Sunday, 31 August 2014
Saturday, 30 August 2014
XOLO Play 8X-1100 Specififcations Details
| Release date | August 2014 |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2100 |
| Removable battery | No |
| Colours | White |
| SAR value | NA |
DISPLAY
| Screen size (inches) | 5.00 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Touchscreen type | Capacitive |
| Resolution | 1080x1920 pixels |
HArdware
| Processor | 1.7GHz octa-core |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Internal storage | 16GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | microSD |
| Expandable storage up to (GB) | 32 |
CAMERA
| Rear camera | 13-megapixel |
| Flash | Yes |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel |
Software
| Operating System | Android 4.4 |
| Java support | No |
| Browser supports Flash | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 b/ g/ n |
| GPS | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared | No |
| DLNA | No |
| Wi-Fi Direct | No |
| MHL Out | No |
| HDMI | No |
| Headphones | 3.5mm |
| FM | Yes |
| USB | Micro-USB |
| Charging via Micro-USB | Yes |
| Proprietary charging connector | No |
| Proprietary data connector | Yes |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| SIM 1 | |
| SIM Type | Regular |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| SIM 2 | |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
SENSORS
| Compass/ Magnetometer | No |
| Proximity sensor | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Barometer | No |
| Temperature sensor | No |
News For all Big Data Lovers/Programmers
Majority of the decision makers in Indian enterprises have ranked Business Intelligence as the major use of Big Data. They also agree that cloud computing and Big Data can give significant impact for their business.
According to a survey by online education company Skillsoft, 65% of decision makers in India ranked business intelligence as the greatest benefit of leveraging Big Data — huge and complex data sets from various sources which are difficult to process.
"Further, despite low levels of adoption of cloud solutions and Big Data in some industries, decision makers and learners alike agree that the benefits of both can drive significant and measurable impact for their respective businesses," stated the survey titled 'Leveraging the Power of Big Data and the Cloud'.
Cloud solutions or cloud computing is offering computing solutions as a service and not as a product over internet.
According to the survey, 73% of the respondents said more training is needed in relation to cloud solutions for their better performance.
"No longer can decision makers and business professionals ignore the potential that Big Data and cloud solutions can impact their business outcomes, their team dynamics, and even their own career advancement," said Aruna Telang, manager, Consulting Services — Asia, Skillsoft.
The survey's key findings are:
* 79% of decision makers believe more training is needed within their organization in relation to Big Data.
* 61% stated they were hired to support the process of training employees on cloud solutions.
* While 54% of decision makers are investing in cloud solutions, the research findings showed that 19% of these individuals do not have any budget allocated to training.
* Across organizations, email systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and learning management systems (LMS) were the hottest cloud solutions being adopted.
According to Skillsoft, 13 markets across the Asia Pacific region are represented in the study.
The survey also included data from more than 300 large and medium-sized businesses and organizations across 20 industry sectors in Asia Pacific.
According to a survey by online education company Skillsoft, 65% of decision makers in India ranked business intelligence as the greatest benefit of leveraging Big Data — huge and complex data sets from various sources which are difficult to process.
"Further, despite low levels of adoption of cloud solutions and Big Data in some industries, decision makers and learners alike agree that the benefits of both can drive significant and measurable impact for their respective businesses," stated the survey titled 'Leveraging the Power of Big Data and the Cloud'.
Cloud solutions or cloud computing is offering computing solutions as a service and not as a product over internet.
According to the survey, 73% of the respondents said more training is needed in relation to cloud solutions for their better performance.
"No longer can decision makers and business professionals ignore the potential that Big Data and cloud solutions can impact their business outcomes, their team dynamics, and even their own career advancement," said Aruna Telang, manager, Consulting Services — Asia, Skillsoft.
The survey's key findings are:
* 79% of decision makers believe more training is needed within their organization in relation to Big Data.
* 61% stated they were hired to support the process of training employees on cloud solutions.
* While 54% of decision makers are investing in cloud solutions, the research findings showed that 19% of these individuals do not have any budget allocated to training.
* Across organizations, email systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and learning management systems (LMS) were the hottest cloud solutions being adopted.
According to Skillsoft, 13 markets across the Asia Pacific region are represented in the study.
The survey also included data from more than 300 large and medium-sized businesses and organizations across 20 industry sectors in Asia Pacific.
