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Google Appoints Morgan Stanley's Ruth Porat as CFO

Google Inc hired Morgan Stanley Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat as its own finance chief, a sign Google is aiming to rein in costs as it invests in new businesses such as self-driving cars and internet-connected eyeglasses.

Porat has helped execute a sweeping cost-cutting strategy across several business lines at Morgan Stanley. The bank cut its expenses, excluding compensation, to 29 percent of its revenue last year, down from 34 percent in 2012.

Google's costs have jumped as the company embarked on an increasing number of ambitious projects. Last year, the company's revenue grew 19 percent, while total expenses rose 23.4 percent, a trend that alarmed some analysts.

"You want someone to come in there and push back against the free spenders," said Colin Gillis, an equity research analyst at BGC Partners, a brokerage, adding that investors hope Porat will be that person.

Google's shares rose as much as 2.5 percent on Tuesday after Porat's appointment was announced by both companies. She will start her new job on May 26.

Porat is the latest among a string of Wall Street executives to leave an industry that is increasingly regulated to move into the more free-wheeling technology sector, where fortunes can be built fast but businesses can also become irrelevant overnight.

Total compensation to Google's departing CFO was twice as much as Porat's for the three years through 2013 - $62.2 million vs $29.6 million, according to public filings by the companies. Google has not disclosed how much it expects to pay Porat.

She joined Morgan Stanley in 1987, and led Morgan Stanley's investment banking business for tech companies during the Internet boom, working with Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc , among others.

(Also See: Wipro Appoints TCS Veteran Abid Ali Neemuchwala as COO)

Some analysts took her appointment as a sign Google acquisitions could pick up.

Porat ran the investment banking business for financial companies including banks, and during the financial crisis she became Morgan Stanley's point person with regulators and other government officials in Washington.

Porat, 57, was considered a potential candidate to become chief executive whenever current CEO James Gorman steps down.

But several high-level Morgan Stanley sources who have spoken to Reuters about succession planning over the past two years said she was not seen as a top contender. Instead, they pointed to two other executives - Gregory Fleming, 52, who runs wealth management and asset management, and Colm Kelleher, 57, who runs investment banking and trading - as more likely contenders.

Some observers saw gender bias at play, given her qualifications and Wall Street's history as a male-dominated industry. At an event last year, Porat criticized the lack of female leadership in corporate America as "an embarrassment."

"If a woman 'leans in,' but is leaning against a door that is nailed shut, no amount of leaning will bust down the door," she said. "So I think we must hold our organizations accountable where they control the doors by demanding clarity and transparency around succession planning."

(Also See: Tinder Appoints Chief Executive to Replace Sean Rad)

Critics have also accused Silicon Valley's culture of being hostile to women. Ellen Pao, a former partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is suing her firm for discrimination. The trial heads into final arguments on Tuesday.

Wall street is less fun
Porat joins an array of bankers, analysts, and other executives that have left Wall Street as strict post-crisis regulations have made the business safer and stodgier. Some of these executives have headed into the technology sector, including Anthony Noto, once an investment banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, who last year became CFO at Twitter Inc. In 2010, Mary Meeker, a widely followed tech analyst at Morgan Stanley, left the bank to join Kleiner Perkins.

Porat has ties to Silicon Valley, having spent much of her childhood in California and attended Stanford University, where she serves on the board of trustees.

She has spent time building her connections with Washington. During the financial crisis, she led the Morgan Stanley teams advising the U.S. Treasury on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the New York Federal Reserve Bank on American International Group Inc .

Those ties to Washington could have translated into a government post - she was widely reported to have been a candidate to be the Treasury deputy secretary, but said she was not interested.

Porat will replace Patrick Pichette at Google, who said on March 10 that he planned to retire.

At Morgan Stanley, Jonathan Pruzan, co-head of the bank's global financial institutions group in investment banking, will become CFO. Pruzan, 46, joined Morgan Stanley in 1994.

"He understands the current regulatory environment, having shepherded clients through the Fed's stress test ..." Gorman said in a memo to staff.

Xiaomi 'Ferrari' With Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 SoC Spotted in Benchmarks

Xiaomi has so far launched three new smartphones this year, including the new Redmi 2, Mi Note, and the Mi Note Pro. These smartphones haven't really reached many markets; but the company seems to have more planned for this year - with what appears to be a new mid-range smartphone leaked in benchmark results.

Tech Gadgetsz.com (via PhoneArena) spotted two new benchmark listings of a new device called the Xiaomi Ferrari, which is likely to be a codename of an upcoming mid-range smartphone. According to the GFXBench results, the Xiaomi Ferrari will purportedly feature a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.66GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. The handset is seen sporting a 4.9-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display while running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop; though considering that Xiaomi handsets run MIUI on top of Android, we can expect the Ferrari smartphone to also run a new version of MIUI.

There is a 12-megapixel rear camera capable of recording full-HD videos while a 4.8-megapixel front camera is also on board. The GFXBench further tip that the handset comes with 16GB of built-in storage out of which only 12GB will be user accessible.

The Geekbench Browser benchmark listing of the Xiaomi Ferrari on the other hand shows a single-core score of 692 and a multi-core score of 2481. The benchmark listing also shows upload date back from January tipping that Xiaomi has been testing the device for a while.

