Canon EOS 5DS and 5DSR 50

Canon EOS 5DS and 5DSR 50

Canon recently launched what it claims to be the highest-resolution full-frame DSLRs - the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DSR. These cameras boast of the same 50.6-megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor. Both the cameras have been launched in India, and are already available in the country. 

The body-only variants of the EOS 5DS is priced at Rs. 2,52,995 and the 5DS R will set you back by Rs. 2,65,995. Canon also pulled the wraps off another product - Canon XC10 4K professional video camera - and it is priced at Rs. 1,70,000.

Some of the other essential features of the camera includes 5fps continuous shooting speed. The cameras can operate in light sensitivity levels of ISO 100-6400 (extends up to 12,800). Both the cameras have a 61-point autofocus points and Dual Digic 6 processors. There 3-inch LCD has a resolution of 104k dots. 

On the other hand, the XC10 4K camera is compact 4K camera that can also capture 12-megapixel images. It also has the ability to 8-megapixel still images in-camera from recorded 4K footage. It includes a Canon 10x wide-angle zoom lens with 2x digital tele-converter and optical image stabilisation. 

Read More

How to Use Your Xbox One Controller on a PC

How to Use Your Xbox One Controller on a PC

The Xbox One controller is a step up from the Xbox 360 controller, refining an already fantastic gamepad. The 360 controller is the de facto standard for many a PC gamer who prefers to play games without a keyboard and mouse, and thanks to rubberised analogue sticks that give it much needed grip, and a directional pad that's actually usable in fighting games, the Xbox One controller is well worth the price of entry.

While Microsoft is taking its own sweet time in making it usable on the PC without wires, you can easily game on your computer with an Xbox One controller that's wired in.

In addition to a computer with Windows, all you need is a Micro-USB cable (used for charging most Windows and Android smartphones), an Internet connection to download the required drivers, and, of course, an Xbox One controller.

1. Install drivers 
   Boot up your PC, connect to the Internet. Download and install one of these driver packages depending on your version of Windows:


PC drivers for 32-bit Windows
PC drivers for 64-bit Windows
2. Connect the controller 
   With the drivers installed, plug in the Micro-USB end of the cable to the controller and the USB end of it into your computer's USB port. If it works, the controller will vibrate. If it does not vibrate, try another Micro-USB cable and/ or a different USB port.

Read More

Xiaomi 5

Xiaomi 5

Xiaomi has announced a July 16 event where the company is likely to reveal its flagship Mi 5 smartphone alongside the bigger variant Mi 5 Plus.

The Chinese company confirmed the launch event in a teaser post on Weibo and shared an image showing possibly the Mi 5 smartphone's side with letters "PK" imprinted in the middle of the image. The teaser invite confirms that the event will see a sleek smartphone launch; though at this point it is not clear whether the company will be launching the Mi 5 or another device.

Some of the preliminary leaks have suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 5 would be priced at CNY 2,399 (approximately Rs. 24,500). It is said to feature a 5.2-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4; a Snapdragon 810 processor; a 16-megapixel rear camera; a 13-megapixel front camera, and a 3000mAh battery. An earlier report also tipped that Xiaomi's Mi 5 flagship will come with abuilt-in fingerprint scanner.

The rumoured Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus, on the other hand, is said to feature a 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) display; Snapdragon 820 SoC; 3500mAh battery, a 23-megapixel rear camera with OIS and laser autofocus, and a 12-megapixel front camera.

Read More

ZTE Nubia My Prague

ZTE Nubia My Prague 

ZTE has announced what it claims to be its slimmest smartphone ever, launching it under its Nubia brand. Called the Nubia My Prague, the smartphone's highlight is its 5.5m thickness, which brings it in the league of the Gionee Elife S7 and Vivo X5 Max, which are 5.5mm and 4.7mm thick respectively. The device was launched at an event in Prague, Europe.

At the event, ZTE did not mention if the My Prague would be limited to Czech Republic or not. As for the prices, the 2GB RAM White/Silver version costs EUR 349 (roughly Rs. 26,600) and the 3GB RAM White/Gold variant at EUR 429 (roughly Rs. 30,200).

