Showing posts with label Announcements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Announcements. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2016

First Look at Moto Z and MotoMods

When pictures of Motorola's next flagship were leaked, the tech community criticized Lenovo for making Motorola loose the "X-factor". And indeed it did, replacing it with the "Z-factor".

The Moto Z was announced at Lenovo Tech World in San Francisco, on 9th June, along with the Lenovo Phab 2, a 6.4 inch phone with Google's Project Tango.

The New Moto Z Family with Moto Mods: Transform Your Smartphone in a Snap


Sunday, April 17, 2016

Kindle Oasis: Amazon's Technological Feather


LOOK HOW THIN IT IS.
Amazon unveiled their new e-book reader, Kindle Oasis, which many describe is the funkiest so far. The device is designed elegantly and is meant to be the thinnest and lightest of the kind.It is as thin as 3.4 mm at its thinnest point and feather weight at 133 grams.




Friday, April 1, 2016

Tesla Model 3: The 35,000$ Batmobile

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced their latest car, the Model 3 at their design studio in Hawthorne, California.


On the 2nd of August, 2006, Elon Musk wrote a blog post entitled "The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)" in which he famously concluded by writing,

"So, in short, the master plan is:
Build sports car
Use that money to build an affordable car
Use that money to build an even more affordable car
While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options
Don't tell anyone."

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Yu Yutopia: India's First Flagship Killer

Yu is a brand that most Indians would be familiar by now as the phones which have Cyanogen OS and provide a good bang for the buck. Well, Yutopia is their newest phone and Yu has hit this one out of the park as it compares with the formidable Oneplus Two.


The first thing that you will notice is the design, which is remarkably elegant. From the Aluminum build to the Nexus-esque fingerprint scanner on the back, everything looks top notch. And looks are just the beginning. The specs on this phone scream BEAST.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The HTC One A9: A 399$ iPhone 6S Running Marshmallow

At yesterday's HTC event named "be brilliant", HTC announced it's latest smartphone, the HTC One A9. If it looks familiar at first glance, it's probably because of the picture below.


Well, looks aside, the A9 features a Snapdragon 617(yes, it exists) which is an Octa-core chipset clocked at 1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM & 16 GB memory / 3 GB RAM & 32 GB memory, and a 5" 1080p display which is kind of a disappointment in comparison to the other specs.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Motorola Officially Launches the Moto G (3rd Gen), Priced at 180$

The Moto G and it's successor, the Moto G(2nd Gen) were without a doubt the best phones in the price range of 100-200$ since their release. Let's see what the 3rd Gen of this affordable Android phone has in store for the customers.


From the raw performance perspective, the newest Moto G packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 clocked at 1.4 GHz and quad cores. The accompanying GPU is the Adreno 306 along with 1 GB or 2 GB of RAM, depending on the version of the phone (8 GB or 16 GB). Both the versions support microSD cards for expanding the memory so that isn't a big issue.

You're in for a surprise in the camera section as this affordable phone packs the same 13 MP f/2.0 sensor as the Nexus 6! It even features a Dual Tone LED flash. The front camera is a 5 MP shooter. The display spans 5" with a resolution of 720p which means the pixel density would be decent.


Connectivity wise, the phone is pretty well equipped with 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.1. The phone will come out of the box with Lollipop 5.1.1 and will most probably be updated to Android M.

The battery is huge for a sub-200$ phone at 2470 mAh and with Motorola's power efficient phones, this phone could potentially work for 2 days for low to medium usage. Some of the biggest changes include the addition of an IPX7 rated design, meaning that the phone is water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

The phone is priced at 180$ for the 8 GB model and 220$ for the 16 GB model.

While the Moto G might not feature massively overhauled hardware from its predecessor, that’s really never been the point. Ever since the Moto X and Moto G lines debuted, Motorola has prided itself it putting the customer experience ahead of pure specs. With improved design, waterproofing, a great camera, a ton of customization options, and other improvements, that’s exactly what we have with the latest Moto G.


Thanks for reading this article! If you liked it, follow me or our official page on Google+ to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

The Nvidia Shield: World's first 4K Android TV Console

Announced at MWC 2015, the Nvidia Shield is an Android TV console on steroids. If you aren't familiar with Android TV, please read this article.


