Air Force performs nail-biting stunts at Gujarat Aero Conclave 2015

Ahmedabad 2nd, April 2015: 

Air Force performed nail-biting aerobatic stunts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat as part of an aero conclave. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel was present at the air show, as high decibel sound emanating from planes and the stunning aerial displays brightened up the cloudless skies of the city near Sabarmati River Fornt. 

The air show was held on the first day of the Gujarat Aero Conclave which aims to promote civil aviation sector in western region and enforces the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modi. 

People gathered at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad city for the Acrobatic Flying Display, were enjoying the dynamic sound and stunts. The Global Stars’ team of U.K. based British Aerobatics Champions performed amazing formation air display, and solo air display with four aircrafts together. 

Ministry of Civil Aviation in India organised the conclave in partnership with state government and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to make the initiative.

Its objective is to provide an unmatched platform to debate on diverse topics relating to policy and regulatory regime and emerging challenges in the world, with the aerobatics. As part of the four-day Aero conclave 2015, interactive sessions on challenges facing the sector, panel discussions on latest technologies and aircarfts, innovative ideas and partnership strategies followed globally in enhancing regional air connectivity will also be held.

Gujarat Aero Conclave 2015:

Date: 2nd-4th, April 2015

Venue: Sabarmati River Front.

P.S: Still 2days to go will come up with more pictures. Stay Tuned! 

Saral Joshi © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

The fastest Pulsar Yet: Bajaj Pulsar RS200 launched at Rs 1.18 lakh in India

Bajaj Auto has launched the fully-faired version of the Pulsar 200NS, Pulsar RS200 motorcycle in India. It is available in two versions - non-ABS and ABS.

The Pulsar RS200 features a perimeter frame with, full fairing with twin projector headlamps, LED pilot lamps, and crystal LED tail lamps, and a midship race exhaust. The bike measures 1,999 mm long and has 765 mm wide, and a 1,114 mm tall with a wheelbase of 1,355 mm with over a ground clearance of 157mm. It weighs around 165 kg with its fuel tank has a capacity of 13 litres. It is available in two colours - red and yellow as of now.

Powering the RS200 is a 199.5 cc single-cylinder, 4-valve, liquid-cooled Triple Spark DTS-I engine capable of producing 24.2 bhp @ 9750 rpm and 18.6 Nm of torque @ 8000 rpm. The engine features a fuel injection system, and is coupled to a 6-speed gearbox similar to Yamaha R15. Bajaj claims that the bike can achieve a top speed of 141 kmph, sound interesting.

Stopping power is provided by a 300 mm disc brake at the front and a 230 mm disc brake at the rear with good gripe. The ABS version, as its name suggests, comes with a single-channel ABS the front, Suspension duties are taken care of by a telescopic fork and a nitrox monoshock at the front and rear respectively likely to the other sports bikes. Pulsar RS200 rides on 17-inch wheels shod with a 100/80-17 52 P tubeless tyre at the front and a 130/70-17 62 P tubeless tyre at the rear.

The RS200 also gets a maintenance-free battery.

Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi, Mumbai):

Non-ABS - Rs. 1,18,000

ABS - Rs. 1.30,000

Check Out the review Video of Bajaj Pulsar RS200 Below:

Image Source: www.google.co.in/Images

Saral Joshi © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Volkswagen Flying Car! Could This Be The Future?

We have heard lot about the flying and automatic cars, Google, Microsoft, Volkswagen and other have being working since years.

When Volkswagen invited its customers to think up for some ideas, it was perhaps inevitable that there would be at least one flying car design put forward, and get into the work.

But one concept – the ‘Hover Car’ – impressed the firm so much a short CGI YouTube video was made to showcase it, and let the idea of the flying car into real life.

The video below shows a VW flying two-seater zipping through Beijing. The car, powered by minerals underground, was the brainchild of a girl in China who responded to the car maker’s call for car innovation concepts,and gave the idea of 'Hover Car'. 

The idea is that thrusters on the back of the car would propel it forward, and the underground minerals will help to keep distance from the ground, just like the bullet train.

Getting the 'Car' to work for real would require, electromagnetic strips embedded into the roads below it, creating the hovering effect via electromagnetic suspension.

As a prize, the girl’s parents got to “Test Drive” the car in a simulated video, According to Creativity Online, VW received 119,000 ideas and got 33 million hits on its website. 
They are also working for the part 2 video for same model and soon will be out.

Saral Joshi © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Solar Impulse Team, stuck in Ahmedabad, Expresses disappointment on twitter.

Ahmedabad, 18-03-15: 

The SI2 team which has landed in Ahmedabad, was stuck in the city due to immigration clearance. Pilot Piccard who flew the SI had missed his immigration stamping on the day of arrival, due to the grand welcome and ceremony. 