The dual-SIM supporting Android 5.0 Lollipop-based ZTE Nubia My Prague features a 5.2-inch Super Amoled full-HD (1080x 1920 pixels) resolution display. The metal-clad smartphone comes powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor.

Based on the RAM and inbuilt storage, the handset comes in two variants, 2GB RAM + 16GB inbuilt storage and 3GB RAM + 32GB inbuilt storage (with no details about expandable storage). Adreno 405 takes care of the handset's graphics.

The 4G LTE-enabled ZTE Nubia My Prague houses a 13-megapixel rear camera with ISOCELL sensor and LED flash along with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The camera features several functions including Pro Mode, Time-lapse, Multi Exposure, Trajectory, Panorama, and Long Exposure.

The Nubia My Prague is backed by a 2200mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 27 hours of talk time and 426 hours of standby time. The connectivity features include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and USB-OTG connectivity.

Read More

Android M Developer Preview 2 Released

Android M Developer Preview 2 Released

Google on Thursday released the Android M Developer Preview 2 for Nexus devices which brings fixes and updates to Developer Preview 1 based on user feedback.

The latest Developer Preview 2 comes with build number MPZ79M for Nexus 5, Nexus 6, and Nexus 9 devices while it comes with build number MPZ79N for the Nexus Player. All compatible Nexus devices running Developer Preview 1 should start getting notifications about the OTA (over-the-air) update in the coming days, though the system or factory images are already available - users are recommended to backup their data before flashing the image.

Google has listed features and updates that Developer Preview 2 brings including the up to date M release platform code; near-final APIs to validate apps and to provide more testing support, Nexus system images and emulator system images with the Android platform updates have been refined. Apart from the platform update, the system images also include Google Play services 7.6.

Some of the other Android platform changes include modifications to platform permissions including external storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth location, and changes to contacts/identity permissions. There are some API changes including updated Bluetooth Stylus APIs and updated Media API. Google has also fixed a couple of developer-reported issues such as a TextInputLayout hint issue for embedded EditText, and a camera permission issue with Legacy Apps.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy A8

Samsung Galaxy A8 

Samsung Galaxy A8, the successor to Galaxy A7, has appeared in some hands-on images coming from China. The smartphone is said to be the thinnest handset made by the company till date, with a thickness of 5.94mm. Samsung hasn't yet confirmed the existence of the Galaxy A8 yet. The device's release date has also been tipped by an e-commerce site, while the price has been tipped separately.

The site also claims to have done a hands-on with the Galaxy A8, confirming the specifications of the smartphone. The Android 5.1.1 Android Lollipop-based Galaxy A8 is said to boast metal side bezels and appears similar to the flagship Galaxy S6 from the front. The unannounced phablet sports a 5.7-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display and a fingerprint sensor doubling as the home button.

The Galaxy A8 is said to be powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC clocked at 1.5GHz, clubbed with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. The smartphone also features a 16-megapixel ISOCELL rear camera with LED flash alongside a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It bears 16GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expanded via microSD card (unspecified limit). In the connectivity section, the Samsung Galaxy A8 will reportedly house 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and USB connectivity. The phablet measures 157.7x76.7x5.94mm and is backed by a 3050mAh battery.

Read More

iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan Betas Now Available

iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan Betas Now Available

Apple has made the beta version of both iOS 9, its mobile operating system, and OS X El Capitan, the next version of operating system used by Macs, available for the general public. This public betas will allow early adopters to tinker with the new features available in both operating systems.

Apple had released the betas of both operating systems to registered developers last month, but the public betas are free for all and you don't need a developer ID, which costs $99 (approximately Rs. 6,300) annually. You can use your Apple ID to sign up for Apple's Beta testing program. Once you register for the public beta you will notice a built-in feedback Assistant app that appears in your Dock on your Mac and on one of the Home screens of your iOS device, just like when you install an app. You can also give feedback to Apple on bugs you encounter via this app.

