Kapil Sharma to make his debut opposite Elli Avram?

Kapil Sharma, who is known to make million of his fans laugh with his humour, is all set to enter Bollywood with an Abbas-Mustan film.

According to a report in a leading daily, Kapil will be seen romancing Elli Avram in the film. Elli was seen opposite Manish Paul in Mickey Virus and also grabbed eyeballs with her stay in Bigg Boss 7.

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Panipat teen makes device to turn breath into words, enters Google science fair

GURGAON: Arsh Shah Dilbagi, a 16-year-old from Panipat, has entered the Google's Global Science Fair as the only finalist from Asia this year for developing a device that helps people with developmental disabilities, like Locked-In Syndrome and ALS, communicate, using only their breath.

The device, called 'TALK', uses signals from a person's breath via Morse code, picked up by a sensor, and then converts them into speech. Dilbagi, a student of DAV International School, Panipat, says the device even allows almost entirely speech impaired and paralyzed people to communicate like never before.

Claiming to have built the world's fastest and cheapest Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device, a kind used by physicist Stephen Hawking, Dilbagi says it is not possible for all those who have motor-neuro disabilities to afford an AAC device that costs $7,000 (Rs 4.26 lakh).

"AAC devices available in the market are very expensive, slow, bulky and not generic. I decided to find a better solution — an AAC device which is faster, portable and generic and costs only $80 (Rs 5000), making it affordable to the large population," he explains.

The young innovator says that TALK expects a person to be able to give two distinguishable exhales with varying intensities, for converting them into electrical signals using a microphone. The signals are processed by a microprocessor, called the 'Morse engine', which labels the short exhales as 'dots' and longer exhales as 'dashes'. These are further interpreted through the Morse code which converts the signals into words and then sends them to another microprocessor for synthesizing them into voice. According to Dilbagi, TALK features two modes - one to communicate in English, and the other to give specific commands and phrases. These are communicated in nine different voices enabled according to gender and age.

Making two major breakthroughs; increasing the speaking rate, and becoming the world's most affordable AAC device, TALK has landed the young prodigy as the only finalist from Asia in Google's Science Fair Challenge.

"I even got predicted results by testing the device on a person suffering from encephalopathy (global brain dysfunction) and Parkinson's disease," he has claimed in his proposal to Google.

He adds, "In future, I would like to add auto-predictions to my computing engine and integrate TALK with modern technology like Google Glass to make it easier for people with development disabilities."

Dilbagi's father, Amit, said, that since childhood his son had dreamt of doing something meaningful for mankind.

"His attention has always been towards applied science projects. I will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Harshvardhan to consider this project for the countless people in need for such a device in our country," he told TOI.

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Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

It's official: Apple has released a 5.5-inch iPhone. Officially called the iPhone 6 Plus, the device is Apple's first entry into the phone-tablet hybrid (a.k.a. "phablet") market. It also released the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, making it Apple's second largest smartphone.

A few of the other features revealed Tuesday at Apple's event in Cupertino, California:

• A faster Apple A8 processor, which Apple claims is 25 percent faster than the previous processor.
• A better battery life than the iPhone 5s.
• "Ion-strengthened" Retina HD resolution displays.
• The iPhone 6 is only 6.8 millimeters thick and the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 millimeters — both thinner than the 7.6-millimeter iPhone 5s.
• An improved FaceTime camera capable of HDR photo and video, and burst mode for selfies.
• A new NFC payment system called Apple Pay that lets people pay with their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299. Pre-orders begin on September 12, with phones actually shipping on September 19.

Why did Apple go big? In three years, phablets will outsell both laptops and tablets, according to a report from market research firm IDC. Samsung strengthened its position in the phablet market last week by releasing the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which comes equipped with a curved screen.

Apple

Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

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PIO buys Liz Hurley kiss for $81,000

LOS ANGELES: A kiss from model-actress Elizabeth Hurley sold for $81,000 at a fund raising auction for Elton John's AIDS Foundation.

The smooch was bought by Indian-origin banker Julian Bharti as part of the auction and dinner at John's Woodside End of Summer Party, which brought in money for the singer's charity, reported E!Online.
 Hurley, 49, wore a cream mini dress and gold strappy sandals. She also draped a fur stole around her shoulders and carried a gold clutch bag.
Guests including Ian MCKellen, Ellie Goulding and Lulu splashed out $5,100 each on tickets to the exclusive gala, which was held in the grounds of John's mansion in Berksh

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The-best-time-to-sell-your-used-iphone

        

It’s the worst-kept secret on the planet. We now know that Apple is announcing something on Sept. 9, and the smart money is that it will unveil a new iPhone (or possibly two new iPhones and a wearable, watch-like device).

