Google’s Cultural Institute teams up with Europeana to bring more than 2000 museums & archives online

google’s Cultural Institute – which puts online materials previously only available to visitors to particular museums, archives and institutes – has taken on its biggest challenge yet. Google is working withEuropeana to bring online the collections of more than 2000 museums, archives and institutes.

It’s a tremendous undertaking to bring Europe’s rich cultural heritage online, one that can only be achieved by both private and public effort. As this collaboration shows, both Europeana and Google share similar visions – allowing people around the world to explore Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage from prehistory to the modern day …

 The Austrian library exhibition guides visitors through the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph’s manifestos, from announcements for mobilisation, to administering shortages, to dealing with prisoners of war and refugees.

Google’s Cultural Institute exhibitions are a brilliant way to explore material you would never be able to see in person, and especially to bring history to life for children. Existing exhibitions span such diverse topics as the Gettysburg Address, D-Day, the fall of the Iron Curtain, the life of Nelson Mandela and street art.

Google’s full announcement can be seen below. 

Teaming up with Europeana to bring Europe’s culture online

It was a natural marriage. Our Google Cultural Institute based in Paris is devoted to partnering with institutions around the world to allow online access to art, archives and other, often previously hard-to-find culture. Europeana, launched in 2009, represents a bold European project bringing together more than 2,000 museums, archives, and other institutions, with their rich collections of millions of books, paintings, films and other objects.

Given these complementary missions, it is with great pleasure that we just have launched Europeana’s first exhibit on our Cultural Institute. Curated by the Austrian National Library, the new virtual exhibition is part of Europeana’s 1914-1918 project and represents the first Austrian contribution to our own Cultural Institute’s First World War channel.

The Austrian library exhibition guides visitors through the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph’s manifestos, from announcements for mobilisation, to administering shortages, to dealing with prisoners of war and refugees. “Putting the content online ensures that all of this history is preserved for future generations,” said Wiebe de Jager of Europeana. “Partnerships with prestigious platforms such as the Google Cultural Institute is one way to effectively share with people our common history that defined who we are and what we do.”

It’s a tremendous undertaking to bring Europe’s rich cultural heritage online, one that can only be achieved by both private and public effort. As this collaboration shows, both Europeana and Google share similar visions – allowing people around the world to explore Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage from prehistory to the modern day.

New Hyundai i20 teaser video – Compromise Ends on 11th Aug

Hyundai India, country’s second largest car maker has announced the launch of new i20 on 11th August. In anticipation, the South Korean brand has now revealed a teaser video revealing an action packed sequence which ends with a message – Compromise Ends on 11th August.

Earlier today, Hyundai India officially issued a statement that their new i20 will be called Elite i20. Designed and developed by their team in Europe, i20 is a global hatchback. It will make its European debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in October this year. Compared to the Indian variant, the European variant will be slightly different.

Based on Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design ideology, the 2015 i20 features a more fluidic design than the outgoing variant. Larger headlamps, sloping roof, wider stance, LED tail lamps, all indicate to a sportier appeal with a smarter road presence for a city car.
On the inside, new Elite i20 will be a little similar to that as the Grand i10 hatchback, albeit with a more premium touch. The centre console gets display for air temperature, ac vents are squarish, instrument panel has two large dials and a TFT LCD display in the center, and steering wheel comes with a chrome garnish.
As far as engine options are concerned, Hyundai Elite i20 will continue to be offered with the same set of 1.2l and 1.4l for petrol and 1.4l for diesel. Along with manual, automatic transmission will also be on offer in the petrol variant. Prices will range from Rs 5-7.5 lakhs expectedly. Mode details on the launch date, until then, watch the teaser video and image gallery below.

Google now takes you inside 100+ Indian heritage sites

The Ellora Caves near Aurangabad.

All you armchair travellers, this is aimed at you. Google has added street views of 76 historical sites, taking the total tally of Indian attractions to over 100. With this update, you can now get inside the Safdarjung Tomb and Purana Quila in Delhi, Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, and other interesting places. You can take these virtual tours anywhere, anytime, either directly on Google Maps or through the Google Cultural Institute Portal. In addition to the historical sites, you can also view content from new Indian arts and archival institutions. For instance, you can tour photographer and screenwriter Sooni Taraporewala’s exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, right from the comfort of your couch. And if you want to find out what it was like to hear India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on Independence Day in 1947, the content from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is just the way to do it. - See more at: http://www.cntraveller.in/news/google-now-takes-you-inside-100-indian-heritage-sites#sthash.aKcakhSx.dpuf

