Microsoft officially replaces Nokia name with Lumia

It's almost official! Microsoft is in the process of replacing the Nokia brandname with Microsoft Lumia.

The rebranding exercise will start with France with the company's regional social network accounts set to being renamed from Nokia to Microsoft Lumia. It communicated the same via a Facebook post. Nokia France's Twitter account also posted a link to the post. Following the post, the Redmond giant confirmed the move to The Verge it would start the rebranding exercise in other countries in the coming weeks.

The move comes shortly after Microsoft rebranding Nokia's native apps to Lumia and launched new Microsoft Mobile Devices site redirecting users from the Nokia.com mobile website.

Although Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's handsets division was completed in April for $7.2 billion, we've still seen devices released under the Finnish brand over the past several months. The company's recently launched Lumia 730 and 830 phones sport Nokia branding but it's believed the two devices are the last ones to carry that name.
It's also expected that Microsoft will soon do away with the 'Phone' in the name of its mobile operating system Windows Phone. During the unveiling of Windows 10, Microsoft had announced that it will merge all platforms under a single Windows product.

It's worth pointing out that Nokia still exists as a brand and a separate company based in Finland that focuses on location based services including Here maps, and network equipment. Nokia had agreed to not make a smartphone or phone carrying the Nokia brand till the end of 2015.

Apple won't offer EMI option for new iPhones

Apple has decided not to offer any finance option on its new flagship iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the country because unprecedented demand is already putting pressure on supply. Apple has tied up with Bajaj Finance and Capital First to offer zero-interest finance scheme on most of its products, but this scheme has not been extended to the new products launched on October 17.

"Apple has not tied up with us for the new products launched as they do not want to be seen as stimulating demand when they are not sure of enough supplies," said Rajiv Jain, chief executive at Bajaj Finance.

Two senior executives close to Apple's operations in India said the company will evaluate the decision not to offer financing options for the new iPhones only in the January quarter. "Apple does not want to take a hit in its margins with interest subvention with the new iPhones, which are selling like hot cake and the demand is more than supply," one of the executives said.

"The company will continue with this arrangement for this quarter and will review possibilities of offering any interest subvention scheme with NBFCs in the January quarter only." In the zero-interest scheme in partnership with NBFCs, Apple either bears the interest cost of 5%-6% on its own or a small portion is also shared with the retailer, depending on sales arrangement. The firm continues to offer the zero-interest scheme for models such as iPhone 5s, 5c and 4s.

The first lot of 55,000 units of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which was launched at midnight on Thursday, got sold out by Friday evening in most of the large retail chains such as The Mobile Store, UniverCell and PlanetM Retail. Some stock is still available in online stores such as Infibeam, Amazon and Flipkart. "The supply to us is much less than the demand," said Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO at The Mobile Store.

While Apple is arranging for some stock from its existing inventory for the retail chains, fresh inventory is likely to enter India by Diwali.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Apple iPhone 6

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a phablet. One of the very best on the market right now, actually. But its 5.7-inch screen can be a polarizing factor. So much so that another popular device, the iPhone 6, will likely also come to mind if you're considering a new handset. Especially if you're uncertain that a larger screen is necessarily the better choice. In that kind of scenario, when you're feeling on the fence between two form factors, digging out the pros and cons of phones from both can swing the discussion in either one direction. So take your legal pad out, for we're about to go through the Note 4's and the iPhone 6's every nook and cranny.

Design
The chubbier Note 4 is less elegant and inspiring next to the iPhone 6 and its all-aluminum unibody, but we can't argue with the practicality of its design.

Putting aside the differences in size for now, it should be immediately obvious that the underlying design philosophy with Samsung and Apple is quite different. For its part, Samsung definitely managed to create the most attractive Note device yet – the phablet's most basic shape is still of a rounded rectangle, but some changes are impossible to miss. For example, while still on the topic of the shape, Samsung has added four bumps at the four edges of the Note 4, the idea being that they'll better absorb shock from the inevitable drops that most devices go through. Also different are the phone's frame and rear shell – we're now looking at a metal encasing and a newly-textured, but still fake leather back.