Oppo Neo 3 smartphone:First Look
Chinese smartphone maker Oppohas taken to Facebook to announce the launch of its Neo 3 smartphone, aimed at the budget segment of the Indian market. The device has a 4.5-inch screen, runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and costs Rs 10,990.
The smartphone is exclusively available on Flipkart, where it is listed as Oppo Neo R831K.
Oppo Neo 3 has display resolution of 854x480p and runs on the company's proprietary ColorOS user interface. It is powered by a dual-core 1.3GHz processor has 1GB RAM and comes with 4GB internal storage and supports microSD cards with capacities up to 32GB.
On the back of Neo 3 is a 5MP camera with LED flash on the back, while a 2MP camera is in front. Its connectivity suite consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and microUSB. This dual-sim smartphone is compatible with GSM as well as CDMA sim cards; it is powered by a 1,900mAh battery.
Oppo Neo 3 has a technology called HotKnot, which allows it to "share everything simply by touching another mobile screen with yours."
It will compete against the likes of Asus Zenfone 5, Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Moto E in the Indian smartphone market.
The smartphone is exclusively available on Flipkart, where it is listed as Oppo Neo R831K.
Oppo Neo 3 has display resolution of 854x480p and runs on the company's proprietary ColorOS user interface. It is powered by a dual-core 1.3GHz processor has 1GB RAM and comes with 4GB internal storage and supports microSD cards with capacities up to 32GB.
On the back of Neo 3 is a 5MP camera with LED flash on the back, while a 2MP camera is in front. Its connectivity suite consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and microUSB. This dual-sim smartphone is compatible with GSM as well as CDMA sim cards; it is powered by a 1,900mAh battery.
Oppo Neo 3 has a technology called HotKnot, which allows it to "share everything simply by touching another mobile screen with yours."
It will compete against the likes of Asus Zenfone 5, Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Moto E in the Indian smartphone market.
Friday, 29 August 2014
Spice Fire One Mi FX1
imed at capturing a larger chunk of the booming affordable smartphone market in India, domestic handset maker Spice has launched its new Firefox OS-powered smartphone, Spice Fire One Mi FX1, priced at Rs 2,299.
The move follows the launch of another Firefox OS device last week by local rival, Intex, which had launched India's first Firefox OS based handset for Rs 1,999.
"This dual SIM-handset is targetted at those looking to upgrade from feature phones without worrying about the price or complexity of a smartphone. We are confident that the device will meet the demands of those looking to move to smartphone," Spice Mobility chief executive officer Prashant Bindal told PTI.
Spice expects to sell about one lakh units of the new device in next two months.
"We will begin sales online through Snapdeal and later decide on the offline route. We should sell about 50,000 units a month in the next two months," he said.
Software major Mozilla, which runs the Firefox browser, had showcased a smartphone prototype costing as little as $25 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, targeting at developing countries including India and China.
It had partnered Intex and Spice from India for launching these low-cost devices in the country, which is the fastest growing smartphone market globally. It already has devices in 17 countries.
Spice is also expected to launch a new sub-$100 device, under the Android One initiative, soon.
Earlier this year, Google had partnered Spice, Micromax and Karbonn from India to deliver a smartphone under-$100 (about Rs 6,000) under the Android One initiative.
The Spice Fire One Mi FX1 is powered by the Firefox OS and 1 GHz processor. It has a 3.5-inch screen, expandable memory up to 4 GB, 1.3MP rear and 0.3 MP front camera and 1,400 mAh battery. Spice has also partnered Aircel to offer 1GB free monthly data for three months.
Handset makers are betting big on mobile internet to reach out to newer audiences. Various reports suggest that the next billion population accessing the internet for the first time will do so on their phones instead of personal computers.
Companies like Microsoft, which acquired Nokia's handset division, are also targeting the affordable smartphone category aggressively, estimating it to be a $50 billion annual opportunity.
The smartphone market in India grew at 84% year-on-year to 18.42 million units in Q2 of 2014 from 10.02 million units (in April-June 2013 quarter), as per research firm IDC.
Korean handset maker Samsung led the smartphone market with 29% share, followed by Micromax at 18%, Karbonn at 8% and Lava at 6%.
The move follows the launch of another Firefox OS device last week by local rival, Intex, which had launched India's first Firefox OS based handset for Rs 1,999.
