WhatsApp launches Official desktop apps for Mac and Windows

WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service that claims a billion users, has launched desktop clients for Mac and Windows. The release comes about 15 months after WhatsApp released its first web app.

People who have already been using WhatsApp on their web browsers will find that software isn’t significantly different. The company said in an announcement “our desktop app is simply an extension of your phone,” with all messages synced between devices.

WhatsApp’s success in countries like India, Brazil, and South Africa is of course driven by the high penetration of smartphones in those markets, but giving power users–including people who rely on WhatsApp for work communications–desktop options helps it competes against other messaging services, like iMessenger, WeChat, and Skype. WhatsApp is currently testing out B2C accounts, which would give it a new revenue source after dropping its 99 cent annual subscription fee.

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Disney Has Launched The 'Star Wars' App

You can now keep all the 'Star Wars' paraphernalia in your pocket thanks to a new Disney and Lucasfilm's new mobile app. The app, released recently, is essentially a 24-7 hub for all things 'Star Wars', CNET.com reported.

Most notably, the app has augmented-reality feature. The Force Trainer section transforms your phone into a lightsaber as you train with the same kind of remote Luke Skywalker uses in the original 'Star Wars' movie, and the Augmented Reality section puts a virtual Stormtrooper or BB-8 droid on your screen after you scan one of their custom posters.

There's also a weather hub that tells you which 'Star Wars' planet your city feels like. For example, at about 18 degrees Celsius, Minneapolis feels like Endor at the moment.

The app also has a section that features all kinds of 'Star Wars' reaction graphic interchange format (GIFs), official videos from the 'Star Wars' universe and a sound board with classic quotes from all your favourite characters.

That is not all. The app also has a section that lets you take a 'Star Wars' selfie that you can share with your friends on social media.

So don't delay and just download the app and get the thrill.

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OnePlus 2 Will Feature A 3,300 MAh Battery

The OnePlus 2 handset has just been revealed to be packing a decently sized battery, thanks to the company's Reddit session where they interacted with the fans. It was mentioned that the device would have a 3,300 mAh battery pack.

In the same thread, the company also mentioned that the handset will be smaller than the OnePlus One. To show this, the company posted an image of a wooden back OnePlus One and mentioned that the device had the OnePlus 2 under it (image above), suggesting that the handset would be thinner and shorter as well.

Rumors have suggested that the OnePlus 2 will pack the same 5.5-inch 1080p display as the One, so it will be interesting to see how the size has been reduced here.

As for availability and purchasing, the company mentioned that users of the OnePlus One will be given priority for the OnePlus 2. So current users of the OnePlus flagship are front in line to get the OnePlus 2 when it is made available soon.

Another bit of information revealed by the company was with regards to the network bands supported by the handset. The Asian and European model will supposedly come with support for GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz, WCDMA bands 1/2/5/8 and FDD-LTE bands 1/3/5/7/8/20, so a wide range of frequencies are covered here.

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Gmail Now Uses Artificial Neural Networks To Filter Spam

Gmail's spam filters have always been pretty good, but now they're getting a shot in the arm. Google's rolling out its artificial neural network technology, currently used in the likes of its Search and Now apps, to help reduce the weight of unwanted email even further.

The filters that Google has used in the past have been based around rules written by engineers, but now they'll be able to learn for themselves. Using information garnered from your clicking of "Report spam" and "Not spam" buttons, the networks will help learn themselves what constitutes spam and what doesn't. In a blog post, Google explains that the new feature will "detect and block the especially sneaky spam."

The AI will also learn about your individual preferences, too. "While your neighbor may love weekly email newsletters, you may loathe them," writes Google. "The spam filter can now reflect these individual preferences." Finally, the filters will also be able to do a better job of spotting impersonation - the kind used for phishing attacks - to ensure you're only shown genuine email. All of which means your Gmail inbox should be a little clearer from now on.

[Google via Engadget]

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Motorola Moto G price slashed by Rs 3,000; now available for 9,999

In a bid to counter its rivals in the budget segment, Schaumburg-based handset maker Motorola has slashed price of its Moto G smartphone (2nd generation) by Rs 3,000.

