technology matters a lot

On Thursday, WhatsApp users across the world started noticing blue tick marks next to their messages. That of course was the roll out of read receipts for messages, so you can now see when a message has been sent (single tick), delivered (double grey tick), and once it's read, those tick marks turn blue.

Look. We like WhatsApp as much as the next guy, probably a little more than that actually. That's why you can find a guide on how to use WhatsApp on your PC here. We've told you how to back up your WhatsApp messages, how to share your location with others using WhatsApp, and how to block people and hide your "Last Seen" setting.

So yes, we like WhatsApp and use it a lot. Maybe even a little too much. And it is from this perspective that we've going to go out on a limb and say, thanks but no thanks. The receipt feature sounds useful at first. Chatting with a friend and want to ask them something? Well, if those tick marks never turn blue then you know they haven't seen it, and you need to try giving them a call instead.

And how many times have you responded to messages with a curt "Got it", just to acknowledge that yes, the message has been delivered. People send you a phone number to call, or share a single point of data and you waste time letting them know that it's gotten through. Sure, that's just a second or two, but it adds up through the day and WhatsApp's blue ticks just saved you a bunch of time.

Of course this isn't really a new feature - BlackBerry users were getting these receipts for longer than most people will be able to remember, and a little while ago, we showed you how you can even add these receipts to your Gmail inbox, in your browser.

Other messaging services like Viber and WeChat have had read receipts for over a year now, and the same is true for things like Facebook Messenger as well. So really, not having read receipts was a unique WhatsApp feature at this point, and not a shortcoming to address.

But WhatsApp CEO and co-founder Jan Koum approves of borrowing features for innovation, as seen in this tweet from June.

That's why WhatsApp has 'innovated' to add the one feature that almost every other popular messaging service has been offering for months or years, and because Koum knows that no one would ever want to turn such a feature off, there's no option available to do so either.

It's very thoughtful of the company to save us from accidentally turning off read receipts, but for the few misanthropes out there - no more than a handful, certainly - there's no way of claiming that you didn't get the message anymore.

When you get those tangentially work related WhatsApp messages that you had been hiding from by turning off your Last Seen setting in the privacy options and decide not to respond anyway because it's not really relevant to your work, people will start to post follow up messages, or worse yet, start calling to find out why you haven't replied.

"You read the message half an hour ago and it is perfect for your business or line of work that I don't know anything about but have a strong opinion on, so please waste your time and reply to me," will be the general spirit of one in every two conversations you have, every day.

So it's great that WhatsApp is saving a few seconds by telling us that a message has been delivered. It's going to cost you a few hours in apologies every day, but that's not our problem, because we're going to dust off iMessage, since it lets us turn off read receipts. And since most people we know don't have an iPhone, this switch automatically deals with the overwhelming number of messages we normally get daily as well. Something tells us we won't miss the forwarded jokes and real estate spam too much.

And in case anyone from WhatsApp is reading this? While you're "borrowing" #innovation, please think of a great way of turning off read receipts. We'd suggest adding a button in the privacy settings - you know, so we can do a story on How to turn off read receipts in WhatsApp and get rid of those blue ticks

"Why would anyone want to use their phone as a webcam?" This was the most common reaction people had when we told them what we were trying to do, but there are actually some pretty good reasons to do this.

For one, you can turn an old handset into a security camera or baby monitor which you can use without buying a brand new standalone camera. And if your handset doesn't have a front facing camera, or if your PC doesn't have a webcam built in, then you can use the rear camera on the phone for video calls.

It is obviously easier to buy a dedicated camera, but if you don't want to buy a brand new webcam, or want to find a good use for your old phone instead of selling it, then setting it up like this is a nice idea. Here's how to set it up.