This console is a beast packed into a small housing. Featuring Nvidia's Tegra K1 processor and a 256 core Maxwell-generation GPU. The new console version also supports 4K video output, has both 802.11ac Wi-Fi and an Ethernet jack. It even has an IR receiver that works with Logitech's Harmony remote controls. For expansion, it has two USB 3.0 ports, a Micro-USB port, and a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 128GB in size, to augment the built-in 16GB of storage.


To support the top-of-the-class CPU and GPU, the Shield boasts of 3 GB RAM. Theoretically, it has 35 times greater performance than the Apple TV. The console can handle 4K video or 1080p at 60 fps without even breaking a sweat.

The Shield connects to Nvidia's Grid game-streaming service, which delivers games on demand much like Netflix does for movies and TV. This gives the Shield access to the entire library of Android games, as well as traditional PC titles such as Batman: Arkham Origins and Metro: Last Light.

The Sheild remote

To control your console, the Shield comes with a Bluetooth remote control that features a built-in mic, giving you one-touch access to Google search using your voice. The groove in the center cleverly conceals the volume control. The console/set top box also comes with a wireless Xbox-like controller, which is rated to last up to 40 hours between charges.

That's all about the Nvidia Shield. +1 this article if you liked it and follow me or our official Google+ page to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content! :D

Monday, March 2, 2015

Sony Officially Announces the Xperia Z4 Tablet

Sony's Xperia line of tablets is undoubtedly the best on the market in terms of hardware, software and experience. The Xperia Z4 tablet was announced at MWC after it was shown by mistake in the Xperia Lounge about a week ago.
The slate is powered by the Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 810 chip, which packs an octa-core 64-bit processor with four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A53 working at 1.5GHz. The GPU in charge of graphics is Adreno 430 and there is 3GB of RAM onboard.


The rest of the Xperia Z4 Tablet specs include 32GB expandable memory, a rear 8MP Sony ExmorRS camera and 5MP wide-angle front selfie snapper, stereo speakers and GSM, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity. The slate is powered by a 6,000 mAh battery and Sony says it will last 17 hours on video playback.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is IP68-certified, which translates in to a dust-tight shell and waterproof design with endurance for up to 30 minutes into 1.5m deep fresh water.

The highlights of the Xperia Z4 Tablet include the elegant design with a metal frame, durable glass and amazingly thin 6.1mm profile. Just like with the Xperia M4 Aqua, the Xperia Z4 Tablet comes with a cap-less microUSB port for easier recharging. The tablet weighs about 395 g and will be available in black and white flavors.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with the latest tablet-optimized Xperia launcher. It will also offer access to Xperia Lounge Gold service, which provides exclusive content such as movies, TV series, music and apps. The slate supports Hi-Res audio playback and digital noise cancelling.

The LTE and Wi-Fi models of Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet are going to hit the shelves worldwide in June this year, but the pricing is yet to be announced.

Cyanogen Partners with Alcatel for Onetouch Hero 2+

Earlier today, Cyanogen announced it's re branding and partnership with Qualcomm, read more about it here.


After getting ditched by the Oneplus team for Oxygen OS, an OS developed by the Paranoid Android team, Cyanogen has today announced it's next OEM partner, Alcatel. The Alcatel Onetouch Hero 2+ will be available on the Alcatel OneTouch Amazon store starting Q2 of this year.

The Hero 2+ improves upon the OneTouch Hero by replacing the MT8392 for a MT6592, an octa core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz, although, both the chipsets are made by MediaTek. 

The screen size is a whooping 6" with a resolution of 1080p and it will be the first Cyanogen OS device to support a stylus. 

Full specs:
Display: 6-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) TFT 16M color display + built in stylus
Processor: MT6592 2.0 GHz octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor
Camera: 13MP main camera + 5MP front camera for the perfect selfie
Video Capture: Full HD 1080p at 30 fps
Memory/Storage: 2GB RAM / 16GB of storage (Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD)
Operating System: Cyanogen OS 11 on Android KitKat 4.4.4 
Dimensions: 160.5mm x 81.6mm x 7.9mm

The launch of the HERO 2+ is the first device brought to North America as part of the strategic partnership between ALCATEL ONETOUCH and Cyanogen, with plans to bring more devices to market in 2015 and beyond.

Read more posts about CyanogenMod here!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Budget Friendly Moto E Gets 4G and a Quad Core Processor!

Motorola has just announced the successor to it's budget phone, the Moto E. It looks like Motorola has been listening to it's customers and the new Moto E definitely includes some much required improvements.


