Pages

Sunday, 15 July 2012

New Google+ tool lets you merge multiple accounts

Users of Google's own social network, Google+, now have the option of merging their Google+ accounts, allowing them to have their contacts transferred to the new account while having their followers redirected, too. In an official blog post, Google's Ronald Ho writes, "Today, anyone can visit Google Takeout and click “Transfer your Google+ connections to another account”: https://www.google.com/takeout."

To begin with, users will have to click on the Google+ circles transfer tool at Google Takeout. The tool essentially transfers a user's Google+ circles and connections from what is a "source" account to a "destination" account and, in doing so, it replaces the user's source profile with his or her destination profile in the circles of other users. The content in one's circles and connections that can be transferred comprise - circle names, circle members, "your circles" settings, and the people and pages that a user may have blocked or ignored.

There is, however, a seven-day waiting period before the transfer can begin. If a user wishes to cancel the transfer, they can sign in to one of their Google+ accounts and can click on 'Cancel Transfer' option at the bottom of the page. The cancelation cannot be done if using a mobile interface.

Further, the post on the help centre adds, "If the source or destination accounts are managed by an organization, the account administrator may restrict your ability to transfer your connections and/or use Google+." Users will not be able to use this tool with the same accounts again for six months and users cannot cancel or undo the transfer process once it begins. Yet another limitation users planning to go in for this will have to bear in mind is that, during the transfer process - neither of the accounts will be able to "share content on Google+, add or remove people to and from circles and block or ignore people." The post adds further that "people who have added these account profiles to their circles won't be able to add, remove, block or ignore these profiles during the transfer. Transfers typically take about 48 hours."

new slim version of Sony's PlayStation 3 leaked

The big three of the console world, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo dominate the console market. The current generation of consoles has been the longest generation in the history of video gaming. The consoles that dominate this generation, the seventh according to Wikipedia, have been Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii on the home console front, and the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable on the handheld front.

The PS3 has been one of the most successful consoles of this generation, and Sony has not updated it in a long while. However, going by pictures leaked at the Anatel site (Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications), it seems a new slim model of the PS3 is coming up. Technoblog was able to get the images from the site, which show off some of the specs of the new version of the console.

The images show a sliding panel on the top of the console, which could mean a cheaper top loading disc drive. The product numbers for the consoles read CECH-4011A, CHECH-4011B and CECH-4011C, which correspond to the respective storage capacities - 16 GB, 250 GB, and 500 GB.

According to Joystiq, the diagrams for the new version of the consoles have shown up on the website for the American FCC. Sony has declined to comment on the possibility of a new model of the PlayStation 3.

Sony already has a slim version of the PlayStation 3, released back in 2009. This version of the console would be the second slim version to be released.

There have been slim versions for the consoles by all three developers, such as Nintendo’s version of the Wii without support for Gamecube games, and the Xbox 360 S.
 
Sony has released slim versions of their consoles in the past, such as the PSOne, the much smaller and portable version of the original PlayStation, and the PlayStation 2 Slim.

The original PlayStation 3 came with backwards compatibility for PlayStation 2 games, which was one of the biggest things to go when they released the PlayStation 3 Slim, though the console still retains backwards compatibility with PlayStation games on disc or bought off the PlayStation Network store.

One of the biggest reasons for the rise of popularity of the PlayStation 3 was the price cut that happened in 2011, with $50 shaved off the price. As a result, the entry-level 160 GB model cost $250 instead of $300, and the 320 GB premium model cost $300 instead of $350. According to PCWorld, at least one retail source claims that the PlayStation 3 sales have surged up by 65%.

The PlayStation 3 continues to be a very popular console due to its strong single player games exclusive to the system, such as the Uncharted series, Demon’s Souls, God of War 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and the game recently unveiled at E3, Last Of Us.

Wishtel launches Android tablet for Rs 6,500

The 7 inch tablet comes with 1.5GHz processor and Android 4.0. It supports 14 Indian languages and comes in colours like Red, Black and Yellow.

WishTel, which is known for its low-cost tablets, has launched another new tablet in the affordable segment. Called the Ira Thing 2, the 7 inch, multi touch capacitive tablet runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream sandwich) and is powered by a 1.5 GHz processor with 512 MB RAM.

IRA Thing 2 is available in 6 striking colours like red, yellow, pink, blue and white for those who prefer to be a little sober can also buy a Black one.

The tablet is said to be designed and manufactured in India. In terms of apps, Ira thing 2 offers a TV app which offers access to over 120 TV channels. A preinstalled E-News app allows users an access to news from over 55 multi-linguistic newspapers from across India.

Milind Shah, chief executive officer, WishTel said, "Ira and Ira Thing received overwhelming response from our customers. With the launch of Ira Thing 2, we wish to offer the youth of today, a device that is fun, trendy and offers access to the best of entertainment and education applications at an affordable price."

The tablet has a 4 GB internal memory and an expandable memory of upto 32 GB and comes with 1.3 megapixel inbuilt front camera. There is a HDMI port to connect compatible TV with the tablet. The tablet comes with a 3000 mAh battery with claimed browsing time of approximately 4 hours.

Ira Thing 2 also offers Indian language keyboard to support 14 Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Oriya.

The tablet allows use of 3G dongle but only comes with built in WiFi. Ira Thing 2 is priced at Rs 6,500. It is available through outlets and WishTel's website. It also bundles HDMI cable, wireless headphone, WLAN to USB port cable.

iPhone 5 Production Underway for an Expected Fall Launch

According to Japanese blog Macotakara, the next generation iPhone has already gone into production in China. Macotakara cites reliable Chinese sources for the information.

For reference, Macotakara also cited similar sources when they reported that the iPad 3 first went into production in January 2012. The lead time between production and launch for the iPad 3 was approximately two months with an official launch date of March 16th, 2012. That could suggest that we could see the new iPhone as early as September, though the production timelines for the iPad and iPhone may differ significantly.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal had previously reported that the iPhone 5 would begin production in June, and all signs have pointed to a September or October launch for the new iPhone.

Leaked iPhone 5 parts have suggested Apple will be adopting a two-tone backing with a central metal panel. Macotakara reports that in the production models the back panel have a naked aluminum surface and a partially glass covered portion. They also note that a small hole that was seen between the lens and flash in the prototype parts is now absent.