"This dual SIM-handset is targetted at those looking to upgrade from feature phones without worrying about the price or complexity of a smartphone. We are confident that the device will meet the demands of those looking to move to smartphone," Spice Mobility chief executive officer Prashant Bindal told PTI.
Spice expects to sell about one lakh units of the new device in next two months.
"We will begin sales online through Snapdeal and later decide on the offline route. We should sell about 50,000 units a month in the next two months," he said.
Software major Mozilla, which runs the Firefox browser, had showcased a smartphone prototype costing as little as $25 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, targeting at developing countries including India and China.
It had partnered Intex and Spice from India for launching these low-cost devices in the country, which is the fastest growing smartphone market globally. It already has devices in 17 countries.
Spice is also expected to launch a new sub-$100 device, under the Android One initiative, soon.
Earlier this year, Google had partnered Spice, Micromax and Karbonn from India to deliver a smartphone under-$100 (about Rs 6,000) under the Android One initiative.
The Spice Fire One Mi FX1 is powered by the Firefox OS and 1 GHz processor. It has a 3.5-inch screen, expandable memory up to 4 GB, 1.3MP rear and 0.3 MP front camera and 1,400 mAh battery. Spice has also partnered Aircel to offer 1GB free monthly data for three months.
Handset makers are betting big on mobile internet to reach out to newer audiences. Various reports suggest that the next billion population accessing the internet for the first time will do so on their phones instead of personal computers.
Companies like Microsoft, which acquired Nokia's handset division, are also targeting the affordable smartphone category aggressively, estimating it to be a $50 billion annual opportunity.
The smartphone market in India grew at 84% year-on-year to 18.42 million units in Q2 of 2014 from 10.02 million units (in April-June 2013 quarter), as per research firm IDC.
Korean handset maker Samsung led the smartphone market with 29% share, followed by Micromax at 18%, Karbonn at 8% and Lava at 6%.
Samsung unveils necklace-shaped earphone
After unveiling its Samsung Gear S smartwatch, Samsung had one more thing to show us: Earphones that join together to form a necklace that vibrates when someone calls you.
The Samsung Gear Circle can be paired with a smartphone to receive calls and listen to music, similar to existing high-end earphones and headsets. But one thing that is new about the headset is its magnetic locking system, which turns the earphones into a vibrating necklace when they're not in use.
Pairing the Gear Circle to a smarpthone via Bluetooth will allow you to give voice commands and take calls using the headphones, which fit around your neck as a necklace when not in use.
While there's no word yet on the device's availability in the US, Samsung has announced that the Gear Circle will begin rolling out in international markets in October. Pricing details are yet to be announced.
The Samsung Gear Circle can be paired with a smartphone to receive calls and listen to music, similar to existing high-end earphones and headsets. But one thing that is new about the headset is its magnetic locking system, which turns the earphones into a vibrating necklace when they're not in use.
Pairing the Gear Circle to a smarpthone via Bluetooth will allow you to give voice commands and take calls using the headphones, which fit around your neck as a necklace when not in use.
While there's no word yet on the device's availability in the US, Samsung has announced that the Gear Circle will begin rolling out in international markets in October. Pricing details are yet to be announced.
Videocon Launches New Features Phone Starting at Rs 1000
Videocon Mobile has introduced V-Style range of phones with 'Smart', 'Mega', 'Grande', 'Curve', 'Flip' and 'Mini' feature phone models priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000.
The V-Style Smart is a touch phone with a high resolution touch screen. The company likes to call it a 'semi smartphone' and the phone comes with preloaded applications such as Facebook, and WhatsApp. It is priced at Rs 2,950.
The V-Style Mega features a 3-inch IPS display and has a leather-like textured back cover. The phone is priced at Rs 1,999.
The V-Style Curve features high-gloss body and a slim design. The phone is priced at Rs 1749.
The Grande is a feature phone that comes with back covers available in blue and black panel colour options and a free white panel. The phone is priced at Rs 1,899.
The V-Style Flip feature phone comes with a flip-cover and is priced at Rs 1,749.The V-Style Mini is a smaller-sized feature phone following the same design as that of the 'V-Style' series. The phone is priced at Rs 1,299.