Security camera

One of the ways in which you can use an old phone is by setting it up as a security camera or a baby monitor. This is pretty easy to do with the right apps for both Android phones and iPhones. This is how you set it up:

Android

A quick search on Google Play throws up several webcam applications. We tried 5 of the top 10 results, but most didn't work properly. From the ones that didn't crash repeatedly, SmartCam failed to show the video, and DroidCam needs you to install an app on Windows to work.

IP Webcam is easily the best of the lot because it works through your browser, which gives it the cross-platform compatibility.

To set up a security camera on Android, follow these steps.

1. Connect your computer and the phone to the same Wi-Fi network.

2. Install the IP Webcam app on your smartphone.

3. Close all other camera apps. Force close them from the app switcher before you proceed.

4. Launch the IP Webcam app. Scroll to the bottom and tap Start server.

5. The app will now fire up your phone's camera and display a URL. Our URL was http://172.32.15.110:8080.

6. Enter this URL in any browser on your computer and hit Enter.

7. In the browser, you'll see a drop down menu next to Video renderer. Select Browser.

8. Below that, you'll see Audio renderer. Select HTML wav.

Now you'll see a live video feed in your browser. You can also record this footage via the browser. To do this, just press the red Record button under the video. This saves the footage as an MP4.There will be a slight lag if you enable HTML wav audio in the browser. You can select the Flash option (doesn't work on all computers) or open the same URL in VLC Media Player.

9. To do this, first download and install VLC from this website. Then in VLC, go to Media > Network Stream and enter the URL from the app as seen in step 5.

Once the app is running, you don't need to keep your phone's screen on. It works even when the phone is locked, but the video feed is slightly smoother when the screen is on.

ip_webcam_google_play.jpg
iOS

Two of the most popular webcam apps on the App Store are EpocCam and PocketCam. We tried setting up PocketCam, but the process was too complicated and even when we did manage to set it up, we found that the free version limits you to black-and-white video and no audio. There's a paid version that gives you access to all of PocketCam's features.

On the other hand, EpocCam is free (with ads) and it is very easy to set up. That's why we would recommend using EpocCam. This is how:

1. Make sure your phone and computer are on the same Wi-Fi network.

2. Download the EpocCam app on your iOS device and Windows or Mac machine.

3. When you install EpocCam it will prompt you to install some drivers. Click Install anyway in both cases. These are audio and video drivers that let the app act as a webcam.

4. Start EpocCam on your iPhone and your computer.

5. The app automatically searches for other devices running EpocCam on the same Wi-Fi network. Soon, the video from the iPhone will automatically show up on your computer. EpocCam lets you use only one device as a camera at a time.

While this app generally works well, we found that at times the phone and the computer couldn't connect to each other. Restarting the app on both devices quickly fixed the issue for us. There's no recording feature in this app, but you can easily setup a screen recorder app such as Camstudio on your computer to record the feed from your iPhone, if you want to use the phone as a security camera and not a CCTV feed.

epoccam_ios.jpg
Video calls

You can also use your phone as a webcam to make video calls from a computer. You can use your phone as a camera to chat using Skype. There are two stages to this - setting up the camera on your phone, and setting up Skype to use the phone as a camera. We'll walk you through each stage of the process.

First, you need to set up the camera using an app on either your Android phone or iPhone. This is how:

Android

Here's how to set up your Android smartphone as a webcam. IP Webcam does not work with Skype, so you'll need to install DroidCam and its PC client for this to work:

1. Install DroidCam Wireless Webcam on your phone.

2. Download and install the DroidCam client on your computer. Both the phone and the computer should be on the same Wi-Fi network.

3. Open the Android app and note down the Wifi IP listed on the main screen.

4. Open the Windows client and paste the IP on the computer.

5. If you have a slow Internet connection, pick Low from the Video Quality drop-down menu.

6. Click Start.

7. Now you'll see video from the phone on the DroidCam Windows app. This works even if your phone is locked, but the video stutters. For optimal performance, we recommend that you keep the Android app open and turn off auto-lock on the phone.

