QNAP TS-453 Pro, 4 bay NAS - Features and Specifications

Taiwan based QNAP is known for its product in network attached storage (NAS) market. QNAP TS-453 Pro is among its latest offerings and we got a chance to play around it for a while. The QNAP TS-453 Pro is a multi functional machine with many facets. We will be detailing about its specifications and features in this post.

Build: QNAP TS-453 Pro is a light weight easy to install NAS machine. The machine has 4 bays for attaching HDD which comes with a unique circular lock to lock the Hard Drives in Bays. On the Front, the body has QNAP branding on the top left and at the bottom left there is a Power button to switch the machine on/off, below that you will find a USB 3.0 Port labeled as Copy. This port is used to connect any HD via USB and get the backup done instantly on NAS. The right side of the front is dominated by 4 bays to hold your storage hard drives. On top of Hard Drive bays you can see LEd indicators for Status, USB and LAN. above which on left side there is a small display where important information can be seen.

Any guesses what's this product here? #TechBlogger #NAS..

A photo posted by Rahul Kasana (@kasanarahul) on Feb 1, 2017 at 9:12am PST

On the back side you will see a large Fan for cooling, the power cable slot, On the right side there is a tiny Reset button on top, A HDMI output port (This is great, you can use your NAS as a multimedia player as well) , There are 2 Ports each of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 for data usage and connecting peripherals. At the bottom right you can see 4 GbE ports.

Specifications: 

• HDD Bays: 4 x SATA III – 6Gb/s
• HDD Form Factor: 4 x 3.5″/2.5″
• CPU: Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz
• RAM: 2GB or 8GB DDR3L
• Flash Memory 512MB DOM
• External Connectivity:
• 1 x HDMI
• 4 x Gigabit Ethernet
• 2 x USB 2.0
• 3 x USB 3.0
• Cooling: 90mm fan
• Max. Power Consumption: 21W (HDD in stand-by), 33W typical
• Dimensions: 180mm (W) x 177mm (H) x 235mm (D)
• Weight: 3.65 kg

In case you end up using all the space in your all 4 HDDs then you get the option to expand your storage using UX-500P a 5 bay external unit or UX-800P an 8 bay external unit.  

As TS-453 Pro comes with the USB connectivity options, it can be used just as a normal PC by attaching your peripherals ( Monitor via HDMI Port and Keyboard, Mouse via USB connection). When you do that the NAS loads QTS like interface. With QTS 4.2 looks like a modern mobile operating system with intuitive apps like browser and multimedia. When you set up your NAS first time you are asked if you are a business user or Home user. Based on the selection it installs the recommended apps such as multimedia apps for Home setting and other productive applications for Business settings. QTS 4.2 update updates Virtualization center and introduces Container Station with LXC and Docker so its now possible to run different versions of Linux on your NAS.  The NAS is not just another NAS it has lots of functionality associated with itself. TS 453 Pro can be used as a Virtualization server, FTP Server, Backup Server, Surveillance Stations, Printer Server, Web Server, VPN Server, MYSQL Server, RADIUS Server, LDAP Server and Remote access.

The QNAP TS-453 Pro is very easy to install and use even for a layman in NAS. You just need to install the Hard Drives in Bays by screwing them in caddy. Once you install the QTS software then you just leave it to QNAP to do all the work.  

QNAP is known for #DrivingInnovation in its products and QNAP TS-453 is a Taiwan Excellence Award winner, QNAP TS-453 Pro will be on display from 8th to 10th February at Convergence India 2017 Expo. 

So if you want to experience the product first hand for your own use then do plan to attend the Convergence India 2017 Expo between 8-10 February and visit Taiwan Excellence display area to first hand review of the device.

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How Artificial Learning Shapes The e-Learning Scenario

AI in today's E-Learning scenario

The modern day life is changing fast at an unimaginable pace that the process of learning has to be simplified as one could easily forget how far we have gone.  The technological development has come up to a level where a lot of exciting changes would happen in the near future. One of the best indicators of human progress viz. learning is exposed to these technological advancements. The affordability of technology has come to a level where one could not ignore the rising popularity of e-learning. The below reasons would validate the argument that e learning would get a facelift from the end of artificial learning.

Improves team building and social connectivity

The advent of online games like puzzles, Sudoku and so on creates a platform where we get the chance to bond and connect well with people with similar interests and this forms the foundation for building team to achieve greater heights.  This would pave way to more social interactions and connections that would help learning new skills and ideas more effective in the long run. In the days to come, the domain of education would benefit from the union of games with social connectivity.

Promotes the learning process by practice

Learning process improves only when the learners are able to apply the things they had learned in the right manner and this objective is rightly accomplished by the implementation of artificial learning. This modern style of learning blends the content of training like the Pythagoras theorem with an environment to practice with real world examples. Learners would gain ample exposure by being part of the assembly line of production, learn the steps of the manufacturing process and so on.

