A new mid-range Stylus-enabled phone from LG: G3 Stylus

LG announced a new phone, the G3 Stylus, a variant of its flagship G3 smartphone with only a little difference: it comes with a stylus.

The device is 5.5inches with a 13mp camera, 1GB RAM and 8GB memory. It will run Android KitKat.

The G3 Stylus will be optimized for 3G markets and will be available in single-sim and dual-sim option. It will come in black, gold and white.

The LG G3 was the first smartphone to boast a Quad HD display. The G3 Stylus will have the same screen size as the G3 but it features a 960-by-540 resolution which is not as awesome as that of the G3. It is also expected to have mid-range pricing.

The G3 Stylus will be available in Brazil this week and soon in other countries. Would you go for this phone?

Rise of the Phablets: iPhone 6 Plus Sold Out

The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are already a hit. Although the phones have not been shipped yet, the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus is sold out, well ahead of the 4.7 inch iPhone 6.

The verdict is clear: the big screen is a hit.

There is definitely a chance that there were more iPhone 6 phones on offer than the 6 Plus. But early buzz on the internet shows equal interest in the Plus model.

Large-screen phones, often called Phablets (Phone+Tablets) have become wildly popular in the last few years. Their demand has been steadily growing. Buyers look for a Phablet to negate the need for a standalone tablet. Apple's closest Android rivals are Samsung, HTC and LG. Their flagships phones are popular in the phablet marketplace.

It was natural for Apple to respond with a bigger size phone. We are slowly getting to a world where people prefer screens larger than 4 inches but still want their phones to not weight as much as tablets and easily manageable with one hand.

The Phablet is here to stay. It should come as no surprise if you see more iPhone 6 Plus phones on the street than the smaller iPhone 6.

Cloud FX with Mozilla OS selling for $33 in India

Mozilla launched its inaugural smartphone with the Mozilla Firefox OS in late August. It was launched in India and it cost only $33.

It is retailing as the Intex Cloud FX and is a partnership between Mozilla and Intex Technologies. The phone has 4GB memory capacity and Bluetooth. It supports Hindi and Tamil and is available only on snapdeal.com.

Intex director of marketing Keshav Bensal said, "With the launch of Intex Cloud FX, we aim to enable the masses to get smartphone experience at the cost of a feature phone."

India has the third-highest number of smartphone sales on the planet after U.S. and China. This cost effective phone model is expected to accelerate India's position to the top of the global smartphone market.

Mozilla is not the only one that is aspiring to get a key share of the lower-end of the Indian smartphone market. Google is gearing to entering the space too with its Android One program that will bring an Android device in India for less than $100. This mobile phone will have a 4.5 inch screen, dual-SIM, FM radio and Android OS.

How Macbook Predicts the Future of Apple

Two products are synonymous with Apple's future: the iPad and the iPhones. Together, the iPad and iPhone generate about 70% of Apple's sales. With the increase in sale of Android powered phones, people are worried about the future of Apple devices.

Android devices are priced at half or one-third of Apple devices. Technology market watchers think that the way forward for Apple is to lower their prices and win back their customers who have converted to Android.

They are not wrong. In the near future, we will reach a point where the iPhone and Android phone will be exactly matched on specifications. And with their rapid launch cycle, Android phones may end up getting better than Apple on specs and mobile software.

When that happens, buys will choose Android because it is the same product with a better price. What will be Apple's fate then?

To get a possible answer to that question, let's turn our attention to another Apple product that has defied market logic: The Mac. Apple’s Mac business has been performing better than the consumer PC business for years. The Macs competitors are devices that are cheaper with comparable specs from companies like Dell, Samsung, Lenovo etc. Yet Mac sales have been rising slowly and steadily.

Technically, with its premium price range, the Mac should have been history. Or it should have been cheaper to deal with the competition. But Mac shipments were up 18% last quarter. Former Apple executive Jean Louis Gassee wrote, "Naysayers will continue to contend that the prices of competing tablets are preordained to crash and will bring ruin to Apple's Affordable Luxury product strategy ... just as they predicted netbooks would inflict damage on MacBooks."Naysayers will continue to contend that the prices of competing tablets are preordained to crash and will bring ruin to Apple's Affordable Luxury product strategy ... just as they predicted netbooks would inflict damage on MacBooks."

But Apple does not sell Macbooks alone. It also sells the iPhone, iPad and the iPod. These high-performing ‘affordable luxury’ products along with their ecosystem of apps and media make for a great what are awesome!

The iPhone might occupy the same space for mobile phones that the Macbook does for laptops. And it might steadily churn out profits while at it.

Apple is also planning to launch the iWatch in fall 2014. It might not be a big revenue maker like the iPhone but it will be a part of an ecosystem that work and compliments other Apple devices. As Gassee puts it, "The sweet spot on Apple's racket is the set of customers who, like Tim Cook, use MacBooks and iPads. It's by no means the broadest segment, just the most profitable one."

Social networking habits of Middle East users might surprise you

Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the Middle East according to this survey conducted by Northwestern University in Qatar in partnership with Doha Film Institute. Almost 90% of internet users in the Middle East are active on Facebook.

Internet users from Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, KSA, Tunisia and UAE were taken into consideration for this survey.

Some of the results of the survey were truly unexpected:

• Google+ is more popular than Twitter in Egypt, Lebanon and Qatar. 
• Only 70% of Internet users in Qatar use Facebook. The percentage is well above 90% for other areas surveyed. 
• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the most number of Twitter users with 79% of Internet users who use Twitter on daily basis.
• Almost 50% of Internet users in Lebanon use Google+.

Uber to Launch its Much-Awaited API

Uber's "Request a Ride" button has been a hit with its customers and extremely profitable for Uber. It seems fairly obvious that the next step for Uber would be to place its button everywhere. Sources confirm that Uber is gearing up to launch an API soon.

Integrating the Uber API in Google Maps was just the first step. While, sources have not confirmed the exact functionality of the Uber API, we think that the API will allow developers to ass the "Request a Ride" button to their apps. It might be allow support for creation of full-fledged Uber clients. Uber plans to be for taxi rides what Kleenex is for tissues.

As of now, Uber does not have a public API. Sources confirm that Uber has been in talks with Facebook to integrate it into their Messenger.

Currently, Uber appears as a pedestrian and public transportation option inside Google maps. This option is available for people who have downloaded the Uber app. The "Get an Uber" button is displayed next to the other public transportation options and shows the travel time and distance if you opt for an Uber ride. Tapping the button will switch you to the Uber app with your destination pre-loaded.

Google Ventures is a major stakeholder in Uber and this system is a win-win for both Uber and Google. It subtly reminds a person that getting an Uber cab is easier and less taxing that walking or getting public transportation.

The reason Uber API makes so much sense is because Uber is an impulse purchase. A quick tap to Uber can cost one $20. Uber survives when people surrender to comfort and luxury by tapping the button. The more Uber buttons there are out there, the more taps which finally converts to more money for Uber!