8. Restart Skype (if it is open) and select DroidCam Source 1 as the webcam (explained after the iPhone section).

9. Now you can use your Android phone as the webcam.

droidcam_google_play.jpg
iPhone

If you're using an iPhone then you can use EpocCam. Download it and then install and run the app on your computer and phone, as described above. Once again, both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network - if they are, then they will connect to each other automatically. Note that the app stops working if you hit the home button or lock your phone. EpocCam has an Android app too, but it crashed repeatedly in our tests, so we suggest you stay away from it.

1. Install and run EpocCam on your computer and iPhone, as mentioned earlier.

2. Open Skype and select EpocCam as the webcam (explained below).

3. Now make a video call to any of your contacts. You'll be using the iPhone as a webcam for the call.

Changing the default camera on Skype

After you've gotten your phone to work as a webcam (using DroidCam or EpocCam), you need to change the settings in Skype before you can use your phone as a webcam. This is what you need to do:

1. Download and install Skype if you haven't already. Third-party cameras don't always work well with the Windows 8 style Skype app, so you will need the desktop version.

2. Once Skype is running and you have signed in, you'll need to go to Tools > Options.

3. Click Video settings under the General tab.

4. Select the correct camera from the drop-down menu next to Select webcam:. The name of the camera varies depending on the app you are using to connect. Android users will have to select DroidCam Source 1, while iPhone users will select EpocCam.

6. Click Save.

You can now use Skype on your computer to make a video call, and it will use the feed from your phone's camera for the video.

If you use any other app to turn your phone into a webcam, let us know via the comments.

In our last roundup of the best Android phones that cost less than Rs. 15,000, we had recommended the Xiaomi Mi 3 as the best phone to buy, and had been suggesting the 8GB variant of the Asus Zenfone 5 as the best value for money phone you can get. Three months have passed since then however, and a lot of new phones are in the market under Rs. 15,000. Also notable is the fact that since our last roundup, the Xiaomi Mi 3 is no longer available to buy. However, if you can get your hands on it at less than Rs. 15,000, it remains a great buy.

Some of the high profile launches since our last roundup included the three Android One phones and the fingerprint sensor equipped Xolo Q2100, not to mention the Jolla Smartphone running the Sailfish OS and the entry-level Firefox OS phone, the Intex Cloud FX. If you're looking to buy a phone right now, then here are our top picks for smartphones under Rs. 15,000:

Best overall: Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)
The Moto G was one of the handsets responsible for creating the current interest in the under-Rs. 15,000 market, and the second generation of the device remains an excellent buy. The new Moto G is a bit boring to look at, but does well in terms of its display, software, performance, battery life and camera, making it a really good pick.

Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)

Rs. 12,999

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Good performance
Good camera
Great battery life
Excellent value for money

Bad
Average looks and material quality

Read detailed Motorola Moto G (Gen 2) review

BUY AT

Rs. 12,999

Best value for money: Asus ZenFone 5 (8GB)
Available at under Rs. 10,000, the Asus ZenFone 5 8GB model remains our value-for-money pick, since you get a phone with a great camera, decent performance and looks, at a price where the competing phones come with serious compromises.

Asus ZenFone 5

Rs. 9,999

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Great Pricing
Solid build quality
Fantastic performance and battery life

Bad
Still running Android 4.3
Scratch-prone camera lens
Occasional heat problem

Read detailed Asus ZenFone 5 review

BUY AT

Rs. 9,999

Rs. 10,499

Rs. 12,653

Best camera: Panasonic P81
The Panasonic P81 launched at a fairly high price of Rs. 19,990, and at that price it wasn't a great option at all. However, the phone has just received a huge price cut and although that doesn't help with the boring design and average display, it certainly makes the P81 a reasonable buy today. We liked the camera on this phone even at its original price, and at approximately Rs. 11,000, it is probably the best option around with great low-light performance. In case you don't want to go with a phablet that has a 5.5-inch screen, you could instead pick up the Moto G. That phone has a pretty good camera too, but the P81 wins in terms of low-light performance.

