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Dell launches Venue 7 and Venue 8 tablets with Android 4.4 KitKat OS in India

Dell has launched refreshed versions of its Venue 7 and Venue 8 Android tablets in India. Both the new Venue tablets are now available at the company's online store and both the refreshed Dell Venue 7 and Venue 8 tablets runs Android 4.4 KitKat OS.

The Dell Venue 7 Wi-Fi only is priced for Rs. 11,999, while the 3G + voice-calling variant has been priced at Rs. 14,999. Whereas, the Venue 8 Wi-Fi only comes at Rs. 15,999 and the 3G + voice-calling at Rs. 18,999. Dell has also listed a new version of the Dell Venue 8 Wi-Fi tablet that comes with 2GB of RAM and has been priced at Rs. 12,999.

The Venue 7 tablet sports a 7 inch IPS display with WXGA display and 1280 x 800 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z3460 processor with 1GB RAM.

On the other hand, Venue 8 comes with an 8 inch IPS display and sports full HD with 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution. It is also powered by a 2.1 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z3480 processor with 1GB of RAM.

Both Venue tablets are available with 16 GB of inbuilt storage, and it can be further expanded via microSD card up to 64GB. Also, both the Venue 7 and Venue 8 tablets are backed by a 4550 mAh battery.

The Venue 7 tablet sports a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 1 megapixel front-facing camera. Meanwhile, the Venue 8 tablet sports a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera.

The company is also offering bundled accessories worth Rs. 5,000 that include a Bluetooth headset and a power bank with every purchase of the new Venue tablets from the company's site till October 26.

The Venue 7 tablet weighs 290 grams, and measures 193x118x8.95mm; while the Venue 8 weighs 338 grams and measures 216x130x8.95mm.

Sony: PlayStation 4 Sales Top 10 Million Units

Roughly nine months after the PlayStation 4 went on sale, Sony’s new console has sold more than 10 million units. That makes it the fastest-selling PlayStation yet and puts the system among the fastest-selling game machines in the industry’s history.

For context, Nintendo’s original Wii managed 13 million units worldwide by the end of September of its first year. Since April — the last time Sony gave a sales update — the company has sold 3 million additional units.

Microsoft last gave updated sales numbers for the Xbox One in April as well, with some 5 million units in homes worldwide.

The announcement came as part of Sony’s games-packed press conference preceding the massive 2014 Gamescom show in Germany this week. 

Sony unveiled a forthcoming update to the PS4’s operating system that brings one notable feature to the console. The system update, due this fall, will introduce “Share Play,” which allows you to play games in your library with friends in other parts of the country, essentially mimicking playing together in the same house.

“Like handing over the controller to a friend on your couch, your screen will be shared as your friend gets through the part of the game that has been giving you trouble,” the company said in a blog post. “Can’t get past that part in The Last of Us: Remastered when you’re hanging upside down? Get a little help.”

The update will also bring direct-to-YouTube video posting and instant access to friends’ broadcasts.

Most exciting to PS4 owners, though, was the panoply of new game announcements.

Q-Games debuted The Tomorrow Children, a whimsical game in which dwarf-like characters use picks to chip away at walls and shoot at large, glossy creatures. Open-world third-person game Rime, which made its debut at last year’s Gamescom, was also confirmed as exclusive to the PS4.

Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell showed off Volume, his studio’s new game, which blends stealth with a futuristic Robin Hood theme. And Ninja Theory, best known for games like Devil May Cry andHeavenly Sword, debuted a dark action game called Hellblade.

The flood just kept coming. Until Dawn, which seemed to draw inspiration from The Cabin in the Woods, looks like an interactive horror movie. Another mysterious horror game called P.T. promoted what it called an “interactive teaser,” now available for download via the PlayStation Store. PSVita favorite Tearaway is headed to the PS4, as is the PC zombie hit DayZ.

Developer Bungie was on hand to announce that Destiny, its heavily anticipated online shooter, will ship to PS4 owners with a timed exclusive on certain multiplayer maps and that the first expansion for the game, called “The Dark Below,” will ship in December.

