HTC Butterfly Makes Its Way to India at Rs 45,999 Declaring Quad Core War With Note 2 and Xperia Z

After several rumors and speculations, HTC has declared the launch of its flagship device - Butterfly in India. Butterfly is the global version of Droid DNA in USA and J Butterfly in Japan.
The Facebook fanpage of HTC India teased the fans with the post saying "HTC Butterfly - Coming soon at your nearest HTC re-seller!", while the Taiwanese tech giant also held and even in India for the launch of their massive flagship handset. Officially priced at a whopping Rs 49,999, HTC Butterfly will sell at Rs 45,999 boasting high end beefed up specifications. Lets have a loot at them below:

Dimensions & Weight: Butterfly carries a dimension of 143 x 70.5 x 9.08 mm and weighs around 140 grams.
Display: In this segment, Butterfly sports a full HD 1080p 5 inch LCD 3 capacitive touchscreen display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.
Processor: When it comes to processor, Butterfly is powered by a 1.5GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.
Operating System: Butterfly has been launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.
Camera: Speaking of camera optics, Butterfly has an 8MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash features. Also, houses a 2.1MP front camera for video calling.
Storage: When it comes to memory storage, Butterfly comes with 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage.
Connectivity: On the data connectivity front, Butterfly has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, NFC and micro USB 2.0 connectivity features.
Battery: In this segment, HTC Butterfly is powered by a 2,020 mAh battery.
Price & Availability
As mentioned above, HTC Butterfly comes with a hefty price tag of Rs 49,999. However, its street price will be Rs 45,999, which is also high.
Other Aspects
Beats Audio
Likewise all the HTC smartphones, Butterfly is also integrated with Beats Audio feature and hence, users can enjoy deeper bass, sharper vocals, detailed notes, uncompromising and high-definition sound.
Waterproof smartphone
HTC has made Butterfly water resistant thereby reducing the chances of water induced damages.
Image sense chip
HTC has also incorporated ImageSense chip that was used in One X in Butterfly. The ImageSense chip is meant for improved picture quality offering zero shutter lag and the ability to snap photos while recording video clips.
Competition with Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2
Being a quad core smartphone with a 5-inch 1080p display and Jelly Bean OS, HTC Butterfly can be claimed as a stiff competitor to the other quad core Jelly Bean based handsets including Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the newly launched Sony Xperia Z.
Speaking of Xperia Z, the Sony offering comes with a 5 inch full HD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and with Mobile Bravia Engine 2, quad core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 13MP rear camera, 2.2MP front camera for video calling, 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G LTE and a 2,330 mAh battery.
With similar specs as the Sony smartphone, which is awaiting its release, HTC Butterfly can be a rival to the former. However, Xperia Z comes with a better camera and battery.
When it comes to Galaxy Note 2, the hottest selling phablet features a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 1.6GHz quad core processor, 2GB RAM, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, micro SD card slot supporting 32GB, 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth with A2DP and a massive 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery.
Priced at Rs 36,700, the phablet comes with an improved stylus with rubber tip for better touch response. However, Butterfly comes with a 1080p display, and improved camera performance as compared to Galaxy Note 2 with a faster processor and larger display.

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Want to be happy? Just switch off your phone, says expert

• Professor Paul Dolan said iPhones and tablets distract us from our loved ones
• He warned people could suffer 'mental illness' unless they 'put them down'
• In a talk on happiness he also said the married and religious are generally happier
• Men in their 40s are among the most unhappy, he said

The secret to happiness lies in turning off your mobile phone and concentrating on your friends and family rather than text messages and emails, an expert on happiness has said. Professor Paul Dolan, of the London School of Economics, believes that the popularity of iPhones and other smart phones has seen people constantly having their attention drawn away from their nearest and dearest and to the devices instead.

He warned that unless people changed their behaviour, they could suffer mental illness as a result.
He told an audience at the Hay Festival - a celebration of culture and social responsibility - in Cartagena, Colombia that there are also now mental conditions called internet addiction and Phantom Vibration Syndrome - where you have a phone in your pocket and you think you have got a text message but have not.

He said: 'We're constantly having our attention distracted and distraction is a cost.

'When you switch tasks it requires attention. Paying attention to what you're doing and who you are with and turning your phone off and enjoying being with your friends is much better for you than constantly checking your phone and checking emails', The Telegraph reports.

Prof Dolan was once a member of the Cabinet Office's Behavioural Insight Team – or Nudge Unit.  It was set up to suggest small ways that people could change their way of life to improve it. He said the solution could lie in introducing small changes to the environment in which people use their mobile phones.

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Aircel launches free roaming service

Aircel today launched a product that offers users one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming.  'One Nation, One Rate', offers one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming on Aircel network, the company said in a statement.

"Incoming calls while on roaming on Aircel network will be free," it added.  Aircel users in Delhi can avail the service for Rs 39, while Mumbai subscribers have to pay Rs 32, the statement said.  The price points for the service for other circles range from Rs 21 to Rs 59, it added.