"When I arrived here with solar Impulse, there were authorities, media and ceremony. I was covered with garlands and shawls gifted by the people who received me and I missed immigration clearance. And now I am desperate to get the clearance for last five days," Piccard said. 

Piccard was to fly to Varanasi, but the schedule was delayed by three days due to Indian Red Tape. Finally the SI2 has took off to an estimated 15 hour journey of around 1071kms to Varanasi, where it will fly next to Mandalay in Myanmar. 

The team has expressed its disappointment on their official account on twitter. 

Image Courtesy: www.google.com 

Saral Joshi © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

WhatsApp voice calling is officially out, here's how to get it on Android device!

After multiple flip-flops, WhatsApp has finally, released the voice-calling feature for all Android users. All You will need to download version 2.11.528 from the Play Store or version 2.11.531 from the WhatsApp website.

While several online reports have claimed, that the voice calling feature on WhatsApp has arrived. Though there is no official announcement or confirmation from the company. Several blogs suggested that users need to download the latest version of Whatsapp or get version 2.11.528/531 to activate the feature. However, this may not work. Even newer versions like 2.11.561 is yet to get the feature. So, upgrading to the latest version will clearly not work.

Another round of online reports informed that users will only get the calling feature activated on their accounts if someone makes a WhatsApp call to them. Suggesting that an invitation is required.

For the record the latest version of WhatsApp (as of March 14) is 2.12.7. You can download it from the website and install the .apk file. However, you will need someone (who already has the feature) to call you to activate it on your device.

So, if you haven’t received the calling feature even after updating to the latest version, it’s better to forget about it for the moment and wait for the official announcement. When WhatsApp announced its WhatsWeb, the feature was available across all versions. So, we can expect the same this time for voice calling.

Meanwhile, several malwares and fake WhatsApp calling apps have appeared to take advantage of curious users. Last week we read about a malware which was promising access to the WhatsApp voice-calling feature. According to the Daily Star, if users clicked on a link, they were taken to another website where they were asked to take a survey on behalf of the popular messaging service. However, the survey forces people to download applications and software that might contain dangerous malware.

Image Source: www.google.co.in

Saral Joshi © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft lays off 18,000, including half of Nokia, in largest-ever job cuts!

Microsoft Corp will slash up to 18,000 jobs, or 14 percent of its workforce, this year as it almost halves the size of its newly acquired Nokia phone business and tries to transform into a cloud-computing and mobile-friendly software company.

The larger-than-expected cuts, announced on Thursday, are the deepest in the company's 39-year history and come five months into the tenure of Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella. He outlined plans for a "leaner" business in a public memo to employees last week.

"We will simplify the way we work to drive greater accountability, become more agile and move faster," Nadella wrote to employees in a memo made public early Thursday. "We plan to have fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways, to accelerate the flow of information and decision making."

Beyond the Nokia reductions, Nadella gave few clues about where the ax will fall or what areas will receive more funding, saying he will flesh out his plans after Microsoft's quarterly earnings report on July 22.

The size of the cuts were welcomed by Wall Street, which viewed Microsoft as bloated under previous CEO Steve Ballmer, topping 127,000 in headcount after absorbing Nokia earlier this year.

"This is about double what the Street was expecting," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "Nadella is clearing the decks for the new fiscal year. He is cleaning up part of the mess that Ballmer left."

Microsoft shares jumped 1.7 percent to $44.84 on Nasdaq, reaching their highest since the technology stock boom of 2000.

About 12,500 of the layoffs will come from eliminating overlaps with the Nokia unit, which Microsoft acquired in April for $7.2 billion, with the bulk of the cuts coming from Nokia itself. The acquisition of Nokia's handset business in April added 25,000 people to Microsoft's payroll.

The first wave of layoffs include 1,351 jobs in the Seattle area, Microsoft said.

As part of the integration of Nokia, Microsoft is abandoning its experiment in making phones powered by Google Inc's Android system, moving some of its Nokia X line of phones onto Windows phone software.

The Nokia-related cuts were widely expected. Microsoft said when it struck the deal that it would cut $600 million per year in costs within 18 months of closing the acquisition.

Stephen Elop, the former CEO of Nokia who now runs Microsoft's devices unit, said phone engineering efforts will be concentrated in Salo and Tampere, Finland. It will reduce engineering work in Beijing, San Diego and Oulu, Finland.

He said phone manufacturing will be focused in Hanoi, Vietnam, with some production to continue in Beijing and Dongguan, China. Some Microsoft manufacturing and repair operations will be moved to Manaus, Brazil and Reynosa, Mexico, as it winds down operations in Komaron, Hungary.

The company said it expects to take pre tax charges of $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion over the next four quarters to account for the costs of the layoffs.

Nadella's cuts are the biggest at the Redmond, Washington-based company since Ballmer axed 5,800, or about 6 percent of headcount, in the depths of the recession in early 2009.