Considering that the popular Xiaomi Redmi 1S got a successor in the form of the Redmi 2, it is probable the Xiaomi Ferrari is the successor of the Redmi Note. Further cementing the speculation is the relatively large 4.9-inch display; though we will have to still wait for the Xiaomi's confirmation.

Clash of Clans Maker Supercell Sees Revenue Hit EUR 1.5 Billion

The maker of hit game Clash of Clans said Tuesday its revenues shot up to EUR 1.55 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2014, a 130 percent bound over the prior year.

Finnish mobile game studio Supercell, in announcing its results from last year, reported making EUR 515 million in operating profit as defined by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

The revenue figures make Supercell 10 times larger than its rival and fellow Finnish game maker Rovio, which is behind Angry Birds.

"We're very thankful to the millions of players around the world who play our games," Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen said in a statement.

Born as a start up in 2010, Supercell was bought in 2013 by Japanese telecom group SoftBank and game studio GungHo which paid EUR 1.1 billion for 51 percent of the company.

At the time Supercell only had two games: Clash of Clans, a strategy game where players build a village while battling competitors, and farm management game Hay Day. The company rolled out a third strategy game Boom Beach in March 2014.

Android 5.0 Lollipop Gets New 'On-Body Detection' Smart Lock

Apart from 'Trusted devices' and 'Trusted places' for smart locking/ unlocking your Android phone, Google has rolled out a new 'On-body detection' mode to the Smart Lock menu. With the option, users can keep their devices unlocked depending upon the proximity to their body.

The feature was first spotted by Android Police on Friday, and is also working for us on a Google Nexus 4 smartphone running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop alongside Google Play Services v7.0.97.

The 'On-body detection' feature essentially keeps the device unlocked (once unlocked) till the time user is holding it or is near the body (pocket or handbag). This is helpful when you leave the device somewhere and as soon as it goes out of your body's proximity it gets locked, even before the sleep and lock time.

Unfortunately the new On-body detection smart lock feature cannot differentiate between different bodies, so when you hand an unlocked smartphone with the feature enabled to someone it will stay unlocked. Also, if users have Trusted devices or Trusted places features enabled alongside, the device may stay unlocked even after it is out of proximity.

(Also see: Google Releases Android Auto App; Updates YouTube, Maps, and Other Apps) 

"This feature uses you device's accelerometer to detect whether your device is still being carried on the body. If your device detects that it's no longer being held, your device won't stay unlocked [..] If you unlock your device and hand it to someone else, your device also stays unlocked as long as the other person continues to hold or carry it," reads the On-body detection feature's brief note.

The feature is also reported to be working for non-Nexus devices running versions higher than Android 5.0 apart from the latest Google Play services version 7.0.97.

To remind you, Google during the MWC 2015 trade show introduced the Google Play Services 7.0 with new APIs for developers. Notably, the search giant launched its Google Play Services 6.5 last year in November.

(Also see: How to Activate WhatsApp Voice Calling)

Top Rated Windows Games For Tablets Or Anything Else Running Windows 8 For That Matter

Top Rated Windows Games for tablets (or anything else running Windows 8 for that matter)

Windows Central Roundup: Top Windows 8 Games

We are taking a slight change of pace for this week”s roundup. Instead of focusing on apps for Windows Phone, we are going to take a look at a few of the top rated Windows games.

An HP Stream 8 tablet was left under the tree with my name on it this past Christmas. While my Windows Phone is my primary device for gaming these days, I”m finding the 8″ Windows tablet can hold its own rather well. I think in many respects a tablet is more amenable to gaming than a laptop or desktop, especially when touch screen controls are in play.

I”ve plucked four gaming titles from the Windows Store (plus a few honorable mentions) that I have found to be nice gaming options when you need the elbowroom a tablet offers. Many of these gaming options are available for your Windows Phone and I”ll add the download links with those titles for the Windows Phone Store and make not if the version is available for low-memory Windows Phones.

Fairway Solitaire

While a game of solitaire may not be everyone”s cup of tea, it can be an enjoyable way to pass the time. Fairway Solitaire takes the gaming concept of solitaire and adds a unique twist to game play. The result is a card game that should appeal to most (maybe even to those who hate cards games).

At the core, Fairway Solitaire isn”t very different from your traditional game of solitaire. You are presented with a collection playing cards that are either face up or face down. You have to remove the cards from the playing field in sequence (regardless of suit). You start the card in your draw deck at the bottom of the screen and pull from the other cards. So if you have an 8 showing in your draw deck, your next card will be a 7 or a 9. The goal is to hit long drives by playing as many cards in a row as you can and ultimately remove all the cards from the playing field.

Scores are based on the number of cards you leave in play once your draw deck is depleted with each hole or level of play having a set score that is considered par. You will want to score par or better.

The game has sand traps to overcome, water hazards to conquer and sometimes your cards are knee deep in the rough. To help you out, you will discover golf clubs during game play (or buy them as your earn golf bucks) that serve was wildcards. The seven iron would become a 7 card that might help keep your string of cards going or get your score under par.

