0 Lighter Moments with Philips : Innovative Solutions to Brighten up your Life and Your House

I got a chance to attend an event by Philips India, showcasing a variety of new products that they have just launched. These include the complete lighting solutions for your homes. So, the next time you invite someone over to your house for a dinner, be sure to serve up some snacks on these LED-illuminated platters and you sure will start up some conversations!

There are many facets to this product announcement which covers things from smart LED lighting solutions, home automation, illuminated wares used to serve food. So basically, everything you would need to light up up your home is there.

Firstly, there is the home lighting solution. Instead of using the conventional incandescent bulbs, Philips says that we can use LED lights to cut to a fraction the power requirement. These bulbs can last as long as 50,000 hours! But then again, getting up to switch these lights is just too mainstream right!? So Philips has also released solutions with which you can control the lights by using your smart device. Not only can you switch on and off your lights, you can also set the brightness and the color all by using your smart device and/or a separate remote provided.

Then there are the LumiWares, which are basically kitchen-ware illuminated with LED lighting. There are platters, wine coolers, coasters and many more. Watch your guests' eyes light up as see your wares! In addition to that, there are Wall Hangings, suspension lights, electronic diyas etc but the most interesting piece of equipment that I saw, was a light without any bulb! Cool isn't it!? Well, I've still to figure out how that works, but you can head over to the nearest store to have a look. Then you have a decorative lighting, that can display 16 Million colors, which you can control by a remote. What is amazing is the fact that, these devices will only use a fraction of electricity to run. So they are good for you as well as the earth.

Here is the full press release: 

Press Release

PHILIPS LIGHTING BRINGS AWARD WINNING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE FOR YOUR HOMES

New Delhi, May 18, 2013 – Have you ever wondered how the home you visited looked so bright and glittering – how every room you entered enthused the perfect ambience.Well, it is lighting that adds beauty and elegance to a room.Driven by innovation and a promise to bring homes to life, Philips, India’s leading lighting company created the branded home decorative lighting category in India in 2009. Today, the Philips Home Decorative Lighting range includes more than 800 different designs and styles which demonstrate how great lighting can transform the home and create the perfect setting for any mood or occasion.

Featuring the latest in lighting technology and concepts at an experiential event, Philips today showcased a range of unique designs from the LED home lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor use. A range of new products were also unveiled at the event like chic LED candles, table lamps, Living Colours Bloom, DimTone technology, LED suspension lights, and walls lights designed like kite and ladybird for kids.Many of these products have also been recognized for their design by both iF Product Design Award and red dot Design Award.

Speaking about the lifestyle and emotional connect of lighting, Rahul Taneja, Business Head, Consumer Luminaires, Philips Lighting India, said, “Light can surprise us on various levels. It can be peaceful and comfortable, stylish and dramatic, or cheerful and festive. Philips’ innovations are based on people’s needs. We constantly listen to ensure that we address people’s real-life needs and aspirations, wherever they are.”

Using state-of-the-art lighting solutions can help make homes more beautiful and more functional with the right ambience for ideal living spaces that can help enhance the quality of life. From table lamps and recessed light, to decorative and accent light available in different textures, colors and patterns, it’s possible to personalize, yet complement the fabric of our homes in entirely new ways with light.

Philips offers multiple design styles to choose from like Contemporary, Heritage, Modern, Expressive and Historical. The new range of dimmer lights allows home owners to create a natural and soothing environment at your homes with one touch. The Philips Dimtone and the tunable white LED lighting makes the control of color temperature and brightness handy.

With all the new innovations comes an added advantage to these products with the Philips Dynalite Control Systemthat allow one to control the lights with your iPhones, iPads, Android devices and the Philips Dynalite Antumbra and Revolution user interfaces. Dynalite technology converts your homes into a modern home by creating lighting scenes and with better user interfaces that gives you the power to interact with the system. A fundamental philosophy in designing a smart lighting system is the creation and switching of lighting scenes instead of individual lights. As lighting is the fundamental system in every home, a smart lighting control system is the logical answer to the lighting needs for a smart home user. Philips DynamicTouch and EnvisionTouch are revolutionizing smart lighting control apps, providing ease of use with advanced functionality. The Philips Dynalite lighting control system has been used in the Burj Khalifa Highrise Complex which is the world’s tallest building with 160 floors featuring high end residences, corporate suites and the world’s first Armani hotel and residences.

