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Microsoft Snip will offer screenshots on Windows with music and scribbles

Microsoft has introduced a new beta app called Snip, which aims to ease the process of taking screenshots on touch-enabled screens for Windows computers. Once installed, the app not only takes screenshots, but will also annotate it and add music to it as well.
The new beta tool can be installed on Windows 7 and Windows 10 from here. Microsoft Snip will float on the screen so that one can quickly take a screenshot of the screen or a particular area, as and when required.
This office tool captures are mostly copied automatically to the clipboard but, if one adds audio to it, it will automatically get transformed  into an MP4 file that can be embedded on websites or viewed from a URL. However, the beta app is said to be a little ‘buggy’ as of now but there is scope for improvement.
Most people will be familiar with ‘Snipping Tool’ which is already present on Windows but the new enhanced Microsoft Snip is said to be a leap forward. The app, which is a smarter variant of the Snipping Tool, enhances screenshots and makes them easier to share or doodle over them too. The report points out that there are a variety of screenshot and screen capture tools for Windows but most of them are not free.

OneDrive's Groups feature shutting down October 16th


Microsoft officially announced it's axing the Groups feature in OneDrive in the coming weeks, meaning stalwarts still using the online storage service for collaborating will need to start migrating their data to new locations. This shouldn't come as a surprise, though: The feature has been largely shuttered for months. As it is, users haven't been able to create new groups; they can only work within existing ones.
However, that's no longer the case: People who still use Groups received an email today informing them that the feature will not be available after October 16th, 2015, and that any data stored in a group file will be deleted. If you want to keep your data currently contained in Groups, follow these instructions to migrate it to a different folder in OneDrive. This means you're essentially downloading files to a desktop, then uploading them into a different folder in OneDrive. (Oddly, these instructions claim that Groups will no longer be available after September 30th 2015 but our contacts at Microsoft have assured us that October 16th is the correct date.) The email also contains instructions on how to share files and folders after moving them out of Groups. It's worth mentioning that individual OneDrive accounts already include free access to Office's online version, which has real-time co-editing so it doesn't matter if a file is owned by a group or a single person.
 

Google launches $90 Android One smartphone in six African countries


Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can't afford an Internet-connected device.

The "Hot 2" phone announced Tuesday is made by Infinix and has a recommended price of $88. It will be sold in stores in Nigeria and offered by online retailer Jumia in five other countries: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco. Jumia listed the phone at $98 before it sold out, based on a check of its website late Tuesday.

Infinix worked with Google on the Hot 2 as part of a program called Android One that made its debut in India last year.

Android One represents Google’s push to lower the prices of smartphones in less developed parts of the world where computers are considered a luxury. Google consults with device makers to build cheap phones that can still run the latest version of its Android software.
Infinix’s phone will be sold with an Android release that came out last year under the nickname “Lollipop.” It will be capable of running the next upgrade of Android, called “Marshmallow,” due out this fall.

The price for the Hot 2 is a steep markdown from other smartphones equipped with Android’s newest software. For instance, prices for Samsung Electronics newest Android phones to be released this month will cost from about $700 to more than $800 without a wireless contract.

The Android phones being released in Africa, though, are bare-bones models that can’t do as many things as more expensive phones.

Google, Facebook and other Internet companies are trying to get more people online in places like Africa so they can expand their audiences and eventually sell more digital advertising.

As part of that effort, Google already has built a fiber-optic network to provide faster Internet access in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

Google launches Wi-Fi router named "OnHub" for home use

Google Inc launched a Wi-Fi router on Tuesday, the latest move in the company's efforts to get ready for the connected home and draw more users to its services. The cylinder-shaped router, named OnHub, can be pre-ordered for $199.99 at online retailers including the Google Store, Amazon.com Inc and Walmart.com.


The router comes with in-built antennas that will scan the airwaves to spot the fastest connection, Google said in a blog post.

With the router, users will be able to prioritize a device so that they can get the fastest Internet speeds for data-heavy activities such as downloading content or streaming a movie.

The router can be hooked up with Google’s On app, available on Android and iOS, to run network checks and keep track of bandwidth use among other things.

Google said OnHub automatically updates with new features and the latest security upgrades, just like the company’s Android OS and Chrome browser. The router is being manufactured by network company TP-LINK, Google said, hinting that ASUS could be the second manufacturing partner for the product.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+

Today’s Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City brought two new large-screen smartphones — the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. There’s plenty to like here, along with a few questionable things that will get to below.