As a result, prices for used Apple smartphones are steadily dropping — just like they always do prior to a new iPhone-palooza. In fact, according to gadget recommerce site Gazelle, over the past three years, prices for used iPhones have dropped roughly 20 percent in value during the month before a launch. NextWorth, which tracks average eBay sale prices for iPhones, says the drop is closer to 25 percent.

If you have an aging iPhone and you want to get the most for it before you inevitably upgrade to the latest and greatest, the time to sell is now. 

Like, right now.

And yesterday would be even better.

Buy here nowNot everyone agrees that used iPhone prices are tanking. Nik Raman, co-founder of uSell, says prices on his buying marketplace may actually rise slightly before the launch, because he’s temporarily dropping the commission his site makes on each sale. But he also notes that prices traditionally drop another 15 to 20 percentage points after the announcement. So that’s a potential 40 percent drop in how much you can get for your iPhone if you wait too long.

Gazelle, NextWorth, and uSell offer 30-day price guarantees, so you can lock in a buyback price and then hold onto your old handset until you have the new one safely in hand.

Here’s a snapshot of how prices among the leading gadget resellers compared as of Tuesday afternoon. All prices are for base model 16 GB white or silver iPhones in good condition.

There are several obvious conclusions you can draw from this data.

• If you’ve got a Verizon iPhone, you’ll get more for it. The reason? They’re easier to unlock in bulk, making them more attractive to buyers who make their money selling them to overseas markets, Raman says. 

• If you’ve got a Sprint handset, you won’t get very much. That’s because Sprint phones rely on CDMA technology that isn’t widely used abroad, Raman adds.

• Want to sell an older iPhone, like the 4s? You won’t make much. And you might as well give models older than the iPhone 4 to your kids or a recycling center — most resellers won’t accept them. (Though uSell will take your iPhone 3GS off your hands for $2.40.)

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Tips to use some hidden features in Gmail

Almost all of us have a Google account, but very few of us have any idea how we can use many of its hidden features.

It is time you use your Gmail like a boss.

Handling spam in Gmail

Did you know that the dots within your Gmail address have no significance?

So if your address is tyler.durden@gmail.com, it means that any e-mails which are sent to tylerdurden@gmail.com, or t.ylerdurden@gmail.com, or even t.y.l.e.r.d.u.r.d.e.n@gmail.com will also land in your inbox.
So, what's the use of this 'Gmail glitch'?

Well, you can use it to set up filter rules for your internet subscription services or one-time online registrations.

Consider, if you do not want to provide your real e-mail address to sign up for an online internet service, simply use an alias like t.ylerdurden@gmail.com and then create an e-mail filter to delete all messages that come to this ID.

Sorting through e-mail subscriptions

If you want to create a filter for your different internet subscriptions, you can use the '+' feature.

Say you want to subscribe to a newsletter from The Onion, you can use tyler.durden+theonion@gmail.com.

The newsletters will still come to your inbox, but you can now use 'theonion' as a keyword to search for all your tagged e-mails, and even set filters.

Managing contacts

Did you know that you can have your smartphone contacts synced automatically with your Google account?

In effect, you will only need to maintain the 'Contacts' on Gmail for your whole address book to be updated on your smartphone and tablet where you've signed-in with your ID.

To sync your contacts...

On an Android device, go to Settings > Add Account > Google and follow the steps to add your ID.

After this, every time you add a new contact, make sure you it is added to your Google account and not saved locally to your smartphone.

After you save the number to your Google ID, it will be synced to your Gmail address book and will be reflected on all other devices that have the same account.

Similarly, you can sync contacts on iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices, though the steps will differ slightly.

Finding duplicates

Click Gmail in the top left corner, choose Contacts, then More > Find & Merge Contacts.

You will get a list of all the double entries in your address book.

Choose the ones you would like to combine and click Merge.

Restore addresses

When you delete contacts from your mobile device, they will be removed from your Google account as well.

But you can still recover them within 30 days of deleting.

Go to Contacts, click More > Restore contacts.

Choose the time you would like to revert to, and click Restore.

To create an e-mail filter...

Click on the gear symbol in the top right corner of your Gmail inbox, then, go to Settings > Filter tab > Create a new filter.