Fairway Solitaire includes three courses of play that combine for 350 golfing holes (or levels of play). The game also includes 37 trophies to earn, four mini-games and a pesky gopher that is prone to steal your golf bag.

The free version of the game has enough game play to either get you hooked or have you run for the hills. The paid version is running $1.99 and gives you access to the full collection of courses. The same can be said of the Windows Phone versions of Fairway Solitaire but the game is not a universal app.

Download Fairway Solitaire for Windows 8 (Free)Download Fairway Solitaire for Windows Phone (Free)

Sonic Dash

If you are looking for a fast paced, endless runner styled game you may want to give Sonic Dash a try. For those who may not know, Sonic is a world famous Hedgehog that dates back to the Sega Genesis gaming console days. Sonic has come a long way since those days and Sonic Dash is a popular, entertaining installment to the gaming series.

Controls are gesture based, as is the case with most endless runner games and there are plenty of power-ups to collect during game play or buy through the game”s store.

As you make your way through the endless course, you have rings to collect, enemies to bash and bosses to battle. There are also red stars to collect and earn that will unlock additional characters to play such as Knuckles, Tails and Shadow.

Another nice feature of Sonic Dash is that your endless runner course is broken up into segments. This not only gives you a slight breather but also an opportunity to earn bonus points by mimicking screen gestures as Sonic jumps from one stage to the next.

All in all, Sonic Dash is a fun game to pass the time with whether you are playing from your Windows Phone or the larger screen of a Windows 8 device. Both versions are free but there is no means of synchronizing your gaming progress between the two.

Download Sonic Dash for Windows 8 (Free)Download Sonic Dash for Windows Phone (Free)

Asphalt 8: Airborne

As far as personal choices are concerned, Asphalt 8: Airborne may be my favorite Windows 8 game to play from a tablet. The graphics are outstanding and when you steer with your device sensors, the gaming experience will have you leaning into every turn and raising up in your seat as you send your car airborne.

The racing game is constantly being updated to offer new cars and courses to master. To date, Asphalt 8 has 47 high performance cars to race, 9 different racing venues with 180 events in the Career Mode. You also have an Infected Mode and Drift Gate modes to keep the game interesting.

Asphalt 8 has quality sound effects, plenty of airborne stunts and did I mention outstanding graphics? Add ghost challenges and simultaneous multiplayer action for up to eight opponents and Asphalt 8: Airborne may be the only racing game you will ever need.

The Windows Phone version of Asphalt 8 is addictive but it takes a backseat to the Windows 8 version when played on a tablet (especially when you play with headphones on). Asphalt 8 is a universal app that has the option to save your gaming data to the cloud. This will allow you to bounce back and forth between your Windows Phone and Windows 8 device without missing a beat.

The game pulls down a 5 Star rating in both the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store with over 136,000 reviews. Asphalt 8: Airborne is an impressive game and we will gladly concur with the 5 Star ratings.

Download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows 8 (Free)Download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows Phone (Free)

Halo: Spartan Assault

While most have enjoyed the Halo series of games over on Xbox, the Windows Phone platform has enjoyed its own installment of the Sci-Fi series with Halo: Spartan Assault. The game has since transitioned to a Windows 8 version and an Xbox version.

It is an entertaining, challenging game for your Windows Phone and, as we see with many of the universal games, the Windows 8 version offers you more elbow room to play and pulls out a little more detail in the graphics.

Game play departs slightly from the traditional Halo gaming titles in that instead of playing the game as a first person shooter, you play the game overlooking the action in arcade style. You still have to battle the Covenant forces, scavenge for weapons and ammo as you play the game and take control of the many Halo vehicles.

Virtual joysticks are positioned in the bottom corners of the screen to control your Spartan”s movement and weapons fire. You also have grenade buttons conveniently placed next to the joysticks for easy deployment. On a tablet, the control spacing feels comfortable and everything is within thumbs reach to help with game play efficiency.

Halo: Spartan Assault includes 30 missions and your progress is carried over should you switch between your Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. Experience points earned will unlock emblems to enhance your Spartan career in Halo 4.

Graphics are impressive, game play challenging, as well as addictive, and if you are a Halo fan or just like combat oriented games, Halo: Spartan Assault deserves a hard look. The full game lacks a trial version but there is a Lite version available in both Stores that is free and will give you a feel for game play.

Download Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows 8 ($4.99)Download Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone ($4.99)Download Halo: Spartan Assault Lite for Windows 8 (Free)Download Halo: SA Lite for Windows Phone (Free)

Honorable Mentions

Call of Duty: Heroes

Call of Duty is successful first person shooter gaming series that throws you in the middle of a wide range of combat situations. While Call of Duty normally places you behind the sights of a weapon, Call of Duty: Heroes places you in command of an army of soldiers in a 3D combat strategy game.

You take command of a small base and build it up into a major military installation. At your disposal is a host of Call of Duty heroes along with over thirty defensive and offensive structures. The game isn”t all about defending your base with plenty of missions where you launch attacks against enemy positions.

There isn”t a Windows Phone version of Heroes so if you need to fill your Call of Duty itch while away from your Xbox, Call of Duty: Heroes may do the trick.