The new Moto E has 8GB of internal memory instead of 4GB, 4G LTE connectivity (learn more about LTE in India), and a new 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. Other improvements include a bigger screen (4.5" instead of 4.3"), although it still has the same resolution (960x540) but how much can you ask for? It also includes a bigger battery (2390 mAH vs 1980 mAH). 

There is also something in for the shutterbugs as the 2nd Gen Moto E has a 5MP primary camera and a VGA (0.3MP) front camera which wasn't present in the predecessor. This model will cost 149$ and there is also a 3G model in the works according to the Motorola website which should be cheaper than this one. 



The new Moto E comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. Also, instead of a removable full back cover, only the perimeter of the phone is removable which gives the user access to the SIM card slot as well as a microSD memory expansion slot. 

Full specs:

  • Operating System: Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4G) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (3G)
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Storage: 8GB with support for upto 32GB microSD card
  • Height: 129.9 mm (5.11 inches)
  • Width: 66.8 mm (2.63 inches)
  • Curve: 5.2 - 12.3 mm (0.20 - 0.48 inches)
  • Weight: 145 gms
  • Display: 4.5" qHD IPS
  • Pixel Density: 245 ppi
  • Battery: 2390 mAH
  • Water resistant coating
  • Bands: 
  • Moto E with 4G LTE - US GSM (XT1527):
    GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)
    4G LTE (2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17)
    Moto E - US GSM (XT1511):
    GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)

    Moto E - Global GSM (XT1505):GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)s
    UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • Primary Camera: 5MP, 720p video at 30 fps, f/2.2 Aperture, twist to open, Auto HDR
  • Secondary Camera: 0.3MP(VGA)
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

Source (Motorola)
Learn more about camera specifications like ISO, Aperture, etc. in this article.
Did you know? Bluetooth 4.2 is out! Learn more about it in this article.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Oppo R1C Announced for 400$


Oppo announced the R1C on January 14th,it is priced at 2,499 RMB ($403) and will go on sale on January 20. The Oppo R1C has a beautifully thin body that is just 6.85mm with saphire crystal back panel. It has a 5.0-inch 720p display, 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory with microSD card slot, 13 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front facing camera, 2420mAh battery, and Oppo Color OS 2.0.1 based on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Samsung Announces Galaxy E7, E5, A5,and A3 in India


Samsung today launched the Galaxy E5 and E7 smartphones in India, making it the first country in the world to get the two smartphones. Along with them, the company also unveiled its metal-bodied Galaxy A3 and A5 mid-range smartphones in India.

While Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 will be available for sale next week, the Galaxy E5 and Galaxy E7 smartphones will hit the market later this month.

Samsung in a statement said that Galaxy E series smartphones feature unibody design, and are aimed at offering "superior viewing and best selfie experience" to customers. Both smartphones feature 5MP selfie cameras and sport Super AMOLED screens. The two smartphones can capture wide-angle selfies and take the shot using palm gesture and voice commands.

Galaxy E5, priced at Rs 19,300, has a 5-inch display panel and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat)-based TouchWiz software. The smartphone packs 1.5GB RAM, 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 2,400mAh battery.

The Galaxy E7 has a 5.5-inch screen, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and runs on the same TouchWiz software as its sibling. The model has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and 2,950mAh battery. The smartphone has been priced at Rs 23,000.

Both phones have 1.2GHz quad-core processors, 16GB internal storage and microSD card support. The two models measure 7.3mm in thickness. Vodafone will offer 2GB of 3G data for two months to Galaxy E5 and E7 buyers.

Ken Kang, senior vice president, mobile & IT, Samsung India, said, "Demonstrating our commitment to the consumers here, we have selected India as the first country to launch GALAXY E7 and E5 smartphones globally. Continuing our legacy of setting new standards for customer-centric innovation, we are focused on redefining the concept of offering revolutionary devices and expand our leadership position within the smartphone market."



The metal-bodied Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5, which have already been launched in China, cost Rs 20,500 and Rs 25,000, respectively. At 6.7mm thickness, Galaxy A5 is the thinnest Samsung smartphone, while Galaxy A3 follows close behind at 6.9mm. The South Korean manufacturer says it is focussing on yound and style conscious consumers with the two models.

Galaxy A3 has a 4.5-inch screen, TouchWiz software, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 1,900mAh battery. Its sibling Galaxy A5 has 5-inch screen, 13MP rear camera with LED flash, 2GB RAM and 2,300mAH battery.