Creates simulated environment for learning

The fascinating element of learning in the artificial manner is the use of simulations which would seem as if the learner is facing a real test where actually he or she is just doing a virtual practice. Also this gives the added advantage of practicing without having to suffer the consequences of making mistakes. The cost to purchase materials like gadgets and tools could be reduced to a great extent as the training experience would seem like a real one and the training environment could be changed by using editing the virtual elements.

Turns learning into a fun activity

Unlike the conventional way of learning, the virtual way of learning makes the activity into a joyful experience as the activity itself would look like a game which everyone wants to be a part of. The reward based system of gaming is applied in the same manner for learning activities for learning topics like algebra. The learners engage with the learning activities with such intensity that positive results are ensured as the learning outcome. This could be achieved only through learning in virtual mode.

The above points would have given you enough clarity on why virtual learning would shape the e-learning domain like never before. Thus we could say that virtual or artificial mode of learning would take the learning processes into highly efficient ones in the years to come.

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Camera Focused mid range smartphone from ASUS, Zenfone 3 Laser review

ASUS has launched a array of new devices under Zenfone 3 series with a huge make over in design language. Shifting from plastic to metal body that too in sleek and light enclosure is the main USP of the new series. We already reviewed Asus Zenfone 3 Max in one of our earlier posts. In this post we will be looking at Zenfone 3 Laser a successor to Zenfone Laser series which is well known for its camera features assisted by Laser Auto focus.

Asus Zenfone 3 Laser Design:

The Zenfone 3 Laser comes in all metal body with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass in front and is 7.9 mm thin. The device weighs just 150 grams which is remarkable. The screen to body ratio is again pretty good as despite a 5.5 inch display the phone fits in hand quite well and can be operated with single hand.

On the front majority of real estate is owned by 5.5 inch Full HD display, over which lies the front camera, There are capacitive navigation buttons below the display without the ASUS trademark chin which saves a lot of space. The capacitive buttons are not back lit hence it might take some time to get used to it. On the back side the phone sports a metal back with oleophobic coating as per ASUS.

The rear camera is placed at top right in the center of the phone and is slightly protruded, the dual led flash and laser autofocus grace the camera on one side each. The finger print scanner is placed right below the camera unit and has a rectangular shape which we have not seen yet in any other phone. The power and volume rockers are placed on right, while the SIM slot is placed on the left side which is a hybrid dual sim slot. On the top you can find a 3.5 mm Audio jack where as at the bottom there is a Micro USB port for charging and data transfer along with Speaker gill and Microphone.

Specifications and Software:

Zenfone 3 Laser is powered by a 64 bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, with Adreno 305 and 4 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. In terms of storage you get 32 GB of internal storage and can be expanded upto 128 GB via micro SD card. ASUS Zenfone 3 Laser comes with Google drive offer of up to 100 GB cloud storage for two years.

On Camera front, the phone comes with a 13 MP primary camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual LED real tone flash. On front you get 8 MP camera with f/2.0 aperture. The rear camera supports 1080p video recording at 30 fps. For connectivity you get options such as Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct, GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS and 4G. The phone supports 3G and 4G in both sim slots however only one can be activated at any given point of time. 

On software front the phone runs on ASUS ZenUI 3.0 which is built on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The UI features are same as with the other Zenfone 3 series devices such as real-time weather animation and clock widgets, Zen motion gestures to perform tasks quickly etc.

Over all we like the interface and for a change it looked much less cluttered however there are still a lot of pre-installed applications mostly from ASUS itself which still can be classified as bloatware apps if not all a majority of apps are those which are not used by average users.

Camera:

Most talked about feature of the phone is its camera with laser autofocus tech which claims to lock focus in just 0.03 seconds. We found that laser autofocus is indeed pretty fast and it quickly locked focus very quickly. We found camera to be especially good in well lit conditions where you can capture a lot of details. Low light shots too turned out good however you can still notice some noise and grain in the photos where lighting was not adequate.

Daylight Shot - Auto HDR Mode

The front camera is also good and compliments its rear part. The selfies are automatically taken with beautification mode on however you can choose to disable the feature or adjust the scale on which you want it to work.

Performance:

The phone turns out to be a mediocre performer when it comes to day to day usage. Its good for normal usage like browsing internet, social media apps and photography. However with lots of background apps running it starts to respond slow. Watching movies on the phone is a good experience owing to its vibrant display. We accidentally dropped the device once as it felt a bit slippery on the edges (like most of metallic phone does), however we did not notice any damage due to the fall. The finger print sensor is responsive but not the fastest one around. For music lovers the speakers quality is decent for this segment, the earphones works even better with decent music quality. In terms of battery life the phone lasted with around 25% juice left for which we used in day for social media apps, internet browsing , video playback of around 30-40 minutes, casual gaming for around half an hour and around 8-10 phone calls for an average of 50 seconds duration. We got average scores on Antutu and other benchmarking test scores as expected keeping in mind the processor and other hardware.