Download Call of Duty: Heroes for Windows 8 (Free)

Dragon Mania Legends

I recently reviewed the Windows Phone version of this city builder game and found it to be an entertaining title. Playing Dragon Mania Legends on a tablet brings out the finer details of the graphics and with the ability to synchronize your gaming progress, you won”t miss a step by switching between the two devices.

In a nutshell, Dragon Mania Legends is a time management, city builder where you breed dragons, build your kingdom and fight Vikings and their dragons. The game is a nice mix of time management tasks and battle sequences. Graphics are great and the game can be rather addictive. Connect with Facebook and your Windows Phone and Windows 8 game play can synchronize.

Download Dragon Mania Legends for Windows 8 (Free)Download Dragon Mania Legends for Windows Phone (Free)

Hungry Shark Evolution

Hungry Shark is just a fun game to play. The Windows Phone version offers you mobility and the Windows 8 version pulls out the detail in all the fish, fishermen, swimmers and other objects your shark will consume.

The game is rather simple. You play the role of a shark and swim the ocean eating everything in sight. As you eat, your shark will grow but if you fail to satisfy its endless appetite, you will find the shark go belly-up and the game end.

Download Hungry Shark Evolution for Windows 8 (Free)Download Hungry Shark Evolution for Window s Phone (Free)

While these titles are amongst the top rated Windows games, they aren”t the only game in town. The Windows Store is packed full of quality, entertaining gaming titles.

If we have overlooked your favorite Windows game to play on a tablet (or any other Windows device for that matter) there is nothing sinister at work. Just add your recommendation below in the comments. Also, if you have tried any of these Windows titles or others, remember to rate the games in the Windows Store. It is the best way to offer feedback to the developer.

Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X Smartphones Launched in India

Huawei's Honor brand, as expected, on Tuesday expanded its smartphone portfolio in India with the launch of the Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X smartphones.

Both the smartphones will be available exclusively via Flipkart. The Honor 6 Plus has been priced at Rs. 26,499 and will be available from April, while the Honor 4X has been priced at Rs. 10,499, and will be made available via its first flash sale on Monday - registrations kick off from Tuesday.

The firm added that both phones will come with a free screen replacement offer that's valid for the first month. Both smartphones will also come with 'app gifts' from Hungama, Yatra and other services. 

Huawei's Honor 6 Plus was initially unveiled in December last year in China. It runs Emotion UI 3.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat. It features a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display.

The most notable feature of the Honor 6 Plus is its HTC One (M8)-like dual 8-megapixel rear camera sensors, which the company calls "symmetrical dual camera technology".

The Honor 6 Plus camera sensors are said to capture 13-megapixel resolution images with twice the amount of light as compared to a single sensor, take 0.1 seconds to autofocus, and use SLR-grade ISP technology. There is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard.

The Honor 6 Plus is powered by an octa-core Kirin 925 processor with Mali T628 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The Huawei's own Kirin 925 processor also offers Cat. 6 LTE connectivity at 300Mbps. It features 32GB of inbuilt storage via microSD card (up to 128GB). A 3600mAh battery backs the smartphone.

Huawei's Honor 4X, on the other hand, is a budget smartphone featuring a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 processor.

It comes with a 5.5-inch IPS HD (720x1280 pixels) display and runs Emotion UI 3.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat. It features 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 306 GPU. The smartphone packs 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expanded via a microSD card (up to 32GB).

The Honor 4X was launched last year initially in China. The handset sports a Sony-made 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Backed by a 3000mAh battery, the company claims that the Honor 4X can deliver up to 72 hours of battery life with regular usage. The smartphone will be available in Red, Blue and Golden colour variants and is 7.9mm thick.

The connectivity options on the handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and USB 2.0.

Huawei's Honor brand is also promising monthly OTA updates for the two smartphones for six months, followed by quarterly OTA updates.

Facebook may host news sites material

Nothing attracts news organizations like Facebook. And nothing makes them more nervous.

With 1.4 billion users, the social media site has become a vital source of traffic for publishers looking to reach an increasingly fragmented audience glued to smartphones. In recent months, Facebook has been quietly holding talks with at least half a dozen media companies about hosting their content inside Facebook rather than making users tap a link to go to an external site.

Such a plan would represent a leap of faith for news organizations accustomed to keeping their readers within their own ecosystems, as well as accumulating valuable data on them. Facebook has been trying to allay their fears, according to several of the people briefed on the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were bound by nondisclosure agreements.

Facebook intends to begin testing the new format in the next several months, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. The initial partners are expected to be The New York Times, BuzzFeed and National Geographic, although others may be added since discussions are continuing. The Times and Facebook are moving closer to a firm deal, one person said.

To make the proposal more appealing to publishers, Facebook has discussed ways for publishers to make money from advertising that would run alongside the content.

Facebook has said publicly that it wants to make the experience of consuming content online more seamless.

News articles on Facebook are currently linked to the publisher's own website, and open in a Web browser, typically taking about eight seconds to load. Facebook thinks that this is too much time, especially on a mobile device, and that when it comes to catching the roving eyeballs of readers, milliseconds matter.

