PayTM is an Indian e-commerce shopping website launched in 2010, owned by One97 Communications which initially focused on Mobile and DTH Recharging. The company is headquartered in Noida, India. It gradually provided recharging and bill payment of various portals including electricity bills, gas bills, as well as telephone bills. PayTM entered India’s e-commerce market in 2014, providing facilities and products similar to businesses such as Flipkart, Amazon.com, Snapdeal.
What is PayTM cash?
PayTM acts as a virtual wallet where you can store money online and can be used instead of debit/credit or net banking when doing transactions. However, to initially transfer the amount to the wallet, one might need any of them. It’s best for individuals who find it difficult to make payments of DTH, mobile recharges, other bills, or even sending money to friends, or paying for purchases across various brands and services like Uber, Makemytrip, BookMyShow etc.
Today we will discuss about the renowned free internet service provided by Facebook Inc. namely Internet.org.
What is Internet.org?
Internet.org is a partnership between Social Networking Services company Facebook and 6 other companies (Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Nokia and Qualcomm) that plans to bring affordable access to selected Internet services to less developed countries by increasing efficiency, and facilitating the development of new business models around the growth of Internet access.
Vision and Goals
Internet.org was founded by Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2013. It is mainly designed, keeping in mind the people living in developing and underdeveloped countries where they cannot afford the internet. A few countries on the list are Zambia, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and Philippines. Many others will soon be added to this list. See Launch dates below.
Founders & Partners
Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and services.
Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
MediaTek Inc. is a leading fabulous semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions.
Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world.
Opera products enable more than 350 million internet consumers to discover and connect with the content and services that matter most to them.
Samsung is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere through relentless innovation and discovery.
Qualcomm is a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies.
Launch
Internet.org was launched on 20 August 2013, at the time of launch, Mark Zuckerberg released a 10-page whitepaper he had written elaborating on the vision. In the paper, he wrote that Internet.org was a further step in the direction of Facebook’s past initiatives, such as Facebook Zero, to improve Internet access for people around the world. He also said that “connectivity is a human right.”
It was launched on different dates in different countries, viz. are –
Only the TeleCommunication Companies which are stated with Countries would be able to access internet.org. Thus, the number of sites freely available to the user also depends on the country from where it is being used.
Controversies
It has been criticized for violating net neutrality and favouring Facebook’s own services over its rivals. An Indian journalist, in his reply to Mark’s article defending Internet.org in India, criticized Internet.org as “being just a Facebook proxy targeting India’s poor” as it provides restricted Internet access to only Reliance ‘s subscribers in India.Until April 2015, Internet.org users could access (for free) only a few websites, and Facebook’s role as gatekeeper in determining what websites were in that list was criticised for violating net neutrality. In May 2015, Facebook announced that the Internet.org Platform would be opened to websites that met its criteria, which is a bit controversial.
List of services once can use via Internet.org
Category
Free Services
Social Networking
Facebook, Facebook Messenger.
Career
Jagran Josh.
Entertainment
Astrology, Hungama.
Government
AP Speaks.
Health
Malaria No More, Facts for Life (UNICEF), Social Blood, BabyCenter & MAMA.
Information
Aaj Tak, AccuWeather, Reuters Market Lite, Amar Ujala, BBC News, IBN Live, Daily Bhaskar, Translator, Dictionary.com, Jagran, Maalai Malar, Maharashtra Times, wikiHow, Wikipedia, Basics of Internet
Women Empowerment
Nike Foundation (Girl Effect), UN Women (iLearn).
Jobs
BabaJob.
Search
Bing Search.
Shopping
OLX.
Sports
ESPN Cricinfo.
How to use Internet.org?
First, make sure you have the mobile network of respective Telecommunication company as mentioned above.
Then make sure that you have a working data plan. The mobile data will not be used on sites available on internet.org but in case, you click a link outside that area, data charges may apply.
Go to www.internet.org using a mobile web browser (on any internet supported phone). Or get its app from Google Play Store (only for an Android smartphone). Downloading the app itself will require mobile data, but it won’t consume data while using the app.
Customer will be presented with the language selection page where a choice of language can be selected. By default, the regional language will be selected. The customer can opt for other languages by clicking ‘+’ button on the page.
Click “Continue” to get to the main page of Internet.org, with “Free Services” & “Reliance” sections displayed in the choice of language.
Follow Internet.org
You can follow Internet.org on its own site or YouTube for future updates, but it will require mobile data.