Philips has been focused on investing in growing the home decorative lighting category in India. One of the biggest proof points of consumer acceptance and increased demand is the fact that within a short span of less than four years, Philips has successfully established a network of 84 exclusive retail outlets called Philips Light Lounges across India. These branded retail outlets cater to the evolving lifestyle needs of the consumer who also receive expert advice on choosing the right lighting design for their unique needs. In addition to the Light Lounges, the range is also sold through more than950 Light Shoppes (shop-in-shops) spread across more than 70 cities in India.

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0 Editorial : The Google Glass : Implications, benefits, downsides? What to make of it?

The Google Glass is coming closer and closer to becoming a shipping product, even as I wait to get my hands on it. The people at Google have already given out developer "Explorer" kits to the select few, and thanks to that we have seen what all the Glass can do. Hopefully we'll get to see even more, come Google I/O in the mid-may. Now, to decide whether it will be useful to a person she goes about his day, will it be a success or a failure, that will be a tough task.

 Although it's too early to give a judgement call on the device, considering that it still isn't out on the market yet, when it does actually come out, there's gonna be precious little to compare it to. The initial reactions to the device will be majorly based on the what the developers intend it to be.

One might compare this launch to any other device which was the first of its kind to launch. A fitting example might be the iPad. Same as this, when it was launched, people didn't know what to make of the strange device. With it, many people were left scratching thier heads and this might happen even more with Google Glass, considering that it will feel more personal than any other device currently in the market. Ain't nobody messes with a person's glass!

Apps and what third party developers do with it will determine how Glass is recieved.  Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has shared how he uses the Glass which admittedly isn't very awe inspiring. Now, Google has kept the Glass platform very limited, banning ads, no access to sensors to the apps. There is also only the HTML 5 API available to the developers. That'll just make webapps! Why? You might ask. Why does a company like Google which has previously allowed people to fiddle around with thier products, limit their potentially most awesome product? Because, by doing that, it gets more control over it's product! It can actually steer the life of the Google Glass! It can introduce new upgrades, improve the user experience with much more ease. If you are old enough to remember, Apple also did this with the first iPhone. People have no expectations from the device because they do not know what an HUD should be like.

Google has put in a lot of effort and resources to introduce features, that effectively act as a replacement for your smartphone. But many things are still lacking. Take for example the procedure of clicking a photo. You have to speak "Okay Glass, take a picture" which  is way more cumbersome than tapping a button. Google recognised this AFTER giving out the explorer edition to developers. And now we have news coming in that you can take pic by a wink. Along with this, Google added a host of new gesture recognition features.

Imagine what kind of privacy issues the device will create when it actually comes to the market. Everyone can be potentially spying on everyone! Already clubs and bars have decided to eject anyone found wearing these Internet-connected toys within it's premises. But where's the harm, you might ask? The problem is, these kind of devices raise all kinds of legal issues. Like being filmed without consent. Being a part of someone else's data collection, does that scare you? What you think will happen when you put on the Glass for the first time? You'll be presented with a lot of legal jargon in the form of "End User License Agreement", which by the way will absolve Google of all responsibility relating to how you use the device, where the data goes and who sees it. Invariably, you will click the "Agree" button without so much as a glance to the content written.

Implications

You're probably gonna use the Glass as Ski Goggles, but you're gonna crash because you're not paying attention

First the dire warnings. Google Glass has the potential to make us more inwardly focused and less prone to take part in real-life conversations. That alienation could affect our physical health. Scientists have suspected for some time that the amount of human interaction you experience affects your physiological health. Though conventional wisdom is that a poor diet and lack of exercise are the prime factors contributing to heart disease, scientists have also identified the Roseto Effect, which posits that human interaction also has a preventative influence.

How Men will use the glass!

Access to a dynamic screen ALL the time will almost definitely cut us off from the rest of the world, primarily because we can focus on only one thing at a time!

Google Glass seems like an obvious threat to our ability to process things in real time. But what about our brain's ability to store that data? Leonardo Giusti, a post-doctoral researcher at the MIT Mobile Experience Lab, says that Glass over time will also undermine our long-term memory. "The instantaneous access to pertinent information, about objects, places or people, will reduce the need to retain information in a long-term perspective," he says. "Potentially, it could progressively weaken our ability to remember."

So whaddaya think!? Will Google Glass be a success? Well, maybe not a huge one considering the price and all. If you ask me, I'd say if Google keeps some constraints over the platform like no-sensor-access to the third party apps, it may not be a bad thing after all!

