New tablet devices to help your kid shine in school

With interest in digital devices growing among children, a Gurgaon-based technology company recently launched a range of tablets with pre-bundled educational content.

The "EduOne Tablet" series by Amosta enables one to choose the content of current standard (out of first to tenth standards) and study for the whole year digitally, a company statement said.

"Now, students cannot only learn by reading, but also visualise new concepts and see how things work practically. It helps in expanding their imagination perimeter, IQ, depth of thinking and creativity," said Ashish Kumar, founder, Amosta.

"As a launch proposition, Amosta is providing course content of current academic year on the tablet at affordable price. Moreover, the content update for the next year course content is complimentary if someone purchases the EduOne Tablets in this academic year," the statement added.

The devices allow students to self-learn at their own pace, individualise their learning environment to their liking and requirements, and enable development of inquisitiveness and exploration, besides lowering the number of textbooks students need to carry. 

Moreover, in this digital age, tablets can allow students to grasp concepts quickly and permanently using audio -visual tools. Priced between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 7,000, "these tablets are available on various e-commerce platforms so that students from all over nation can reap the benefits of this new learning platform," the statement added.

With its global services hub in Hong Kong and manufacturing facility in Gurgaon, these educational devices are aimed to help students prepare better for their examinations. "These EduOne tablets will complement the school education and let a student explore the digital world to experience different dimensions of learning," the statement noted.

[MWC 2016]: Lenovo introduces the Ideapad MIIX 310, a Windows 10-powered budget convertible

"The MIIX 310 offers a 10-inch 1080p display, an Intel Atom X5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage"

Lenovo has introduced a new budget 2-in-1 device called the Ideapad MIIX 310. Successor to the last year's Ideapad MIIX 700, the new convertible comes with upgraded innards. The Microsoft Surface-like offering runs Windows 10 out-of-the-box, and offers a detachable keyboard, which allows it to be used as a full-fledged Windows 10 laptop.


The Lenovo Ideapad MIIX 310 sports a 10-inch optional full HD display, apart from the regular HD screen, with 180-degree viewing angles.

It is powered by an Intel Atom X5 8300 CPU, aided by an integrated Intel GPU and up to 4GB of RAM. The device comes with up to 64GB of internal memory, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, a micro-HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and a micro-USB 2.0 port. The detachable keyboard dock of the device also comes with a full-size USB 2.0 port. As per the brand, the device offers up to 10 hours of mixed battery life.

The Lenovo Ideapad MIIX 310 tablet and laptop hybrid will go on sale in key markets with optional 4G LTE support in June this year at the starting price tag of $229, which roughly converts to Rs 15,700. 

HP Elite x3 with Windows 10 unveiled at MWC 2016

HP Elite x3 with Windows 10 unveiled at MWC 2016
Feb 22, 2016, 18:00 IST Thinkdigit
HP unveiled the Windows 10 powered Elite x3 smartphone at MWC 2016. The company also launched two docks with the device that would allow it to be used as a desktop or a laptop. The phone is equipped with a 5.96-inch QHD display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection. It is powered by Qualcomm's flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 820 clocked at 2.15GHz with 4GB of RAM. The device comes with 64GB of onboard storage that can be expanded by up to 2TB via a microSD card. At the back of the phone is a 16MP primary camera with an 8MP front camera. The device has a 4150mAh battery and comes with an iris scanner and a fingerprint scanner.

There is also a front facing speaker by Bang & Olufsen.

The HP Elite X3 also comes with two docks called the Desk Dock and Mobile Extender. The Desk Dock comes with a DisplayPort, two USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, and an ethernet port. The dock is designed to be connected to any display, keyboard and mouse, and used like a desktop via Windows 10's Continuum feature. The Mobile Extender resembles a conventional laptop, but only houses a keyboard, battery, and a 12.5-inch Full HD display.The Extender uses the Elite x3 for processing power and connects to the device wirelessly.

Writer, gamer, and hater of public transport.

Processor Enables Slim Smartphones & Improves Video/Gaming Features

MediaTek today announced a new ultra-power saving smartphone processor aimed at slim smartphones. The P20 processor benefits from 16nm technology to offer better power efficiency and higher performance. Boasting a 20% performance improvement and a 25% power efficiency improvement over its predecessor Helio P10, the chip also offers significant multitasking and multimedia advancements with its LPDDR4x memory support. Manufactured using 16nm process technology, it is claimed to be the world's first SoC to support low power double data rate random access memory, the LPDDR4X. Performance improvements include upgraded CPU and GPU capabilities with a True Octa-Core architecture clocked up to 2.