With the iPhone 6, the narrative is different. For one, Apple continues its track record of using aluminum only for the exterior of its phone, but there are some generational changes from the now aging, iPhone 5s. The most important of those is the switch to a circular, tube-like frame, and the addition of several contrasting plastic bands at the back, where the antennas reside. Obviously, deciding on which one you like more is a personal matter, but we tend to like the way the iPhone 6 sits in our hand better.

Unpinning the topic of size, it should be perfectly understood that the Note 4 is a significantly bulkier device in all possible meanings of the word – height, width, thinness, and, of course, weight. Indeed, despite the relatively bezel-heavy construction of the iPhone 6, it's still a one hand-friendly device, while the Note 4 requires you to make use of both for the most part. Thankfully, Samsung (and Apple, too) have had the good sense of placing the power and volume keys on the right and left side of the device, respectively, making them easy to reach.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha launches in US via AT&T

Consumers in the US looking for Samsung's new metal-banded Galaxy Alpha can pick one up through AT&T.

As of Friday, the Alpha is up for grabs at AT&T via the carrier's website and retail outlets. The phone comes in three colors: black, white or gold.

Its price varies depending on how you want to buy it. Choose the usual two-year contract, and you'll shell out $200. Opt for AT&T's Next 18 installment plan, and you'll pay $25.55 per month for 24 months with an option to upgrade after 18 payments. Go for the carrier's Next 12 program instead, and the phone will cost you $30.65 per month for 20 months with an option to upgrade after 12 payments. Choose to go sans contract, and you'll pay the full retail price of $613.

Already available in the UK, the Alpha officially launches in the US today through AT&T only.

The Galaxy Alpha distinguishes itself from the rest of Samsung's Galaxy lineup mostly through a metal band around the edges. The back is still plastic.

Consumers in the US looking for Samsung's new metal-banded Galaxy Alpha can pick one up through AT&T.

As of Friday, the Alpha is up for grabs at AT&T via the carrier's website and retail outlets. The phone comes in three colors: black, white or gold.

Its price varies depending on how you want to buy it. Choose the usual two-year contract, and you'll shell out $200. Opt for AT&T's Next 18 installment plan, and you'll pay $25.55 per month for 24 months with an option to upgrade after 18 payments. Go for the carrier's Next 12 program instead, and the phone will cost you $30.65 per month for 20 months with an option to upgrade after 12 payments. Choose to go sans contract, and you'll pay the full retail price of $613.

Already available in the UK, the Alpha officially launches in the US today through AT&T only.

The Galaxy Alpha distinguishes itself from the rest of Samsung's Galaxy lineup mostly through a metal band around the edges. The back is still plastic.

AT&T's version of the Alpha comes with a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 2.5GHz quad-core processor and 32GB of onboard storage. The screen offers a 1,280x720-pixel resolution, which sounds like an underachiever compared with the 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution found on the Galaxy S5. The phone doesn't include a microSD card slot, so you're out of luck and out of space if you fill up the 32GB of storage.

A 12- megapixel camera is on the rear, while a 2.1-megapixel camera is in front. The Alpha uses real-time HDR (high-dynamic-range) to snap multiple pictures at different exposures in an attempt to capture the best one. There is a selective focus feature and an option to shoot panoramic pictures.

An Ultra Power Saving Mode changes the screen to black and white and turns off non-critical apps as a way to save power if you are running low on charge. The phone will remain alive with a 10 percent charge for up to 24 hours so it can still handle phone calls and text messages.

Facebook has no near-term plan to monetise WhatsApp: CEO

Facebook Inc, which closed its acquisition of mobile messaging service WhatsApp on Monday, has no near-term plan to make money from the service, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday.

Zuckerberg, who is visiting India to participate in an event to boost Internet usage, did not give details.

Facebook's final WhatsApp acquisition price tag has risen an additional $3 billion to roughly $22 billion because of the increased value of Facebook's stock in recent months.

WhatsApp works across different types of phones, across borders, and without advertising. The app only charges a 99 cent annual subscription fee, which is waived for the first year.

Apple's iPhone 6 Series

US technology major Apple's iPhone 6 series will be sold in the country at starting price of Rs 53,500 and the high end model at Rs 80,500 during the time of launch.

Both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus come in three versions in terms of storage: 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB.