In addition to hosting content directly on Facebook, the company is talking with publishers about other technical ways to hasten delivery of their articles.

(Also See: Tribals in Bengal to Use Facebook for Development)

Even marginal increases in the speed of a site, said Edward Kim, chief executive of the analytics and distribution company SimpleReach, generally mean big increases in user satisfaction and traffic. So it is likely, he said, that Facebook's plan focuses on those small improvements, rather than on getting money from deals with media companies.

"But there are a lot of implications for publishers," he added. "It really comes down to how Facebook structures this, and how they can ensure this is a win on both sides."

The issue is also pressing, he said, because some media companies have seen a drop in traffic from Facebook that could be attributed to the company's prioritizing of video - a much more lucrative medium for ad sales.

Video has become increasingly popular with Facebook users and advertisers, and at its developer conference that begins on Wednesday, the company is expected to introduce expanded tools to place video ads inside non-Facebook applications.

Like Facebook, media companies also want improved user experiences. Still, they are treading carefully.

While BuzzFeed has an overt policy of spreading its content outside of its own site, The Times uses a subscription model that provides a growing portion of the company's revenue. It would have to weigh the benefits of reaching Facebook's users - and the ad revenue that comes with them - against the prospect of giving away its content and losing the clicks on its own site that would instead stay within Facebook.

(Also See: Facebook Can Help Boost Lo

The Best Free MP3 Players for Android

One of the biggest factors that drive people towards buying a smartphone is that it doubles up as a handy music player. Feature phones had music players too, but some of the amazing music player apps available on smartphones just blow features phones - and even dedicated portable media players - out of the water.

Android, in particular, is a favourite among those who have a large collection of music stored locally. This is because Android phones let you drag and drop music from a computer to the phone, without needing any additional software to start playing your favourite songs. Also, many Android smartphones come with expandable storage, which means you can easily carry your media with you.

Here are our favourite apps for playing MP3 and other audio files.

Google Play Music

This is the music player app that ships with Nexus and other 'stock' Android phones. It's a fairly decent music player that looks good thanks to Material Design. If you just want a player that'll play your songs, this will serve your needs. But if you prefer to browse by artist, albums, etc, those views are hidden in the sidebar. It also has advanced equaliser settings in the sidebar.

Download Google Play Music

Musixmatch

Musixmatch is a decent music player but we recommend you install it for how it enhances the overall music experience on your smartphone. Musixmatch has a floating lyrics widget that works with apps such as Google Play Music and Spotify. This widget pulls lyrics of the currently playing song and scrolls automatically so you only see the line that's playing right now. Download this app just for the awesome widget.

Download Musixmatch

Rocket Player
Rocket Player may not be the prettiest music player but it is the best option if you want to sync your iTunes library with your Android phone. This isn't a free feature - you'll have to pay Rs. 60 and buy the iSyncr app (Rs. 99) by the same developer to sync your iTunes library and metadata. If you use an Android phone and iTunes on Windows or Mac, then this combination of apps will serve you well.

DoubleTwist is a good alternative for iTunes syncing, but you'll need to pay Rs. 300 to unlock that feature.

Download Rocket Player

Shuttle

Shuttle is among the best looking music player apps on Android. If a developer makes a Material Design App even better than Google's own, it deserves special mention. Shuttle has done that and it shows tabs such as artists, albums, etc on the app's home screen and lets you swipe between these tabs. It also has a neat equaliser and a Suggested tab to help you pick a song quickly from your large library.

Download Shuttle

Orpheus

Orpheus is a minimalist music player that will appeal to some people, but others might find it confusing. It has neat tab views like Shuttle and a player toolbar at the bottom with just one button - play/pause. Double tapping this button brings up other actions such as next track, etc and you can even "flick" this button out to switch to now playing view. These actions are configurable so if that's the kind of thing you like, give it a whirl.

Download Orpheus

Poweramp

The free version of this app is just a two-week trial, after which you'll have to pay Rs. 60 to keep using it. That said, Poweramp is the best music player app for nerds. It has advanced equaliser controls and features such as gapless playback, replay gain, etc. We don't recommend this app for casual listeners, but it's a must have for the compulsive audio output tweaker.

Download Poweramp

These are the best music players we found for Android. There are several more good ones, but if there's any app in particular that you prefer, let us know via the comments.

Also see

The Best Free MP3 Players for Windows

The Best Free Email Clients for Android

The Best Free Dialer Apps for Android

The Best Free Alternatives to the SMS App on Your Android Phone

The Best Free Launcher Apps for Android

The Best Free Browsers for Android

The Best Free Browsers for iPhone and iPad

The Best Free Web Browsers for Windows

The Best Free Antivirus Software for Android

The Best Free Antivirus Apps for Windows

For many of us, the most important characteristic of our phone is its battery life. After all, what's the use of the latest and greatest features if your phone stops working in the middle of something important?

More processor cores and camera megapixels are great, but unless you're planning on investing in - and regularly charging - battery packs, you might want to pay some attention to the battery life too. There are some new phones that really embody this concept, such as the Wickedleak Wammy Titan 4, with a 5,330mAh battery, which launched a few weeks ago.