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0 Samsung Galaxy S4 Comes to India @ Rs 41,500

Heating up the smartphone war, Samsung has released their Android flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 in India at a price of Rs 41,500. It will be available at the company’s premium brand stores in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai from 12 noon onwards tomorrow (Saturday), while all-India availability will be in a couple of days.

The Galaxy S4 continues Samsung’s tradition of packing a big screen and a ton of high-end hardware in a glossy plastic body accompanied by a front button array that dates back to Android 2.3, though there is marked improvement in the overall feel of the phone. Samsung is launching the I9500 model in India that runs on the Exynos 5 Octa 5410 SoC, with four 1.6GHz Cortex A15 cores and four 1.2GHz Cortex A7 cores packed on a single chip. Along with that it also has 2GB of RAM, the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 16GB of internal memory with microSD card slot, 5.0-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution Super AMOLED display, 13 megapixel rear camera with 1080p, 30fps video recording, a 2MP front camera with 720p, 30fps recording, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, 2,600mAh battery and every ding dang you can imagine.

What comes as a pleasant surprise is the availability and pricing of the phone, having been launched at a price close to that of it's closest competitor, the HTC One, which sells at Rs 42,990. Even iPhone 5 sells at Rs 45,990.

For a more comprehensive run down of the features of the Galaxy S4, check this out.

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0 Coming Soon: The Key Lime Pie – Android Version 5

The world is waiting with bated breath for Android’s next big release – touted to be the Key Lime Pie. Here is a look at the pie that has held so many people in expectation in unison. We discuss issues such as - what is already known, what is being rumoured and finally how things will change.

In the “what is already known” section, we discuss official statements made as of today. The rumors section is a peek into the grapevine with one hand on our heart and the final how things will change section is an impact analysis section.

What is already known?

Key Lime Pie – The name is that of an American Desert that has already caught the imagination of many a rock band. Now the legendary staple desert steps foot into techno world. Android has decided to name its next update the Key Lime Pie. The name, sources say, has been confirmed by a Google employee himself. We are therefore, in this section, talking about what we have heard from the Horse’s mouth. The world’s best kept secret about the Key Lime Pie is that the new update will be re-launching the most awaited Google Now which is Google’s attempt at capturing the world here and now in every respect. Combining something like weather with the energy of Twitter feeds, the Now promises to live up to its name.

What the Rumours Say?

Rumours are often true, and we say that because there is no real smoke without any fire beneath. Here are seven top rumours about the Key Lime Pie which are buzzing the market today with an update a second phenomenal activity

1)      It is likely that Key lime pie is Android 5.0

2)      It was going to be released on 29 October 2012 but did not

3)      No official word from Google on release date – What’s brewing?

4)      Sony has tied up with Android to be the first smart phone to launch Key Lime Pie

5)      Sony would therefore be making the Next Nexus Phone!

6)      The Key Lime Pie might release during the Google IO developer conference

7)      The release date therefore can be placed somewhere between May 15 to May 17

How Things Will Change?

If we do eventually watch the Android 5.0 release, we are looking at five massive versions of the world’s best known mobile operating system. Being ahead in technology is always looked at as the prime facet of a Great Company. One is often reminded that Microsoft, after the initial big boom, had missed the bus quite a few times. Google however has defied the rule and has stuck to its guns.

It will be interesting to see the effect that the Key Lime Pie OS has on Android users once it is released. More importantly, with the imminent release of the much hyped Samsung Galaxy S4, the Key Lime Pie could ride the wave of the Samsung Galaxy S4’s success and take Android to unparalleled heights in the mobile industry. The update would most probably be applicable to all the devices already running on the proven and dependable Jelly Bean OS.

Google has an inbuilt philosophy that nourishes change and makes it one of their own. It is because of this that they have been able to jump on the bandwagon of mobile operating systems, mobile applications and developing related software. To be in a position today where they go neck to neck with technological pioneers such as Apple, is no mean achievement.

Author Bio – Sunil Khale

The author is a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and has since devoted himself to blogging on technology with PriceCheckIndia. Enjoys discussions on Android phones and Touch screen mobiles as well as discovering new gadgets and gizmos.

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0 Editorial : The Robocalypse

What if there was a robot apocalypse? How long would humanity last? This is one question that cannot be answered by even the likes of Stephen Hawking, who recently joined an anti-robotic apocalypse think tank.

Okay,so ya'll have probably heard about how the world's governments and some private companies are pumping money into their Robotics and artificial intelligence programs. And precisely because of this many researchers believe that there will be a time when the robots will become more intelligent than the humans and use our own weapons against us, effectively wiping out the human race or pushing us to live like cavemen in an urban forest. Now of course, when that's gonna happen is debatable, but it ain't gonna take 100 years. Hell, it might even happen in under 50 years!