Choose your criteria - From, To, Includes the words, Has attachment, etc - for the filter.

Click Create filter with this search - and you can then choose an action like Skip the Inbox (Archive it), Apply the label, Delete it and more.

There! Now, all your e-mails will be sorted and dealt with according to the filter actions you have chosen.

 

Labs

Programmers at Google have created experimental stuff that can do wonders for your e-mail experience.

For example, you could use a Labs option called Right-side chat to move your chat list from the left pane to the other side.

Other interesting projects include Preview Pane that provides users with a panel that allows you to read an e-mail as soon as your click on it; Multiple Inboxes, which creates different panes for your filtered messages, and Authentication icon for verified senders that display a key next to authenticated messages from certain senders that spammers attempt to impersonate.

To access Labs, click on the gear symbol on the top right corner, then go to Settings > Labs tab.

Managing your dates

Using your Google ID you can create a planner using its calendar feature at calendar.google.com.

Here, you can add and view events and meetings you have scheduled by day, week, month, or as an easy-to-read list of your daily agenda.

You can create calendars and share them with friends by e-mail.

Similarly, you can access a friend's shared calendar.

This service can be viewed and edited on your smartphone as well.

Just make sure that the calendar, in your Google account, has been configured to sync with your device.

Moreover, you can also access your Calendar from within Gmail.

Click the gear icon in the top right corner, click Settings > Labs > Google Calendar gadget, select the Enable radio button and click Save Changes.

Now, you can keep a tab on upcoming events while you are going through your inbox.

You can quickly add events from here itself and also add more functionality by clicking on Options.

Google drive

If you work with documents, presentations and spreadsheets on a regular basis, you might want to try out Google Drive at drive.google.com.

Whenever you get an e-mail with a productivity file as an attachment, save it to your Drive account, and you can begin collaborating on these with colleagues.

1. To share a file that you have open in Drive, click the blue Share button at the top of a Doc, Sheet, or Slide.
Then add your colleagues' Gmail addresses and you can even decide how much access they get: view-, comment-only, or the ability to edit the file.

2. When collaborating on a single document, you and your colleagues can use comment bubbles to annotate paragraphs, and even suggest edits, which the document owner can then accept or reject with a single click.

3. When you add a comment in Drive, you can type + and the person's email address (e.g. '+tylerdurden@ gmail.com') and they'll get an e-mail letting them know that a comment has been directed at them.

4. If all your collaborators are online and accessing the same file as you, you can click on their profile picture at the top of the document to be taken to where their cursor is.

5. Want to revert to an older version of your document?
Go to File > See revision history to see changes made to the document. You can even restore to a previous version.

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6 ways to avoid high ATM charges

Here's how you can avoid the charges that are likely to kick in from 1 November 2014.

1. Your first weapon against ATM charges is the plastic in your wallet. Use your debit and credit cards so that you don't need too much cash. Be alert when you do this. Some establishments charge 1-2% of the amount as transaction fee, which will defeat the purpose of using the cards. There is also the danger of overspending if you use plastic money for every purchase.
2. Don't wait till you are broke to withdraw money from the ATM. Give yourself a buffer of 2-3 days by indulging in advance planning. In this manner, you won't be forced to use another bank's ATM. While withdrawing cash, take out more than the amount you need immediately. Take into account the expenses during the coming 8-10 days and withdraw accordingly.
3. If your bank's ATM is in the vicinity, avoid using another bank's machine. Even if you have to walk 50-100 feet, your first choice should be your own bank's ATM. Only if there is no ATM close to you should you use another bank's ATM. Some banks have apps that can help you locate their nearest ATM on the smartphone. Make a list of your bank's ATMs in the areas you frequently visit.
4. Keep some cash at home in case you run out of money due to unforeseen expenses. However, don't keep too large an amount in cash. In your effort to save Rs 20 in ATM fees, you could be losing out more in interest on that amount. Besides, keeping cash at home is risky.
5. The silver lining is that the ATM charges will help revive yThe cap on ATM usage includes non-financial transactions, such as balance enquiry or a mini statement request. Instead of using the ATM for this, take the SMS route. Most banks offer SMS facility for checking account balance, mini statements with last five to 10 transactions, and the status of cheques issued by you.
6. Our dormant bank account. Most banks charge a small annual fee of Rs 80-100 for a no-frill debit card. One debit card will allow you 36 transactions on other banks' ATMs and 60 at your own bank in one year. That is much cheaper than the charge imposed by your current bank if you exceed the cap on transactions.

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