The Lava Iris Fuel 20 also launched just before that, and comes with what is possibly the biggest battery in the sub-Rs. 6,000 range. We haven't reviewed those two yet, but if you want a phone with great battery life, there are plenty of other options we've already tested.

Here are our best performing phones with the best battery life across different price bands.

Under Rs. 5,000
The Nokia Asha 502 is probably the best phone you'll get under Rs. 5,000 and its 1010mAh battery keeps going for really long. It isn't taxed by high-end components; it has only a 3-inch 240x320 display and just 64MB of RAM, but its design is good and if you're looking for a basic device then this is not a bad option.

Under Rs. 5,000, you could also check out the Maxx Mobile MX200 (Review). We can't honestly recommend that phone as anyone's primary device, since the only good thing about it is its 5200mAh battery. You could think of this phone as a portable battery that lets you make calls.

Under Rs. 10,000
There are more options in this price bracket, but in the end, we'd recommend the Lava Iris Fuel 60 (Review | Pictures), which you can get for just under Rs. 9,000. This 5-inch phone has a large 4,000mAh battery that keeps it running for a long time. The 720x1280 display, powered by a 1.3GHz processor alongside 1GB RAM is nothing special, but the performance is not bad, and the software loaded on it is relatively free of bloat. The camera could be better, but again, we're not complaining at this price level.

If you want to spend a little less and are willing to compromise on the camera as well as the Android app ecosystem, then the Windows Phone-based Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM (Review | Pictures) is an alternative. It costs less than Rs. 7,000, and has good build quality. Its relatively small 1830mAh battery nonetheless kept the phone running for 11 hours in our non-stop video playback test.

Under Rs. 15,000
Lots of competition in the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 range in terms of long-lasting batteries in phones, but in the end, our winner is the Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM (Review | Pictures). Its good design, display and camera along with excellent battery life make this the right choice if you're not set on getting an Android phone. The phone went on for 12 hours and 44 minutes in our video loop test, which is excellent, and if you're not strongly entrenched in Android then this is a good option for the price, even setting aside battery life.

If you absolutely need an Android phone then all the different options out there come with some compromise at this price point. We would go with the slightly more affordable Micromax Canvas Nitro (Review | Pictures). The phone comes preloaded with lots of unnecessary software and the camera is quite disappointing, but the display and performance are not bad, and the battery kept going for 16 hours and 9 minutes in our video loop test.

Under Rs. 20,000
Between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000, the best phone to go with if you need a long battery life is the Sony Xperia C3 Dual (Review | Pictures) - this 5.5-inch phone has a 720p display, a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. It also has an 8-megapixel rear camera. Its display, and camera both do good jobs. There's nothing that really stands out, but it consistently delivers a good experience, and the 2,500mAh battery keeps it going for nearly 14 hours when looping video.

The Lenovo P780 (Review | Pictures) could well be credited with starting the trend of extra long battery life in smartphones, and with price cuts, it is now a little cheaper than the Sony Xperia C3. Its 4,000mAh battery lasted 16-17 hours with medium to heavy usage. However, it falls a little short in terms of design, display and camera, which is why we would recommend you go with the Sony.

Under Rs. 30,000
Over Rs. 20,000, you see more phones that have great batteries without too many compromises. Our pick is easy - the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (Review | Pictures) - this phone scored very well in all our review categories except for the camera, which still got a 7 on 10. Solid battery life is matched by a sleek design, display and performance.

The less expensive Samsung Galaxy Neo is an option if you are trying to keep the price down, but the camera is mediocre and graphics performance is poor, so don't plan on this phone for gaming sessions. The S-Pen and long battery life do potentially make it a good choice for workaholics though.

Under Rs. 40,000
Between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 40,000, the choice is really between the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (Review | Pictures) which is nearly Rs. 40,000, and the Samsung Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures) which is selling at just over Rs. 30,000. The Samsung has the edge in its display, camera and performance in our review, but the Sony edges it out on battery life, running 3 hours longer on our looped video test.

A mention has to go to the LG G Flex (Review | Pictures) - the curved phone was launched for nearly Rs. 70,000, and is now available for approximately Rs. 35,000. Its display and camera both rated poorly, which is why we would prefer the other two phones instead, but if you really want a curved phone, the new price is tempting.

Over Rs. 40,000
Once you cross Rs. 40,000, choices narrow again. We think that the only phone you should seriously consider if battery life is the prime concern, is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Review | Pictures). Launched with an MRP of Rs. 61,500, the Note 4 is now available for just over Rs. 50,000, and while its gaming performance is a little below what you might expect, it has a fantastic screen, powerful general performance, outstanding battery life, and the S-Pen adds a lot of functionality.

Otherwise, you can consider the BlackBerry Passport (Review | Pictures) but some will find it awkward to hold, and Android app support is not guaranteed. The iPhone 6 Plus (Review | Pictures) offers better battery life than its smaller counterpart, making it an option as well. If you want the latest and greatest, then the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge (Review | Pictures), which costs nearly Rs. 65,000 is the phone to buy, but it doesn't feel like as much value for money as its non-curved counterpart. If you're buying a phone that will keep working while you're working around the clock, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the one we would pick.