Jerold Pereira, CEO, Videocon Mobile Phones said, "Today, consumers are much conscious about how their gadgets look and thus always look out for devices which feature style factor. Gone are the days of big, uninspiring and bulky devices, which are now replaced with stylish and functional feature rich devices. It is to address this emerging aspiration that we have introduced the V-Style feature phone range that offers best in class looks and features. With the V-style range the consumers will now not be embarrassed carrying their feature phone in their peer group as their own phone will compete with costly smartphones in terms of style, looks and features. With this range we bring back style in the feature phone category and introduce the range as a game changer."
With the V-Style range, Videocon Mobile Phones is targeting the youth segment within the age group of 15-35 years in Sector B, C towns with focus on cities across Tier II and III across various states.
The V-Style Smart is a touch phone with a high resolution touch screen. The company likes to call it a 'semi smartphone' and the phone comes with preloaded applications such as Facebook, and WhatsApp. It is priced at Rs 2,950.
The V-Style Mega features a 3-inch IPS display and has a leather-like textured back cover. The phone is priced at Rs 1,999.
The V-Style Curve features high-gloss body and a slim design. The phone is priced at Rs 1749.
The Grande is a feature phone that comes with back covers available in blue and black panel colour options and a free white panel. The phone is priced at Rs 1,899.
The V-Style Flip feature phone comes with a flip-cover and is priced at Rs 1,749.The V-Style Mini is a smaller-sized feature phone following the same design as that of the 'V-Style' series. The phone is priced at Rs 1,299.
Jerold Pereira, CEO, Videocon Mobile Phones said, "Today, consumers are much conscious about how their gadgets look and thus always look out for devices which feature style factor. Gone are the days of big, uninspiring and bulky devices, which are now replaced with stylish and functional feature rich devices. It is to address this emerging aspiration that we have introduced the V-Style feature phone range that offers best in class looks and features. With the V-style range the consumers will now not be embarrassed carrying their feature phone in their peer group as their own phone will compete with costly smartphones in terms of style, looks and features. With this range we bring back style in the feature phone category and introduce the range as a game changer."
With the V-Style range, Videocon Mobile Phones is targeting the youth segment within the age group of 15-35 years in Sector B, C towns with focus on cities across Tier II and III across various states.
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Hp beats Dell in Pc Sales
Hewlett-Packard (HP) got back its top spot in the PC market in the quarter ended June thanks to the execution of a large education deal in Tamil Nadu. Its overall market share was 29.5%, up from 20.9% in the first quarter ended March, according to research firm IDC. Dell, which was No. 1 in the first quarter with a 23.1% share, was second this time with a 19.1% share. Lenovo was third with a 13.9% share.
The Tamil Nadu deal helped HP's share in commercial notebooks to jump to as high as 51.4%. Lenovo, at No. 2, was way behind at 16.8%. In commercial desktops, HP was second to Dell. In consumer desktops and notebooks, HP was No. 1. In the former, Lenovo was marginally behind, in the latter, Dell was 4 percentage points behind HP's 31.4%.
HP was the leader through much of 2013.
The overall PC shipments for the second quarter stood at 2.55 million units, a substantial growth of 23.6% over Q1, but a drop of 27.8% over Q2 of last year. "The market remained upbeat buoyed by business purchases, as well as channel intake of low priced PCs at the end of the quarter," IDC said.
The commercial PC segment grew sequentially by 34.5%. "A clear mandate in elections signalled a mark of recovery in the economy. Against last calendar year, business prospects are expected to remain moderately better in the coming six months," IDC said.
The consumer PC market grew sequentially by 12.8%.
The Tamil Nadu deal helped HP's share in commercial notebooks to jump to as high as 51.4%. Lenovo, at No. 2, was way behind at 16.8%. In commercial desktops, HP was second to Dell. In consumer desktops and notebooks, HP was No. 1. In the former, Lenovo was marginally behind, in the latter, Dell was 4 percentage points behind HP's 31.4%.
HP was the leader through much of 2013.
The overall PC shipments for the second quarter stood at 2.55 million units, a substantial growth of 23.6% over Q1, but a drop of 27.8% over Q2 of last year. "The market remained upbeat buoyed by business purchases, as well as channel intake of low priced PCs at the end of the quarter," IDC said.