Like the Galaxy E series smartphones, both Galaxy A series models run on 1.2GHz quad-core processor, have 16GB internal storage, microSD card support and 5MP selfie cameras. Airtel will provide special double data plans on Galaxy A3 and A5 for up to 6 months, Samsung India said in a statement.

Asim Warsi, vice president, marketing, mobile & IT at Samsung India, said, "Both Galaxy A and E smartphones have been designed to empower young consumers and provide accessibility to iconic design and flagship Galaxy features. We are confident that the launch of these new devices will further expand our presence in the mid-segment of mobile phones market in India."

Source

Sony's new Walkman is only for rich audiophiles

At CES, Sony announced the next player in it's Walkman lineup, the ZX2. And, it costs 1200$.


Sony already has a high-resolution player in its Walkman line but, not wanting to sit out the growing audiophile craze, the company revealed another model here at CES: the Walkman ZX2. Inside the player's aluminum alloy frame, there's an S-Master HX digital amp to keep things sounding clear, and DSEE HX tech that upscales those regular ol' tunes (like those being streamed) for better sound quality. In terms of playback, the ZX2 handles media up to 192kHz/24-bit and MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV and ALAC including DSD files. There's 128GB of internal memory that's sure to fill up, but a microSD slot provides extra space. It'll connect to WiFi for streaming and downloads, and the battery is said to last 60 hours on a charge.


Connectivity options on the Walkman NWZ-ZX2 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and Micro-USB. The ZX2 runs on Android 4.2.2 JellyBean and Sony justified using it due to it's long term stability and of course, you can download apps from the Google Play Store. Other features include ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), S-Master HX digital amplifier and VPT.

That's all guys, thank you for reading! If you liked this article, follow me or our official page on Google+ so that you will be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content like this! :D

LG G Flex 2 Unveiled at CES

The G Flex 2 is LG's second curved Android smartphone. Introduced at CES 2015 today, it blends the heritage of the original G Flex with the all-new Snapdragon 810 processor and some of the best aspects of LG’s G3 flagship to produce an excellent new phone.

Curved phones are still in the "rebel without a cause" phase of their development. They are different, but haven’t yet figured out a compelling reason to be different. That doesn’t change with the G Flex 2. LG’s Dr. Ramchan Woo, the company’s mobile architect responsible for the new G Flex, argues that all design tends to start with straight lines and rectangles, because they’re easy to make, before proceeding to the more natural and organic feel of flowing curved lines. Making curves is hard, whether you’re talking about cars, architecture, or home appliances, but doing it is worth it for LG because of the better aesthetics and ergonomics. "Why curved again?," asks Woo. "Our biggest and simplest answer is it’s more beautiful."

You don’t have to agree with Ramchan Woo’s thesis about the inevitability of curves to appreciate how much of an improvement the G Flex 2 is over the original G Flex. The number one complaint LG received about its first curved smartphone was that, at 6 inches in size, "that’s too big." People just couldn’t get to grips with such an awkward beast, and many of them were also unhappy to see it only had 720p resolution in an age where much smaller phones could comfortably accommodate 1080p and above. Now, with an improved generation of its plastic OLED technology, LG’s stepped up to the 1080p resolution and, crucially, stepped down in size class to 5.5 inches. 


The Korean company has also reduced the overall curve of the phone so that now it’s a gentle bend instead of the aggressive crescent shape of the original. This combination of more compact dimensions, better and smaller screen, and subtler curvature combines to make the G Flex 2 a much nicer phone to hold and to use than its predecessor.

Another improvement from the original G Flex is the second generation of LG’s self-healing plastic case. It now recovers from scratches and bruises in less than 10 seconds. The rear cover is super shiny and reflective in both the Flamenco Red and Platinum Silver options, but it’s an unusually nice sort of glossy surface. Yes, LG’s new phone is made out of glossy plastic, but I’m really alright with that. It doesn’t collect fingerprints easily and its ostentatious shine is rather in keeping with LG’s effort to present the G Flex 2 as a premium-class smartphone with a bit of added pizzazz.

 The G Flex 2 will be priced higher than the G3 and whatever successor to the G3 LG is planning for later this year, making it a niche higher-end device, much like the original. The big difference is that this phone is really rather good.

LG’s internal engineering team has made the G Flex 2 more shock-resistant and durable than the original. LG’s even gone so far as to take Gorilla Glass 3 from Corning and give it a special chemical treatment that the company says makes it 20 percent stronger and more durable. LG calls this Dura-Guard Glass and points out that it’s a particular improvement at the edges of the screen, which is where Gorilla Glass’ durability is apparently not as great as at the center.