3GHz, based on ARM Cortex A53 cores. The new Mali T880 graphics is the highest end ARM GPU clocked at a speedy 900MHz, making it perfect for demanding video and gaming apps. "MediaTek designed the MediaTek Helio P20 to meet today's consumer demand for sleek, powerful yet highly power efficient mobile devices. Consumers place increasing importance on the battery life and multimedia capabilities of their smartphones. MediaTek has risen to this challenge with a leading solution", said Jeffrey Ju , Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer at MediaTek. Connectivity advantages of the chip include support for WorldMode LTE Cat.6 and 2×20 carrier aggregation at 300/50Mbps data speeds. Global Dual-SIM Dual Standby offers seamless connectivity wherever a user goes. For regions where GSM is no longer available, the SoC will have simultaneous standby on WCDMA network. LTE multimedia broadcast and multicast services are also supported which allow mobile devices to receive HD video content over LTE. A quicker, smoother user experience for camera, video and gaming apps is possible with improved processing power and optimum battery performance using a LPDDR4X, which provides 70 percent more bandwidth than the LPDDR3 and 50 percent power savings by lowering supply voltage to 0.6V. Additionally, the P20 series utilizes an exclusive MediaTek Imagiq Image Signal Processor (ISP) to improve camera ease-of-use and picture and video quality. The chip is expected to be in commercial devices in the second half of 2016. Click here to view full Press release.

[MWC 2016]: Lenovo unveils new Yoga 710 and Flex 4 convertibles at MWC

"The new Lenovo Yoga and Flex devices come with 360-degree rotatable hinges for multiple usage modes"

Chinese electronics brand Lenovo kicked off the MWC in Barcelona this week with the launch of the VIBE K5 and VIBE K5 Plus smartphones. The company also launched three new Tab 3 Android tablets, and a budget

Windows 10-powered convertible called the Ideapad MIIX 3. In addition, the vendor has also introduced two new Yoga 710 hybrids and two Flex 4 series laptop convertibles at the same event. All of the new Yoga and Flex devices run Windows 10 out of the box.


The Lenovo Yoga 710 tablet-laptop convertible comes in 11-inch and 14-inch models. The device offers full HD IPS display, and can be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of solid state drive storage. Its 11-inch model can be purchased with up to Intel Core m5 processor, while the 14-inch variant can be configured with up to Intel Core i7 processor and up to NVIDIA GeForece 940MX GPU. Similar to the other Yoga devices, both the Yoga 710 models come with 360-degree rotatable hinges, which allows them to be used in several modes like laptop, tablet, stand and tent.

The Lenovo Flex 4 will be available in 14- and 15-inch screen variants bearing full HD display resolutions. It also offers the same four usage modes as the Yoga 710 range. Users will be able to configure them with up to Intel Core i7 processors, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and AMD Radeon R7 M460 2GB GPU. As per the brand, the Flex 4 laptops offer up to 8.5 hours of mixed battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga 710 11-inch and 14-inch models have been priced starting at €799 (around Rs 60,500) and €899 (approx. Rs 68,000) respectively, and will go on sale in May. The Lenovo Flex 4 14-inch and 15-inch variants have been priced at €479 (~ Rs 36,300) and €699 (~ Rs 52,900) respectively, and will be available in April this year. The company said that the Flex 4 will be released as the Yoga 510 in some markets.

Freedom 251 will make profit of Rs 31 on each phone

Delhi: Since he announced the launch of a mobile phone for Rs 251, Mohit Goel has faced widespread scepticism, along with visits by police and income tax officials at his rented two-storey office in Noida. However, the Amity University graduate insists that he will not only deliver the phones at the stunning price he has quoted, but also make a profit of Rs 31 on each handset sold.

"Why am I being hounded? What wrong have I done?" Goel asked in the course of an exclusive interview with TOI. The director of Ringing Bells insists that his new venture is not a fly-by-night operation and will begin customer deliveries from April 15. "Has there ever been a case of income-tax evasion against me or my company, or has there been an FIR filed against me in any police station? Why am I being called a 'bhagora' (who'll run away with the money)? I intend to do a valid business, just like any other startup, and I have a business plan ready."

The company claims it has received over 7 crore registrations on its website since it started accepting applications on February 18. "We are taking online bookings for only 25 lakh units in the first batch due to limited supplies, while giving another 25 lakh through offline distributors. I will deliver the handsets before June 30. All the money that we receive from customers through the payment gateway will be kept in an escrow account and we will touch it only when we deliver the devices." The company has an account with ICICI Bank.