This product will enable Aircel customers to enjoy one rate for voice, SMS and data services in their respective home circles and even while they are on roaming," Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudevsaid.  The product will offer voice - (Local/National) calling at 1paisa/second in home circle as well as on roaming on Aircel network, while incoming calls on roaming will be free.  SMS will be charged at Re 1 for home circle as well as on roaming while data users will be able to carry the home circle rate on roaming, the statement added.

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Happy Republic Day 2013

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Android Malware could hit the 1 million mark in 2013

New virus threats for Android devices are outpacing viruses for Windows at a rate of 14-to-3, and cybercriminals have also shifted their attention to social media and even Mac OSX.
One of the unintended consequences for the smartphone and tablet makers who have helped to build a post-PC world is that their actions are swiftly ushering in the era of the post-PC virus threat. Trend Micro's latest report shows that there are currently 350,000 detectable threats for devices that run Android.

To put that into some sort of perspective, it has taken three years for Android to hit this mark, whereas it took 14 years for the same number of virus threats to develop for the Windows-powered PC. What's more, Trend Micro is predicting that the number is on course to hit 1 million by the end of 2013.
As well as targeting mobile devices, making matters worse is that cybercriminals have started to exploit weaknesses in Java, rather than Windows, meaning that all types of computer, including Macs, are being put at risk each time a user launches the browser. It is also the reason why Apple recently released a patch for its operating system that essentially purges its computers of all use and recognition of Java.
Social media sites such as Facebook are also proving a popular target for cybercrime. Whether it's through counterfeit apps or messages pretending to be from friends, accounts being hacked and used to target the owner's friends, or simply that users are over-sharing information on their unguarded profile to the point where identity theft is simply a matter of time.
However, by following a few simple steps from Kaspersky Labs, most smartphone users should be able to protect themselves from the majority of major mobile threats.
Do:
-Lock a smartphone or tablet screen with a pin code and password. This may sound like common sense but the most recent figures suggest that only 20% of mobile device owners have enabled this feature.
-Install and enable remote services. All major smartphone operating systems have a feature that enables users to remotely lock, wipe or locate their device.
-Back up your data, either through a third-party service, by syncing to a computer or by manually copying files to a PC or hard drive. That way, if a device is stolen, only the handset itself is lost.
-Use encryption if your device supports the option, and use it whenever possible.
-Use antivirus. Some mobile operators have started bundling their own virus scanners on Android phones but it is always a good idea to locate and install a well-reviewed anti-virus app, particularly if a device is used for banking or making financial transactions.
Don't:
-Jailbreak, root, or otherwise unlock your phone because it will make it more vulnerable to attacks.
-Connect to shared, unprotected Wi-Fi access points without thinking, as everyone else using it potentially has access to your data. If you must use the free wi-fi at a coffee shop or airport and it can be accessed without a password, sign out of all apps and restrict internet use to browser-based surfing.
-Wait to report a problem. Immediately notify your network administrator or other responsible security person if your phone has been lost or stolen. Treat your phone as though it is your wallet.
-Skip updates. Every time there is a new version of an operating system or app available, download it. The updates are usually released because of perceived vulnerabilities in the existing version.
-Assume your mobile device is any safer than your computer. Employ all the safety tactics you'd use on your regular computer to protect your smartphone or tablet. Check the address of the site you're trying to access, avoid clicking links in email or SMS/text messages, and avoid providing personal data whenever possible, even via SMS/text message.

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Google Image search gets a new design, will load faster

Google has just revamped how Image search will work on the search engine.  The new search format which will be rolled out in a couple of days, will see images load faster and in a newer, cleaner design.

Google made the announcements on its webmastercentral blog.
Once the changes come into effect, users will be able to quickly flip through a set of images by using their keyboards. What this will mean for search results:
• Google will now display detailed information about the image (the metadata) right underneath the image in the search results, instead of redirecting users to a separate landing page.

Image from Google.

• Key information such as the title of the page hosting the image, the domain name it comes from, and the image size will be displayed much more prominently next to the image.
• The domain name is now clickable, and there’s a new button to visit the page the image is hosted on.
• The source page will no longer load up in an iframe in the background of the image detail view. This speeds up the experience for users, reduces the load on the source website’s servers, and improves the accuracy of webmaster metrics such as pageviews.

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Twitter launches video-sharing app for iPhones, iPod

 Micro blogging platform Twitter has launched a new service which will allow people to share video snippets from iPhones or iPods.

Perpetually looping videos clips up to six seconds each can be shared using Vine or easily embedded in tweets fired off at Twitter.According to Vine co-founder and general manager Dom Hofmann, a free Vine application became available worldwide at Apple's App Store on Thursday, News24 reports.

Click here to download Vine

Twitter bought the small team at Vine, a start-up based in New York, in October, prompting talk the messaging service intended to do for smart phone video what Instagram did for pictures.

Twitter, in December added Instagram-style smart phone photo sharing features after the Facebook-owned service made it impossible for Internet users to integrate its images into tweets.

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