USB-OTG, NFC, IR Blaster, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2600 mAh battery

Here are the specs of the Google Edition of HTC One:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Stock Android
• 9.3mm thin
• 143g heavy
• 4.7 inch display with Full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• 1.7Ghz quad-core Krait 300 processor with SnapDragon 600 chipset
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2 GB RAM with 32/64 GB non-expandable memory
• 4 mp UltraPixel camera with Full HD video recording, image stabilization and HDR
• 2.1 megapixel Full HD front-facing camera
• Wifi Hotspot, microUSB 2.0., NFC, IR Blaster, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2300 mAh battery

The Galaxy S4 Google Edition will be costing $649 at launch. The HTC One will be cheaper at $599. Their original versions can be found at lower prices in the market currently but you know, the Vanilla Android lovers are always there so the deals won’t be too bad after all.

You should expect to find them in any of the popular online stores in Pakistan soon.

Digital Landscape of Pakistan (Infographic)

The Internet and social media are changing advertising, marketing and public relations, and it is time that the marketing professionals in Pakistan put digital in its proper place and give it the appropriate role.

2012 year end industry estimates have claimed a 100% growth in digital advertising spend in Pakistan to over PKR1 billion – this is still a drop in the bucket given the overall industry numbers and potential.

The below infographic outlines the digital landscape in Pakistan – consolidating several studies that have recently been published in the market – including the Economic Survey for 2011-12 by the government of Pakistan; on which 2012-13 budget of the country is based.

This infographic provides several key figures for businesses and digital marketers to understand the digital diaspora in a statistical and concise form.

It is important to note that, Pakistan is still struggling with multiple issues like internet censorship, lack of 3G services or online payment solutions – millions of Pakistanis have learned to embrace digital platforms (via mobile & internet) for work, to socialize or keep themselves updated with the latest news.

The statistics, however, are based on data starting from 2010 to some more current and up to date numbers. Industry numbers and information in some areas – especially digital advertising and ecommerce are just not available and in those cases estimates or feedback from industry experts has been used. It is good enough for a quick understanding.

Intel Launches 4th Gen Intel Core processors in Pakistan

Naveed Siraj, Country Manager, Intel Pakistan with his team at the launch of 4h Gen Intel Processors.

Intel yesterday announced the 4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family, dubbed as Haswell, in Pakistan.

Intel said that its 4th gen Intel Core delivers optimized experiences personalized for end-users’ specific needs, packing extraordinary battery life capability, better graphics and new usages in devices such as 2-in-1s, tablets, robust enthusiast and portable all-in-one systems and secure and manageable business device with Intel® vPro™.

The new Intel Core processors provide responsive, secure and powerful performance for consumers to create and consume content wherever their mobile lifestyles take them. The first chip ever built from the ground up for the Ultrabook™ and the most significant roadmap change since Intel® Centrino® technology, 4th gen Intel Core processors combine PC performance with tablet-like mobility, accelerating a broad new category of 2-in-1 devices.

“4th gen Intel Core processors offer the most significant gain in battery life enabling ever achieved by Intel, up to double the graphics and significant CPU performance improvements that are delivering exciting new consumer experiences,” said Naveed Siraj, Country Manager, Intel Pakistan. “Today’s announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new form factors. This year is the perfect time for consumers to refresh their old tablet or PC with these new 2-in-1 devices.”

Low Power Plus Enhanced Performance and Better Graphics

4th gen Intel Core processors can bring a 50 percent improvement in battery life over the previous generation, and two to three times improvement in standby battery life. Intel exceeded its expectations on power reduction at the CPU level to as low as 6 watts and also worked across the system for power optimization.

Active power is improved as is idle power by architecting new ultra low-power processor states where the CPU consumes a fraction of the power compared to previous idle states. The 4th generation Intel Core processors also bring the highest performance currently available in mainstream computing with the additional benefit of superior graphics support.