There are various concepts that you need to understand, to fully appreciate the gravity of a Robot apocalypse or even a scenario where humans are ruled by pieces of metal and silicon.

Technological Singularity: Many theorists predict that as technology advances, there will the emergence of the so called "superintelligence" which would be difficult for the human mind to comprehend and beyond which, all the events will become unpredictable.

Possibility of Conflict: It is postulated that a society just cannot be run by two intelligent species co-existing peacefully, especially if one of them is more intelligent that the other. It is not proven that the robots would necessarily acquire sapience and then turn against their human overlords. Nor is it proven that a peaceful coexistence is possible. Maybe their will be a transformers like scenario where some bots will be good, and the others just outta get ya.

Computing Power: Yes, we might not have the technology now to run full artificial intelligence programs on humanoid hardware without any external processing power, but that is sure to become a reality because of Moore's Law. Already there computers that supercede these limits, like the Quantum Computer. Artificial intelligence, superior memory capabilities, multitasking abilities not possible in any biological entity, a huge knowledge base might give them a vast advantage over us mortals. Sure you may argue that robots do not have "emotions" or other human traits, and that will give us an edge. Trick question - What are Psychopaths? Trick answer -  People who do not have emotions. History is evidence that those people are way better killing machines!

Let me give you a few examples. Have you heard of the Petman project being built by Boston Dynamics and funded by the U.S Military. No? Well, it is a humanoid robot with quite a few years into its development. What is amazing about this project is that the scientists have not "taught" it anything. They have only implemented a machine learning algorithm through which the robot has learnt how to walk, and is pretty good at it too. Now, it can perform many complex exercises that even humans find difficult to perform without prior practice. You can have a look at it below.

Another project is the Big Dog which is also being built by Boston Dynamics. It is basically a work dog which can carry heavy loads and can traverse rough terrain with ease. You can also consider the example of clever bot which is basically an artificial intelligence program hosted on the Internet on the website www.cleverbot.com. It can interact with real people and also learn from them. You can actually go ahead and have a conversation with it as you would with a normal person. It has an answer for your every question because of its vast knowledge base and a sense of the trends in the world, be it Justin Bieber or Kim Jong Un.

The most dangerous of the robots will be the military ones. These are semi-autonomous and have some serious firepower. In the future scenario where almost everything will be automated, including fuel processing and extraction. The robots could make their own fuel! They could potentially make more robots through self replicating nanomaterials. Imagine what would it be like. And that brings me to the conventional weaponry. Although to trigger a missile (maybe even a nuclear one), some human element has to be there. But since our "pets" have now acquired sentience, they could manipulate people and get them to turn the keys or something. There has gotta be some kind of a Darth Vader personality in every apocalypse scenario to ruin it for the good people, right!?

You need to understand that I am not in anyway saying that the robot apocalypse is a certainty. It's just an opinion that many people have. There are also a group of people that believe that the apocalypse will fail, presumably because of the very nature of technology. it's unreliable! That's one of the reasons your old PC just refuses to start up one fine morning. Its the reason why some of your electronic equipment fails when it falls or is splashed with the ominous "water". In the end you will just have a vacuum cleaner possessed by an evil spirit and then repeatedly bang it into the doors thinking of defeating its human overlords. Or maybe the artificial intelligence software will be so glitchy that errors will accumulated overtime and the robot will start doing Gangnam Style instead of the terminator things. But then again, what's to stop it from repairing those glitches itself!

It is now up to you to decide how to be prepared when the Robots strike!

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0 Google Glass Explorer edition specs and demos hit the net

Only yesterday, there was word that the Google Glass was headed for shipping to the lucky few who were given the opportunity to pre-order it. And now Google+ is full of posts from these people showing off thier hardware. There are photos taken by the device including a video at a go-kart track! Then there are unboxing pictures, as well as tidbits of information like how navigation data can be pushed from a smartphone to the glass. Then there are a pretty decent at of specs considering the size of the device.

According to a Glass support page, the device will have a 5MP camera with 720p recording and 16GB of storage, of which 12GB is available to the user. All of it will be contained in a durable frame which is one-size-fits-all (with the aid of adjustable nose pieces).

The display is equivalent to looking at 25-inch HDTV from a distance of 8-feet. This means that it won’t be terribly large, but certainly won’t have you squinting in an effort to make things out. Audio is delivered via bone conduction, and a single battery charge is said to last all day, so you won’t have to part with the headset halfway through the day to recharge.