Sony certainly hasn’t had a problem selling games, noting in a press release that more than 30 million had been sold at retail or digitally through Aug. 10.

Africa's only polar bear, Wang, dies in Johannesburg

Wang had apparently been heartbroken after the death of his partner in January

The only polar bear in Africa has died at Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa at the age of 30.

The much-loved bear, Wang, had to be put down because of heart and liver failure, the zoo said in a statement.

Wang's final days were filled with "enrichment programmes and special treats" given to it by its keeper Agnes Maluleke, the zoo added.

The bear was brought to South Africa in 1986 as part of a conservation exchange programme with a zoo in China.

Wang had in recent months been "pining the loss" of his partner of 27 years, GeeBee, who died in January, the statement said.

Polar bears are considered to have reached their full lifespan by the time they are 30.

World's Smallest Woman Joins Cast Of US Show

Jyoti Amge, who is just two feet tall, will star alongside Jessica Lange in the fourth series of American Horror Story.

The world's smallest woman has joined the cast of television programme American Horror Story.

The new addition for the fourth season of the US show was announced by the creator Ryan Murphy on Twitter.

Murphy tweeted a photo showing actress Jessica Lange posing with Jyoti Amge, who is just two feet tall.

"Jessica and our newest cast member Jyoti Amge ... the world's smallest woman," he wrote.

The India-born 20-year-old is considered the world's smallest woman by both the Guiness and Limca books of world records.

Her restricted height is due to a growth anomaly called achondroplasia.

Amge is not a stranger to the entertainment business. In 2009 she starred in the documentary Body Shock: Two Foot High Teen.

The next season of American Horror Story is set in a traditional circus town of Jupiter, Florida, in 1950.

Apple Bans Two Chemicals From Production Line

Apple will remove benzene and n-hexande from its final production lines following a campaign from labour activists in China.

Apple is banning two potentially hazardous chemicals from its final assembly process for iPhone and iPad.

It is removing benzene and n-hexande from its production lines following a five-month campaign from labour activists in China.

Benzene is a carcinogen linked to leukaemia when not handled correctly, and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.

Apple carried out a four-month investigation at 22 factories and did not find any evidence that the chemicals had endangered any of the factories' 500,000 workers.

No trace of the chemicals was found at 18 of the factories; however four found traces of them at "acceptable safety levels".

Despite the findings, Apple has asked its suppliers to stop using the chemicals for the final assembly process for iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs and other accessories.

However, the company will still allow suppliers to use the chemicals in the early production phase of its devices - which takes place at different types of factories - but at a lower level.

Lisa Jackson, Apple vice-president in charge of environmental initiatives, said: "This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns.

"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."

Apple is not alone in using the chemicals – they are key to a number of electronic production processes.

Low levels of benzene are also found in petrol, paint, cigarettes and some detergents.

Unbelievable Kitchen Appliances You'll Love

I think I just fell in love with technology a little more. 

When gadgets work in tandem with your kitchen needs, it's a match made in technology heaven. 

I tip my hat to the inventors for coming up with these handy devices, considerably decreasing our work load and making life a tad easier. 

If you're worried about handling a gadget, these are simple and klutz-proof and it's safe to say anyone can use them.

Cooked too much spaghetti as usual? Let that be a thing of the past with a nifty Spaghetti Measurer. It tells you how much Spaghetti is enough for one to four people.

Another variant is the aptly named 'I Could Eat a Horse' measurer, which does the same job whilst adding a dash of humour.

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Tea for two please. Green tea for Mrs. Sharma and a red one for her husband? Fear not when you have a teapot that holds two different kinds of tea!

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Securely stick an iPad to your fridge to listen to music in the kitchen, jot down shopping lists or view a recipe while cooking.

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A One-Step Corn Kerneler that removes all the corn kernels in one swift motion!

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Take your everyday water up a notch with this flavor-infusing water bottle.

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Finally a coffee cup that tells people when it's safe to talk to you in the morning.

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Imagine a machine that churns out rotis at will. Just add flour, water and oil to dedicated slots in theRotimatic machine, and it kneads, rolls and makes rotis automatically! There are also options for oil, thickness and roast levels.