LG Chromebase all-in-one computer launches in India for Rs 32000

LG, on Thursday launched it’s first-ever Chromebase (Model 22CV241) computer in India for Rs. 32,000. It is an all-in-one computer powered by the Google Chrome OS. The highly efficient Chrome operating system offers a fast, simple, secure and affordable computing experience to users. Complete with a 21.5-inch Full HD IPS display and a raft of advanced features,  this innovative new desktop computer comes packaged in a chic, space-saving design. The LG Chromebase all-in-one computer is simple yet powerful architecture and comes with several outstanding Google applications. It also serves as a gateway to tens of thousands of web apps in the Chrome Web Store, many of which work just as well offline as they do online. The LG Chromebase allows you to write emails and documents, read the latest news and ebooks, edit videos and photos and play entertaining games. The streamlined platform makes almost any task effortless, and is the perfect device for taking advantage of Google products such as Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts. The LG Chromebase also offers robust built-in security, employing multiple layers of protection to keep users’ information safe. Moreover, with automatic built-in updates, Chrome OS reduces the manual maintenance hassles. LG Chromebase reflects the power and simplicity of the Chrome OS. It features a 21.5 inch Full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution that delivers accurate color reproduction, stunning contrast and an impressive 178 degree viewing angle. The processing power of the fourth-generation Intel CPU enables the LG Chromebase to handle web apps, games and graphics with ease. The versatile computer also incorporates a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a microphone for easy video calling. What’s more, this AIO computer delivers clear and powerful sound and music through a pair of built-in 5W speakers. “We are pleased to launch the LG Chromebase computer here in India. The specialty of this computer is that it represents a successful combination of simplicity, power and great design, and all types of users can operate it very easily. LG Chromebase is the wave of the future for desktops and we are expecting its wide adoption not only at home, but especially in schools, hotels, call centers other business settings”, said Soon Kwon, MD, LG Electronics India. Specifications and Features: -  Processor: 4th generation Intel® CPU - Operating System: Chrome OS - Display: 21.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS - Memory: 2 GB          - Storage: 16GB iSSD - Ports: HDMI-in, USB 2.0 x 3, USB 3.0 x 1, LAN - Accessories: Keyboard, Mouse, Cable Organizer - Webcam: 1.3 M 720 HD

Samsung could launch Galaxy Note 4 on September 3: Here’s all you need to know

Galaxy Note 4 is rumoured to have a bent Yuom display such as this demoed by Samsung earlier.

Samsung’s presence at IFA guarantees one thing, at least based on their past experience at the event. In all likelihood, Berlin will be where Samsung will unveil the much-anticipated Galaxy Note 4. And according to a report in Korea Times, the date of the announced will be September 3 before IFA even kicks off.

That date is tantalising coming so close to the iPhone 6 launch, which is rumoured to happen on September 12. In fact, we can expect Samsung to bring in two new phones, as teased by a company executive this week. However, not both phones will arrive at the same time. And the Note 4 looks like the one which will have a bigger stage for itself.

As for the Note 4′s specs, we can expect Samsung to throw in all its high-end technology into the phone.  “Samsung will hold an event to announce the Note 4 on Sept. 3, just few days before this year’s IFA trade fair in Berlin, Germany Europe’s biggest technology exhibition,” the report said.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note series at or around IFA on all three occasions in the past. The rumoured specs of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 tell a very interesting story and suggest Samsung may be pushing further into the health and fitness territory. For one, the Note 4 is said to come with an ultraviolet sensor, which can measure UV radiation and alert users about possible precautions they need to take through the S Health app.

Another rumour suggests the Note 4 will have a rumoured eye scanner. Other interesting APKs that were leaked in the past include SmartSelfShot, which could be a new method for taking selfies, as well as an updated version of S Health. A fingerprint scanner APK is also seen, but that was present on last year’s Note 3 leaks also, even though the device didn’t have a scanner. However, given that Samsung put a fingerprint scanner on its excellent Tab S range, we can expect one on the Note 4 too.

One of the first rumours about the Note 4 earlier this year had pointed towards a 2k display, something we were expecting to come with the Galaxy S5. The report also spoke about water-proof abilities and a20.1MP sensor for the Note 4.