Panasonic P81

Rs. 11,160

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Camera captures great low-light pictures
Good performance
Value for money

Bad
Crude Android skin
Unattractive finish

Read detailed Panasonic P81 review

BUY AT

Rs. 11,160

Rs. 11,199

Rs. 12,499

Best battery life: Micromax Canvas Nitro
Launched in September for Rs. 12,900, the Micromax Canvas Nitro did not thrill us - its scores in design and software were middling, and the camera is downright bad. The phone comes loaded with bloatware, and the performance is only middling. But the battery life on the phone is unmatched in the category, and if you're someone who's always on the move and needs a big battery that won't let you down, then there's no better option than the Canvas Nitro.

Micromax Canvas Nitro

Rs. 11,525

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Insane battery life
Good value for money
Decent performance

Bad
Bad camera performance
Unwanted bloatware

Read detailed Micromax Canvas Nitro review

BUY AT

Rs. 11,525

Rs. 11,999

Rs. 12,355

Best phablet: Panasonic P81
While there are other phablets in this category, the price cut of the Panasonic P81 makes it a worthy option. You won't get the best looking phone for your money, and the Android skin from Panasonic is crude, but the phone has good performance, a great camera, and delivers incredible value for the money it costs

Motorola's Droid Turbo (exclusive to Verizon in the US) smartphone, which is anticipated to debut globally as Moto Maxx on Wednesday at an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has now been leaked in pictures.

The purported images of the Motorola-branded Moto Maxx were posted by a Google+ user (via Android Police) from Sao Paulo on Monday, but were later taken down. The post was captioned in Portuguese, which on translating to English reads, "Testing the monster."

The alleged 64GB variant of the Moto Maxx in pictures appears to be almost identical to the Droid Turbo, but without Verizon branding on the rear panel. Also, it seen to include identical specifications as the Droid Turbo, with a 5.2-inch Quad-HD (1440x2560 pixels) display offering a pixel density of 565ppi; a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor clocked at 2.7GHz; 3GB of RAM; a 21-megapixel rear autofocus camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash; a 3900mAh battery with turbo charging, and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Last week, a Portuguese publication had posted an invite from Motorola suggesting that the company is hosting an event on November 5 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where it will unveil the unlocked global variant of the Motorola Droid Turbo as the Moto Maxx. The invite did not include a device name but was accompanied by an image featuring the unique Ballistic Nylon build of the Droid Turbo.

For those unaware, Brazil has been an important market for Motorola in the past, and the company globally unveiled the popular Moto G (first generation) last year at an event in Sao Paulo.

The first Lumia smartphone with Microsoft branding has been spotted, with the device being listed on China's equivalent of the FCC - Tenaa. The website listing shows a Nokia RM-1090 handset with Microsoft branding and logo printed on its rear panel.

Just as announced by Microsoft last month, the rear panel of the orange-coloured RM-1090 handset is seen with the Microsoft branding and logo below the camera and a flash, and above a small speaker. The front panel features Microsoft branding on top of the display, alongside the front-facing camera.

Notably the handset specifications seen in the listing are in-line with the specifications revealed when the handset appeared on the US FCC certification website last month.

The Windows Phone 8.1-based RM-1090 handset on Tenaa is listed to feature a 5-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) display resolution. It offers dual-SIM support with 3G connectivity, a 1900mAh battery, and measures 140.2x72.4x9.3mm.

Microsoft last month confirmed it was dropping the Nokia name from its Lumia smartphones, a rebranding following the acquisition earlier this year of the Finnish group's handset division. It even provided images of what the front and rear panels would look like.

The Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's devices and services division for more than $7.5 billion was completed in April. Microsoft will however keep the Nokia brand name for entry-level phones, such as the Nokia 130, under a license agreement between the companies.

On a related note, Microsoft in October reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue, saying it sold 9.3 million Lumia smartphones, apart from improved sales of its Surface tablets and cloud-computing products.