For PM Modi's Independence Day Speech, No Notes, No Umbrellas For Rain

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modiis preparing to speak extempore as he makes his Independence Day debut at Delhi's Red Fort on Friday, and even rain won't stop him.

He will probably be the first prime minister to address the nation on August 15 without a script. Sources say he will not carry any notes with him, just a set of bullet points.

"If it rains, the PM has asked that no umbrella should be put up and he will continue his speech in rain," sources said.

Mr Modi is expected to reach the Red Fort at around 7.20 am. After a Guard of Honour by the armed forces, he will unfurl the national flag. 

His speech, which is likely to last 45 minutes to one hour, is set to break new ground in more ways than one. (PM Modi to Announce Financial Inclusion Mission on Independence Day: Report)

For the first time, seating is being prepared for more than 10,000 people to attend. Millions more can see it from home as the event will be live streamed in India and abroad. (Also read: Tamil Nadu Governor, Leaders Extend Independence Day Greetings to People)

An ambitious plan of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry includes sending "40 crore SMSes" to highlight Mr Modi's speech. Films and vignettes on his life will also be shown by state broadcaster Doordarshan. (Read: PM Modi's Independence Day Speech Eyed for Big Reforms)

Mr Modi, 63, is used to making long speeches without prepared text and is seen by many as a speaker who can keep his audience engaged.

Sources close to him say a prepared speech or a teleprompter would take away his from his natural flair for connecting with the people.

The PM's idol is former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the BJP veteran known to be one of the country's best orators. BJP leaders believe Mr Vajpayee's Independence Day speeches missed his sparkling wit as he read from a text.

Mr Modi, who led his party to a stunning victory in the national election, reportedly wants his first Independence Day speech to set a benchmark. He is likely to outline his government's priorities in broad strokes but avoid specifics. (Also read: Students in Chennai School Have a 'Big Idea' to Celebrate The Tricolour)

Sources say he is likely to talk about governance and restructuring, but no big schemes will be mentioned.

Flipkart-Amazon Battle Pits Murthy Against Premji

IT czars Azim Premji and Narayana Murthy are now rivals in a different sector: e-retail. And soon they could face another rival in former Tata Group chief Ratan Tata.

Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata recently said that e-commerce is one of the areas where is he looking to personally invest because of its "good potential" as a large proportion of the country's consuming public do not have the required access to goods.

Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji through his investment company Premji Invest is an investor in domestic e-tailer Snapdeal. Mr Premji has also invested in fashion e-tailer Myntra, which was recently acquired by Flipkart.

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy already has a venture in e-commerce space. His private investment firm Catamaran Ventures has a joint venture with global retail giant Amazon to help get Indian companies online. Catamaran Ventures partnership with Amazon will help small- and medium-sized firm sell goods online. In June this year, Mr Murthy stepped down as executive chairman of Infosys.

Access to mobile devices and better-quality broadband has boosted India's online shopping scene. Online sales of retail goods totaled $2 billion, or nearly Rs. 12,000 crore, in 2013, according to research firm Forrester. Technopak forecasts sales are expected to reach $76 billion (Rs. 4.56 lakh crore) by 2021.

This has boosted excitement in the Indian e-commerce sector. Flipkart, India's largest e-tailer, recently raised $1 billion in a fresh round of funding as it tries to aggressively scale up after Amazon.com's rapid expansion in the country has heated up competition. After the funding, Flipkart has been valued at a $7 billion, according to estimates.

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal told NDTV that India can produce many billion dollar internet firms. India's internet ecosystem is going to be one of the most vibrant in the world with half a billion internet users, he added.

Immediately after Flipkart's funding announcement, Amazon said it would be putting in an additional investment of $2 billion into its Indian operations.

Investor interest in Indian e-commerce space could further grow if the government eases foreign direct investment norms. India currently bans global online retailers from selling goods directly to customers but allows them to own 100 per cent of a marketplace business, where third-party suppliers can use their platform. Both Amazon and eBay use such a platform to operate in the country.

