Oakter brings home automation to India

Oakter gives you the ability to control your appliances from your phone.

Home automation hasn’t taken off in India quite the same way it has in Western countries, but a local startup called Oakter is about to change that. The Noida-based startup has developed a smart home kit that lets you control your appliances — air conditioners, geysers, or coffee makers — through your phone.

The smart home kit consists of a hub, which connects to your local Wi-Fi network, and Smart Plugs (called Leaves), which are available in 6Amp, 16Amp, and 25Amp variations. There’s a Smart Thermostat as well, which has a temperature and humidity sensor, and a Touch Leaf that lets you control connected devices wirelessly.

To get started, all you need to do is attach a Leaf into your regular wall socket, and plug in your appliances. You can set up and configure Oakter over your local network via the companion app. Once the initial setup is finished, you have the ability to set schedules for individual Leaves, allowing you to automatically switch your appliances on or off at a set time. Given that most parts of the country still witness sporadic electricity cuts, the scheduling feature is useful. Along with setting schedules, the app lets you view the activity log for each Leaf.

All Leaves also come with an auto-cutoff feature, another addition aimed at ensuring that your appliances don’t get damaged in the event of power failure. I’ve been using Oakter for three weeks now, and I love the fact that I can schedule lights to turn on automatically and switch off the air conditioner with my phone.

Yes, Oakter’s smart home kit is a novelty, but there’s something inherently cool about controlling your appliances with your phone. If you’ve been looking for a home automation product designed for the Indian market, Oakter’s your best bet right now.

The price? Oakter’s basic home kit includes the hub and two Leaves (6Amp and 16Amp), and is available for ₹4,750. The smart home kit comes with a hub, a 6Amp Leaf, a 16Amp Leaf, a Smart Thermostat, and a Touch Leaf, all for ₹10,000. You can pick up the kit from Amazon India, or head to Oakter’s website to get your hands on its home automation products. You can also customize your kit by ordering directly from Oakter. The company is looking to make its products available offline at brick-and-mortar retailers shortly.

See at Amazon India

Evernote hikes up prices, limits free users to two devices

Evernote has announced that it will increase the prices for its Plus and Premium tiers, while limiting the sync functionality for Basic users to two devices. Under the new pricing plan, Plus users have to shell out $3.99 per month (up from $2.99) or $34.99 yearly, and Premium users will have to pay $7.99 per month (from $5.99) or $69.99 annually.

Plus users get 1GB of uploads, while Premium users can upload 10GB monthly. Meanwhile, Basic users get 60MB uploads. Both paid tiers come with the ability to sync across an unlimited number of devices. From Evernote’s blog:

Beginning today, the prices for our Plus and Premium tiers will change for new subscriptions, and access from Evernote Basic accounts will be limited to two devices. Current subscribers and Basic users who are using more than two devices will have some time to adjust before the changes take effect. If you are impacted, look for a message from us in the coming days.

We don’t take any change to our pricing model lightly, and we never take you for granted. Our goal is to continue improving Evernote for the long-term, investing in our core products to make them more powerful and intuitive while also delivering often-requested new features. But that requires a significant investment of energy, time, and money. We’re asking those people who get the most value from Evernote to help us make that investment and, in return, to reap the benefits that result.

Evernote isn’t a vast corporation, and note-taking isn’t a sideline for us. It’s what we do, and we strive to do it better than anyone else. We hope you’ll continue to capture your thoughts and develop your ideas with us.

Evernote’s FAQ page details how the device limitation will be enforced:

Each device where you’re signed in to Evernote counts toward your device limit.

If you have multiple devices of the same type, each one counts toward your device limit. For example, if you sign in to your Evernote account on two different iPhones, it’s counted as two devices.

If multiple people sign in to separate accounts on the same Evernote app, on the same device, that device counts as one device for each Evernote account. For example, if you and your spouse share a Mac at home and use account switching to sign in to each of your accounts on the same Evernote for Mac app, the Mac counts as one device for you and as one device for your spouse. Each of you can use Evernote on at least one additional device.

I’ve been a long-time user of Evernote Basic, and I use the app for all of my writing needs. I have the app installed on more devices that I can remember, which means that I now have to pony up for the service. I went with the Basic tier as that was more than adequate for my use case, which was to have my notes synced across all of my devices.

Would I be willing to pay to retain that functionality? Absolutely. Also, Evernote’s regional pricing means that I can subscribe to the Plus tier for just ₹850 a year ($12), and the Premium plan for ₹1,500 ($22) annually.

Samsung is giving new Galaxy smartphone owners a $20 voucher for using Samsung Pay

Samsung is rolling out a promotion where it is offering a $20 voucher — redeemable on Samsung’s website — to those those making their first purchase using Samsung Pay. Those that have bought the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, S6 active, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S7 active or the Galaxy Note 5 on or before June 22 are eligible for the promotion.

To avail the offer, you’ll need to add a qualifying card to Samsung Pay, and make your first purchase between June 22 and August 1. Samsung is also offering a $10 gift card for American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy, Domino’s, GameStop, Nike, P.F. Chang’s, and Regal Entertainment Group:

Every Friday through July 8th, Samsung Pay will award the first 777 users each hour with a $10 gift card. Be the first to shop on the hour, every hour from 12pm – 7pm ET to participate. You’ll find out if you will receive a gift card instantly!

T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and S6 edge now picking up June security patch

T-Mobile’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are now picking up the June security update. The update comes in at 250MB, and brings new firmware to both phones in addition to the latest security patch.