More Peace of Mind for New Intel Core-Powered Ultrabook

4th gen Intel Core – completely redesigned from the ground up specifically for the Ultrabook – represents a seismic shift in the compute landscape. All new Ultrabooks will be touch-enabled and have Intel Wireless Display capability built in to bring natural touch and motion interactivity and speed mode for low-latency gaming on the big screen. Ultrabooks will also be hardware-ready for voice command and control, giving the user flexibility to choose the most natural and intuitive way of handling the task at hand. Ultrabooks will wake in less than 3 seconds from deep sleep and in some cases much faster, offering the nearly “instant-on” experience that people want. Ultrabooks will pull email, social media and other updates while in a low-power mode, meaning less waiting for fresh data upon waking. Ultrabooks are also equipped with built in security capabilities. The recently introduced McAfee LiveSafe service brings the deepest protections available by taking advantage of technology in new Intel Core processors and Intel IPT and Intel AT.

Built for the Enterprise

4th generation Intel Core vPro processors further strengthen security and increase business productivity. The 4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family is also ideal for the design of high-performance, low-power intelligent systems for retail, industrial, media servers, medical and digital surveillance environments. The improved 3-D graphics and media performance deliver outstanding HD media playback for highly visual retail and digital signage applications, while new Intel AVX 2.0 instructions enable faster calculations for the rapid collection and interpretation of sound waves in an ultrasound machine.

It is estimated that by 2016 all TV, video-on-demand and Internet video combined may compose up to 86 percent of global consumer traffic.

Sony Announces New Super-Sized Phablet the Xperia Z Ultra

Sony is the latest company in the increasingly growing number of companies producing out monstrously large phones. The new phablet, the Xperia Z Ultra has a giant 6.4 inch Full HD display and the latest SnapDragon 800 processor.

The Xperia Z Ultra happens to be amazingly thin, in fact, it’s the world’s thinnest 1080p Full HD display smartphone at only 6.5mm. It is quite heavy though, at 212g.

The Xperia Z Ultra’s 6.4 inch display comes with Sony’s new X-Reality and OptiContrast tech and is of Full HD 1080p resolution. It’s also super-sensitive just like the new Lumias and Galaxy S4, which means you can virtually use any object to work on the phone, including pencils.

The Xperia Z Ultra is the world’s first phone to pack a SnapDragon 800 processor. It comes with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal expandable storage. The back hosts a 8 megapixel camera with 1080p Full HD video recording and HDR mode. LED Flash is missing here unfortunately.

The Xperia Z Ultra happens to be water-resistant. It comes with IP58 certification which means it can dive deeper than 1 meter for more than 30 minutes.

The phone runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Here are the full specs of the Xperia Z Ultra:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 6.5mm thick
• Weight: 212g
• 6.4 inch display with 1080p Full HD resolution
• Super-sensitive, shatterproof display
• IP58 certified water-resistant
• 2.2Ghz quad-core SnapDragon 800 processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2 GB RAM with 16 GB internal expandable storage
• 8 megapixel camera with 1080p Full HD and HDR mode
• Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, USB-OTG, NFC, 4G LTE
• 3050 mAh battery

The phone will be available in Q3 this year for a price tag of 719 Euros which will be equivalent to around PKR 95,000. That price tag might be tough to swallow but due to its high-tech specs, it will probably find quite many buyers.

Sony Announces the Second Iteration of its SmartWatch

Sony is taking another shot at wearable technology by announcing the successor to the not-so-successful original SmartWatch, the SmartWatch 2. The new SmartWatch 2 packs a 1.6 inch display with 220 x 176 resolution.

The new watch features an aluminium redesign and will be able to take phone calls, read messages and emails, use mapping services, show social networking updates, controlling music and more. Controlling presentations and using the watch to take photos through the phone will be possible too.

Just like the new Xperia Z Ultra, it is also water-resistant (IP57 certified). It comes with built-in NFC, microUSB 2.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 for connectivity. The latter is used to connect with almost all devices running Android 4.0 or later. 

The battery life is quoted to last about 4 days on average usage. It can also work as a normal watch when not connected. According to Sony, there are over 200 unique apps currently available for the watch.

The SmartWatch 2 will be available from September onwards and will come with a large range of wristbands (along with a stainless steel band which comes along in package). Pricing details are unknown though.

HP Announces the Slate 21 All-in-One Android Tablet

The notion of using tablets as your primary computers has been much considered lately but never went beyond the point of, well, a notion. HP however thinks different and it’s just because of that precise reason that they’re announcing the new Slate 21, which is an Android Jelly Bean-running tablet with a 21 inch display.

The Slate 21 even comes with its own keyboard and mouse.