Written with agency inputs.

Work from home in not an impossible work. but also it is not easy as sleeping in bed. Google Adsense is the one of the opportunity that will pay you to work from home. But as we know that a plant take time to change into a tree same as google AdSense. the basic thing is that google Adsense is not for those who want to get rich quickly. Instead of that, this is the programme for those people who want a "financial help to make their blog or website grow" let's get back to our topic, as we know that the google adsense is an online advertising programme which pays publisher to put google's ad on their website/blog.

So, why it is that tough? IT is tough because no one wants to put their Ads on a website/blog which gets 100-200 visitors daily. Instead of that, google want the total organic website which produce full organic traffic. and yes, google never want to get cheated. So dont never Ever try something fishy because you will get caught and this will be really really bad for you because you will not be able to get back on AdSense again.

lets start. what you will need is :-

An google ID (gmail ID)
A blog or a website that produce organic traffic. (you don't need really heavy traffic to get approved but you need it once you get approved)
patiens
and a lot more hard work

if you have a google account and you are working as a "blogger" already then you are good to go (Remember, your blog should be 6 month old in some regions like india and china to assure the quality of google adsense on blogger but if you do own a domain like www.yourdomain.com, you are good to proceed)
just register your self into google's adsense programme and wait to get approved. once you got approved you are good to go.
Don't forget to comment below as i am gonna to update the next step.... tomorrow
if you having trouble to get approved feel free to contact me i will definetly gonna to help you within an hour

The OnePlus One smartphone, touted by the company as the 'flagship killer', will reportedly be priced under Rs. 25,000 in India for its 64GB variant.

According to a report on Saturday, Carl Pei, Director of OnePlus Global, has said that the 64GB variant of the OnePlus One will launch with a price tag of less than Rs. 25,000 in India.

"Globally, our margins are exceedingly slim and this will also be true for India. There is a cost of doing business overseas but we will still honour our original business model. Right now, we can say that the 64GB One will sell for less than Rs. 25,000," said Pei in an email to Indian Express.

Notably, the smartphone comes in two storage variants, 16GB and 64GB. The OnePlus One is priced at $299 (roughly Rs. 18,300) unlocked and without contract for the 16GB model, and $349 (roughly Rs. 21,350) for the 64GB variant. The firm will also be offering the new JBL E1+ Earphones along with the OnePlus One at a discounted price of $24.99 (roughly Rs. 1,530) (original being $39.99).

OnePlus has announced that the One smartphone will be available in India via the invite-system, where interested users can display their interest on the forum or through the firm's social media channels.

The firm took pre-orders for 1 hour globally on October 27. However, due to several difficulties in that 1 hour of pre-booking, the company announced that it will again offer users a chance to pre-order the handset on November 17, at 3pm GMT (8am PST or 11am EST or 8.30pm IST).

This time around, the company says it will enable more servers to execute the process smoothly and will also get some time in hand to refill their inventory. The exact length of the November 17 pre-order window has not yet been confirmed. To order the handset, users can visit the dedicated pre-order website. Notably, users would need to create a OnePlus account before pre-ordering the One smartphone.

OnePlus over the weekend also announced it has appointed Vikas Agarwal as its General Manager for OnePlus India, after announcing it was looking for a suitable candidate back in August

Google's flagship phablet, the Nexus 6, has been listed in India by Flipkart without any price or availability. Also, the Google Play India page for the Nexus 6 doesn't have any information regarding the release so far, though Nexus 9 page had recently listed the tablet with a 'Coming Soon' tag and price of Rs. 28,900.

The Flipkart listing of the 32GB variant of the Google Nexus 6 notes that the device is 'Coming Soon', and it is still uncertain whether the Nexus 6 will be listed by other e-commerce sites in the future or if it will only be available via Google Play and Flipkart in India.