The commercial PC segment grew sequentially by 34.5%. "A clear mandate in elections signalled a mark of recovery in the economy. Against last calendar year, business prospects are expected to remain moderately better in the coming six months," IDC said.
The consumer PC market grew sequentially by 12.8%.
Swing Copters review
Flappy Birds met it's end abruptly. Dong Nguyen, the creator of the game, pulled it from app stores because he was guilty the game was "too addictive", despite the fact that he was earning $50,000 in ad revenue per day.
Then started the great game gold rush of 2014. As creators rushed to fill the void with their clones. Even Rovio, the guys behind the last sensation, Angry Birds, launched their own Flappy Bird clone. Yet, fans waited eagerly, sitting by their phones, for Nguyen to change his mind.
The good news is, he has changed his mind but don't break out the champagne and rasgullas just yet, it's not Flappy Bird.
Meet Swing Copter - a new Flappy Bird that moves vertically instead of horizontally. The premise is simple, you tap to guide a guy in a propeller hat through the girders with wrecking balls. The graphics are similar to Flappy Bird, though a lot less than Mario.
It looks like Flappy Bird, it plays like Flappy Bird, but it's not Flappy Bird. Flappy Bird was a simple game with a simple gameplay. Which is why it was so addictive. Your eyes are telling your brain "Oh! It's got a cartoon bird in a Mario landscape, how hard can it be" while your fingers are screaming seven shades of curse words as you nearly break your digits just clearing those pipe obstacles. And you keep coming back for more.
That's not the case with Swing Copter, which makes it stupidly tough to manoeuvre the character through the girders. There's no real way to control which side the copter is actually going so it just results in crashes. Tap too furiously and you have no control, and you veer slowly in one direction. Stop tapping and your copter swings and crashes.
If Flappy Birds, the Dark Souls series and Wayward Souls on iOS has taught us anything, it's that people love games that are blisteringly tough to the point of punishing. This is because of the superb sense of gratification when you actually pass the level or get a high score. Which, in an easier game, is the end score - a bunch of token numbers. In Flappy Birds that number means something because the player worked hard for it. It's justified.
Somehow, Swing Copter takes all the masochistic fun away, making it just plain unbeatable and frustrating, not to mention insane. The unpredictable outcome of the controls is just plain frustrating. Hopefully the creator will tweak the game to make it less of a wildcard and more in control.
Swing Copter is free, no hidden costs, no in app purchases. There's just an ad on top. While Swing Copter has come from the mind that created Flappy Bird, it falls under the category of half baked clones. While the entire mobile world will go crazy over this game, we close this review with a few words to Mr Dong Nguyen. Just bring Flappy Birds back!
Then started the great game gold rush of 2014. As creators rushed to fill the void with their clones. Even Rovio, the guys behind the last sensation, Angry Birds, launched their own Flappy Bird clone. Yet, fans waited eagerly, sitting by their phones, for Nguyen to change his mind.
The good news is, he has changed his mind but don't break out the champagne and rasgullas just yet, it's not Flappy Bird.
Meet Swing Copter - a new Flappy Bird that moves vertically instead of horizontally. The premise is simple, you tap to guide a guy in a propeller hat through the girders with wrecking balls. The graphics are similar to Flappy Bird, though a lot less than Mario.
It looks like Flappy Bird, it plays like Flappy Bird, but it's not Flappy Bird. Flappy Bird was a simple game with a simple gameplay. Which is why it was so addictive. Your eyes are telling your brain "Oh! It's got a cartoon bird in a Mario landscape, how hard can it be" while your fingers are screaming seven shades of curse words as you nearly break your digits just clearing those pipe obstacles. And you keep coming back for more.
That's not the case with Swing Copter, which makes it stupidly tough to manoeuvre the character through the girders. There's no real way to control which side the copter is actually going so it just results in crashes. Tap too furiously and you have no control, and you veer slowly in one direction. Stop tapping and your copter swings and crashes.
If Flappy Birds, the Dark Souls series and Wayward Souls on iOS has taught us anything, it's that people love games that are blisteringly tough to the point of punishing. This is because of the superb sense of gratification when you actually pass the level or get a high score. Which, in an easier game, is the end score - a bunch of token numbers. In Flappy Birds that number means something because the player worked hard for it. It's justified.
