After realizing the blunder, HTC immediately deleted and replaced the tweet, but not before the Internet had taken screenshots. The most basic lessons we learn in photography is to clear the noise and reflections while taking a shot, especially of the photographer itself. Looks like HTC was in a rush to get the news out, and has now effectively managed to shift the limelight from the stunning new variant, and has instead given more leverage to Apple’s latest offering.
After the Nexus devices, Google is now rolling out the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update to Android One users in India. The devices that are receiving the update via OTA include the Micromax Canvas A1, Spice Dream UNO Mi-498, and Karbonn Sparkle V.
It is a gradual roll out, so it might take some time before it shows up on your device. You can manually check for an update by visiting the ‘System Upgrades’ section in the Settings Menu. It is recommended to upgrade your device in a strong Wi-Fi connection, with a fully charged battery to prevent inconvenience.

The 5.1.1 Lollipop update will bring greater system stability, improved RAM management, and fixes for frequent app crashes, Wi-Fi connectivity issues, and issues with Okay Google function among others.
It will also fix the memory leak issue, a bug that has been harassing users since 5.0 Lollipop days The over-the-air (OTA) update weighs in at around 11.8MB and carries a build number of LMY47V.
This update was first rolled out to Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 9 LTE devices last month. Earlier, Google had also published the factory images of the update for the Nexus Player.
Google’s Android One initiative was launched in India in September with the aim to tap the rural segment and convert them into smartphone users. Google has roped in local vendors like Micromax, Karbonn and Spice with a vision to bring the “pure” Android experience to affordable smartphones.

India’s largest homegrown smartphone brand, Micromax, is currently racing neck and neck with Samsung to become the nation’s numero uno smartphone maker. The company is reportedly in talks with China’s Alibaba, which could invest as much as $1.2 billion, valuing the smartphone maker at $6 billion. Even as it faces immense competition from new Chinese players with deep like Xiaomi and Lenovo among others, Vineet Taneja, who joined Micromax as CEO last year from Samsung, has his priorities set — to improve Micromax from the inside and delight its users with new products and services. I sat down with Taneja last week to talk about the big challenges and how Micromax is changing for the better since he became the CEO last March. Read on for some edited excerpts from the interview.
On commoditization of smartphones: We start with discussing whether the smartphone industry has commoditized. Judging by the number of new players that seem to come up and with most phones looking more or less alike, I feel so and so does one former Apple CEO. But Taneja disagrees. He believes that it is not a specification market, where people buy smartphones purely based on its hardware specifications.
“There is enough evidence in the market that design, materials, looks are more important even in the Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 market. That’s great news for players like us where we focus on materials and design, which can give us 10-15 percent premium,” he says. “This year the Indian phone industry is pegged at more than Rs 100,000 crores. At this size even 1 percent of the market is very exciting for many,” Taneja explains why we are seeing so many smartphone brands.
On after-sales service: Earlier this month, market research firm Gartner announced Micromax had entered the global top 10 mobile phone vendors list according to shipment volumes. It is a big deal for the Indian brand, which started selling phones just seven years ago. However there is a lot of scope for improvement, especially when it comes to after-sales service. I prod Taneja on the state of customer service, with many users complaining their phones never come back from the service center for the lack of spare parts. Rather than dismissing those claims, it is refreshing that he acknowledges them but he also says that things are improving.
“In the last one year the improvement has been tremendous. Our percentage of calls to service center from the overall installed base has come down by a factor of two. The hardware quality has improved. In absolute numbers, the installed base is growing so there are still quite a number of disgruntled users. Complaints pending for greater than 21 days has come down by a factor of five. But this is not enough either. We need to change the system. And that’s happening,” Taneja tells me.
In a move that could provide Micromax with a strategic advantage over its rivals, the company is set to introduce a new virtual service center to users to ensure their phones are repaired without the user having to set a foot outside their home. The service will begin with the Canvas Knight 2, which was launched last week. It will eventually bring this service to its other smartphones. “There is a huge opportunity in online customer support and virtual service centers. Have a problem? Login online to report. We will come pick it up, deliver it back or replace it,” Taneja says.
On investing in startups: In order to make its products better, Micromax is also looking at investing in startups. It earlier invested in Bangalore-based HealthifyMe but there are more in the pipeline. “We have started investing in small companies – some directly, some indirectly. These are things that we can incorporate into our phones. We will be announcing a couple more soon as we await closure of the deals,” he reveals.
On 4G smartphones: The Canvas Knight 2 is Micromax’s first 4G smartphone. However, the company has an aggressive plan to have a portfolio of 4G smartphones as carriers roll out their 4G networks across the country. “Every month we will launch a 4G smartphone, which will be a refreshed version of our existing Canvas smartphone range. The ramp up of 4G has happened at double the speed compared to 3G, also the smartphone market is much bigger than earlier. The incremental cost for a 4G device would be much lower than what we saw in 3G smartphones. You will have Rs 5,000 4G phones by the end of the year or early next year,” Taneja explains.
On Xiaomi and online-exclusive retail model: We finally talk about the elephant in the room – the emergence of new brands like Xiaomi and their strategy of selling smartphones almost at cost. Taneja remains undeterred.
“There is a business model there based on different business margin but we have been very successful growing our market share. There is a type of buyer who only cares about specs, without caring about support or how long the product lasts. There are different types of buyers. There are others that want good products that last long and have after-sales service support. Had that not been the case, then Xiaomi and others would have 100 percent of the market. Which is why I say, the smartphone market is not really commoditized,” he says.
On unshackling software updates from Google, ODM and chipset provider: Talking about big trends on his watch, Taneja tells me he is closely watching the trend of customization of user experience started by Xiaomi, Yu and others. That and providing quick software updates is what Micromax is looking at. Even though he says Micromax is aggressively providing software updates – more so than other brands – it is still struggling.
“We really have to struggle with the ecosystem of Google, chipset provider and ODM to get software updates for consumers. Most of the time, the chipset provider or the ODM just want to sell you new stuff than providing updates for older products. You need to own that part of the OS to make sure we don’t have to rely on that part of the ecosystem. A UI layer on top that we can control is what we are looking at doing,” he exclaims.
That will be a really big task for Micromax, which started off by selling Chinese phones. But things are changing. The company, which is also a platinum partner for Google for Android, has set up a hardware R&D facility in China and another for software in Bangalore. This is just the beginning of the Micromax story.