In tge US, a factory unlocked Google Nexus 6 with 32GB storage on Google Play costs $649 (approximately Rs. 40,000) and the 64GB variant costs $699 (approximately Rs. 43,000). The device will also be available separately via carriers in the US like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon, each of which will announce their own pricing.

In the meanwhile, over in Europe, the Nexus 6 was reportedly set to go up for pre-orders starting Monday, November 3, but a Dutch website reports pre-orders will be delayed to November 18. The report also notes that the 32GB Nexus 6 is expected to be priced at EUR 569 (approximately Rs. 44,000), and 64GB at EUR 649 (approximately Rs. 50,000).

On the specifications front, the Google Nexus 6 comes with a 5.96-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) display with a 493ppi pixel density; a 2.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor; 3GB of RAM; 32GB and 64GB internal storage options; a 13-megapixel rear camera; a 2-megapixel front camera; a 3220mAh battery, and Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Reliance Communications seems to be gearing up to introduce Zero Plan offers for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India.

The telecom operator's listing for Zero Plan offers for the new iPhones have been spotted ahead of any official announcement, detailing zero downpayment plans.

According to the official listings on the Reliance's eShop (first spotted by Telecom Talk and now removed), the iPhone 6 will be available at Rs. 3,099 per month for 24 months, while the iPhone 6 Plus will come at Rs. 3,599 per month for 24 months. There are no details about which storage variant available under Rcom's Zero Plan, but the per month pricing translates to a total of Rs. 74,376 over two years for the iPhone 6, and Rs. 86,376 over two years for the iPhone 6 Plus.

To put that in perspective, Apple earlier this month launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones - launching the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 at Rs. 53,500 for the 16GB variant, Rs. 62,500 for the 64GB variant, and Rs. 71,500 for the 128GB variant; and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus at Rs. 62,500 for the 16GB variant, Rs. 71,500 for the 64GB variant, and Rs. 80,500 for the 128GB variant.

While the Reliance Communications listings were still live, the 'Buy Now' buttons at the Rcom's eShop listing for both the new iPhones were not activated; hinting that the telecom operator might be still busy finalising the terms. Further, one of the options below Zero Plan of the iPhone 6 listing still refers iPhone 5s.

Some of the benefits listed by Reliance Communications for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Zero Plans include zero downpayment on the iPhone; zero bills for next 24 months; zero limits on data, voice, SMS, and roaming, and zero hidden charges.

Under Reliance's Zero Plan, a consumer can buy the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus under a 24 months contract, and it won't require consumers to make any downpayment. However, we have to still wait for the official announcement.

It's worth noting that Reliance Communications had last year as well introduced a similar offer where consumers could buy the 16GB iPhone 5s at a monthly fee of Rs. 2,999 and 16GB iPhone 5c at a fee of Rs. 2,599 at zero upfront cost.

The iPhone 6 has a new 4.7-inch 750x1334-pixel screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus's screen measures 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are 6.9 and 7.1mm thick respectively. Both phones have been upgraded with high-speed Wi-Fi 802.11ac support and support the TD 2300 LTE band used in India. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera, with improved sensors when compared with the iPhone 5s. The phones feature the new Apple A8 processor and a motion co-processor labelled M8. Apple promises that both devices will provide better battery life than the iPhone 5s.

Google is now encouraging third-party app developers to integrate the 'Ok, Google' voice command for their in-app searches as well.

The search giant has provided a small code on Wednesday and is suggesting Android app developers with existing searchable activity in their app (if any) to make changes to the AndroidManifest.xml for enabling the search query using 'Ok, Google'.

"How many lines of code will it take to let your users say 'Ok Google', and search for something in your app? Hardly any. Starting today, all you need is a small addition to your AndroidManifest.xml in order to connect the Google Now SEARCH_ACTION with your searchable activity," said company on its Android Developers Blog.

The blog post also notes that this feature is available for English locale Android devices running Jelly Bean and above with the Google Search v3.5 or greater.

