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SPMC - XBMC Port With H.265 Video Codec Support

Successor to the hugely popular H.264 MP4 codec, HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) or H.265 is a new video compression format which offers smaller file-size with better video quality then it's predecessor. While the new codec is gaining popularity online with new contents getting published in this new format, multimedia players are still catching-up with support for decoding of this new codec. Desktop player's like VLC are now capable of decoding this new codec but we still do not have H.265 support on mobile device like Apple iOS and Google Android.

Luckily, SPMC (Semper Media Center) - a fork of XBMC for Android can not only be installed from Google Play or Amazon AppStore (One needs to download and install XBMC/Kodi from their website) but also comes with some handy tweaks and modifications. The latest version takes the lead from it's parent by adding support for H.265/HEVC on platforms such as Rockchip RK3288, Amlogic S805/S812, and other SoCs using MediaCodec API and libstagefright.

SPMC

FASTag - Prepaid Automated Electronic Toll Collection System For India

India's FASTag Technology

FASTag is the brand name given to automated "Electronic Toll Collection" system launched by India's Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. While such type of highway tag brands are common in developed countries under brand names like “Eazee Pass”, “SunPass”, “e-Pass” and “Salik”, this is a new technology for India. The system comprises of a simple to use, reloadable RFID tag which can be used to pay toll charges without stopping at toll-plazas. The Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology used in the tag allows users to travel non-stop through dedicated FASTag lane at toll checker booths, automated scanning of RFID tag on vehicle's windscreen deducts toll charges from the linked prepaid account without stopping for the cash transaction. The tag employs Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology and is affixed on the vehicle's windscreen after the tag account is active.

FASTag Cashless Lane

The RFID cards can be purchased and loaded from banks, at the moment Axis Bank and ICICI bank have started to offer the same with more franchises/agents at points of sales are planned in coming days. The technology not only saves users time but also helps save fuel as one don't need to wait for cash transaction, this reduction in idle vehicle fuel consumption is expected to save Rs 60,000 crore in fuel bills.

Fixing Lastpass Android App Login Prompts On MiUI 6

Disappointed with not only the design but overall package of the new Apple iPhone 6, I finally gave it a ditch and went for Xiaomi Mi4. The phone is not available in India but importing the device from HongKong costed me roughly $450 (Rs. 28000/-) and I am very satisfied to get such a brilliant phone for almost half the cost of an iPhone6.

Xiaomi phones are also known for their popular MiUI Android interface, and I installed the latest MiUI 6 Beta having Google Android 4.4.4 under the hood. MiUI 6 comes pre-installed with an excellent Security app which features an Anti-malware Scanner, System Cleaner, Data Monitor, Call/SMS Spam Blocker, Battery Manager and an excellent permission manager which lets you take control of which apps have root access and other permissions. Having Android allows you to do a lot more like LastPass Auto Login feature for applications, this however failed to work on MiUI6 and always timed-out as shown below, thankfully the fix was easy as instructed next.

MiUI Floating App Issue

Apple iOS 8.1 Finally Jailbroken

Apple iOS 8.1 JailbreakJailbreak fans who were holding upgrades to Apple iOS 8 can now take the plunge as Chinese iOS hacker group Team Pangu has finally achieved a iOS 8 – 8.1 jailbreak that works successfully on Apple devices including the latest iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2 along with all previous devices. For now the jailbreak utility is Windows only and allows users to get SSH access - using which one can install Cydia (Saurik has already uploaded Cydia for iOS 8 on his website). The user must disable passcode lock and turn off "find my iphone" feature before using Pangu for iOS8.

The list of devices and iOS firmware version supported by the new jailbreak : iOS 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.1 on Phone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad 2/3/4/Air/Air 2/mini 1/mini 2/mini 3 and iPod touch 5.

Pangu iOS Jailbreak Tool
Pangu iOS Jailbreak Tool

New Google Nexus Family With Android 5.0 Lollipop Announced

Google has officially unveiled the Android 5.0 Lollipop with a new range of Nexus family devices. The newly announced devices are a 6-inch smartphone named Nexus 6, a media streamer called the Nexus Player, and a 8.9-inch tablet built by HTC Nexus 9 - all powered by the next Google Android OS, the Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Google New Nexus Family With Android 5.0

New Battery Technology Can Reach 70% Charge In 2 Minutes And Last For Over 20 Years

While our electronic gadgets are evolving by the day, a common bottleneck faced is the outdated battery technology. Luckily, quite a few technological researches looks promising for the future battery technology - be it the COTA Wireless charging, the superfast NanoDot Smartphone Charger (Recharges in 30 seconds) or the all new ultra-fast charging batteries that last 20 years from Scientists at Nanyang Technology University (NTU).

The new lithium ion batteries can reach a 70% charge in two minutes and last for over 20 years. The change that did the trick was using titanium dioxide nanotubes for the anode (the negative pole) instead of conventional graphite which speeds up the battery's chemical reactions while offering 10,000 charging cycles instead of the usual 500. Since the mini titanium tubes are both easy to make and relatively inexpensive, the technology should not be far away from consumer usage.

Fast Charger Technology

The Battle Of The Best : Siri Vs Google Now Vs Cortana

The voice-activated personal assistant on your phones are getting smarter by the day and the battle for most usable artificial intelligence is being fought between Apple Siri, Google Now and Cortana. Stone Temple, a consulting company decided to put these three against each other to determine the best technology amongst them by evaluating each with no less then 3,000 voice queries.

Want to know who won the fight? Just watch the video below and click the "Read More" link below to get the exact results.

#Hairgate - Apple’s iPhone 6 Starts Plucking Beards And Hairs

As if Apple #bendgate was not enough, users are now reporting their new iPhone 6 is plucking out hairs from beards and heads. One such users tweeted - "The seam on my iPhone 6 where the aluminum meets the glass is definitely catching my hair and pulling it out,". The problem is now being confirmed by many (also, demonstrated on video as shared below) and it seems the fine gap between the aluminum casing and the glass front of the device is catching and pulling out people's hair. The same is now being called #hairgate/#seamgate/#beargate and as earlier the jokes are once again on Apple.

Apple iPhone 6 Hairgate
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