Jet Airways Pilot was Asleep, Co-pilot was on iPad, Both Suspended

Mumbai:  While the plane they were flying plunged 5,000 feet, a Jet Airways pilot was asleep and the co-pilot was busy on an iPad checking out flight information. Both have been suspended by aviation regulator DGCA which is now investigating the incident.

280 passengers were on the flight from Mumbai to Newark via Brussels when it fell from 34,000 feet to 29,000 feet, according to the Press Trust of India.  

A spokesperson for Jet, however, told NDTV that the descent was of about 2,000 feet. While the plane was in Turkish airspace, Air Traffic Controllers noted the descent and sent an emergency message to the aircraft ordering it to climb back up. The co-pilot then woke up the commander.

Both pilots were summoned by the DGCA yesterday for questioning. While the commander said he was on "controlled rest", a short nap inside the cockpit which is allowed by flight operation procedures, the co-pilot testified that she was working on her iPad which had  aircraft documents loaded on to it, said unnamed sources to the Press Trust of India.

Confirming the incident, an airline spokesperson said Jet Airways has initiated an internal inquiry into the matter.

"The airline is also extending all co-operation in the matter to the DGCA by providing all necessary assistance for the inquiry," the spokesperson said.

The DGCA is now dissecting Jet Airways' training procedures for pilots.

The regulator also wants to know why the airline or the pilots failed to report the incident to it - an anonymous message to the DGCA disclosed the mid-air scare.

While both the pilots kept flying until they were grounded two days ago, they did not file a flight safety report, which is a mandatory exercise to document any unusual incident during the course of a flight

Petrol price to be cut by Rs. 1.89-2.35/litre from Aug. 15

Petrol price will be cut by Rs. 1.89-2.38 per litre from August 15, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday.

In perhaps for the first instance of a minister announcing the reduction in price of petrol which was deregulated or freed from government control in June 2010, Mr. Pradhan took to his Twitter account to say that the fuel price will be cut from midnight of August 14/15.

“Price of Petrol will be reduced from midnight of 14/15 August 2014 in the range of Rs 1.89-2.38 (Rs 2.18/litre at Delhi),” he tweeted.

Mr. Pradhan made the announcement more than 31 hours before the price cut is to be implemented.

Till now, state-owned oil firms announced the price revision only on the eve of the change being effected to avoid hoarding by petrol pump owners.

On Tuesday, B Ashok, Chairman of Indian Oil Corp, the nation’s largest fuel retailer, had indicated of a price cut on the Independence Day because of softening in international rates.

“Petrol is a decontrolled product and prices increase or decrease depending on input cost every fortnight. We had cut rates on August 1 and will be reviewing prices on August 15,” he had said.

State retailers revise petrol price on 1st and 16th of every month based on average international oil price and rupee-dollar exchange rate in the previous fortnight.

“There are some positive indications,” he said when asked if there is likelihood of a price cut going by the average of oil price and exchange rate so far.

Oil firms had last cut rates on August 1 by Rs. 1.09 per litre, the first reduction in price since mid-April. Petrol currently costs Rs. 72.51 per litre in Delhi.

The government had in June 2010 freed petrol prices and since then rates have moved in tandem with the cost on most occasions.

For diesel, the government had in January 2013 decided to eliminate the subsidy in stages through monthly increases in prices by up to 50 paise per litre.

With monthly increases continuing, subsidy or losses on diesel have been trimmed to Rs 1.33 per litre but this will go up as there is a marginal increase in international gasoil (diesel) prices.

Diesel price revision is due only on September 1 as per the policy of raising rates every month.

Following are the revised prices of petrol in four metros after oil firms cut rates with effect from midnight of August 14/15:

City	Current Price	Revised Price	Decrease
Delhi	72.51	70.33	2.18
Kolkata	80.30	78.03	2.27
Mumbai	80.60	78.32	2.28
Chennai	75.78	73.47	2.31

(All Rates in Rs/litre)

Dhoni, the only constant amidst changes

M.S. Dhoni has been the one constant shield while Indian cricket underwent seismic shifts over the last six years.