Goel, and his much-older confidant Ashok Chadha, who is the president of the company, insists that there have not been any infringements on design and other matters. "Some of the devices had the Adcom branding as we sourced panel (screen) from them. However, the final device will have our branding and the phone will have the same features and design that we had showcased."

The dual SIM Freedom 251 device carries a 4-inch display, 1 GB RAM, 8GB internal memory with a 1.3 GHZ quad-core processor, dual cameras and comes with a charger, headphone and one-year warranty.

The duo say that they have a carefully laid-out business model to manage the disruptive price for the device "The price that works out per device is roughly around Rs 1,500," Chadha says. insists, though significantly lowering it down from the Rs 2,500 he had announced on the day of the unveiling of the device. "We will source the devices from a supplier in Noida, who will be assembling the units for us after getting components from Taiwan." And while we do this, we also start the work to identify land and suppliers for setting up our manufacturing locations. For this, we have identified Noida while also looking at locations in Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Bihar and Punjab," Chadha says.

And just how does he bring down the cost to Rs 251, and also earn a profit? "Economies of scale gets it down to around Rs 1,200, and thereafter an online sales model cuts down marketing and sales expenses, giving us further savings," he says. And to this we will add marketing piggybacks from companies whose applications we load on the devices. We will save around Rs 300 per device more through this," Chadha says.

The unveiling of the phone on February 17 had created quite a flutter among existing handset suppliers, prompting industry body Indian Cellular Association to file a complaint with the government. (ICA) - which has members such as Samsung, Apple, Sony, Lava, Micromax, Karbonn, Motorola and HTC - ICA president Pankaj Mohindroo wrote a letter to telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, expressing doubts about the intentions of Ringing Bells, saying it is not possible to supply a phone for Rs 251. Also, there were allegations that the company had ripped off the design of the prototype from American phone major Apple's iPhone, while also giving out devices sourced from a local electronics importer Adcom.

The company is also talking to large e-commerce companies, such as travel website Goibibo, to get their apps on the devices. "We will also monetize from the heavy traffic on our website and will make it into a marketplace for other brands to hop on. This will also help us to bring down the cost."

Android smartphones: quick tips to increase device efficiency

Android-based smartphones are one of the most commonly used devices in the entire world and even the likes of Apple find it difficult to stay ahead in the race. For starters, Android is the most use mobile OS in the world, and Google is incessantly working to keep on making the platform more efficient.

Apart from that, Android-based smartphone manufacturers are constantly developing their handsets to make the most of Android.

However, Android users still face a number of difficulties over the course of time due to some common errors.

On that note, here are some suggested tips that can help you significantly help your Android smartphone experience-from simple navigation to performance.


Scale down animations: All users prefer their smartphones to be lag-free and that's one area where Android devices really take a big hit. However, by following a set of simple steps, you can get rid of any unnecessary lag. In settings, go to 'about device' and click on the 'build number' option for seven times. This will unlock your developer option where you will find a slew of animation scaling options. You can turn down the animation scales to 0.5x in place of 10x. This will significantly boost your smartphone's transition and navigation speed.

Delete unwanted apps: On most cases, smartphones tend to get infected with viruses as new unused apps start accumulating in your device. But you can easily avoid such problems by regularly monitoring and deleting unwanted apps. Keeping your home screen widget-free also helps in upping your smartphone's performance.

Use "OK Google": This is a very handy feature and can be used to search almost anything on your smartphone. This feature can significantly help you improve searching for any kind of content on the internet or on the device. The default settings only allow "OK Google" to work from the home screen, but you can just go to settings and change the preference to "from any screen".

Turn on power-saving mode: If you've noticed, most smartphones come along with power-saving options and there are also numerous power-saving apps available on Play Store. The power-saving mode on your device is extremely useful when you are really low on charge and can save up to 50 per cent more battery in contrast to the normal mode.

Activate mobile data tracking: While most users might know about this simple Android feature, for the ones who don't know, this resourceful feature will seamlessly allow you to monitor how much data you are using. Moreover, this feature will automatically cut off mobile data when you are on the verge of exhausting your data pack.

Automatic photo backup: It feels horrible when you loose or break a device full of pictures only to find out that your photos were not automatically backed. Well, you can avoid this by utilising the nifty Google Photos app, which gives you 15Gb of free data storage space.

Save offline maps: A few months back, Google added another very useful feature to its maps-offline storage. All you have to do is find the area on the map, which you want to save and tap on the search bar at the top of the screen. After the downloading is complete, you will have access to all the offline map data pertaining to that area including streets, points of interest, and navigation.