As noted by SamMobile, the firmware on the Galaxy S6 is incremented to G920TUVU4EPF1, with T-Mobile’s changelog noting an update to the anti-theft feature as well as bug fixes and improvements as other additions.

The Galaxy S6 edge sees its firmware version updated to G925TUVU3EPD1. If you’re rocking either handset, now would be a good time to head into the phone’s settings to manually initiate the download.

Google is making it easier to view your data and set ad preferences

Google is working to make it easier for those who rely on its services and platforms to control what adverts are displayed on PCs, smartphones and other connected hardware. The search giant will also provide a tool that will allow for certain ads to be blocked from being displayed on search results. This will save you some time by not having to manually fire off special requests per ad on each device.

Notifications are being sent out to those using Google’s search engine, its Chrome web browser or Gmail. Fear not if you’ve yet to receive one as it’ll take some weeks for everyone to receive an alert to check out these new tools. From the DailyMail report:

“Google also is introducing a “My Activity” feature that will enable users to delete records of their online search requests and videos watched on YouTube in a single location instead of having to visit different websites or apps. Google’s business has been built on its longtime practice of monitoring its users’ online behavior in an effort to learn about their interests so it can show ads most likely to appeal to them.”

If allowed, Google will now store all your web browsing histories, along with all other collected data in the My Activity area of My Account. This is a massive change from how it’s currently set up, which sees data stored in different locations. This will help create a more consistent online experience using Google’s own services, while also providing Google the means to combat certain privacy complaints.

That iPhone 7 Force Touch home button replacement appears again

Rumours of Apple ditching its physical home button in favour of a Force Touch component have been rife and now more evidence has arrived. Apple reportedly plans to use a solid state capacitive component in the iPhone 7.

The latest leak comes from Business Insider sources that claim the Touch ID home button will not be found in the iPhone 7. While these analyst sources are not what we’d call solid, this rumour has appeared several times.

A leaked photo, claiming to be of an iPhone 7, recently showed a mere ring on the phone’s front where the home button currently sits. Hit and miss rumour mill DigiTimes also reported that Apple will ditch the button in favour of fingerprint Touch ID recognition built right into the entire front panel. This also refers to a single-chip solution, similar to the wording of this latest report.

Apple is also rumoured to get rid of the 3.5mm audio port on the iPhone 7. If Apple is making physical changes, a redesign would make sense. The end of Apple’s iPhone home button could be soon.

Check out our feature on the iPhone 7 in the read link below to learn everything that can be expected so far.

READ: Apple iPhone 7: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Now TV Smart Box official, plus no-contract TV, broadband and phone from £9.99

Sky has officially announced its next Now TV box at an event in London. It also launched the Now TV Combo, which lumps a streaming service pass, unlimited broadband, and a phone line, all without a contract.

The combo comes with the new Now TV Smart Box included.

Prices for the combo depends on the pass, broadband package and landline deal, but starts at £9.99 a month. The bigger the pass or better the broadband and phone, the higher the price.

The Now TV Smart Box comes with a digital TV tuner and all of Now TV’s apps and services. You can buy it separately for £40 if you don’t want the Combo package. Live TV is included into the usual menu screen and runs from an aerial socket.

It will be available from early July.

There was no mention of 4K Ultra HD connectivity, as was previously rumoured. We will be asking Sky whether its new box has the capability though, to add 4K channels when they are launched – thought to be later this summer.

The standard Now TV box will continue to be sold for those who don’t require the Freeview tuner.

Electrostatic sheets promise super-light exoskeletons

Of all the reasons exoskeletons aren’t widespread, weight is one of the biggest. Even the slickest designs still tend to need bulky machinery. Not at Carnegie Mellon University, however — its researchers have developed an exoskeleton clutch mechanism that barely weighs anything. Their Electroadhesive Clutch, as the name suggests, relies on electrostatic adhesion between specially coated electrode sheets to control spring movement. At 0.05 ounces per pair, it’s 30 times lighter than existing clutches, and uses up to 750 times less power. Even if you had hundreds of clutches, the robotic assistance would take a huge strain off your body. And did we mention that there’s three times as much torque density?

The technology has the potential to help the disabled and rehabilitating get some mobility without having to deal with a large, heavy reminder of their conditions. However, it could also be helpful for robots, where every weight- and power-saving measure counts. You may well see mechanical suits and automatons that don’t look like they came from a factory.

Source: IEEE, PR Newswire, Steve Collins (YouTube)

Salamander robot can walk, crawl and swim like the real deal

One of the latest robots out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) can mimic the way a real salamander moves, whether on land or in the water. The EPFL scientists call it Pleurobot (after the species Pleurodeles waltl) and designed it after studying x-ray videos showing the amphibian walking and swimming. According to the institute, other scientists from EPFL had built salamander robots in the past, but this has the most realistic movements thus far. It’s also the first one that’s “accurately based on the 3D motion of the animal’s skeleton.”

Pleurobot is made up of 3D-printed bones, motorized joints and an electronic circuitry that serves as its synthetic central nervous system. It has fewer vertebrae than an actual salamander, but the scientists optimized their placement so that the machine’s movements look as authentic and natural as possible. Team leader Auke Ijspeert says Pleurobot can help them understand vertebrate locomotion.

You see, the lowest level of electrical stimulation in salamanders’ spinal cords is associated with walking, while the highest is associated with swimming. As such, the machine can help scientists explore the relationship between spinal cord stimulation and a vertebrate animal’s movements. In the future, this could lead to neuroprosthetic devices for both amputees and paraplegic patients.

Source: EPFL