The new CEO's moves are designed to help Microsoft shift from being a primarily software-focused company to one that sells online services, apps and devices it hopes will make people and businesses more productive. Nadella needs to make Microsoft a stronger competitor to Google and Apple Inc, which have dominated the new era of mobile-centric computing.

Marking this change of emphasis, Nadella last week rebranded Microsoft as "the productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world."

Microsoft is not alone among the pioneers of the personal computer revolution now slimming down to adapt to the Web-focused world.

PC-maker Hewlett-Packard Co is in the midst of a radical three-to-five-year plan that will lop up to 50,000 from its staff of 250,000.

International Business Machines Corp is undergoing a "workforce rebalancing," which analysts say could mean 13,000, or about 3 percent of its staff, being laid off or transferred to new owners as units are sold.

Chipmaker Intel Corp and network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc both said in the past year they were cutting about 5 percent of their staffs.

Source: www.reuters.com

Saral Joshi © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Facebook Buying WhatsApp For $19 Billion!

NEW YORK: Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd. 

The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag. 

But it underscores Facebook's determination to win the market for messaging, an indispensable utility in a mobile era. 

Combining text messaging and social networking, messaging apps provide a quick way for smartphone users to trade everything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTube clips - bypassing the need to pay wireless carriers for messaging services. 

And it helps Facebook tap teens who will eschew the mainstream social networks and prefer WhatsApp and rivals such as Line and WeChat, which have exploded in size as mobile messaging takes off. 

"People are calling them 'Facebook Nevers,'" said Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed and an early investor in Snapchat. 

WhatsApp is adding about a million users per day, Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said on his page on Wednesday. 

"WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Since WhatsApp and (Facebook) Messenger serve such different and important users, we will continue investing in both." 

Smartphone-based messaging apps are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. 

"Communication is the one thing that you have to use daily, and it has a strong network effect," said Jonathan Teo, an early investor in Snapchat, another red-hot messaging company that flirted year ago with a multibillion dollar acquisition offer from Facebook. 

"Facebook is more about content and has not yet fully figured out communication." 

Even so, he balked at the price tag. 

As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, and the social network will grant an additional $3 billion worth of restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders, including Koum. 

That is on top of the $16 billion in cash and stock that Facebook will pay. 

"Goodness gracious, it's a good deal for WhatsApp," Teo said. 

TERMS 

Shares in Facebook slid 5 percent to $64.70 after hours, from a close of $68.06 on the Nasdaq. 

Facebook said on Wednesday it will pay $4 billion in cash and about $12 billion in stock in its single largest acquisition, dwarfing the $1 billion it paid for photo-sharing app Instagram. 

The price paid for Instagram, which with just 30 million users was already considered overvalued by many observers at the time. 

Facebook promised to keep the WhatsApp brand and service, and pledged a $1 billion cash break-up fee if the deal falls through. 

Facebook was advised by Allen & Co, while WhatsApp has enlisted Morgan Stanley for the deal.

Image Source: www.google.com

Saral Joshi © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Facebook Offers 58 New Gender Choices!

Facebook has expanded its options for listing your gender from two (male or female) to 58. The company says that “There’s going to be a lot of people for whom this is going to mean nothing, but for the few it does impact, it means the world.”

Requiring people to list a gender was actually a grammatical rather than societal issue back when the site started. Facebook asked users to identify as male or female so that it could correctly use “his” or “her” when creating a notification, rather than have statements like “Atul added a new image to their photo album.”

Previously, users had to identify themselves as male or female. They were also given the option of not answering or keeping their gender private.

User’s can now select a “custom” gender option.

Facebook will also allow users to select between three pronouns: “him,” “her” or “their.”

The following are the 58 gender options identified by Facebook News:

• Agender
• Androgyne
• Androgynous
• Bigender
• Cis
• Cisgender
• Cis Female
• Cis Male
• Cis Man
• Cis Woman
• Cisgender Female
• Cisgender Male
• Cisgender Man
• Cisgender Woman
• Female to Male
• FTM
• Gender Fluid
• Gender Nonconforming
• Gender Questioning
• Gender Variant
• Genderqueer
• Intersex
• Male to Female
• MTF
• Neither
• Neutrois
• Non-binary
• Other
• Pangender
• Trans
• Trans*
• Trans Female
• Trans* Female
• Trans Male
• Trans* Male
• Trans Man
• Trans* Man
• Trans Person
• Trans* Person
• Trans Woman
• Trans* Woman
• Transfeminine
• Transgender
• Transgender Female
• Transgender Male
• Transgender Man
• Transgender Person
• Transgender Woman
• Transmasculine
• Transsexual
• Transsexual Female
• Transsexual Male
• Transsexual Man
• Transsexual Person
• Transsexual Woman
• Two-Spirit

This is really crazy. 