The retirement of legends ranging from Anil Kumble (2008) to Sachin Tendulkar (2013) and the inability of the bridge-generation, which featured players like Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, to step up meant that Dhoni had to single-handedly guide a fresh bunch of players.

The results in England have nosedived from the 1-0 lead to a 1-2 slump but largely the present squad’s core will ideally be the nucleus in the coming years. Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R. Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar despite their varied individual performances, seem set for the long haul.

In Dhoni, they have a strong individual, willing to cope with criticism besides remaining grounded when victories are secured.

But India has no time to rest easy upon the notion that the Indian skipper will be around for many years.

Over the past few years, Dhoni has given enough hints about his cricketing mortality. Recently, he said that the Lord’s Test will be his last at cricket’s Mecca.

World Cups have this conflicting habit of hoisting individuals and teams for posterity while also finishing the last remaining pages in a player’s chapter. When the premier tournament unravels in Australia and New Zealand in early 2015, it could also whip up thoughts in Dhoni’s mind about his career-longevity but hopefully, he would nurture his combative instincts for some more time till the current group gains the needed maturity and resolve.

Enhanced credentials

On this tour, Dhoni the batsman has shown a resilience and patience that will only embellish his credentials. With 267 runs, he has the third highest aggregate after Vijay and Rahane. He countered swing in his own intuitive and rustic ways by moving across or forward, has taken blows on his body and whenever he opted for five bowlers, has walked in at six and tried to shepherd the tail.

As a skipper, he struck gold with the bouncer-theory at Lord’s, exasperated many with his granting of one-over spells to his bowlers at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl and slipped on a defensive garb here at Old Trafford.

May be it is the raw seam attack, especially after Ishant’s injury, that has convinced the captain to hedge his bets mostly on stopping runs.

But Dhoni the wicketkeeper has struggled. Placed fifth in the all-time list headed by South Africa’s Mark Boucher (532 catches and 22 stumpings), Dhoni currently has 240 catches and 37 stumpings to his credit.

For someone, who just like his batting, may not offer aesthetic joy behind the stumps, Dhoni has been remarkably effective.

However, over the last month, he has revealed a fatigue that hurts him more than his aching fingers.

He has not gone for those edges that hover between him and first slip, and men who manned that position, be it Shikhar Dhawan or Vijay, have been caught unawares. Maybe a new catching-chemistry has to be struck like the one he had with Rahul Dravid when the latter stood next to the captain.

Dhoni missed a run-out of Jos Buttler too during the fourth Test and by his supreme standards, it was a regulation chance.

Yet, he has a tally of 14 catches in this series and the above mentioned blemishes may just be minor aberrations, but if it is a sign of his 33-year-old body dulling reflexes, it could become a nagging worry.

Just like Dhoni the batsman has found a way to counter obstacles, India’s most successful captain and statistically its number one wicketkeeper, has to find a way to weave in victories and stay alert to chances.

Jet Airways flight aborted after fire alarm

A fire alarm in a Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Bhopal caused a scare as it was about to take off early on Thursday.

No one among over the 70 people on board were injured in the incident that took place around 05:45 a.m, airport sources said.

The ATR 72 turbo prop aircraft, operating flight 9W 2654, abandoned take off after the pilots saw the alarm on the cockpit flight panel.

The aircraft returned to the bay where the passengers were deplaned. They were later taken to their destination by another aircraft, the sources said.

England need win at the Oval to cement rebound

London: England are on the verge of putting to bed one of the most trying chapters in their Test cricket history.

India could still extend them, however, in the fifth and final Test at the Oval starting on Friday.

A summer for England that began with a first ever Test series defeat on home soil to Sri Lanka worsened when India won the second Test at Lord's to lead this series 1-0. With his captaincy and position on the line, and at risk of losing his main bowler, Alastair Cook led his side's fightback at the Rose Bowl and Old Trafford to be in front 2-1.

