In the News

Microsoft launched its Hyperlapse technology as apps for various platforms. The first-person time-lapse video-making app has been made available for Windows Phone, preview versions for Android and Windows, apart from a version for Microsoft Azure Media Services. The Microsoft Hyperlapse app lets them save videos in multiple speeds ranging from 1x to 32x and share them via social media or emails.

Microsoft has launched its Lumia 430 dual SIM card smartphone with the Windows 8.1 operating system. “We have introduced Lumia 430 at an affordable cost of Rs 5,299 to enhance our share in the Indian market. It is a dual SIM card smartphone with the right hardware, software, services and applications,” said Anant Mittal, Microsoft Mobile Devices Director (West). The company has also launched its ‘Knockout On Wheels’ van which will cover 200 cities to get youngsters to experience Windows-based phones.

Microsoft said its Bing search engine would be reconfigured to give more prominence to mobile-friendly websites, an acknowledgment of the growing importance of smartphones and other mobile devices. “Based on data from user’s interaction with Bing, we have seen that mobile users are able to satisfy their information needs much faster on searches that return more mobile-friendly results,” said Microsoft’s Shyam Jayasankar in a blog post.

Microsoft has released the Lumia 540 in India, priced at Rs 10,199. The Lumia 540 is equipped with a 5-inch 720p display which offers a pixel density of 294ppi and is powered by the Snapdragon 200 processor paired with 1GB of RAM.

Microsoft has officially announced that Windows 10 for smartphones and tablets will be called Windows 10 Mobile. Windows 10 Mobile boasts the new universal Windows apps that are included in Windows 10 Home, as well as the new touch-optimised version of Office. Windows 10 Mobile will enable some new devices to take advantage of Continuum for phone, so people can use their phone like a PC when connected to a larger screen.

Asus has launched a new ultrabook called ZenBook UX305, priced at Rs 49,999 with a QHD+ screen. The ZenBook UX305 weighs 1.2 kg and, according to Asus, is 12.3 mm thick, making it the world’s slimmest 13.3-inch laptop. ZenBook UX305 has a full-size keyboard and large responsive touchpad that supports Smart Gestures for intuitive control of Windows 8.1.

NotionInk and iBall announced the availability of select Windows-based 2-in-1 devices pre-installed with Datacomp Web Technologies’ insurance app TabMagic at a special price for insurance advisors across the country. Speaking on the occasion, Vineet Durani, Director, Windows Business, Microsoft India, said: “NotionInk and iBall Windows-based 2-in-1s with the TabMagic App solution will enable insurance advisors to carry their office on the go and make their services available for customers – anytime, anywhere – helping them realize the dream of a Digital India.”

Ubisoft has officially reveal the next instalment in its open world historical fiction franchise, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. “The ability to lead an underground gang, commandeer any vehicle on hand, and use modern tools to take on an expansive and fast-paced Victorian London sets this game apart,” said Marc-Alexis Côté, Creative Director at Ubisoft.

Daybreak estimates it will see its revenues spike once its games are available on Xbox. “If you just take the numbers that the console publishers themselves have put out, you are talking about a 50 percent revenue lift,” company president John Smedley said in an interview.

Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul, who oversees the Windows Insider program for Microsoft, said Tuesday that a new build was being readied for public testing. Microsoft has opened up the new builds to most of the Lumia phones that Microsoft and Nokia have shipped in recent years. Aul also said that the next build will support the Lumia Icon as well, a phone that has been given short shrift by Microsoft.