Google’s video calling app Duo crosses 5 million downloads with in a week

 

The video-calling app Duo by Google is steadily moving forward to compete with the much more popular apps like Microsoft’s Skype and Apple’s FaceTime. After announcing Duo at I/O 2016 earlier this year, Google last week began rolling out the video calling app to users on Android and iOS platform. And within just one week of its release, the app has already crossed 5 million downloads on the Android devices.
 
 Google Duo Download Link
Google’s Duo app is a simple video messaging app that accomplishes the task of doing one thing very well. Think of it as Apple’s FaceTime — Google Duo is designed for one-on-one mobile video calls and nothing else. Those who use Google’s Hangouts app, which also allows for video calling, may look at Duo and miss features such as group calling.

Duo differentiates itself in two key ways. One, it’s tied to your phone number rather than your Google account, meaning that you don’t need a Google account to use it. Second, Duo is encrypted, so that Google itself can’t see the content of your conversations.

Despite its simplicity, Duo does have one feature that could be particularly useful for video calls on the go: If the person calling you is on your contacts list, Duo’s “Knock Knock” feature gives you a video preview of who’s on the other side. (Think of it as being able to peek through the peephole on a door.) This can be disabled, but it’s useful if you get a call and want some intel about who’s on the other side and the kind of mood they’re in. Free, for iOS and Android.

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Rented smartphones for tourists offer free international calls and unlimited internet access

Hong Kong-based handy is leasing out smartphones to visitors, pre-loaded with free calls, 3G internet access and apps to help them navigate their destination.

Tourists who don’t travel abroad often can sometimes face steep price increases for making phone calls and texts if their tariff doesn’t include international minutes and roaming charges come into effect. Bearing this in mind, Hong Kong-based handy is leasing smartphones out to visitors, pre-loaded with free calls, 3G internet access and apps to help them navigate their destination.
The service provides an Android smartphone – either a Samsung Galaxy Note or Google Nexus – that can be picked up from Hong Kong International Airport and used in place of their usual device for the duration of the trip. Customers pay HKD 68 per day for the handset, which comes with unlimited local and international calls as well as internet access. The phone can be used to connect laptops to the internet and helps tourists avoid spending time looking for free wifi hotspots. The device also comes with apps pre-loaded – such as Skype, Facebook, Kayak, BBC News and public transport planners – that may be useful for tourists, although they can also download their own apps. Customers also get discounts for popular attractions delivered to them through the phone.
Much like Madrid’s PadInTheCity, handy helps those unfamiliar with a city to guide themselves using technology they can carry around with them. Could this work in your part of the world?
Website: www.handyhongkong.com
Source:Internet

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EMBRACE+ bracelet provides smartphone notifications using light and color

EMBRACE+ is a new piece of wearable electronics currently in development, that wirelessly connects to a smartphone and lights up in different colors in conjunction with notifications received on the phone. The idea is that if the phone is tucked away in a bag, or not right near the user, he or she would be able to tell what kind of notification the device has received and whether or not it's something they will need to address immediately.

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The bracelet can notify users of all kinds of events that occur on the phone. Some examples of the types of notifications users can receive through the bracelet are as follows:

• Incoming calls (for specific contacts or groups)
• Text messages
• Instagram
• Email
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• LinkedIn
• Skype
• Facebook
• Calendar alerts
• Alarm and timer
• Low phone battery
• Phone out of range

The creators are working to expand the list of supported applications, with plans to add Vine, WhatsApp, Ruzzle, and other apps in the future.
Users can customize the bracelet to light up in different colors for each type of notification. The bracelet can light up in a single color for a specific event, or users can opt to use two different colors for each notification. The number of blinks, duration of blinks, speed interval, brightness, and whether there is a short vibration can also be tweaked by the wearer.
Everything is adjusted using the Android or iOS EMBRACE+ app. It comes with a color wheel that allows a complete range of hues to be used for each notification. It will also offer the ability to save profiles for quick access to certain settings.

The bracelet itself uses optical fibers tucked inside of a transparent core that runs through the whole band. This is coated in a transparent cladding that allows the light to leave the core and shine around the entire device. It also comes in three different shapes, so users can choose one that matches their style.
The creators of the EMBRACE+ are seeking funding on Kickstarter to help with purchasing molds, setting up tooling, and developing the mobile applications that make the whole thing come together. The minimum backing to receive a bracelet in one of the three available styles is US$49.