Humiliated by an innings and 54-run defeat at Old Trafford, India can still save face by winning the final Test and tying the series. Here are five things to know ahead of the match:

ALI HAS INDIA IN A SPIN: Moeen Ali, again, was the second-innings star for England in the Old Trafford Test, taking 4-39 as India were bowled out for 161. His performance followed match-winning, second-innings figures of 6-67 at the Rose Bowl. The lack of an obvious replacement for the retired Graeme Swann led England at the start of the series to go for an unbalanced all-pace attack and pick Ali as a batsman who could spin a bit. But his offspin has emerged as a major weapon, an unexpected bonus for England, and covered up for his batting weakness against pace bowling. His 19 wickets in the series are second only to Ray Illingworth's 20 in 1967 by an England spinner at home against India.

INDIA TOP ORDER YET TO FIRE: Despite half of day two being lost to rain, the fourth Test was won by England in three days, as they bowled India out for 152 and 161. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was furious with his side's effort, and hinted he had been unhappy with his vaunted batsmen throughout the series. "To some extent, the performance of No. 8, 9, 10 and 11 so far in the series has camouflaged the question of the top order not performing," Dhoni said. The biggest disappointment has been No. 4 Virat Kohli, who has a career average of 40 but a series average of 14. His shortcomings have been a big factor in India's inability to create scoreboard pressure.

ANDERSON TARGETS BOTHAM RECORD: James Anderson is eight wickets away from overtaking Ian Botham's record haul of 383 and becoming England's leading wicket-taker in Tests. Anderson managed five dismissals in the fourth Test to be on 376, and will back himself at the Oval. It has been a troubled series for Anderson, who at one point was facing a four-Test ban from a charge of pushing and abusing Ravindra Jadeja. He admitted it was a distraction during the second and third Tests, yet still has a series-leading 21 wickets.

WILL INDIA STICK OR TWIST? India made three changes ahead of the third Test, with opening batsman Gautam Gambhir in for Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin replacing Rohit Sharma to provide a spin option, and Varun Aaron coming in for Mohammed Shami in the bowling attack. Aaron was the most successful, taking 3-97. Ashwin bowled economically, conceding 29 runs from 14 overs but was ultimately wicketless. Gambhir made only 22 runs in his two innings opening the batting, and will undoubtedly be concerned that Dhawan, averaging 20, may regain his position. India will also be praying fast bowler Ishant Sharma is ready to return from a leg injury that saw him miss the two Tests after the victory at Lord's, where Sharma took Test-best figures of 7-74.

BROAD HAS BROKEN NOSE: Stuart Broad is expected to start for England, despite missing training on Tuesday after breaking his nose when a bouncer from Aaron crashed through his helmet and into his face during England's batting innings. Broad, who was unable to collect his man-of-the-match award for his first-innings bowling figures of 6-25, tweeted that he watched his teammates seal victory from hospital, and he would have to wear a mask at the Oval. He did not specify whether it would just be for batting.

Delhi boy wins gold at Informatics Olympiad, heads for MIT

Akshat Bubna passed his CBSE (12th) exam from Amity International School here with over 96% marks and is heading for the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to do a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science.


NEW DELHI: Delhi schoolboy Akshat Bubna has become the first Indian student to win a gold medal in the International Olympiad in Informatics in Taiwan.

18-year-old Bubna passed his CBSE (12th) exam from Amity International School here with over 96 per cent marks and is heading for the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to do a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Incidentally, this was Bubna's second medal, having won a bronze in the Informatics Olympiad last year in Brisbane (Australia).

"I had actually applied for MIT much before I got this gold medal in Taiwan (July 7-14) IOI Olympiad finals. In fact, my bronze medal winning performance last year, did help me a lot in securing a berth in MIT. We were prepared for this Olympiad by IIT-ians who have participated in the event earlier," Bubna, who will be leaving for the US tomorrow, told PTI.

In fact, Indian students have done really well this time with Malvika Joshi, schooled in Chashak Gurukul, Mumbai, becoming the first girl from India to bag a medal at this prestigious event, winning a silver.

Among the bronze medal winners across various nations was India's Pushkar Mishra of DPS (RK Puram).