On the processing speed front, the device is speculated to pack in an octa-core Exynos CPU or a Snapdragon 800-series SoC, coupled with 4GB RAM. The company might as well build both variants, and as seen earlier. Speculation is that the Note 4 will have global LTE coverage. The rumoured feature list also includes 128GB onboard storage, though that seems like a long shot at the moment, a new handwriting-recognition technology for unlocking the device and a battery ranging between 3600mAh and 3800mAh, which would give it enough power to last the day.

Flipkart and Xiaomi Could Have Avoided the Backlash With OnePlus One-Like Invites

Both Flipkart and Xiaomi are celebrating the flash sales of the Xiaomi Mi 3 in India - the handset has been put on sale on the e-commerce website twice now, and each time, has been completely sold out almost immediately. According to Xiaomi's official release on the subject, this week's entire Mi 3 stock was sold out in five seconds, and the company has now sold a total of 20,000 units of the phone.

However, a lot of potential customers have been very upset, since they had to pre-register to purchase the phone, but faced a lot of difficulties such as orders being cancelled immediately after being booked, or simply finding that the phone went out of stock in the time it took for the buy button to show up on their screens. For example, one of our readers, Senthil Kumar wrote in via comments: "After reviewing your technical specification, i eagerly plan to buy the phone. Then i have registered on last Wednesday and further i have tried twice but website threw that i was registered already. Finally yesterday & today i got reminder mail from flipkart, then i was eagerly waiting for purchase. Once i clicked then i got the message that i am not registered. Really shocked. Within 2 seconds, i tried to buy again with the same account then i got out of stock message. So, it seems that it's totally fraud sales. please don't encourage these type of business which makes people as foolish. So, please stop updating any messages about flipkart and Mi3 phones further. Both of them cheating our entire nation."

Other readers had similar experiences. Chethan wrote: "These #flipkart crashing & #Xiomi Mi3 out of stock in minutes stories are just bogus. it's their brand building tactics... I mean I was watching the countdown and hit BUY the moment it hit 00:00 & it showed 'Out of Stock'... come on...!"; Santoshwrote: "Its showing Out of stock at 2:01 pm, when the sale was to start at 2pm.. Is it a joke?"; Manojwrote: "The Mi3 sale on Flipkart is a bloody joke. The phone went out of stock at 14:00 Hrs!!!! Are you kidding Flipkart?".

The frustration that so many people who went to buy the phone are feeling is palpable. In light of this negative reaction, Xiaomi's response starts to look a little tone deaf:

Panasonic eyes 5 per cent share of Indian smartphone market 

NEW DELHI: Japanese tech giant Panasonic today said it plans to introduce as many as 15 new devices in the next few months as it aims to garner five per cent share of the Indian multi-billion dollar smartphone market. 

Panasonic, which entered the smartphone market here last year, has also declared India as the headquarters for its handset business. 

"India is a very important market and that is the reason why it is also the headquarters for the phone business for us. There is a huge opportunity here for companies like us, who want to offer quality products at right prices," Panasonic India Managing Director Manish Sharma told PTI. 

He added that the company is looking at aggressively expanding its portfolio in the country to take its market share to 5 per cent in the next one year. 
The company claims to have about three per cent share currently. 

"We will launch 15 smartphones and eight feature phones this year. We will launch feature phones because we believe there is still an audience for that, but the focus definitely is on smartphones," he said. 

Panasonic today launched its new 'Eluga' series of smartphones in India with the unveiling of 'Eluga U', priced at Rs 18,990. 

Over the past few months, the smartphone market has seen fierce competition, fuelled further by new entries like Gionee, Oppo and Xiaomi from China. 

In 2013, smartphone sales in the country grew almost three-fold to over 44 million, as per research firm IDC. In Q1 of 2014 alone, 17.59 million smartphones were shipped in India with sales being driven by affordable devices. 
While Samsung is the category leader with a 35 per cent market share in Q1, local firms like Micromax (15 per cent), Karbonn (10 per cent) and LAVA (six per cent) also held significant share of the market. Nokia had 4 per cent share. 

"We will have devices across price points. However, for us the sweet spot would be between Rs 16,500 to Rs 20,000," Sharma said. 
Asked if the company was looking at setting up a manufacturing unit in India, he said the company would look at one after it has "certain economies of scale". 

"In two years, we will be in a position to take a firm call," he said. 

Talking about the Eluga U handset launched today, Sharma said the handset will be available in the first week of August. 

The dual SIM device features a quad-core Snapdragon processor, five inch IPS HD display, the latest Android Kitkat operating system and 2GB RAM. It also sports 16GB memory (expandable upto 32GB), 13MP rear and 2MP front camera and 2,500 mAh battery.