Now, Moto G will be made available for purchase at Rs 9,999. The smartphone was earlier available for Rs 12,999 from Flipkart.

4G enabled Moto G features 5-inch IPS display with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and 294ppi pixel density. It is clocked at Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor complimented by 1 GB worth of RAM.

On the storage front, the device gets an internal storage capacity of 16GB, externally upgradable to 32GB through a microSD card. Moto G device also features a 4G enabled modem.

For protection, the device makes use of Coring Gorilla Glass 3 and includes Multi-touch support. It runs on the Android OS v5.0.2 Lollipop platform. The decent performance in this device is possible due to the Qualcomm MSM8926 Snapdragon 400 chipset running on the Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU architecture. It includes an Adreno 305 graphics solution as well. It is quite basic in nature but keeps up with your day-to-day graphical tasks.
It comes with an 8-megapixel camera on the rear surface with features like auto focus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, Touch focus, panorama, HDR, and face-detection and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. It sports 2390 mAh battery for long lasting usage.

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OnePlus 2 Will Sport A 5.5-Inch Display And A Heavier Build Compared To The Predecessor

According to a new leak, the OnePlus 2 smartphone will feature a relatively heavier build compared to the predecessor, despite sporting the same 5.5-inch display.

It is possible that the company is focusing on using more premium materials this time around and perhaps a bigger battery, which could influence the overall weight. The smartphone will supposedly weigh 166 grams, which is about 4 grams heavier than the OnePlus One.

The report goes onto say that OnePlus might be looking to settle with a 5.5-inch 1080p resolution display for the handset, the same display size and resolution as the predecessor, which is a bit of a letdown for fans as it was widely expected that the device would pack a Quad HD display panel.

Given that the device is confirmed to be packing 4GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 810 processor and a fingerprint scanner (faster than Touch ID), one would imagine that the display would complement these hardware aspects very well. But since this is still a rumor, we suggest you take it with a pinch of salt as the company is yet to comment on it.

OnePlus has also revealed that the smartphone will be priced lower than $450 (Rs 28,500 approx), suggesting a price increase from the predecessor.

OnePlus will officially announce the flagship on the 27th of July in a VR themed event. The company will start shipping out VR cardboard glasses specifically for this event from the 3rd week of July for Rs 99. These can be bought exclusively from Amazon India.

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This Messaging App Will Keep All Spam Texts At Bay

Almost a week ago, the team at Truecaller told us that they are planning something big. At that time, it was hard to fathom that they would be mulling another app, and that too a messaging app.

Mind you, this is no ordinary messaging app that would enable you to share a few lines, images, stickers with your loved ones. In fact, Truecaller claims that their new app, Truemessenger, will help you keep spam messages at bay.

We are all aware that SMS messaging is a popular means to connect with people. But do you know, it accounts for the majority of all messages sent globally, and represents about 8 trillion messages annually. The popularity of SMS, and that it is an open network of communication, similar to email, has led to an increase of commercial and marketing-related messaging.

If numbers are anything to go by, these spam SMSes account for 15% of all SMS messages sent globally, and represents 1.2 trillion spam messages each year. Truemessenger seeks to address this global problem of spam. The aim of this app is to ensure that your SMS inbox is organized and you are able to block and filter spam SMS messages seamlessly.

This is the third app from Truecaller's stable, the other two being Truecaller and Truedialler. As of now, the app is only available to users in India and only on the Android platform but it is expected to be available in other platforms soon.

Commenting on the launch, Alan Mamedi, CEO & co-founder of Truecaller, said "With Truemessenger we've reimagined the SMS app experience by making it more social and putting control back into the users' hands so they always know who they are communicating with."

To get this app, head to the Google Play Store and download it from there. After installation, when you fire up the app, it will ask you to login with your number and if you are registered before with either Truecaller or Truedialer, the same credentials will work.

For this app to work its magic (or what it claims), you will have to make this as your default messaging app. Following which it will prompt you to identify Spam senders in your inbox. Overall, it looks like a straightforward app and we shall be posting a review of it soon to let you know how good or bad it is.

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