The company says that with the integration of this feature to a third-party app search, users will be able to use 'Ok, Google' voice command following the search query and the app name will eliminate extra efforts of opening and searching from the app.Google has provided a few examples, like "Ok Google, search pizza on Eat24" or "Ok Google, search for hotels in Maui on TripAdvisor."

As announced back in June, 'Ok, Google' search can also be performed from any screen if the device has hotword detection enabled on it. Users with Search app version 3.5 or higher can go to Google Now > Settings > Voice > Ok Google hotword detection, and check if the feature is rolled out to them or not.

SoftBank Corp's investment in a Hollywood movie studio represents the coming out party for two new players in the U.S. entertainment industry the Japanese telecommunications company and Nikesh Arora, the former Google Inc executive running a new media and Internet company.

Two months after unexpectedly decamping from Google for SoftBank, Arora struck a $250 million deal for a minority stake in Legendary Entertainment, announced on Thursday. Earlier, he had tried unsuccessfully to strike a partnership with DreamWorks Animation, sources said.

As CEO of San Carlos, California-based SoftBank Internet and Media Inc, Arora is charged with investing in and operating media and digital media companies, including music, e-commerce and gaming, said one person close to SoftBank. SoftBank, owned by legendary investor Masayoshi Son, owns U.S. mobile carrier Sprint and is the largest investor in China e-commerce company Alibaba.

At Google, Arora oversaw sales, marketing and partnerships, an outsider's job at a company, where engineering skills are prized above all else.

The buttoned-down and polished Arora, who has a masters degree in business from Northeastern University and previously worked at T-Mobile Europe, became one of the most powerful Google executives, and the highest paid in 2012, when he made $51 million in cash and stock.

Several former colleagues described Arora as very effective at getting results, often by eschewing the collaborative, consensus-based culture within Google.

"He didn't really try hard to convince people that he didn't need to convince," recalled one former Google executive, who declined to be identified. "He would be willing to say 'we need to do this, get it done.' He valued execution."

He also had a reputation for being brutally direct, particularly with people he viewed as unprepared, the former colleagues said.

A representative for Arora declined to make him available for an interview or to respond to comments about him. Google also declined to comment.

The Google business chief rubbed shoulders with Hollywood's elite while selling ads and making deals.

Arora is "perfectly placed" to build SoftBank's media portfolio, said Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of advertising group WPP, citing Arora's "knowledge gleaned from his years at Google about the media community."

Arora advocated for Google to acquire online movie company Netflix in 2009, according to one former Google employee who was present when Arora pitched the idea to Google's senior executive team. At the time, Netflix had a market cap of roughly $3 billion, compared to its current $27 billion valuation.

Arora also proposed at the time that Google should acquire LoveFilm, a UK-based streaming video company that was later acquired by Amazon in 2011, the person said.

But the ideas never progressed beyond internal deliberations, as Google executives at the time were more interested in developing ad-supported online video through the company's YouTube website, the person added.

'Plugged in'
Arora was a frequent attendee at events frequented by media and tech elite, such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and the Allen & Co conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.

"He was very plugged in with the top management at Fox and some of the studios," recalls one former colleague, referring to Twentieth Century Fox, which produced the 2013 comedy film 'The Internship' depicting Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as fictional Google interns.

When Arora ran Google's European, Middle East and Africa operations during his early years at the company, he broke free of the Silicon Valley-based committee which approved all new hires, according to several people then at Google.

Arora convinced the company to let him established his own hiring process, a coup which turned heads throughout the company, the people said.

Arora occupied a large corner office with sweeping views of London, an anomaly in an egalitarian corporate culture where most employees work in open cubicles and where even former Chief Executive Eric Schmidt shared an office with an engineer for several years, according to the former Google manager.

"He made the argument that he had to meet with important people," the person recalled.

technology matters a lot

Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)

Asus ZenFone 5

Panasonic P81

Micromax Canvas Nitro

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