There are the standard options for connectivity which includes 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as a micro USB port for data transfer and charging (users are advised to use the Glass-specific charger rather than generic ones). Finally, compatibility is with any Android smartphone running 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher, as well as the MyGlass app, which is now available from the Google Play Store.

Demos:

Here is the video taken by Matt Abdou at the go-kart track. As detailed above this was taken using the 5MP, 720p camera

Then there is Brandon Allgood, who got a bit narsiccistic with this self portrait of his in the Terminator mode. He also posted a snapshot of the glass in the unboxed pose, which shows off the frame as well as accessories.

Finally there is the unboxing video

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0 Windows Phone to finally get support for 1080p screens, Quad-core processors

Amidst the reeling competition amongst the heavy weights of the smartphone industry, where everyone is coming up with phone's having the latest and cutting edge hardware, Microsoft has decided to wake up, and provide all this to it's loyal Windows Phone 8 users too! In a not-so-surprising move by Microsoft, it has decided to add support for 1080p screens and Quad-core processors by means of a General Distribution Release (GDR3) to OEMs expected to roll out later this year.

Currently, Windows Phone can only support 720p and 768p displays, leaving it behind it's competitors Android and iOS, although it is still an improvement over the earlier versions. One thing though, the update will only be for devices whose screen is 5-inch and above. The devices sure don't exist yet, but it's an early indicator that many may be planning to release Windows Phablets!

Earlier, there were plans of an HTC Windows Phone 8 device called "Zenith" with a 4.7-inch screen, but it has been cancelled supposedly because the device had lower resolution than other devices in the market. Which, makes one think that this could also be a push by the OEM partners to further develop the Windows Phone 8.

Whatever the case. Rejoice, WP8 users! 

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0 Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 [GT-I9152] Specs leaked

Only last week, there were rumours of a new device by Samsung called the Galaxy Mega 5.8. The phone itself has an awkward screen size of 5.8 inch and more odd are the specs, which are touted by SamMobile to be accurate. 

The phone will feature a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, qHD display (5.8 inch as you already know). There will be an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front one. Now I atleast don't know what to make of this phone. This is one of those devices that are just on the cusp of high-end and mid-range. Plus such a low resolution doesn't really help to push it towards the hardware intensive devices.

As can be expected from any Samsung device nowadays, the phone will launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and of course there will be the TouchWiz UI running over it. There were also talks of a 6.3 inch device doing rounds on the internet which will be named the Mega 6.3. Now this screen size is the same as what the Note III is rumoured to pack, but because of the code name not being Nxxxx as with the Note series, these devices will lack the S-Pen functionality.

So keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this devices and others!

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0 Now, get a glimpse of the BlackBerry 10 (BB10) with Android or iOS

BlackBerry has just introduced a new feature which allows you to cheat on Android and iOS with it's latest Blackberry 10 OS.

The OS is now available on almost every major carrier worldwide, but many people haven't had the chance to fondle it yet. If you are one of those people who don't like to visit a store, everytime they want to try out a new phone, this "Glimpse" website is just made for you.

What it is, is a partial simulation of how the OS works. You just have to load the website on your Android or iOS device and you will directed to do a series of gestures that will show you really how easy it is to swipe through every menu and  multitask on the OS. It also consists of a user guide (kinda) which shows you the features of the BlackBerry Hub, BBM, and the Time Shift camera. Although it's still a far cry from the full emulation, at least you'll be more informed once you've gone through it, which is what the aim is right!?

Just paste this link [http://blackberry.com/glimpse] in you mobile browser to see what I mean! (Swiping ain't gonna work on your PC!)

Here are some more screenshots.

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0 Samsung Galaxy S4 rooted even before it's launched!

Woah! The people haven't even gotten their hands on the flagship Galaxy S4 and the people over at XDA–Developers have already managed to take hold of the phone by it's guts!

What it means for the consumer is that they can root the phone as soon as they get it. And we all know that there are many who can't resist getting under their device's skin. One small problem though. The root currently works only for the devices packing the Exynos 5 Octa core processor. There is another version that is rumoured to ship with a Snapdragon 600 SoC.

If you are interested in knowing more about the root, you can head over to the XDA thread which has all the details and necessary files. And as all sites advise, be careful about rooting the phone and do NOT do it if you are under confident about the whole process, because a bricked phone isn't of much use if you suddenly get the urge to watch a movie listen to a song.

Source - XDA

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