Read Mark’s post regarding Internet.org on Facebook.com
Picture Gallery
That’s all folks.
Data source – rcom.co.in
Image source – en.wikipedia.org, dailytimesgazette.com, timesofbengaluru.com, vrworld.com, techcrunch.com.
Disclaimer- TechGlobule is not responsible if you are unable to experience or use the services listed on this article or any other external or internal links. Hope you have a nice day. And don’t forget to wear your seatbelts.
Author – Swapnil Jha
Co-Author & Idea – Abdul Rehman
Today, we are reviewing the Sherlock: The Network game based on the Sherlock series.
Sherlock Holmes
If you don’t know already, Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is a London-based “consulting detective” whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. Even the police forces and other national security forces approached him on cases where they stuck.
Holmes, first appeared in print in 1887, and was featured in 4 Novels and 56 Short stories. The events in the stories took place from about 1880 to 1914. Most of his stories were written in third person by Dr. John H. Watson, his friend, with an exception of 4 stories.
Take this quiz to find out which Sherlock Holmes are you? I'm Dr. Robert Downey Jr. (thanks for asking).
Sherlock
Sherlock is a British crime drama T.V. series and a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. Nine episodes have been produced, the first three of which were broadcast in 2010. Series two was broadcast in 2012, and a third series was broadcast in 2014. The third series has become the UK’s most watched drama series since 2001. The iMDb ratings for the series are 9.3, in case you wanna watch the whole series like me. 🙂
Critical reception has been highly positive, with many reviews praising the quality of the writing, performances, and direction. Sherlock has been nominated for numerous awards including: BAFTAs, Emmys, and Golden Globe, winning several awards across a variety of categories. The show received the most number of wins at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for Moffat, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Cumberbatch, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Freeman. In addition, the show was also honoured with a Peabody Award in 2011.
Game’s Storyline
Become one of Sherlock’s trusted lieutenants by joining The Network (the homeless network). Immerse yourself in the world of Sherlock Holmes by joining The Network and helping him solve a series of new cases.
This official Sherlock app contains a lot of exclusive video and audio content featuring Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gratiss) and many other characters from the Sherlock series as well.
Along with above mentioned audio and video clips, it includes a lot of puzzling games, and an entire mystery for you and Sherlock to solve. Answer Sherlock’s messages to source and deliver information to him at 221B Baker Street. Navigate virtual London in search of information. Communicate with Sherlock and others in The Network. The more valuable you are, the higher you will rise in the ranks…
This app is currently available on Android and iDevices only. The game itself is free, and you can play & solve the first 2 cases without paying a cent. But the rest 9 cases, require an in-app purchase. But I assure you that the game is worth every penny.
Android users can download this app from Google Play Store or Amazon App Store. iPhone or iPod users can download it from this Apple App Store link, whereas iPad users can download the HD version of this app from this link.
If you want to buy the app in China, it is only available via the Tencent store for Android devices and Apple for iOS devices. This version is in Simplified Chinese.
Which devices are supported? What are the system requirements?
The app is supported on Appledevices running iOS 6 and above and on Android devices running Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above. Note, the app is only available in English and Simplified Chinese.
The app will requires a considerable but justified amount of storage space, so make sure your device have enough space. Android devices need about 720MB of storage space for this app to work properly, whereas iDevice users need about 520MB of storage space.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any further queries about the app, you can view the FAQ section of official website of this app.
Personal Experience
I, being an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, just loved this game, after watching the last episode of the Series which is, “His Last Vow“, I became a highly functioning sociopath with a dull routine (which means I was bored). Everything including my life started to seem slow and dull. Learning some tricks from Sherlock, I could easily guess like what my friends had for their breakfast but that didn’t gave me a purpose, I was just left with an option to wait for the Special episode which will come on Christmas, this year.
Then, I came across this very particular app, this is the best game of Sherlock ever made on a mobile device.
In the game, you play the role of a nameless member of Sherlock’s homeless network, newly inducted and just starting out on initially menial tasks set by the detective. You journey around London by foot, tube or taxi, the latter two options giving the first of the numerous mini-games that make up the structure of the app. The tube mini-game in particular is enjoyably challenging, I’m not giving any spoilers about the puzzle.
It not only exercises our brain with short games, like visual observation skills, taxi puzzles, or completing tubes, audio decryption or images, a bit of code breaking, but also every clue we find has some significance, and at the end, comes the most difficult part, Sherlock’s Mind Palace. The game also features some TV Trivia from the Sherlock series.