The display itself is also very pleasing to the eye. I was never convinced that LG’s G3 needed a Quad HD resolution and the G Flex 2 reiterates the point: this new phone looks just as good, if not better, than its fellow 5.5-inch brandmate. 1080p resolution and the deep beautiful blacks of OLED make for vibrant, strong imagery whatever you’re looking at, and LG’s also added a slide-down motion on the lock screen that will show you the latest notifications without activating the full screen.

All of this would be meaningless without a solid software foundation and LG’s using the best around with Google’s Android 5 Lollipop. The interface retains LG’s cosmetic modifications from the original UI first introduced on the Android 4.4-powered G3, but that already cleaned up and simplified a lot of things in LG’s skin, essentially preempting the improvements of Lollipop.

The specs of the G Flex 2 are similar to those of the G3: it has the same screen size and the same 3,000mAh battery (though in this case it’s not removable), 2GB or 3GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of storage and the option to expand it via microSD. The camera is also the same 13-megapixel sensor as in the G3, though it comes with improved software and some further hardware optimizations. The laser-guided autofocus system and optical image stabilization are also both here, together with a new dual-LED flash that helps to provide more natural tones in photos that require it. NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11ac, and the latest tri-band carrier aggregation LTE complete the connectivity picture and a typically formidable spec sheet for LG. I remain impressed with the company’s restraint, though, in making this phone smaller and even admitting that the original 3,500mAh battery in the G Flex was "too big." Its absence is more than made up for with the lighter and more ergonomic device on show today.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Nvidia Announces Tegra X1 with 256-Core Maxwell GPU

At a press conference in Las Vegas, Nvidia today announced an update to its highly successful Tegra K1 mobile processor. The X1 combines a 64-bit ARM_based processor with a graphics chip based on the company’s Maxwell architecture. The K1 used Nvidia’s older Kepler GPU technology. The X1 will feature a 256-core Maxwell GPU and an eight-core 64bit CPU. That, the company says, makes it the first teraflop mobile processor.

The original Tegra K1, Nvidia noted, was the first mobile processor that brought together a strong mobile CPU with a very powerful GPU. Bringing Kepler to the K1 took Nvidia two years.

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car
What that means is that the Tegra X1 can run things like the Epic's Elemental demo on a chip that could fit in a phone or tablet. It looks totally mind-blowing for a mobile chip. Not perfect—some of the more extreme effects in the demo cause the framerate to stutter a bit, but it's insane that running it is possible to begin with.

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car
That's great for gaming sure, but Nvidia has its eyes set on something bigger: Creating a super computer brain that controls your whole car. Nvidia's new Drive CX "mobile cockpit computer" is a device that's powered by a Tegra x1 that can push 16.6 megapixels, or 4 HD displays all at once. That is to say, it can power a whole bunch of badass displays in your car all at once. It could turn your car's dash into a sci-fi spaceship dashboard.

Something a little like this:

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car
In practice, this allows for awesome graphics that can finally make the graphics in your GPS be more than just a stupid little arrow chugging along on a map, and instead be something a little more awesome. Something more like this:

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car
But it goes further than just that. Nvidia wants to put the X1 to work to help be the brains of future driverless cars. Nvidia's also announced something called the Drive PX, an "auto-pilot car computer" that's powered by two X1s. The point of this chip? To know everything that's going on in and around your car, from what's displayed on its screens, to anything coming in from driver assistance cameras that are facing outwards. It's the brain that makes sense of what's coming in through the cars many eyes, that lets it really learn about and understand its surroundings using neural network technology that can teach itself what cars and vans and cyclists and pedestrians look like over time.

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car
Sounds great right? Hell yeah. The catch is that it's still a long, long way off. The X1 is a chip with the horsepower to make this sort of stuff possible, sure, but cars still have a lot of catching up to do, whether it's by including a ton of high-res panels that will show you all those awesomeTron graphics, or by having a bevvy of outward facing cameras that provide all the information something like an "auto-pilot car computer" would want to process. And that's to say nothing of the challenges of getting this tech—and this tech specifically—into cars; everybody is working a self-driving car these days.

The tech works now though. Nvidia's already got prototypes of this tech that are functional, and by extension, cars with brains smart enough to spot cyclists and pedestrians and other squishy things it best not hit, or to realize that a bunch of brakelights up ahead means that it should probably get ready to start slowing down.