Somehow, Swing Copter takes all the masochistic fun away, making it just plain unbeatable and frustrating, not to mention insane. The unpredictable outcome of the controls is just plain frustrating. Hopefully the creator will tweak the game to make it less of a wildcard and more in control.
Swing Copter is free, no hidden costs, no in app purchases. There's just an ad on top. While Swing Copter has come from the mind that created Flappy Bird, it falls under the category of half baked clones. While the entire mobile world will go crazy over this game, we close this review with a few words to Mr Dong Nguyen. Just bring Flappy Birds back!
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom price downs by Rs 10000
Samsung's Galaxy K Zoom smartphone, which started selling in India in early July, is now available at Rs 19,999 on Amazon India. The phone was exclusively launched on Amazon India at Rs 29,990. Amazon mentions that the special price is valid for a few days. The phone has still not been listed on Samsung's official e-store.
The successor to Samsung's Galaxy S4 zoom, the Galaxy K Zoom combines the features of a smartphone and a point and shoot camera. The phone was globally announced in April.
The phone sports a 20.7MP CMOS camera sensor at the back with 10X Zoom and a Xenon flash, and a 2MP front-facing camera. In terms of focal length, the lens in K Zoom covers 24-240mm. The lens has an aperture of F3.1-6.3.
Featuring a 4.8-inch SuperAMOLED display (720x1280p), Galaxy K Zoom is powered by a hexa-core (1.3GHz quad-core and 1.7GHz dual-core) processor and 2GB RAM. It has 8GB internal storage but features a microSD that supports cards of up to 64GB capacity. The phone has a 2,430mAh battery. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat.
In terms of connectivity options, the phone offers Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS.
The successor to Samsung's Galaxy S4 zoom, the Galaxy K Zoom combines the features of a smartphone and a point and shoot camera. The phone was globally announced in April.
The phone sports a 20.7MP CMOS camera sensor at the back with 10X Zoom and a Xenon flash, and a 2MP front-facing camera. In terms of focal length, the lens in K Zoom covers 24-240mm. The lens has an aperture of F3.1-6.3.
Featuring a 4.8-inch SuperAMOLED display (720x1280p), Galaxy K Zoom is powered by a hexa-core (1.3GHz quad-core and 1.7GHz dual-core) processor and 2GB RAM. It has 8GB internal storage but features a microSD that supports cards of up to 64GB capacity. The phone has a 2,430mAh battery. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat.
In terms of connectivity options, the phone offers Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS.
Gionee GPAD G5:First Look
Chinese handset maker Gionee has launched its new GPAD G5 phablet at Rs 14,999 in India.
The GPAD G5 phablet sports a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280p) IPS display with Dragantrail glassfull view screen, and is powered by a 1.5GHz MediaTek hexa-core processor. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage with a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 32GB. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, the latest version of the OS.
The phone follows the likes of Karbonn Titanium Hexa and Spice Stellar 526 phones, which are also powered by MediaTek's hexa-core processors and are available at similar price points.
The phablet sports an 8MP auto-focus rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. The phone has a 2400mAh battery.
In terms of connectivity, it supports 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS.
The GPAD G5 phablet sports a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280p) IPS display with Dragantrail glassfull view screen, and is powered by a 1.5GHz MediaTek hexa-core processor. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage with a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 32GB. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, the latest version of the OS.
The phone follows the likes of Karbonn Titanium Hexa and Spice Stellar 526 phones, which are also powered by MediaTek's hexa-core processors and are available at similar price points.
The phablet sports an 8MP auto-focus rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. The phone has a 2400mAh battery.
In terms of connectivity, it supports 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS.
HTC unveils Desire 510 with 64 bit Processor
HTC has announced Desire 510, a 4G LTE-enabled budget smartphone. HTC has not revealed the exact timeline for the launch but has said that the phone will be available in selected regions in Europe and Asia as well as through select carriers in the US.
Available in terra white and meridian grey colours, the phone sports a polycarbonate chassis and borrows design cues from HTC Desire 816. It features a 4.7-inch FWVGA (480x854p).
HTC Desire 510 is powered by a 64-bit, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. It is the first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm's 64-bit processor. However, with just 1GB RAM, it's unlikely that the phone would benefit from the new processor. Also, Android 4.4 KitKat, the OS the phone currently runs, doesn't support 64-bit processors though the upcoming Android L OS does.