"Priced of iPhone 6 shared with us in the range of Rs 53,500 to 80,500 per unit. For iPhone 6 16 GB, price is Rs 53,500, iPhone 6 64 GB for Rs 62,500, iPhone 6 128 GB will be for Rs 71,500.

"The three iPhone 6 plus models have been priced at Rs 62,500, 71,500 and Rs 80,500 respectively," an authorised partner of Apple told PTI.

Authorised distributors of iPhone are Redington, Ingram Micro, Rashi Peripherals and Reliance.

The official price of iPhone 6 is lower compared to the price at which vendors at e-commerce websites are selling the phone. Vendors through e-commerce have starting offering the premium smartphones at prices starting from around Rs 56,000. They even claimed to have sold some units of iPhone 6 at this price.

However, the iphone 6 series in India is priced about 10 to 17 per cent higher compared to its retail price in US.

Amazon website showed that iPhone 6 is selling for around US $750, including shipping cost, in US which amounts to about Rs 46,000.

Apple's authorised distributor Ingram Micro today announced that it will start pre-booking of latest iPhone 6 series from October 7.

All the six models of iPhone 6 series will be available across retail stores from October 17.

Ingram Micro said that it will "offer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest advancements in iPhone history, at leading modern trade stores and retail outlets across India beginning 17.10.2014 at 12:01am. Customers can pre-order both models beginning 7.10.2014 at 12:01am at the major retail outlets of the partners."

The distribution firm said that pre-booking facility will be across its about 1,200 retail outlets in top 24 cities besides booking facility on its website.

The previous version of iPhone series, iPhone 5S, was launched in India at a price starting Rs 53,500, that was recently priced at around Rs 30,000 a unit on an e-commerce website.

iPhone 6

iPhone 6 isn’t simply bigger — it’s better in every way. Larger, yet dramatically thinner. More powerful, but remarkably power efficient. With a smooth metal surface that seamlessly meets the new Retina HD display. It’s one continuous form where hardware and software function in perfect unison, creating a new generation of iPhone that’s better by any measure.

In creating iPhone 6, we scrutinised every element and material. That’s how we arrived at a smooth, continuous form. A thinner profile made possible by our thinnest display yet. And intuitively placed buttons. All made with beautiful anodised aluminium, stainless steel and glass. It’s a thousand tiny details that add up to something big. Or in this case, two big things: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.


An innovative seamless design.

The first thing you notice when you hold iPhone 6 is how great it feels in your hand. The cover glass curves down around the sides to meet the anodised aluminium enclosure in a remarkable, simplified design. There are no distinct edges. No gaps. Just a smooth, seamless bond of metal and glass that feels like one continuous surface.


Streamlined. Inside and out.

Designing a larger iPhone without making it feel bigger was no small task. It required challenging the idea of “big”. It called for narrowing when the natural inclination was to expand. It meant condensing powerful technologies and making chips smaller and batteries thinner, all while making them more capable. And it meant engineering our thinnest, most advanced Multi‑Touch display. All of which yields a dramatically thin design.



Everything within reach.

By creating iPhone 6 and iOS 8 together, we optimised the software to enhance the physical design. iOS swipe gestures were designed to be more fluid across the seamless form, making it easy to navigate iPhone with one hand. With new features like Reachability you can interact with the larger screen in different ways too. Simply double touch the Home button and the entire screen shifts down closer to your thumb. And to easily navigate Safari or Mail, swipe left to right across the screen to go backwards, or swipe right to left to go forwards. With the new continuous surface of iPhone, all your gestures now feel smoother than ever.

We also thought about how you use your iPhone every day and redesigned the buttons to make it even easier to use. Elongated volume buttons are integrated into the thinner profile, outlined to make them effortless to find by touch. And the Sleep/Wake button has a new home on the side of the device to put it comfortably within reach. The result is an experience that’s even more intuitive.


To create a larger iPhone that’s extraordinarily light, we pioneered new display technologies. We carefully selected every material. Each detail was meticulously designed, engineered and crafted until iPhone had an incredibly thin, continuous form. From the anodised aluminium and stainless steel to the curve of the polished glass, iPhone 6 is worth its weight in gold, silver and space grey.