Delhi government today said it was not against any kind of business and will follow best practices to promote the commuters’ interests but won’t compromise with safety and security of women in the city.
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai also accused app-based taxi operators Uber and Ola cabs of “misleading” their drivers and commuters, by not submitting the details of their drivers to the government.

Delhi government wants to set the record straight on the issue of app-based taxi services in the national capital, since an impression is being created as if the state government has taken some fresh decision, he said.
“It is regretted that companies like Uber and Ola are misleading poor taxi drivers and the general public of the national capital.
“Delhi government makes it absolutely clear that it is not against any kind of business and will follow best practices to promote the interests of commuters, but will not compromise with women safety,” Rai told reporters here.
Earlier in the day, the minister said that Uber and Ola cabs have not submitted details pertaining to their drivers and vehicles, but they submitted details to government only by evening.
“Unfortunately, the conduct of these companies so far does not inspire confidence and I have no hesitation in publicly stating that they have indulged in cheating the trust of Delhi government and the residents of the national capital,” Rai said.
The AAP government had on June 3 rejected fresh applications for licence by US-based taxi booking firm Uber and two other such service providers — Ola and TaxiForSure.
Top Delhi government officials said the applications of the three taxi aggregators were rejected for not filing undertakings stating that they were complying with a ban imposed on them.
The three operators had filed the applications under the modified Radio Taxi Scheme introduced five months ago.
All app-based cab service were banned in the national capital after a driver of Uber, the US-based online cab service provider, was accused of raping a woman passenger in December last.
“Government asked Uber and Ola Cabs that their pending applications for fresh licences will be considered if they agree to adhere to the existing ban on them, furnish the data of drivers and their vehicles within a week and give an undertaking that they will comply with safety regulations, particularly for women commuters,” Rai added.
“I have met drivers associations over the last two days and they have told me that they have submitted all their details with the offices of these companies located at Gurgaon. Then why are these companies are hesitant to share the data with the transport department,” he added.
The transport minister also added that in case these companies have nothing to hide, they should come clean and submit the required data and comply with stipulated safety guidelines.
Uber, however, said that it has made a full and complete application for a radio taxi license in January along with all driver details that were required as per the application process.
“The request for additional data by the honourable minister was verbal and not a part of any licensing process.
No specifics on the content or format of such information were provided to us. Even as of today, there remains no formal communication.
“All personal information of drivers and riders are protected by the fundamental right to privacy. Given this, we are required to treat this data with utmost caution and diligence,” Gagan Bhatia, Uber GM – Delhi, said in a statement.
He also said after a detailed discussion with the Ministry, Uber today complied with the Minister’s request for data in a good faith belief that we are required by law to do so. We have provided details of all driver-partners and vehicles operating on the Uber platform in Delhi.
“We humbly appeal to the government to resume constructive dialogue towards an amicable resolution of this issue; moving towards a safer Delhi which puts the interest of its citizens first,” he also said.
However, on the minister’s allegation’s that Uber is “misleading” their drivers and commuters, an official from the company refused to comment on it.