Are you going to pick one of these phones for yourself? How do you plan to use that battery life? Tell us via the comments.

Htc desire update news official

HTC is currently updating all its flagship devices to Android 5.0 Lollipop but HTC engineers also focused on popular mid-range devices like Desire 816 and Desire 820. Here, we got a sweet news for Desire 816 owners. According to senior HTC custom ROM developer @LlabTooFeR, the owners of Desire 816 will get Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update by next month. At this time, we cannot disclose exact date but expecting in late April would be safe bet.The new Lollipop update will bring tons of refinements and features to your device. The regular goodies like Lockscreen notifications, ART run time to reduce execution times by half and Material design inspiration across the whole UI are expected things. In addition to that, we will also see completely re-designed notification panel, improvements to Sense UI and material themed HTC apps and updated BlinkFeed with more services. The major bug fixes including battery improvements using Project Volta will improve device’s battery life by 20-30%. Users will have great experience on Lollipop update.

However, we are yet to see whether the update will bring Sense 7 or not. We will update more details in coming days so Stay Tuned to WhatsOnTech and Follow us in Social media for quick updates.

More Lollipop News: These are the smartphones currently receiving Lollipop update

Ok..here is your question, do you think, HTC will bring Sense 7 to Desire 816 ? Share your opinion with us by dropping a comment below

Blackberry prices slashed

BlackBerry has slashed prices of the BlackBerry Z3 and BlackBerry Z30 touchscreen smartphones in India.

According to information received by NDTV Gadgets, BlackBerry Z3 will now be available at Rs. 13,990, a price cut of Rs. 2,000. The BlackBerry Z3 (Review | Pictures) was launched in June last year at Rs. 15,990 and this is the first time that the handset has received a price cut in India.

The Z3 features a 5-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) display offering an aspect ratio of 16:9. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8230) processor with 1.5GB RAM.

BlackBerry Z3 sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera and also houses a 1.1-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. It packs a 2500mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 15.5 hours talk time and up to 384 hours of standby time. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, NFC and Micro-USB.

The BlackBerry Z30, on the other hand, will retail at Rs. 24,990 down from the previous best price of Rs. 29,990 - a drop of Rs. 5,000.Prior to this, BlackBerry's phablet Z30 (Review | Pictures) received price slash in June last year when the company offered a discount of Rs. 5,000 on the handset.

BlackBerry launched the Z30 for the Indian market at Rs. 39,990 in 2013.

BlackBerry Z30 comes with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display featuring 720x1280 pixels resolution, translating to a pixel density of 294ppi. It is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with Adreno 320. The BlackBerry Z30 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Lollipop update news for HTC Desire 816

Released about a year ago, the Desire 816 is arguably one of HTC's best mid-range handsets to date. At launch, the 816 ran Android KitKat, and it still does. Fortunately, it looks like HTC is almost ready to start updating the smartphone to Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

According to HTC ROM developer LlabTooFeR, the Desire 816 will be updated to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop next month (April). It's not clear if the handset will also get HTC's Sense 7 UI (which debuted on the One M9flagship), or if it's going to keep using the current Sense 6 UI. But we'll let you know when we find out more about this. 

The Desire 816 is currently available for as low as $200 in the US (off contract, Virgin Mobile version). It's one of HTC's largest Desire smartphones ever, as it offers a 5.5-inch 720p display alongside a pair of front-facing speakers. The handset also features LTE connectivity, a 5 MP front-facing camera, 13 MP rear camera, 1.5 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of expandable internal memory. Furthermore, the 816 comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, and a 2600 mAh battery. 

Do you have an HTC Desire 816? If yes, do you think Lollipop will make it a significantly improved device

Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge Price in India Confirmed

Samsung has announced the launch of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge flagship smartphones in India. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available at Rs. 49,900 for the 32GB variant while the equivalent Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is priced at Rs. 58,900.

Both the smartphones will be available for purchase starting April 10, with pre-orders opening on Monday. Customers who pre-book will get price protection for the next 6 months. If Samsung reduces the price of Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge - or introduces any cashback schemes - in India during that time, customers who pre-book will get the difference back as Payback points. 

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature 5.1-inch Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) Super Amoled display with a pixel density of 577ppi. The only difference is that the latter sports a dual-edge display. The new Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge run Android 5.0 Lollipop and are powered by a 64-bit octa-core (quad-core 2.1GHz+ quad-core 1.5GHz) processor coupled with 3GB of RAM (LPDDR4). Three storage variants are available: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB.

The 64GB and 128GB Samsung Galaxy S6 variants are priced at Rs. 55,900 and Rs. 61,900 respectively, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will be priced at Rs. 64,900 and Rs. 70,900 respectively for same storage capacities.

There is a 16-megapixel rear camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation) and LED flash while there is a 5-megapixel front camera on board. Both the handsets come with a slew of camera features such as quick launch, tracking AF, auto real-time HDR, f/1.9, IR detect white balance, low light video, high clear zoom, virtual shot, slow motion, fast motion, pro mode, and selective focus.

The new premium Galaxy handsets also pack fingerprint scanning with an enhanced touch-type fingerprint scanner on the home button. Additionally, both the handsets will come pre-installed with upgraded Samsung Knox. Both handsets come preloaded with Microsoft apps such as OneNote and OneDrive with 115GB cloud storage free for 2 years.