If you do register for the beta you get a plethora of new features and apps on both iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. The last developer build of iOS 9, for example, added an entirely revamped two-factor authentication system, the News app, Music quality settings forApple Music

Read More

Google Launches Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast

Google Launches Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast

Google's dongle-shaped Chromecast was launched back in 2013 and has been one of the popular choices for streaming Google Cast apps and Internet video services like Netflix, YouTube and other content through the HDMI port of TV sets, apart from mirroring certain Android devices. The device however had its limitations as it supported 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n bands instead of 5GHz Wi-Fi 802.11ac bands, and a refreshed model has been long expected for increased bandwidth.

Lenovo in May launched its own version of a media streaming device named Lenovo Cast, which could also mirror content from mobile devices to TV screens. The palm-sized hockey puck-shaped device was priced at $49 and would be available worldwide starting August. The Lenovo Cast supports dual 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi network bands (but not 802.11ac), which gives a range of roughly 20 metres and mirrors content from mobile devices to TV screens in 1080p resolution. The device features a single Micro-USB port, a Micro-HDMI port, and HDCP 2.0. It also supports HDMI 1.3. It has a diameter of 70mm, a height of 15mm, and weighs 50 grams. Apart from being able to stream media, the device also lets users easily mirror their smartphone's display on the connected television.

With 5GHz Wi-Fi, the Lenovo Cast had some features over and above Google's Chromecast dongle already in the market. However, Google is expected to launch the next-generation Chromecast or Chromecast 2 this year

Read More

To Celebrate Its 20th Birthday, Amazon to Offer

To Celebrate Its 20th Birthday, Amazon to Offer 

Amazon has announced Prime Day, a day of deals like Black Friday and Cyber Mondaybut exclusively meant for its Prime subscribers. Prime Day will kick off on midnight July 15, on the eve of the online retail giant's 20th birthday next week.

The company is making headlines with Prime Day by saying it will have more deals than Black Friday. Amazon Prime Day is meant for Prime subscribers in the US, UK, Spain, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Austria. The company in a statement adds that both new and existing Prime subscribers can avail offers on Prime Day, and even points new users to the 30-day free trial of Prime.

On Prime Day, Amazon says new deals will be unveiled as often as every ten minutes. Users can also expect 'thousands of Lightning Deals' apart from 'seven popular Deals of the Day'. Amazon also specifies that subscribers will be able to shop and access Prime Day deals on any device.

Greg Greeley, Vice President Amazon Prime, commented on the announcement in a statement, "Prime Day is a one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe. Members tell us every day how much they love Prime and we will keep making it better. If you're not already a Prime member, you'll want to join so you don't miss out on one of the biggest deals extravaganzas in the world."

Read More

Microsoft Lumia 940 XL Specifications Tipped

Microsoft Lumia 940 XL Specifications Tipped

Amidst recent revelations about Windows 10 for Mobiles Preview and Cortana reaching Android, a new Microsoft Lumia handset has been spotted on a benchmark site alongside specifications. Bearing model name RM-1100, the smartphone is being speculated to be the Lumia 940 XL flagship Windows 10 device that was previously rumoured to launch later this year.

The unannounced Microsoft Lumia 940 XL is seen to sport some pretty top-end specifications on the GFXBench benchmark site, first spotted by German website Winfuture. The specifications include a 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2550 pixels) resolution display with a calculated pixel density of 515ppi.

The screen size is in line with the 'Cityman' smartphone that was tipped back in May, alongside the 'Talkman' with a 5.2-inch QHD display. The smaller smartphone is expected to be launched as the Lumia 940.

Other specifications of the Microsoft Lumia 940 XL tipped by the GFXBench listing include an octa-core Snapdragon processor, which is expected to be the Snapdragon 810 due to the presence of the Adreno 430 on the list, which is only present on the flagship SoC for now. Also shown is 2GB of RAM (1.5GB usable) and 16GB of inbuilt storage (14GB usable).

The Microsoft Lumia 940 XL is also seen to include a 17-megapixel rear camera, which can also record 4K resolution videos, and a 4.8-megapixel front-facing camera which can record full-HD resolution videos. Sensors including accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, light, and proximity are also listed, apart from NFC connectivity.

More recent reports indicate that the Lumia 940 XL will come with an iris scanner, while the Lumia 940 will come with a fingerprint sensor. Both were said to sport USB Type-C connectivity, a 20-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Read More