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Indian Tablet Aakash2 to sell at Rs 1900 soon

Tablet lovers, specially the students would soon be able to buy the Aakash 2 tablet at a price of Rs 1900 ($35). The current price of the tablet is $49. This was announced by the telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday at Reverse Buyer Seller Meet (RBSM) here organised by Telecom Equipment and Service Export Promotion Council. He said that Aakash has all the amenities of any modern tablet. “It performs the same function as a $150 tablet,” Sibal said. He said that next version of the tablet will also have Skype, an application used for making voice calls using Internet connection and does not necessarily require a SIM. The government is in process to get Cabinet approval for manufacturing of 50 lakh units of Aakash tablet in India, Sibal said. “A global tender for its production in the country will be floated then” Earlier this month the much talked about tablet designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind Ltd. for supply to IIT Bombay was launched by the President Pranab Mukherjee. DataWind is to supply 100,000 units of Aakash 2 to IIT Bombay, which intends to distribute them to Engineering University and College students. Few days back an English daily had reported that DataWind founders and NRI brothers Suneet and Raja Singh Tuli may have procured these devices off-the-shelf from manufacturers in China for $42 ( Rs. 2,263 then), exactly the price at which they sold these to the Indian government. But Tuli refuted this saying that for expediency sake it had the motherboards and kits manufactured in its Chinese subcontractor's facilities, and then the units have been 'kitted' in China at various manufacturers whereas the final assembly and programming has happened in India. Source:Telecom Tiger

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Control Your PC's Settings With Roccat Smartphone App

During GDC 2012, peripheral manufacturer Roccat Studios introduced the Roccat Power-Grid app, a solution that lets users control their PC games and other computer applications in real time straight from their smartphone.
The free app comes standard with four control displays -- or "grids" -- three of which are preloaded with a wide range of essential gaming tools. The first "Incoming Center" grid routes all outside voice and text communication from services like Skype, Facebook, TeamSpeak and Twitter to an at-a-glance display on the smartphone.
ZoomThe second grid, called "Stats Control," lets users quickly and easily monitor their PC's vital data via the smartphone. Stats include CPU status, hard drive space, network traffic and more. The third pre-loaded grid is called "Sound Control," and as the name implies, allows users to set and fine tune every aspect of their gaming audio using just their smartphone.
As for the fourth grid, it's completely customizable. Custom control icons, or "blocks," can be created using the free Roccat Power-Grid Launcher download which installs on the PC and connects your rig to the smartphone. Users can create individually-designed macro buttons from their favorite games or design a specialty button like a pizza timer.
According to Roccat, the app is just the tip of the iceberg. "At the end of the year, gamers will be able to connect their Power-Grid-loaded smartphone to ROCCAT Smart Gear – new gaming hardware that delivers the ultimate smart gaming experience," the company states. "First on the horizon is Project Phobo – the 'Phone Board.' The Phobo is not only one of the world’s most advanced gaming keyboards, it’s also the perfect home for a smartphone using Power-Grid."
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Once gamers have connected their Power-Grid-enabled smartphone to the Phobo, they’ll never need to separate the two, the company claims. Players will be able to write any kind of text message via Facebook, Skype etc using the Phobo’s keyboard. Phobo, also serving as a smartphone charger, will even let gamers take voice calls with a connected headset.
Roccat also plans on introducing the Apuri 2.0 (seen below), a Roccat Smart Gear gaming assistant that acts as a stylish stand for a gamer’s Power-Grid-enabled smartphone. "It's the perfect way to keep it charged for when a player needs to step away from the game," the company adds.
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"Some gaming companies claim PC gaming is sick and needs help," says René Korte, Roccat Founder and CEO. “We at Roccat have never thought that. We know PC gaming is alive and well. It just needs to keep evolving. Power-Grid represents that natural evolution.
Initial versions of Power-Grid work with all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices using the latest version of iOS. In addition to a compatible smartphone, Power-Grid requires a PC with Wi-Fi capability. Roccat will launch Power-Grid for Android smartphones at Gamescom 2012. In the meantime, gamers interested in testing the iOS beta can head here.

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Indian Investor Fuels Pakistani Guns

Our previous article on “Vopium” uncovered some exceptional features of this VoIP platform making all Pakistani’s proud with this stupendous initiative by Tanveer Shareef. Due to the novel services of Vopium it has received an investment of $ 16.5 million by an international telecommunication investor Raghuvinder Kataria one of the early investor of Bharti Airtel. Bharti Airtel is considered to be among world’s largest mobile companies. This has provided Vopium an opportunity for a vast international exposure.

There are presently 4000 downloads of this software everyday with around 250,000 users in 49 countries with the rise of 30% users a month. Vopium offers calls at very low rates with the ability to communicate with Skype, Facebook, Twitter, MSN and Google Talk. It has special packages for Pakistan. This deal expects to have almost 10 million Vopium users in future.
Vopium has established itself as a very strong competitor in the VoIP market competing with softwares like Skype. It has created its name by providing unsurpassed VoIP services with the optimum conversation quality.
Raghuvinder Kataria says:
"Vopium has developed its own new market. The ground-breaking technology will reach millions of users all over the world in the next few years. Our expectations are reflected by the significant amount of money that we have invested in the company and we expect 10 million Vopium users in a few years. We believe that the market demands an alternative mobile solution to Skype and the fast market penetration of smartphones opens up new and more intelligent ways of communication. Vopium’s solution is unique because it offers the best conversation quality and is easy to use.”

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