Mind Palace is a memorization technique which allows a person to remember every detail or fact he/she ever came across. In the Mind Palace, we have to use our own mind about which of the clues have some relationship and make sense. There is no hint. This is the best part of the game for me. If you are true fan, you will find the relation between clues in a couple of attempts, Or if you are Sherlock Holmes, you will complete the case in the first attempt only.
I would recommend this game to any fan of Sherlock Holmes, either his books or the Sherlock Series. Even those who haven’t heard of Sherlock Holmes, (which is a an unlikely scenario) should try this Detective game and exercise their mental skills and abilities.
Today we are discussing about the Google Search Lite, the latest feature brought to you by Google Inc.
What is Google?
Google.com is basically asearch engine, Android, cloud computing, and various other software.Most of its profits are derived from AdWords,which is basically online advertising service.
Google recently announced that they will be launching a new faster interface known as “Search Lite” especially optimized for slower mobile internet connections.
It is made to work in the low network coverage areas across the developing countries and will be launched in parts of Brazil and India by the end of June 2015. Google has already tested the feature in Indonesia, which has networks very similar to India.
Facebook has also launched a similar app Facebook Lite. Read more...
What’s the need? How is it different from traditional Search?
Companies like Facebook and Google have been focusing on India which is expected to have an internet user base of 550 million by 2018. This is the next step of Google to increase its foothold in the Indian Markets after “Android One“, under which it partnered with 3 Indian Handset Makers (Micromax, Karbonn, & Spice) to make affordable Android smartphones available for a larger number of people.
This feature will transcode pages for quicker delivery whenever it will detect a slow connection. Google claims that the new feature will load pages 4x faster and at the same time will consume 80% lesser data.
Google stated that publishers will also benefit from this, as they will see a 50% more page views. “Monetisation won’t be affected for publishers. There is an opt-out option for the users as well as publishers,” he said. “The feature is good for publishers as it will extend their reach,” he added.
Read Google’sviews on Google Search Lite on Google Plus.
How to use it?
Hiroto Tokusei, Product Manager, Google Inc, stated, “The new feature will come into play whenever a mobile user (will) be access search results from a very slow network. Google will capture the page and make it lighter.” He said, “With over 200 million Indians accessing the Internet from a smart phone, we’re working hard to make access faster and more affordable,” He added in India, where 2G network connections are very slow, getting information on phone can be tough, and frustrating.
The service will be available to users browsing on Chrome and other Android browsers from Google search results.
Limitations
“Some stylesheets… having high image quality take more data on a slow network. These are compressed using the new (Search Lite) feature, and sometimes the page looks slightly different,” said Tokusei.
Although the users will have the option to view the original Web-page, but they would not be able to intentionally switch to Search Lite feature.
Google has not specified how ‘slow’ network will be considered slow enough for Search Lite to kick in automatically. So users don’t really have an option to switch back and forth in Google Search and Search Lite. This might led to some criticism.
Personal Review for Google Search Lite
According to me, the feature is very good as we have nothing to download or update, the feature will automatically switch on or off according to our network speed. This is something I expected from Facebook Lite; but was disappointed.
Screenshots Gallery
Sorry Guys, I couldn’t manage any Screenshots because this feature isn’t rolled in India yet. Also I think there is not much visual difference in Google Search and Search Lite. The difference lies in speed only.
As the name suggests, Facebook’s new app is a Lite version of the former app with some of the features disappeared, but faster, smaller and lighter in terms of data consumption.
It is made to work in the low network coverage areas across the developing countries of Asia and will also be launched in parts of Latin America, Africa and Europe over the next couple of weeks.
Read more about Google's response on this in form of Google Search Lite.
Why Facebook Lite?
This app is designed to encourage users in the developing countries where mobile data services are limited as compared to the developed countries.
“In many areas, networks can be slow and not able to support all the functionality found in Facebook for Android. Facebook Lite was built for these situations, giving people a reliable Facebook experience when bandwidth is at a minimum,” Vijay Shankar, Product Manager for Facebook Lite, wrote in a blog post.
Read Mark Zuckerberg’sviews on Facebook Lite in his post yesterday.
How to get Facebook Lite?
Facebook Lite is currently launched for Android Devices only. You can download it via the following Google Play Storelink.
For them, in whose country, the app isn’t officially launched yet, can download Facebook Lite from this Google Drivelink.
Differences between Facebook and Facebook Lite
Facebook
Facebook Lite
Size
The size of the original Facebook app varies greatly with devices. But is remains mostly around 27 MB.
