Xiaomi Working on an Internet-Connected Water Purifier

WorldTechzone.Com

Popular smartphone-maker Xiaomi, which recently launched an Internet-connected air purifier, is now reportedly planning a water purifier on the same lines.
GGV Capital, an early investor in the Chinese company, says Xiaomi has shown a prototype of the new water purifier to its investors, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

"They have a product pipeline," Jenny Lee, Managing Partner at GGV Capital, told Bloomberg in a telephonic interview. "Going forward it's not just going to be the Xiaomi phone or the TV. The upside and the investment around Xiaomi is the hope they can get into the smart home."

Last month, the company made a move in the Internet of Things (IoT) sphere with the launch of Internet-connected Mi Air Purifier. The purifier was designed by a company called Zhimi, which Lei revealed was one of the 25 startups in which Xiaomi has invested.

Priced at CNY 899 (approximately Rs. 899), the Mi Air Purifier can connect to the user's smartphone and alert them if the filter has reached end-of-life and needs to be replaced. Xiaomi says that the air purifier can produce up to 406 cubic meters (14,000 cubic feet) of clean air per hour and sends pollution readings to connected smartphones.

As the report notes, the Chinese electronics company also recently started selling a light bulb designed by another startup called Yeelight. The colour of the light that the bulb emits can be changed by a remote.

"The smart home is a much bigger market," Lee said. "Homes are getting connected with phones, tablets and TVs in ways that are highly synergistic. Xiaomi definitely wants to be part of that. That is their key strategy."

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Top 10 Tech Companies to Work for in New Year 2015

Worldtechzone.Com

Google has topped popular career community Glassdoor's list of 50 best companies to work for in new year 2015.
Glassdoor, which collects feedback from company employees to compile the annual Employees' Choice Awards for best places to work across the US and the UK, has recognised Google as the number one company to work for in new year 2015.

Facebook, Qualcomm, Adobe, Apple, and LinkedIn are the famous names in the list of top 10 tech companies to work in new year 2015.

The social networking giant Facebook is the third-most preferred tech employer (behind Google and F5 Networks), while Qualcomm and Adobe take the next two places in the list. Micro-blogging site Twitter, which was the second best company overall and the number one tech company last year, has fallen off the grid and is even out from the list of top 50 companies to work across the US and the UK.

"It is probably the single biggest change and surprise this year that Twitter did not make the list at all," Robert Hohman, Co-Founder and CEO of Glassdoor, told CNBC.

It's worth pointing out that Glassdoor only ranks US and UK-based companies with at least 1000 employees as part of its annual list.

Apple is the seventh-most favoured tech employer on the list for new year 2015 behind MathWorks and others mentioned above, with LinkedIn, Zillow, and Mindbody rounding off the list.

Here are the top 10 tech companies to work for in new year 2015:

1. Google (overall #1)

2. F5 Networks (overall #4)

3. Facebook (overall #13)

4. Qualcomm (overall #14)

5. Adobe (overall #18)

6. MathWorks (overall #19)

7. Apple (overall #22)

8. LinkedIn (overall #23)

9. Zillow (overall #33)

10. Mindbody (overall #34)

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Rumor Roundup: HTC One M9, 12-Inch Retina MacBook Air and Smaller iPhones

Worldtechzone.Com

Mark L is back to tackle the biggest tech rumors of this week! On this week’s episode of Rumor Roundup, Mark talks about HTC readying its next flagship, the HTC One M9, with impressive specs like a Snapdragon 810 processor and a whopping 3GB of RAM and Apple finally releasing the long awaited 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
Mark also talks about Apple rethinking its phone strategy by releasing a diminutive 4-inch iPhone alongside it’s traditional “s” iPhone updates. All this and more in this episode of Rumor Roundup!

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Ban lifted, OnePlus can sell the One in India once again

Have you ever heard the theory of winning a battle, but losing the war? A judge in India has lifted the sales ban on OnePlus One Android smartphones in India, but is it enough to ‘win the war?’
OnePlus experienced a major let down a short while ago when an agreement between Cyanogen and Micromax led to the ban of sales of the OnePlus One in India. Today’s decision does not fully overcome the problems for the OnePlus team and its customers, instead, we are seeing a temporary lift of the sales ban, and nothing more.
The decision to lift the ban comes from the opinion that fellow smartphone manufacturer Micromax, with its ‘exclusive right to use Cyanogen’s custom Android software’ within India, is not actually in competition with OnePlus in the market. Micromax primarily produces phones for the low end market, where OnePlus has been deemed to target the high end market.

What comes next, you ask? Well, everything will be kicked back to the original judge in a couple weeks, giving all parties some time to look over the situation. We have no idea as yet how things will go when it all lands back in court, where OnePlus will, again, need to try to convince the judge to let them continue sales in the country.
In terms of the ‘war,’ many will see this victory as too little to make a difference. OnePlus can sell the One in India now, however, even if the decision goes their way in a couple weeks, owners of the One will still not be receiving updates to their system – a continuation of the Micromax agreement, check out our initial coverage for more details.
These are tough times for OnePlus in India, do you think this victory will start the ball rolling for success in the country?