First, let’s hit the good stuff: The Galaxy Note 5 keeps the stunning 5.7-inch quad HD (1440p) Super AMOLED display it had before, but surrounds it with a thinner bezel and a curved back to help with one-handed use. For the first time, the Galaxy Note 5 lets you write on the screen even when it’s off by using the included stylus, and you can annotate PDFs or download an entire webpage with Scroll Capture. An improved Air Command hovers an icon for instant access to S Pen tools.

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ also trims down a bit compared with the current-gen Edge, and has the same-size 5.7-inch display as the Note 5; it’s more than half an ounce lighter, and lacks the built-in stylus. You can do a few things with the edge portion of the screen, but it’s mainly a gimmick here.

Both phones sport 2.1GHz Exynos 7420 octa-core processors — a significant bump for the Galaxy Note 5 that brings it on par with the S6 — and 4GB of RAM. Both run Android 5.1 Lollipop, contain 3,000mAh (sadly, non-removable) batteries with fast-charging and wireless charging capabilities, 16-megapixel f/1.9 rear cameras, and 5-megapixel front-facing sensors.

While I always appreciate top-notch audio, two snake-oil-like things stand out here. There’s now support for 24-bit, 192kHz audio files, even though the difference over uncompressed 16-bit and 44.1kHz is virtually inaudible for mastered music. 24-bit certainly helps when recording and mixing, but not with the final product in any real sense. And there’s a fake upscaling feature called Ultra High Quality Audio that can’t possibly work, because you can’t re-add the missing musical information to compressed music files once it’s already gone. I would tread lightly with those, and just hope that the two new phones still have high quality DACs and headphone amps (recent models like the Galaxy S6 certainly do).

You can get either phone with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, but there are no more micro SD card slots, so keep that in mind when choosing up front. The S6 Edge+ comes in black or gold, while the Note 5 comes in black or white.

Samsung got it right with the first Galaxy Note, back when few expected big demand for a large (then 5.3-inch) phone. More and more, large screens are beginning to dominate the spotlight, and increasingly, sales. These two phones will certainly keep Samsung in the game. No one else has developed the capacitive-screen stylus to as high a level, and continued refinements of the stunning-in-person Edge screen are certainly welcome.

Google to develop bandage-sized glucose monitoring devices

Somewhat lost amid this week's excitement surrounding Google's rebirth as Alphabet was the company's latest foray into the world of medical devices.
The company has entered into an agreement with DexCom to create a series of disposable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices that the companies claim will be smaller and more affordable than current options.
"We're committed to developing new technologies that will help move health care from reactive to proactive," Andrew Conrad, head of the life sciences team at Google, said in a statement released by the two companies. "This collaboration is another step towards expanding monitoring options and making it easier for people with diabetes to proactively manage their health."
The collaboration will pair DexCom's sensor technology with Google's miniaturized electronics platform. Together, the two companies hope to develop a device with a bandage-sized sensor that will be connected to the cloud.
Earlier this week, while explaining the reasoning behind the change to the name Alphabet, Google cofounder Larry Page emphasized the importance of the company's Life Sciences effort, which has been working on a glucose-sensing contact lens Larry Page emphasized the importance of the company's Life Sciences effort, which has been working on a glucose-sensing contact lens.
Life Sciences initiative will no longer be a part of Google X (the company's experiment-focused incubator), and will operate as a standalone company under the stewardship of its current leader, Conrad.
Google's new partnership with an established player in the field of medical devices further establishes the company's seriousness about making real inroads into health care.

Force Touch on the iPhone 6S could change the way you launch apps

Apple’s next iPhone, widely expected to be called the iPhone 6S, will reportedly have a display that knows how hard you press down on it. Apple first introduced the feature, called Force Touch, in the Apple Watch and later rolled it out to the MacBook and MacBook Pro.
There will be “consistent usage of Force Touch across the operating system to ‘shortcut’ actions,” according to the report. For example, iPhone 6S users will be able to Force Touch an app icon on the home screen and be taken to a specific action; Force Touch the Phone icon and it will take you right to voicemails. Force Touch the Phone icon and it will take you right to voicemails.
Other uses include Force Touching a destination in Apple Maps to automatically launch turn-by-turn directions; Force Touching a song in the Music app to bring up a menu with options to add it to a playlist or save it for offline playback; and Force Touching a link in Safari to see a thumbnail preview.
Apple will reportedly announce the next iPhone alongside a redesigned Apple TV at an event in early September.
The iPhone 6S is rumored to come with a stronger aluminum construction that’s harder to bend, a faster A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, speedier LTE data speeds, improved battery life and a 12-megapixel camera capable of recording 4K video.