The size is greatly reduced. The app only takes about 436 KB of space. For comparison 436 KB = 0.4 MB
Data Consumption
The former app showcased an image rich News Feed as well as Auto – Playing videos; which obviously consumed a lot of data.
Facebook Lite, doesn’t allow users to watch a video. It also compresses images and with many other such techniques, it saves a lot of data. It uses less than a quarter of data as compared to the official Facebook App.
Features
Along with all the features of Facebook Lite. It also features, Saved, Instagram Link, On This Day, Create Groups, Suggest Edits, Help Center, Activity Log, Privacy Shortcuts, Code Generator, Account Settings, Like Pages, Beta Program (Android), Games etc.
Other than browsing profiles and like, share, and comment which are the meaning of Facebook. It features Chat, Photos, Search, Friend, Settings, News Feed, Messages, Notifications, Friend Requests, Pages, Groups, Events, Most Recent, Internet.org Link, Help, and About.
It is currently launched for Android Devices only. For them, in whose country, the app isn’t launched yet, can download from this Google Drive link.
Messenger
On certain platforms, Messenger is required for chatting with friends for e.g. iOS Devices. Messenger is available on Web, Android Devices, iOS Devices, and Windows Phone.
Messenger is in-built in the Facebook Lite App.
Personal review for FB Lite
Personally, I used it on Abdul’s Micromax Canvas 2 Plus. I will like to mention a few points about Facebook Lite –
After installation, on its first turn, it took about whopping 17.26 seconds to initialize its first run. It ruined its first impression and my expectations about that app. But on second run, it became faster with no more than 2 seconds.
It is best to work with 2G internet network though.
At first, I expected that it will adapt to the internet speed. But it didn’t; that is when I tried it on a WiFi network, it still displayed compressed images instead of HD.
As already said, if you are using Facebook Lite, forget about Videos, or Games.
At less than a MB in size, its worth a try, at least to experience a new data saving Facebook.
Screenshots Gallery
That’s all folks.
Image Source – redmondpie.com (Featured image), and Shubham Rajput’s Samsung Galaxy Note II.
Author – Swapnil Jha
Today, we are discussing how to make the World a better place to live in an easy manner with the help of technology and without you ever leaving your couch.
Why should I contribute in making World a better place?
Hmmmmmm…. You are seriously asking this question? Well, you live in this World and should try to make it better for your family, loved ones, kids, siblings, or at least for yourself.
How can I make the World a better place through technology?
I’m assuming that you are familiar with Facebook and have a Facebook Account. Facebook, not only provide services to chat, post status, and like, and comment and share but also has a hidden feature which helps make the World a better place by allowing its user to suggest some edits to places, pages, or anything else.
This means that you can simply verify if the given single statement about a specific place, news, or page etc. is true or not by personal experience. If your suggested edit is accepted, it would help a lot of other people who are searching that specific place will get updated and better results only because of You.
It is really an easy way to make the better place without much efforts. All you have to do is choose from Yes, No, or Skip for a given question.
So, next time you have some leisure period open your Facebook app or site, and find Suggested Edits in the Apps.
I’m intelligent too. Can that help?
Yes, than can help the World a lot. If you want to help the world by spreading knowledge about Technology. Your posts will be welcomed by TechGlobule. You can Write an article on any technology related topic. You can send us your articles to techglobule4(at)gmail(dot)com.
But I’m rich too.
If you rich or just want to donate to us. You can visit Indiegogo. We are currently doing a fund raising campaign and would love even your smallest donation.
Do share this post on your favourite social network and let us know your views in comments.
That’s all folks
Image source – philanthropicpeople.com (Featured image), tomsguide.com (Facebook image), Swapnil’s iPhone 4S and Swapnil’s ASUS K50C (for screenshots).
In earlier posts, we discussed about the Android Operating System, today we will discuss about an other high-end mobile OS which is yet being developed, known as the Tizen OS. It is a project within the Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Group (TSG) composed of many multinational companies like Samsung and Intelamong others. The Technical Steering Group is the primary decision-making body for the open source project, with a focus on platform development and delivery, along with the formation of working groups to support the device.
What is Tizen OS?