The International Olympiad in Informatics is one of the five international science Olympiads, organized all across the world. The primary aim of the IOI is to persuade students to take interest in Informatics and Information Technology.

The students' were guided in the competition by Prof Madhavan Mukund (Dean of Studies), Chennai Mathematical Institute.

iberry Auxus Note 5.5 launched for Rs 13999 with octa-core chip, fingerprint scanner

The freshly launched iberry Auxus Note 5.5 has jumped onto the gimmicky fingerprint scanner bandwagon which is supposed to give handsets an added layer of security. It grabs a price tag of Rs 13990 which puts it in direct competition with the extremely popular Xiaomi Mi3 that’s selling like hotcakes at the moment.

There’s an iberry Auxus tablet which has been launched as well, but we’ll talk about that one later. The Note 5.5 smartphone is among the few devices in the world that offer fingerprint scanners. This trend was started by Apple’s iPhone 5S and was followed immediately by the HTC One Maxand the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Running the Android KitKat OS, the dual SIM Auxus Note 5.5 offers a 5.5-inch 720p HD display and a 1.7GHz octa core processor that’s supported by 2GB of RAM. A 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing snapper form part of its features list as well, and you can find a 3200mAh battery inside.

iberry Auxus Note 5.5 main specs at a glance:

- Display: 5.5-inch, 720p HD
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Processor: 1.7GHz octa core
- Memory: 2GB RAM, 16GB storage (expandable up to 64GB)
- Camera: 13MP rear, 8MP front
- Battery: 3200mAh

Coming to the iberry Auxus AX04i tablet, this entry-level device kicks in a 7-inch IPS touchscreen. It offers dual SIM connectivity and gathers steam from a 1.3GHz dual core processor that combines its muscle power with 512MB of RAM. This slab of Android runs the KitKat OS to make sure people find it as appealing as possible.

iberry Auxus AX04i main specifications list:

- Display: 7-inch IPS
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Processor: 1.3GHz dual core
- Memory: 512GB RAM, 4GB storage
- Storage expandable up to 64GB
- Camera: 2MP rear, 0.3MP front
- Battery: 3000mAh

Both the iberry Auxus Note 5.5 and the Auxus AX04i will be sold online exclusively via eBay from August 21 onwards. While the smartphone will be priced at Rs 13990, the tablet will be up for grabs at a comparatively low cost of Rs 6490.

Panasonic Eluga A Launched At Rs. 9,490

Expanding its portfolio of Eluga range of smartphones in India, Panasonic has launched mid-range Eluga A smartphone at Rs. 9,490/-. The Eluga A will start retailing in India from 15th August onwards and will be available in black and white colors.

The Eluga A sports a 5 inch IPS FWGA (854×480) display and runs on Android 4.3 (JellyBean) OS. It is driven by 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, coupled with 1GB RAM, 4GB ROM expandable to 32GB via microSD card. The Dual-SIM Eluga A comes with an 8 MP Auto Focus with LED Flash rear camera and 1.3MP front camera. It is packed with 2000mAh batery. For connectivity options, this smartphone offers 802.11b/g/n; Wi-Fi Hotspot & Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 3.0 and Micro USB 2.0.

The Eluga A is equipped with a single hand operative “Fit Home” user interface with features such as “Kwik Lock”, where the user can double tap the home screen to lock.The Eluga A also features support for leading Indian languages that allows the user to browse the web, chat and navigate the phone menu in his or her local language.

The Eluaga A has other advanced features such as Qualcomm Snapdragon Audio+ audio enhancement technology for rich 3D surround sound music; Voice+ voice enhancement technology for clearer conversations;  BatteryGuru for extended battery life; and Quick Charge for up to 40% faster charging.

Speakinga bout the launch of Eluga A,  Mr. Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India said “Through ELUGA, Panasonic will bring advanced technological innovations to the Indian smartphone users and with ELUGA A, we have successfully integrated into the premium gadget, advanced technology for Audio enhancements, voice clarity, faster charging, longer battery life and local language features, in tune with the needs of the Indian consumer.”