Desire 510 sports a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 128GB capacity.
The phone supports 3G, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE bands 800, 1800 and 2600MHz, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA and GPS. The phone doesn't support Indian 4G bands. It has a 2100mAh removable battery.
"The industry has been talking about the 4G effect for so long now that it's easy to forget that only a small selection of top-end devices are taking advantage of the technology," says Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. "Owning the latest and greatest technology shouldn't be reserved for those with the highest budgets. People today should expect their smartphones to double as mobile entertainment hubs. This means ensuring that they're fully loaded with the latest movies, TV shows and albums, by taking advantage of the super-fast network speeds available. The HTC Desire 510 does this and more, making it the perfect mobile media device."
Available in terra white and meridian grey colours, the phone sports a polycarbonate chassis and borrows design cues from HTC Desire 816. It features a 4.7-inch FWVGA (480x854p).
HTC Desire 510 is powered by a 64-bit, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. It is the first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm's 64-bit processor. However, with just 1GB RAM, it's unlikely that the phone would benefit from the new processor. Also, Android 4.4 KitKat, the OS the phone currently runs, doesn't support 64-bit processors though the upcoming Android L OS does.
Desire 510 sports a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 128GB capacity.
The phone supports 3G, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE bands 800, 1800 and 2600MHz, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA and GPS. The phone doesn't support Indian 4G bands. It has a 2100mAh removable battery.
"The industry has been talking about the 4G effect for so long now that it's easy to forget that only a small selection of top-end devices are taking advantage of the technology," says Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. "Owning the latest and greatest technology shouldn't be reserved for those with the highest budgets. People today should expect their smartphones to double as mobile entertainment hubs. This means ensuring that they're fully loaded with the latest movies, TV shows and albums, by taking advantage of the super-fast network speeds available. The HTC Desire 510 does this and more, making it the perfect mobile media device."
Samsung Gear s:first Look
Samsung on Thursday unveiled what it said was the first smartwatch capable of making and receiving calls without a mobile phone nearby, in the South Korean firm's latest effort to find a new growth driver.
The world's biggest smartphone maker has been pushing hard to develop the wearable devices market as it looks to counter slowing earnings in its mobile division, which led to weaker-than-expected second-quarter earnings.
Samsung is hardly alone in pushing wearables, which have yet to catch on with consumers. Rival Apple is expected to launch its own device this year and LG on Thursday announced its new G Watch R smartwatch featuring a circular plastic OLED screen, a stainless steel frame and leather strap.
Samsung's new smartwatch, called the Gear S, differs from its predecessors with a bigger 2-inch (5 cm) curved display and offers features like WiFi connectivity, pedestrian navigation and a built-in GPS. This device will run on Samsung's nascent Tizen operating system.
Samsung said the Gear S will start selling from October. It did not give details on pricing or where it will be available.
The world's biggest smartphone maker has been pushing hard to develop the wearable devices market as it looks to counter slowing earnings in its mobile division, which led to weaker-than-expected second-quarter earnings.
Samsung is hardly alone in pushing wearables, which have yet to catch on with consumers. Rival Apple is expected to launch its own device this year and LG on Thursday announced its new G Watch R smartwatch featuring a circular plastic OLED screen, a stainless steel frame and leather strap.
Samsung's new smartwatch, called the Gear S, differs from its predecessors with a bigger 2-inch (5 cm) curved display and offers features like WiFi connectivity, pedestrian navigation and a built-in GPS. This device will run on Samsung's nascent Tizen operating system.
Samsung said the Gear S will start selling from October. It did not give details on pricing or where it will be available.
Oppo N1 Mini Review
The Oppo N1 Mini is a well built phone that looks premium and feels durable. Our mint coloured unit looked interesting due to its unique colour.
The phone may have a smaller form factor compared to Oppo N1, but it is by no means a compact device. Other than the smaller foot print, the phone looks just like Oppo N1.
It looks sleek but at 151gram, it is not the lightest or slimmest phone around.
Oppo N1 Mini sports a brushed steel frame that wraps the entire edge of the body, while the front and back panels, in plastic, feature a matte finish.
The way the bezel fits into the front panel, without any gaps or tapering, is remarkable.
The swivel camera earpiece is placed above the display, while the three capacitive touch navigation buttons sit below it. The right edge features the volume rocker key and the sim tray while the left one sports the power key. The keys are a little thin compared to other devices but offer decent tactile feedback.