Tegra X1: Incredible Mobile Graphics For Driving Your Games and Your Car

Will we see this technology in a new Tesla, perhaps? (Nvidia supplied Tesla with the processors that power the Model S's giant touchscreen.) Can't say for sure. But Audi did pop up on stage to show their support.

That's all guys! If you liked this article, follow me or our official page on Google+ to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content! :D

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Xiaomi Redmi 2, Redmi 1S Successor Announced

Xiaomi on Sunday finally launched the much-anticipated successor to the Redmi 1S, the Redmi 2. The new entry-level smartphone will go on sale in China starting January 9 and is priced at CNY 699 (~ 112 USD). The Redmi 2's availability details outside China remain undisclosed for now, but it can be expected to be made available in India and Indonesia shortly.



The dual-SIM dual-standby Xiaomi Redmi 2 sports a 4.7-inch IPS display with HD (720x1280 ppi) resolution and 312ppi, same as the predecessor Redmi 1S. The smartphone will be layered with company's own MIUI 6 skin over Android 4.4 KitKat.

The Xiaomi Redmi 2 runs on a 64-bit 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (Cortex A53) coupled with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 306 GPU. As for the camera, the handset includes the same 8-megapixel rear camera along with a 2-megapxiel front-facing camera, which is a slight bump from 1.6-megapixel seen on the original Redmi 1S.

xiaomi_redmi_2_side_white.jpg
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 houses 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB). The budget smartphone also features regular connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS besides 4G LTE (TDD/FDD) network support.

This phone uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 410 which means, the processor is 64-bit compatible and also supports Category 4 LTE.

Available in five colour variants - Yellow, Pink, Green, White, and Black, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 is backed by a 2200mAh battery, again a bump from Redmi 1S' 2000mAh battery. The device weighs 133 grams and is 0.5mm thinner than its predecessor at 9.4mm.

Full specs:

  • 4.7" screen size, IPS display, 1280x720 resolutiton, 312 PPI
  • 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor
  • Dual-SIM with 2 card-slots, standing by concurrently
  • 1GB RAM, 8GB flash memory, expandable micro sd card slot of upto 32GB,
  • Cortex A53 structure, 1.5 times faster than A7
  • Adreno 306 GPU
  • 4G LTE/3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and 3.5mm headset audio jack,
  • Dual-SIM 4G LTE (TDD/ FDD), connection speed up to 150 Mbps
  • 2200 mAh Samsung Lithium polymer battery
  • 8 mega pixel rear camera, 2 mega pixel facing camera
  • 133 grams, 9.4 mm thick
  • 5 colors for back cover
  • MIUI 6

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

This N1 is a tablet from Nokia, not an Oppo phone!

There were rumors going around that Nokia was going to announce "something" today and Nokia just announced a new affordable Android tablet and it really has hit it out of the park this time!


Announced today at Slush 2014, the N1 is a tablet by Nokia that comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box  and full bang-for-your-buck specs. This is a tablet Nokia should have announced in 2012/3 to prevent what happened to the company. But, like the Nokia X Android phones, there is no Play Store out of the box but considering it is an Android tablet, we can do anything with it, can't we? ;)
The Nokia N1 is one of the first devices to feature a reversible USB type C connector

The body is made of aluminum with a thickness of just 6.9 mm and a weight of 318 grams.

The display is a 7.9" IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 2048x1536 and an aspect ration of 4:3 which comes out to be about 324 ppi.

The processor is an Intel® 64-bit Atom™ Processor Z3580, 2.3 GHz with 2 GB RAM and a PowerVR G6430 GPU. To support all of this, there is a 5300 mAH battery.

You get all of this for just 250$ but the tablet is to be released in early 2015.

Full specs:

Component    Description
Screen size 7.9 inches
Screen type IPS LCD
Resolution 2048 x 1536
Pixel density 324 ppi
SoC                 Intel 64-bit Atom Z3580
Type        Quad-core
Speed        2.3 GHz
GPU        PowerVR G6430 533MHz
RAM        2GB
Storage          32GB
Expansion None
Camera        8MP autofocus
Flash        None
Front-facer   5MP fixed focus
Battery       5300mAh
OS              Android 5.0 Lollipop
Bands      WiFi-only
SIM type      N/A
Bluetooth    Bluetooth 4.0
WiFi      802.11a/b/g/n/ac (MIMO)
NFC     Unknown
Infrared     None
Sensors     6-axis gyro / accelerometer
Build    One-piece design / aluminum with surface anodization
Size            200.7 x 138.6 x 6.9mm / 318g


Gallery:


Video:



That's all thanks for reading this article. Whether you liked it or not, feel free to post a comment down below about any suggestion/remarks/corrections etc. Follow me and our official page on Google+ to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content like this! (y)

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Everything You Need to Know About the New Nexus family!