Panasonic had launched its flagship Eluga U towards the end of July at a price of Rs. 18,990/-. The Panasonic Eluga U features a 5-inch IPS HD display (720×1280 pixels) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as an On-Glass Solution . It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded upto 32GB via microSD card. The Eluga U is equipped with a 13MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash, and a 2MP front-facing camera.

Samsung pins its hopes on Galaxy Alpha's metal frame

Samsung has launched its new Galaxy Alpha with a metal frame, in a bid to boost sales after the plastic design of its smartphones has been blamed for the company’s recent struggles.

The Wednesday launch of the latest Galaxy smartphone comes after a difficult second quarter for Samsung. While overall smartphones sales grew by almost 27 percent, Samsung’s shipments dropped. In May, the company also appointed a new head of its design team.

Samsung’s Galaxy Alpha smartphone

Samsung has pitched the Galaxy Alpha with its metal frame as a new start, and the design as something “entirely new” compared to the design of its existing products, which have been justifiably criticized for looking cheap irrespective of what they cost.

However, in reality the shape of the home button still makes it look very much like a Samsung smartphone, and the plastic back has inherited the dimpled design of the Galaxy S5. For some, the changes Samsung has made aren’t nearly big enough.

“Overall it’s a good phone but I was disappointed with the design, even with the metal frame it feels too plastic,” said Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC.

Samsung has also decided to make the Galaxy Alpha thin and light: it weighs just 115 grams and is 6.7 millimeters thick.

Under the hood, the smartphone is based on Android 4.4.4 and powered by an Exynos processor with four ARM Cortex-A15 cores running at 1.8GHz and four Cortex-A7 cores running at 1.3GHz. The screen measures 4.7 inches and has a 1280 by 720 pixel resolution.

The smartphone also has a 12-megapixel camera on the back and a 2.1-megapixel front camera. It has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of integrated storage, but no microSD card slot. The LTE connection supports download speeds up to 300Mbps, as long as there is a network that can handle it as well.

The smaller screen and lower screen resolution is slightly surprising since the rest of the phone has high-end specifications. Despite that, Samsung will likely charge a premium for the device. U.K. retailer Clove has put up the phone for preorder at £500 (US$850) including tax, which gives a good indication of what it will cost. (Samsung has yet to announce the official price for the smartphone.)

That is too much, according to Jeronimo. Samsung needs to choose more premium materials if it wants to charge a premium price, he said.

Samsung said the Galaxy Alpha will start shipping in the beginning of September, but details on where the phone will go on sale first weren’t immediately available.

Sony India releases new headphones and earphones

Sony India has launched two pairs of headphonesgoing by the model numbers MDR-XB450 and MDR-XB250 as well as a set of earphones called the MDR-AS200. The last one is aimed at those who like to take their music with them when they exercise or are engaged in other physical activities, while the first two are meant for users who love bass.

The Sony MDR-XB450 and MDR-XB250 are priced at Rs 1490 and Rs 2190, correspondingly, and will hit retail availability within this month itself. The former device’s predecessor dubbed MDR-XB400 was offered in three color options of green, blue and purple. The newer headphones are set to reach the Indian market in five hues of red, black, white, yellow and blue.

The MDR-XB450 is fitted with 30mm drivers and delivers a frequency response rate of 5Hz – 22000Hz. The accessory is finished in metal and drags along a flattish cord with a serrated exterior, the last mentioned of which reduces the chances of it getting all tangled up. You will be able to stow it away neatly owing to its swivel-style folding mechanism.

The Sony MDR-XB250 would have been very much like the MDR-XB45, with its 30mm drivers, serrated cord and swivel folding design if it wasn’t for its metal-shunning body. Coming to theearphones announced by the Japanese company, remember when we said that the MDR-AS200 is for active people? Well, it’s got a water-resistant build as also, 13.5mm drivers and adjustable ear loops.

And just like the other two which were unveiled today, the earphones tow along a flat cord. The pair costs Rs 790 and is expected to be made available later in September. As we’ve already mentioned above, the Sony MDR-XB250 and MDR-XB450 will be visible on shelves by August.