The specs

The star of the show in the Slate 21 is its gorgeous 21 inch IPS display with Full HD resolution, promising crystal clear images. The display is also a touchscreen, naturally, and supports pen input. Behind it is the kickstand which can be toggled in a variety of positions.

Under the hood is a Nvidia Tegra 4 processor running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. An unknown amount of RAM is welded inside the tablet along with unknown amount of storage but does come with a SD card slot.

For connectivity, the tablet uses Ethernet, 3 (full-size) USB ports, Wifi and headphone jack. It must also be taken into consideration that the tablet doesn’t come with a battery inside and thus, is required to be connected to power at all times. That’s still not bad though as this tablet wasn’t meant to be portable in the first place.

The Slate 21 comes with dual speakers. It will also come with its own keyboard and mouse so HP is trying its best to make you feel at home.

The tablet will be available is September for a very tempting price of $400.

Huawei Unveils the MediaPad 7 Vogue Tablet with Call Functionality

Huawei has outed yet another tablet in its MediaPad line of Android tablets. The new MediaPad 7 Vogue is a 7 inch tablet with a quad-core processor and the ability to make voice calls.

The tablet’s 7 inch display comes with a resolution of 600 x 1024 pixels, which is just fine considering the price bracket. The design is a bit bland too. The OS running is Android 4.1 customized with Emotion UI.

Beneath the surface though is a 1.2Ghz quad-core Cortex A9 processor with Huawei’s K3V2 chipset. The amount of RAM set is 1 GB while there’s 8 GBs of internal storage too (expandable via a microSD card slot).

At the back is a 3 megapixel camera. For connectivity the phone uses Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0 and Wifi Hotspot.

Here are the full specs of the tablet:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Emotion UI
• 7 inch display with resolution of 600 x 1024 pixels
• 9.5mm thick
• 335 grams heavy
• 1.2Ghz quad-core Cortex A9 processor
• 1 GB RAM with 8 GB expandable internal storage
• 3 megapixel camera
• Front-facing camera
• Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi Hotspot, GPS, DLNA
• 4100 mAh battery

The MediaPad 7 Vogue will be launching this month. Pricing details can only be guessed at the moment but looking at Huawei’s history, we are almost certain that the  MediaPad 7 Vogue won’t be costly.

Samsung launches Ativ Tab 3 and dual boot Ativ Q Tablet

Samsung launched a number of new Android and Windows 8-powered devices at a special event. The list includes Android-based Galaxy NX camera, the Ativ Q Tablet and the world’s thinnest Windows 8 tablet, Ativ Tab 3.

Ativ Tab 3 is a Windows 8 tablet which Samsung claims is the world’s thinnest at only 8.2 mm thick.

The 10.1 inch screen with 1366×768 pixels is bundled with SPen and is powered by an Intel ATOM Z2760 processor, 2GB RAM and 64GB Hard Disk Space. The device also has one micro USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI and a slot for a micro SD card.

Ativ Q is another Windows 8 tablet that comes with dual-boot ability, which means that it also runs Android 4.2.2 side by side. Not only will the users could access Android apps via Google Play but also be able to transfer files from Windows 8 to Android.

According to Samsung Ativ Q has the world’s highest resolution. It has a QHD+ HD screen at 3200×1800 pixels at 275 ppi for the 13.1-inch screen size. It is powered with an Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4400, has 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD and provides up to 9 hours of battery life.

Both Ativ tablets have SideSync which allows users to switch from PC mode to an Android-based Samsung smartphone.

How to compress pictures using Microsoft Word?

Pictures can be compressed by a number of photo editing software but there are times when you do not have access to those software and want to compress the picture as soon as possible. Here is a neat trick of using MS Word for picture compression.

1. Open Microsoft Word and create a new Word document.
2. Click on the “Insert” tab on the top left side of the screen.
3. Choose the picture you want to compress
4. Select the picture file you want to compress by double-clicking on it. The picture will be added to your document.
5. Click on the picture and then go up to the “Format” tab and choose “Compress Pictures” from the menu.
6. A pop-up screen will ask, “Apply Compression Settings Now?” Either click on the “OK” button to accept the pre-determined settings or choose the “Options” button. Here you can choose the quality of the photo compression by ticking the boxes beside the options you want and then press the “OK” button.
7. Save your document and the photo will become compressed.