YouTube surfing and chatting are the favourite pastimes of residents and tourists in the ‘Queen of Hills’, as Shimla was fondly called by the British colonial rulers.
This fact came to light during a survey carried out by the company that provided week-long free WiFi facility for the users on the historic Ridge, Shimla’s most famous promenade, that ended on Saturday.
The Shimla Municipal Corporation launched this facility as a pilot project.
Aura Ventures, Airtel and Airtight Inc deployed the trial WiFi network.
There were roughly 9,000 logins during the seven days, approximately 1,250 users per day, Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar told IANS.
At peak event time, he said, there were around 200 online users and nearly 70 users during lean hours.
Sometimes a bit of congestion was encountered due to the high usage as well as the relatively longer duration of free surf time, i.e. two hours per user, Panwar said.
The congestion was also due to only 40 mbps bandwidth as the backhaul link was on a Microwave Radio due to digging restrictions on the Ridge preventing a quick fibre deployment.
Overall the WiFi system was functional 99.5 percent of the time as no major outage was encountered, he added.
The service also covered some parts of Mall Road, which was once a ‘British only’ street for strolling.
Seven routers (access points) have been installed to provide WiFi service and the range of each router would be approximately 150 metres.
The state capital remains chock-a-block with tourists, especially during the peak tourist seasons — May-June and November-January.
According to tourism industry representatives, Shimla gets 20,000-30,000 tourists on an average every weekend during the peak season.

The instant way to get over the hunger pangs or the perfect midnight snack or the dish through which many started cooking — Maggi noodles is slowly disappearing from the market following the controversy over food-safety standards. The issue has created a stir in the virtual world as well with some pointing out the need to shun junk food while others taking a dig at the issue.
Micro-blogging site Twitter has been abuzz from earlier this week with comments from all sections with actor Kabir Bedi mentioning that the government should focus on other important sanitation issues.
“State governments should focus more on undrinkable tap water, unbreathable air, adulterated spices & fake medicines. #Maggi #Nestle,” Kabir posted.
Echoing the same thought, actress Gul Panag shared: “While we outrage about #Maggi & processed food, spare a thought for the ‘freshly’ cooked highly contaminated street food bulk of India eats.”
Maggi noodles, a popular snack from the Nestle India ‘kitchen’, has been in the news following a lab report that samples of the product contained more lead than the permissible limit.
Some state governments have banned Maggi for 15 to 30 days and many called for tests on the popular noodles. Celebrities who endorsed the brands in the past are Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta also got embroiled into the controversy.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur ?also shed light on other unhealthy food products as he said: “Its not just #Maggi Those that think Diet #Coke and #Pepsi dont cause diabetes, better think again”.
Popular DJ and VJ Nikhil Chinapa was shocked by the whole revelation as he posted: “What kind of human being would put lead in food for kids..? #Maggi #Nestle”.
While filmmaker Anubhav Sinha is trying to read between lines as he posted: “The only thing I can’t decipher in the Maggi episode is that my Government is SO VERY INTERESTED in my health”; Pritish Nandy ?said “If I can drink the occasional Coke, buy a Mac burger, eat carbide ripe mangoes and veggies laced with pesticide, why will I sneer at Maggi?”.
Former Supreme Court judge and Press Council of India’s ex-chairman Markandey Katju also missed the snack.
He shared: “I don’t know about u folks, but I love Maggi noodles ( with some green peas or beans ) served steaming hot. I will be sad if I cant get it”.
Author Chetan Bhagat was amazed by the hue and cry over the noodles as it was never healthy.
“Anything dried for months and is mostly dough is not healthy for you. Pretty obvious, Maggi never was healthy. Lead isn’t healthy either,” Bhagat shared.
Actor Punit Malhotra ?also took a dig at the issue as he said: “Watching Arnab’s debate on Maggi. He screams so much, I am sure he ate a lot of the “harmful” Maggi”.
Meanwhile, some adventurous souls got into the rebellious mode and gorged on their favourite snacks.
A user Ratnesh Nagori shared: “Eating #Maggi. Aaj kuch toofani karte hai”; while another user Monicka Vadera ?posted “My precioussss #Maggi #Loving ….. Anyone willing to negotiate ? Need more packets Sue me”.

Tech enthusiasts will finally be able to buy the Apple Watch in an Apple store about two weeks from now, when “some models” will start to arrive.
The shift from online-only sales to in-store sales came as Apple is believed to have shipped most of its remaining orders. The firm said that orders place in May for every model of Watch will be shipped within the next two weeks, reported The Verge.
Also, the wearable device will now be available for purchase in seven more countries, including, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan. In these locations, the watch will be available both online and in stores.

Truecaller has introduced many new features to combat the irritant issue of spam calls. The company has announced an Android app upgrade which now lets users block entire area codes, numbers with specific digits, hang up automatically on select numbers, and even mute (goes on silent automatically) certain numbers, so that they go on ringing without disturbing you.
Truecaller has a curated list of ‘common spammers’ which is updated every day, and warns users to block certain numbers that have been reported from other Truecaller users. There is also a separate list of ‘top spammers’, which are automatically blocked by the app.
To avoid all those annoying calls from call centres, be it for bills, selling insurance policies or some irrelevant products, users can now choose new features like ‘Do not answer’ and ‘Hang up’ to avoid select numbers entirely.
Additionally, Truecaller’s new update also brings blocking of specific digits. For example, users can block all numbers with digits starting +91 8043 XXXXXX.
Truecaller’s last update brought improvements to its search functionality with ‘Auto Search’, which enabled users to get information on a number mentioned anywhere like a website, email or text message. At last count, Truecaller had over 100 million users, and claimed to hold contact information of almost 1.5 billion people.