Google didn't actually hold an event for the announcements but, they did actually announce them! The newest devices out of Mountain View are the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and the Nexus Player. And yes, Android 5.0 is, LOLLIPOP!


Nexus 6

It looks just like all the leaks did and actually, you can name it the "big brother" of the Moto X 2nd Gen. 


As you can see, the device looks very similar to the Moto X but it also sports a "Nexus" branding on it. The specs on this beast are out of this world and the price is also not so affordable but I think that the price can be justified, easily.

The Nexus 6 ships with Lollipop out of the box and because it is a Nexus, you can count on Google to be the one of the first ones to be updated to the next version of Android. It sports a 5.96" quad HD AMOLED diplay. Yes, QUAD HD AMOLED!! I told you that the price was worth!

OK. I'm going to list out the specs but I must warn you, you will need a brave heart to wait to buy it!

Specs:
  • 5.96" Quad HD AMOLED display
  • 493 ppi and Gorilla Glass 3 screen
  • 3 GB RAM
  • 13 MP rear camera with OIS and f/2.0 aperture
  • 4K video recording at 30 fps
  • 2 MP front camera with 1080p video
  • Dimensions: 82.98mm x 159.26mm x 10.06mm
  • Weight: 184g
  • 802.11AC WiFi with MIMO
  • Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC
  • Sensors: GPS, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer.
  • Audio output: Dual front facing speakers
  • 3220 mAH battery with Qi wireless charging support and Motorola Turbo Charging.
  • Network Bands:
North America:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
CDMA Band Class: 0/1/10
WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/8
LTE Bands: 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/41
CA DL Bands: B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-29, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29

Rest of World:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
CDMA: not supported
WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8/9/19
LTE Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/9/19/20/28/41
CA DL: B3-B5, B3-B8

Note: I haven't seen any camera samples from the Nexus 6 yet but, judging by the size of the aperture, resolution and the fact that it also has OIS, it will be one of the best phone cameras ever, if not the best.

Nexus 9

This tablet too, is very similar to what the leaks suggested. The Nexus 9 is the newest tablet from Google which is manufactured by HTC.


The Nexus 9's display sizes up to 8.9" with a resolution of QXGA (2048 x 1536). The display is not the standout point but it's the raw processing power of the beastly 64 bit Nvidia Tegra K1. The GPU used is Nvidia's 192 core Kepler. The RAM measures up to 2 GB and this is probably the only thing to concern according to me. GPU's are RAM hungry and I think that 3 GB of RAM would've been more appropriate with the other specs.

As this tablet is manufactured by HTC, it brings in some of it's signature features like BoomSound and Double Tap2Wake. The battery capacity is 6700 mAH and the Nexus 9 comes in 16/32 GB WiFi only and 32 GB LTE models.

Specs:
  • 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver @ 2.3GHz
  • 2 GB RAM
  • BoomSound speakers
  • 8.9" QXGA display (281 ppi)
  • 6700 mAH battery
  • Cameras: 8MP Rear camera, f/2.4 aperture, Auto-focus, LED flash, 1.6MP Front camera, f/2.4 aperture
  • WiFi 802.11AC with MIMO
  • Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC
  • Sensors: GPS, Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Magnetometer.

Nexus Player

Last but, not the least on this least is the Nexus Player. This product wasn't expected and took the world by quite a surprise. After placing it on the Play Store, some people on the internet claimed that this product didn't pass the FCC and so, Google pulled it off. Anyways, here are the details.


The Nexus Player is the first Android TV device to be sold in the public, the first one was ADT-1, a developer version of the same device distributed at I/O.


If you aren't familiar with Android TV, please read this article. You can control the Nexus Player using a remote provided, game controller which is sold separately or by your Android phone, tablet or Android Wear watch!

Specs:
  • Chipset: 1.8GHz Quad Core, Intel® Atom™
  • Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB storage
  • Ports: 18W DC power, HDMI out (1920x1080@60Hz), Micro-USB 2.0
  • Wireless: 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO), Bluetooth 4.1
  • Weight: 235g
  • Dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 20mm

That's everything guys! If you liked this article, follow me our our official Google+ page to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome articles! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to post a comment down below! Keep reading! :D

Monday, September 29, 2014

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Impressions from an Android fanboy's perspective!