Verdict:

ASUS has really upped the ante with the Zenfone3 series, however the pricing is also substantially high for these smartphones when compared to competitors like Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 or Lenovo Z2 Plus. The Zenfone 3 Laser is priced at Rs 20,000 and offers you average specifications and specialized camera features. On the down side the phone doesn't comes with USB Type-C port and doesn't support Fast charging. However, we personally feel that it is still worth for around 15000 Rs and if you are getting some offers, cashbacks or buyback options around this range then it becomes a sensible choice.

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Honor 6X with Dual Camera Setup Launched for starting price of Rs 12,999/- in India, will be Amazon Exclusive

Honor 6X is trending in Tech circles in India for around a month now, if you follow tech bloggers in country on their social profiles, you must be aware of the #SwagPhoneHonor6X posts mostly displaying the camera prowess of the phone. The Honor 6X comes with a dual camera setup and gives DSLR like bookeh effect as the 2MP additional camera works for calculating the depth of field in a frame.

Honor 6X officially launched in India

The phone comes in two variants 3GB RAM/32GB storage which is priced at Rs 12,999/- and 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage variant is priced at Rs 15999/-. The registration for the first Flash sales starts from Today at 2 PM. The sale starts from 2 Feb 2017. The Honor6X will be exclusively available on Amazon.

“The Honor X series is most celebrated series from the Honor” –Senior Product Manager, Huawei India

“The Honor X series is most celebrated series from the Honor” –Senior Product Manager, Huawei India. Dual camera is a perfect blend of Hardware and Software unlike how it is commonly perceived as just 1 plus 1 camera setup, he added.

Honor 6X is an affordable device with dual camera setup with 6p lens and PDAF technology, it gives you control set focal length before or after taking the photo. Apart from the most talked about wide aperture mode, the low light and night shot are also talking point of the phone. The camera also comes with a Pro mode (manual mode) and light painting mode as well with other common options. Some more fun modes are Light Graffiti or light painting mode.

Honor 6X wide Aperture mode in action

The device comes with a Full HD display with Content adaptive screen. The Fingerprint sensor is one of the fasters we have ever seen and Honor claims to get the device unlocked on 0.3 seconds. The Finger print sensor can also be used to see Notifications, clear it, and take pictures on a tap and more such customizable options.

(See Unboxing and Hands On Experience)

Honor 6X comes with three color options Gold, Silver and Gray. 3340 mAh battery with 16NM Chipset and power saving technology, Low voltage LCD display. Honor claims 30% better battery backup than the competition.

The Kirin 655 16NM Octa Core chipset, gives 65% better performance, 100% better GPU performance as compared to its predecessor. Dual SIM VoLTE on connectivity front, OTG support. An interesting unique feature which comes with this phone is Wi-Fi Bridge where in you can share your wi-fi to other 4 more devices. The Honor 6X comes with Smart file system and Machine learning algorithms which gives you more operation smoothness and response from the phone. On Software front the device comes EMUI 5.0. The phone allows you to use dual Whatsapp and Facebook Account. The beta version of EMUI 5.0 with Android Nougat is Honor 6X ready and it will be rollout somewhere in Q2. 

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UniPixel Enters into Memorandum of Understanding with GIS

UniPixel, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNXL), a provider of Performance Engineered Films™ to the touchscreen and flexible electronics markets, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") to enter into a strategic partnership with General Interface Solution, Limited ("GIS"), a Taiwan-based, subsidiary of Foxconn, and a billion-dollar provider of integrated touch display solutions in the mobile phone, Notebook PC, 2-in-1 laptop and tablet markets to global customers including major PC and smart phone brands.

Under the memorandum the parties will form a strategic manufacturing project that will initially extend over three years and which may be renewed by mutual agreement. A definitive agreement is expected to be executed in the coming weeks. The parties also contemplate entering into a separate development project for foldable/flexible displays.

Jeff Hawthorne, president and chief executive officer of UniPixel, commented, "We are very pleased to enter into this MOU with GIS. They are a highly respected, leading-edge provider of integrated touch display solutions. UniPixel will benefit from the manufacturing expertise and scale of GIS to address the volume production requirements of our multiple design wins. An additional benefit is a potential path to Asia-based manufacturing in parallel with our Colorado Springs production.  Both companies will also explore advanced development opportunities to utilize UniPixel's unique metal mesh technology to co-develop integrated touch displays for bendable and foldable applications in the coming years."

UniPixel today filed Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding this Memorandum of Understanding. 

UniPixel, Inc.  develops and markets Performance Engineered Films for the touchscreen and flexible electronics markets. The Company's roll-to-roll electronics manufacturing process patterns fine line conductive elements on thin films. The company markets its technologies for touch panel sensor, cover glass replacement, and protective cover film applications under the XTouch and Diamond Guard brands

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