Tizen is an operating system based on the Linux Kernel (Linux Kernel in simpler words mean the most basic level or core of a Linux-based OS, and is responsible for resource allocation, file management, and security). It targets a very wide range of devices including smartphones, tablets, in-vehicle infotainment devices, smart TVs, PCs, smart cameras, wearable computing (such as smart watches), Blu-ray players, printers and smart home appliances (such as refrigerators, lighting, washing machines, air conditioners, ovens/microwaves, robotic vacuüm cleaners etc.). Its sole purpose is to offer a consistent user experience across various devices.
Who are the Developers of Tizen?
The Tizen Association was formed to guide the industrial role of Tizen, including requirements gathering, identifying and facilitating service models, and overall industry marketing and education.To make an Ultimate OS, it would need a huge amount of capital. Current members include Telecommunications network operators, Original Equipment Manufacturers like Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel, KT Corporation, NEC Casio Mobile Communications, NTT Docomo, Orange S.A., Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung, SK Telecom, Sprint Corporation and Vodafone.
Why is Tizen so special?
Tizen is an open and flexible OS built for the mobile and connected device ecosystem, including device manufacturers, mobile operators, application developers and independent software vendors (ISVs). Tizen is developed by a community of developers, under Open Source governance, and is open to all members who wish to take part.
This means if you are a developer you can help in developing Tizen too, at https://developer.tizen.org/.
The Tizen operating system comes in multiple profiles to serve different industrial requirements. The current Tizen profiles are Tizen IVI (in-vehicle infotainment), Tizen Mobile, Tizen TV, and Tizen Wearable. Additionally, in Tizen 3.0, all profiles are built on top of a commonly shared infrastructure called Tizen Common.
With Tizen, a device manufacturer can begin with one of these profiles and change it to serve their own needs, or use the Tizen Common base to develop a new profile to meet the memory, processing and power requirements of any device and quickly bring it to market.
Mobile operators can work with device partners to customize the operating system and user experience to meet the needs of specific customer segments or demographics.
For application developers and ISVs, Tizen offers the power of native application development with the flexibility of unparalleled HTML5 support. Tizen also offers the potential for application developers to extend their reach to new “smart devices” running Tizen, including wearable, consumer electronics, cars, appliances etc.
Main Features of Stock UI
The main features of the Tizen OS are as following –
Scene Management Feature –
The Tizen platform provides scene management as a feature which helps to:
Enhance the form life-cycle management and also make the transitions between forms or panels much easier.
Jump to a specific scene in an application, go back to the previous scene with or without skipping some scenes, or move to the next scene according to a predefined scenario.
Add various transition animations for forms and panels.
GUI Controls –
You can display and interact with the UI controls (graphical user interface elements that are displayed inside the application frame). The UI controls are divided into 2 general classifications:
Container –
A container is a control that can contain controls and other containers to handle layout and presentation aspects. Containers have a parent-child relationship with the controls included in them.
Controls –
Controls are the real UI elements, such as lists and text fields, that can be added to containers. They provide user interaction functionality to an application. Controls cannot contain other controls.
Data Binding –
(Its kinda programming like stuff, non – geek users may skip this part.) You can place data into UI control properties at run time, and define the directions of the data flow and the triggers for the data transfer to start updating application data.
You can define the size and place of the child controls within a container, and make sure that the layout of the child controls remains the same regardless of the screen orientation.
You can use animation functionality handling to make the user interface rich. Animations can be implemented on both UI controls and visual element objects.
Effects are based on an effect model, which has multiple model surfaces based on logical coördinates. You can define interactive and time-based 3D transition effects for your application.
You can display input characters and symbols in applications. Additionally, you can use the input method editor to define a way to input a language in the associated text input UI control.
Accessibility –
Accessibility allows physically disabled users to use all the device functionalities normally. Tizen provides a large number of such features to such people. The most basic features are large fonts and the screen reader functionality to make applications accessible for visually impaired persons. Touch effect allows you to play predefined effects. If you make your own custom control, this functionality can help you to create feedback when, for example, buttons are pressed.
List of Compatible Mobile Devices
This is the list of official devices which have been launched with the Tizen OS –
Samsung NX200 Smart Camera
Samsung NX300 Smart Camera
Samsung NX300M Smart Camera
Samsung NX1 Smart Camera
Samsung Gear 2
Samsung Gear 2 Neo
Samsung Gear S
Samsung Z SM-Z910F
Samsung Z1
Porting the OS by developers may result in a lot longer list of compatible devices.
Any query, suggestions or feedback will be appreciated.
Tizen 2.3 Screenshot Gallery
That’s all folks.
Image Source – whatmobile.net (featured image) and gsmarena.com (screenshots).
List source – wikipedia.com