Apple announced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on the 10th of September and almost 20 days later, here are the impressions from an Android fanboy's perspective.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The best iPhones we’ve ever made.

The iPhone 6 has a 4.7" display and the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5" display. Both feature a new "Retina HD" display. iPhone 6 has a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch. The 6 Plus has a 1080p display. 1080p in late 2014? This is a low. Even for Apple.

As always, Apple tries to trick it's 'dumb' users by emphasizing on useless numbers. For eg: "The iPhone 6 Plus has 2 Million pixels on it's display." If a normal person reads this, they think that it is the highest ever on any device. What they don't know is that 1080p phones are available since 2 years. 

iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display. iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch display.


The A8 chip has up to 25% faster processing power and up to 50% faster graphics than the A7.

Many Apple fans deny this but there is a general allegation that Apple re-introduces already established technology and the users think that it is an Apple innovation. The biggest examples are a 4.7" screen and 1080p resolution, which are both pretty normal since 2 years.

Okay, pretty much all of the new features are already in some phones so I'll just list all of them and which phones had them before.

"New" technology in iPhone 6   :   Phone which already had it

Wifi 802.11AC : Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One M7 and pretty much all flagships of 2013/4
Barometer : Samsung Galaxy Nexus(2012), Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5
Optical Image Stabilization  :  LG Nexus 5, LG G2, G3, HTC One M7.

iPhone 6 now supports Voice over LTE.

I think that the new back looks ugly. And this is not because I am an Apple hater, I liked the back of the iPhone 5/5S.

Camera:

The iPhone 6 has a 8 MP rear shooter with f/2.2 aperture, 1.5 micrometer pixels and OIS. What Apple users don't know is that the HTC One M7 has a 4 MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture, 2 micrometer pixels and OIS. 

Processor:

Apple users tell about how everyday app opening speeds are much faster in iPhones than Android phones. Here is a video by +Chris Nacca comparing the iPhone 6 with the Nexus 5.
Before watching the video, note that the Nexus 5 is a year old with ART disabled (ART increases app opening times drastically) and the processor has more than twice the number of pixels to process as compared to the iPhone and STILL, the Nexus 5 is at par with the iPhone 6 and even faster in some cases.


Pricing and availability: 

iPhone 6 starts at $199 with a two-year contract.

iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 with a two-year contract.

Introducing a 128 GB iPhone is pretty much the only good thing the Apple has done but not to mention, it's stupidly expensive. The prices above are for a 2 year contract. Yup...

"OMG Apple made a new technology called NFC. This is so cool, you just have to tap to pay." Don't worry Apple users, you won't be able to transfer files by using a feature similar to "Android Beam" as the iPhone's NFC chip will only work with Apple Pay devices.

This is not a shocker to me because you can't even transfer files via bluetooth on iPhones, transferring files via NFC should be beyond Apple's imagination. Btw, Android Beam only uses NFC to authenticate the devices and Bluetooth to transfer the files.

The payment system is called "Apple Pay". Shouldn't it be "Pay Apple"?

Super buggy iOS 8.0.1 update:

Soon after the iPhone 6 launch, Apple released 8.0.1 that broke TouchID on all phones and also, network was unavailable.When you pay SO much money for a device, you expect at least not to receive a buggy software update. After 2-3 days of the 8.0.1 update, Apple released iOS 8.0.2 resolving the bugs caused by 8.0.1 but still, this is unacceptable...

Bendgate

Most of you would've probably heard about the bendgate. If you haven't, I'll explain it to you. On 23rd September, Lew from +Unbox Therapy uploaded a video showing how the iPhone 6 Plus "bends" when pressure is applied at specific points on the back. Not only this, even the display comes out of the 'unibody' of the 6 Plus. This video went viral and as of writing of this article, has 45 million views in 5 days!


After the launch of this video, many Apple fans claimed that the video was edited and Lew swapped devices in between shots. To entertain this nonsense appeal, Lew went out in the open and did the bend test in the open without editing in front of an audience of 4-5 people.

Samsung and LG were quick to mock Apple for this controversial structure of the 6 Plus.





An Apple event is never complete without irony, is it? Gather around kids, it's time to see how Apple changes it's statements ONCE AGAIN!