The Galaxy S6 is backed by a 2550mAh battery while the Galaxy S6 Edge comes with 2600mAh battery. For connectivity, both the handsets come with LTE Cat. 6 featuring up to 300Mbps download speeds and support for India's 4G LTE networks.

The Car That Won't Let You Drive if You Are Drunk

Researchers are working on an in-built blood alcohol level tester that can prevent people under its influence from driving.

The team at the University of Michigan studied the impact of installing these alcohol ignition interlock devices in all newly-purchased vehicles over a 15-year period.

Their estimates of injury prevention and cost savings are significant. They found that around 85 percent of the crashes resulting in deaths could be avoided.

"That would mean preventing more than 59,000 deaths in US alone over 15 years," the team reported in a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Another 1.25 million non-fatal injuries would also be prevented.

The cost of installing the devices would be recouped after just three years.

"Our analysis demonstrates the significant public health benefit and societal cost savings associated with including alcohol ignition interlock devices as standard equipment in all new cars," said lead author Patrick Carter from University of Michigan.

By capitalising on recent technological advancements that make alcohol-detecting sensors seamless to the driver and applying such technology more broadly to all newly-built vehicles, "we can actually have a substantial injury prevention impact among traditionally hard-to-reach high-risk populations," Carter added.

New Apple TV With App Store, Siri to Be Announced at WWDC: Report

Apple will show off the much-awaited, revamped Apple TV at the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, a new report indicates.

The current Apple TV is pretty limited in its capabilities, essentially functioning as a media streamer. It's long been rumoured to get additional capabilities like the ability to run apps, similar to the iPhone and iPad. It seems Apple is finally ready to make this move and graduate the Apple TV from a mere 'hobby' by giving it more powerful hardware and an App Store of its own, amongst other new features.

BuzzFeed quotes "sources familiar with the company's plans" to report that Apple will use its annual developers conference - dates for which are yet to be confirmed, though it's usually held in June - to unveil the new Apple TV as well as a software development kit (SDK) that developers can use to build apps for the next-generation hardware.

To drive these apps, Apple will reportedly fit the new Apple TV with the A8 SoC seen inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as enhanced storage. The report adds that the new Apple TV is also likely to ship with a brand new remote and "will "support Siri voice control of Apple TV, and enable it remotely for a selection of HomeKit-enabled home automation devices."

The report ties in with recent developments like the price of current-generation Apple TV getting slashed to $69 and reports of Apple planning to launch its own online TV service.

Inside the Secret Apple Watch Test Facility

Most multipurpose smartwatches that can also double up as fitness trackers have been panned by critics for inaccurate collection of data like number of steps walked, heart rate, etc. To counter this problem, Apple reportedly collected over 18,000 hours of health and fitness data spread across 10,000 workout sessions.

A segment of ABC News' Good Morning America show featuring Apple executives Jeff Williams and Jay Blahnik took the audience around a secret testing facility where Apple employees participated in these workout sessions for almost two years. In typical Apple fashion, these employees were kept in the dark about the purpose of this experiment until the Apple watch was unveiled to the world. The employees wore masks, to check how hard they were breathing, and other expensive sensor equipment. An Apple Watch prototype was also attached to their hands.

Jay Blahnik, Director of Fitness and Health technologies, Apple, stated that Apple tested the Watch's resistance in extreme climes by transporting to the device to places like Alaska and Dubai. Moreover, the secret fitness labs were also fitted with special 'climate chambers' that could simulate extreme heat or cold. Not surprisingly, these labs were also used to test HealthKit.

If Blahnik is to be believed Apple might have collected 'one of the world's largest pieces of data on fitness.'

It is quite unlike Apple to allow media inside its secret labs and the last time it did so in 2010, the company was trying to salvage itself from bad press it received for its iPhone 4 'Antennagate' issue.

Sony Unveils the PumpX, a Portable Bluetooth Speaker With NFC

In an attempt to make a bigger mark in the personal portable audio segment, Sony has launched the PumpX (SRS-X2) wireless speaker for Rs. 7,990. The device features two 10W speakers powered by 45mm drivers, Bluetooth 3.0 and NFC connectivity, and a claimed battery life of "five to twelve hours" on a full charge.

The Sony PumpX can also be used as a wireless hands-free unit to make and receive calls, thanks to the addition of a microphone. Audio transmission from a source device is either through Bluetooth or 3.5mm audio-in, while NFC technology is also present to facilitate easy pairing of wireless devices.

However, the device only supports up to Bluetooth 3.0, with no mention of AptX support. The device additionally features a virtual surround sound mode, which is said to give the listener a sense of room-filling sound, despite the compact dimensions of the PumpX.

Sony hopes to take on the likes of JBL, DigiFlip, Portronics and other similarly priced Bluetooth speakers with the PumpX. Although it isn't the first Sony wireless speaker, it is the first the company is promoting on portability; claiming strong sonic performance despite the size.

The PumpX is on sale now in Black, White & Red colours at Rs. 7,990 and includes a carrying pouch and charger in the box.