If you just want the photo to appear in the document without a lot of white space around it, then you will need to change the size of your document to the size of your photo or as close to the same size as you can get. Here’s how:

1. Choose the “Page Layout” tab that is found at the top of the Microsoft Word screen.
2. Click on the “Size” icon.
3. Select your custom paper size.
4. Save your document.

If you want to use the picture anywhere else outside of Microsoft Word follow these steps:

1. Right click on the picture
2. Choose the option “Save as Picture”
3. Choose the format JPEG (it is normally chosen by default)
4. Select the location where you want to save it and click on Save.

Karbonn A7 – Affordable smartphone

Google’ Android operating system has been a blessing for so many home grown smartphone brands in India to secure a large share in the present smartphone market. Free to use Android OS has helped smaller brands like Micromax,Karbonn and Zync to come up with best affordable smartphone devices for the budget friendly buyers. Karbonn A7 is one of the affordable Android smartphones targeted for the entry level smartphone buyers in the Indian market. Read on to know more about what Karbonn A7 smartphone is offering with its budget friendly price tag.

Karbonn A7

Impressive build quality –

One of the best things the Karbonn A7 has to offer is its attractive looking sophisticated body design and great build quality. Most of the front area on the Karbonn A7 is captured by its 3.5inch display along with a center button as a shortcut to many services. It is designed with a matte finish back panel that prevents any ugly finger prints to occur on the back side. Karbonn A7 is having a decent looking body design comparing to the other budget range Android devices available in India. So, if you are looking for stylish looking impressive body design in your next smartphone in the budget range then Karbonn A7 can be a good choice.

Display Features –

Karbonn has designed the Karbonn A7 with a 3.5inch capacitive touch screen display, but it doesn’t really impress on the resolution side. It is offering only 320*480pixels resolution, so the media viewing experience on the phone is pretty normal. However, its big display allows you to view more content on large web pages while surfing the internet. Moreover, its display size and resolution is a bit better comparing to the other budget range devices like Micromax A50 Ninja in India.

Karbonn A7 Smartphone

Performance & Memory –

Karbonn A7 is powered by a single core 800MHz processor along with Qualcomm Adreno 200 GPU for additional performance. Its processor is supported by a 512MB of RAM memory and it comes with only 177MB of the internal storage. So, as you can see the internal memory is pretty low and it is really necessary to buy a MicroSd card along with the device for additional storage. Its processor performs well enough to enjoy the light applications but high end apps will give you a bit of lag while operating it.

Software Interface –

Karbonn A7 is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and its processing power is good enough to give you smooth operations while operating the interface. Karbonn has done a bit tweaking with the notification panel and power options of the software interface but still it looks very similar to the stock OS. Overall, the software interface is decent and works smoothly with the processor and the RAM it is powered by.

Karbonn A7 

Camera –

Karbonn A7 is powered by a 5MP camera with Dual flash, but it doesn’t perform well enough comparing to the mega pixels it contains. Quality of the photos captured by the camera of the phone is pretty similar to the photos captured by a 3MP camera device. It also comes with a front VGA camera and it gives you normal video calling quality. Overall, the camera present in the Karbonn A7 is normal and the higher mega pixels count is just a show off here.

Battery & connectivity –

Karbonn A7 is powered by a decent 1420mAh battery that gives you a lot of usage time. It can last around 1-2 days on moderate usage and around single day on heavy use. It comes with Dual SIM connectivity support and you can put a 3G SIM in one of the slots present on the phone. Other connectivity features of the phone include WiFi, Bluetooth and USB tethering.

Last Words –

It is specially targeted for the new smartphone buyers who are looking for a decent performer in the budget range. It’s stylish looking body design & good hardware performance along with long lasting battery makes it a perfect choice for the affordable buyers in the Indian market. Karbonn A7 is officially priced for Rs. 7,000 in India but you can get it for fewer prices on many online stores.  However, to make a smart choice you should also compare it with other phones in the same price range from companies like Micromax and iBall etc.

Author-

The Guest Author of this post is Julia. She wrote several tech posts for 91mobiles.com. Her passion for upgrading her knowledge puts her to research on topics relevant to her industry. Besides, she also likes to share her findings by writing about them in her free time.