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Microsoft Dedicates New Site to People Switching From Mac to Windows

Microsoft has taken repeated shots at Apple’s MacBook lineup, and the Redmond company is taking its efforts even further with a dedicated site for those making the switch away from Cupertino. It’s unclear how successful Microsoft’s cause has been thus far, but it’s not hard to find an ad that takes issue with Apple’s famous laptop family. There’s been one ad in particular that is almost impossible to avoid, and Microsoft’s not stopping there.
The page setup by Microsoft isn’t actually meant for straight up comparisons. Instead, it assumes you’ve purchased (or plan to purchase) a Surface Pro 3 or Windows computer, and details what the process will be like making the switch over from OS X.
“We know moving these memories from one platform to another can be nerve-racking and learning new software can seem daunting,” the site explains. “We want to make the transition as easy as possible. If you currently have a Mac and have questions about switching to Surface Pro 3 and Windows, we designed this site to help get you started.”
Several links are then provided by Microsoft, including getting started with Windows, how to move stuff from a Mac to a Surface Pro 3, and using a Surface Pro 3 with an iPhone, iCloud and iTunes. It’s pretty much all the information you’ll ever need without needing to go directly into a Microsoft dedicated store. Follow Microsoft’s instructions, and the switch should be as painless as possible.
The timing is perfect with Christmas this week. If you just got a Surface Pro 3, or plan on making the switch from your MacBook Air in the near future, Microsoft’s new page is just for you.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Launches With Good Screen at 64,900

Worldtechzone.Com

Samsung has today quietly launched the Galaxy Note Edge in India. The smartphone is priced at Rs 64,900 and will go on sale next month. The launch timeline is consistent with the report from earlier today.
The Galaxy Note Edge was unveiled alongside the Galaxy Note 4 at a pre-IFA event in Berlin. The talking point of the smartphone is its curved display that wraps around the right-hand side. As far as the specifications are concerned, it flaunts a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display, but with QHD+ resolution, which adds an extra 160 pixels on the third side of the display.

Samsung has launched the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy Note Edge, so essentially there is a 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor inside, paired with Adreno 420 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The phablet also features 32GB internal storage, microSD card support, 16-megapixel rear camera with OIS, 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 3,000mAh battery.
Connectivity options include 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and on the software front, it runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat wrapped under Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.
“Samsung continues with its legacy of pioneering extraordinary innovations and setting new benchmarks in the mobile industry. The Galaxy Note Edge is a stunningly beautiful device equipped with a unique curved screen which not only makes the smartphone distinctive but also delivers a unique way to access information and optimizes functionality,” Asim Warsi, VP, Mobile & IT, Samsung India, said. “At Samsung, we relentlessly pursue customer-centric innovation and develop devices that enable consumers to express their unique style. The Galaxy Note Edge’s curved design will make the screen more meaningful to users in their everyday lives.”

Samsung has launched its Galaxy Note Edge in India. The Samsung Note Edge will be available from January first week at a price of Rs 64,900 in Charcoal Black and Frost White colours.
The Note Edge adds a curved screen extention to the Note 4. The rest of the device is the same, but the curved glass just gives it a new dimension by displaying news tickers from partners like Yahoo, or just showing your notifications or night clock in a more subtle manner.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/samsung-galaxy-note-edge-with-curved-screen-arrives-at-rs-64900/#sthash.kYwSX9dw.dpuf

Samsung has launched its Galaxy Note Edge in India. The Samsung Note Edge will be available from January first week at a price of Rs 64,900 in Charcoal Black and Frost White colours.
The Note Edge adds a curved screen extention to the Note 4. The rest of the device is the same, but the curved glass just gives it a new dimension by displaying news tickers from partners like Yahoo, or just showing your notifications or night clock in a more subtle manner.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/samsung-galaxy-note-edge-with-curved-screen-arrives-at-rs-64900/#sthash.kYwSX9dw.dpuf

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Snapchat Removes From Window Phones

Worldtechzone.Com

In lieu of growing security concerns in and around Snapchat, and more importantly, third-party apps serving as alternatives to the popular photo messaging application, Microsoft has taken the onus on itself to safeguard users' interests. Microsoft has taken all third party Snapchat apps off the Windows Phone store.

The move by Microsoft comes after Snapchat reportedly started blocking user accounts found to be accessing the service through third-party non-native apps.

Snapchat has been in the thick of things lately stemming from the fact that the service still has no official APIs for developers to issue. This has resulted in some privacy concerns with respect to the app after the gradual mushrooming of a large number of third-party apps.

Snapchat is currently available for the Android and iOS platforms. A native Snapchat app for the Windows operating system does not exist yet, something that is the soul harbinger of all the misery to Windows Phone users.     

Since official Snapchat apps are available on iOS and Android platforms users can easily remove third-party apps from their devices. The same doesn't hold true for Windows Phone users. Therefore, Microsoft had no option, but to take them all off from its official store.

One of the key advantages of Snapchat is that users' data (both text and images) is not stored for considerable period while using the service. However, the same cannot be said about third-party apps, hence the growing security concern.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/all-third-party-snapchat-apps-removed-from-windows-phone-store/1/408131.html

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