The custom gender feature is currently available to users with the US English setting. It is likely to roll out, though it may take some time for Facebook to put together the appropriate terms in other languages.

Image Source: www.google.com


Saral Joshi © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Motorola Moto G Review: The Close To Perfect Performer

The much awaited Moto G, Motorola's economy Android smartphone, has finally been launched in India. The phone has won accolades the world over for its low price and great performance combo, and for bringing the focus back to usability instead of high-end specifications, a trend Motorola started with the Moto X, its flagship smartphone. We try to find out if Moto G really lives up to the hype surrounding it, in our review.

What's in the box:

Unlike the international version of the Moto G, the Indian version imported by Flipkart includes a charger and a headset. It doesn't include a USB cable so you'll need to buy one to transfer data to the phone. Other than these, you'll find the user manual and a warranty-related document. The Moto G comes with a standard black coloured back panel, but additional back panels in other colours can be ordered separately.

Motorola Moto G XT1032 Description:

Motorola Moto G XT1032 8GB is a stunning new Smartphone that comes with an advanced Android and powerful processor. It has been designed for you to do things like taking pictures, sharing them, watching videos, and lot more. It is an exceptional phone with exceptional features.

Stunning 4.5” HD Display: 

The new Motorolo Moto G has a huge 4.5 Inch Sharp HD Display. The display stretches to all the fours corners giving you an edge-to-edge crisp and sharp display. It gives you a 1280x720 pixels HD display resolution. Enhance your entertainment by watching videos, movies, read text, or see images on this brilliant display screen. 

Pure Android and Quad Core Speed:

Based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS browsing, streaming, navigating, playing and other tasks can be done with ease on Motorola Moto G. It can be upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKit version to enjoy seamless multitasking. Being powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor at a clock speed of 1.2 GHz Quad-Core CPU you get to experience enhanced speed and powerful performance.

Connectivity:

Connect to your virtual world with the help of Wi-Fi connectivity on Motorola Moto G. It also has a Wi-Fi hotspot feature that allows the phone to connect to the mobile network and work as a Wi-Fi router. You can find your way easily into the city as it supports GPS. Share files easily with Bluetooth and USB. 

Capture every moment: 

You can take a perfect shot with a touch as this phone is embedded with a 5MP camera fitted on the backside of the phone. You can take awesome self portraits as it has a 3.8MP front camera. With three clicks you can share your best moments with your family and friends. So click and share with Motorola Moto G XT1032 8GB.

All-day battery and Memory:

The new Motorola Moto G is smarter on the battery as it keeps you going all day long. It has a 2070mAh Lithium -Ion Battery with mixed usage up to 24 hours. It also comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory.

Simple transfers:

Now its easy to shift to the new Motorola Moto G. You can transfer all your data, pictures, phonebook, call logs, SIM contacts wirelessly from your old smartphone.

Features and Specifications:

Sales Package

Motorola Moto G XT1032 8 GB Global GSM USB Cable USB Adapter NOT Included (Factory Default) User Guide

Dimensions

Height	129.9 mm
Width	65.9 mm
Depth	6.0-11.6 mm (curve)
Weight	143 gms

Display

Screen Size	4.5 Inches diagonal (11.3 cm)
Resolution	1280 x 720 Pixels HD
Touch Screen	Yes

Platform

Android	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (Upgradable)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor with 1.2 GHz Quad-Core CPU

Camera

Rear	5 MP
Front-Facing Camera	3.8 MP
Zoom	4X digital zoom
Flash	LED
Burst Mode	Yes
Auto HDR	Yes
Panorama	Yes
Tap to Focus	Yes

Storage

RAM	1 GB
Memory	8/16 GB

Multimedia

Audio Formats

AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, PCM, FLAC, MIDI, QCELP, EVRC, OGG/Vorbis

Connectivity

Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi hotspot	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes,Version 4.0
GPS	Yes
GLONASS	Yes

Network

2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

Power Adapter

Output	5.2V 1.35A/7W for other USB device
Input	100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal
Support Wireless Charging	Yes

Interface

Micro USB	Yes
Audio Jack	3.5 mm

Battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion	Yes
Power	2070 mAh Mixed usage up to 24 hours

Warranty

1 Year Manufacturer Warranty

Verdict:

There has been a vacuum in the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 price segment when it comes to quality Android smartphones. Indian brands do somewhat fill the gap but the after-sales experience has left many customers high and dry. Also, the build quality and finish of these devices leaves a lot to be desired.

The Moto G addresses this very segment delivering great performance at an affordable price. We would not shy away for calling it a value for money proposition as the phone is well built and comes with the promise of latest software. We hope Motorola (even after completion of its acquisition by Lenovo) continues to offer software updates and ensures good level of on-ground after sales support.

Image source: www.google.com

Saral Joshi © 2014 All Rights Reserved.