The 3.5mm headset jack, micro-USB port and the speaker grill sit at the bottom edge of the phone.
The key highlight of Oppo N1 Mini is its swivel camera (13MP) features a singe-LED flash and can be easily rotated by 206 degrees. The swivel camera can be rotated easily and at times we ended up accidentally moving it while taking the phone out of the pocket. As with other devices with moving components, we're concerned about the durability of the swivel mount but in our use we felt that it was pretty well built and would be able to withstand rough handling.
The back of the phone is slightly rounded and features a soft, porcelain-like, matte finish. It feels extremely good to hold and at the same time, offers a good grip.
Overall, we love the build quality of the phone and have no qualms in grouping it with some of the best designed phones.
Display
The front of the phone is dominated by its 5-inch 720p screen. Compared to N1's full-HD display, N1 Mini's HD display is not as crisp and sharp. Having said that, it does offers good viewing angles and looks really bright and vivid. Sunlight legibility was also good. The screen was very responsive to touch.
Software
Just like the Oppo Find 7, the N1 Mini runs Color OS which is based on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). The company is currently testing the Android 4.4-based build and plans to release it in the near future.
The OS is essentially a heavily customized version of Android that offers support for themes, an app launcher and lock screen widgets.
Unlike UI skins from Gionee and Lenovo, Oppo's Color OS features a separate app launcher and is closer to stock Android in terms of navigation, home screens and lock screen widgets. However, the company has replaced the stock apps with its own and has skinned menus and notifications panel. Some apps, such as Music, look really good due to Oppo's nice little touches.
Oppo has also incorporated support for gestures, including 'double tap to unlock,' three finger swipe for screenshots, and pinch-to-launch camera app. The app switcher can be launched by long pressing the Home button.
If you swipe top to bottom from the left side you'll see a gestures panel where you can draw pre-defined gestures to launch a specific app or do a particular task. Swiping down from the right side reveals the notifications panel.
While Oppo has customized the OS to a great deal, people familiar with Android will feel at home while using the phone. The Color OS is good to look at and functional at the same time.
Camera
The key highlight of Oppo N1 Mini is its swivel camera (13MP) featuring a singe-LED flash. It can be easily rotated by 206 degrees. The camera features a 1/3.2 Sony sensor with a 6-piece lens arrangement and an f/2.0 aperture.
The camera's Ultra HD mode is capable of capturing 24MP photographs by picking out the best parts of six successive pictures and combining them.
The camera app is pretty simple and doesn't feature a large number of toggles for granular settings. It's easy to switch between shooting modes and change major settings.
Shot in Super HD mode
The quality of images captured outdoors, in daylight was impressive with good level of detail, accurate colour reproduction, little noise and good contrast.
Low-light shots also came out well, but had more noise, especially under 100% zoom. Details were good and the camera doesn't over-process images except in the Night mode.
The Ultra-HD mode shoots 24MP images by combining six good images and offers better detail. It's useful for large prints.
The rotating camera can also be used for taking wide-angled selfies and the app features a Beautify mode to enhance facial features. As a result, you look much better in your selfies.
The camera app also offers slow shutter for creating motion blur and light trail images, an audio photo mode and GIF picture mode.
Overall, the camera is the high point of the Oppo N1 Mini.
Performance
Oppo N1 Mini is powered by a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, Adreno 305 GPU and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 32GB internal storage out of which about 12GB is available to the user. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't come with a microSD card slot. So, you'll have to make do with the limited storage or use a USB on-the-go compatible device (or a regular USB drive with an adapter) to store additional media.
We did not encounter any lag or stutter while launching and switching between apps, browsing the web, clicking pictures, watching high definition videos or playing graphics-heavy games.
In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scored 11,112 in Quadrant Standard, 20,656 in AnTuTu and 58.3 in NenaMark 2. The benchmark scores are higher than Panasonic Eluga U and Motorola Moto G but almost at par with HTC Desire 816. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
We were able to play videos of popular file formats without any hiccups. Additional file formats can be played through third party video player apps.
Call quality was very good and the phone works well even in weak signal areas.
The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal. It has NFC connectivity as well and we were able to transfer files via Android Beam without any hiccups.
Oppo N1 Mini has a 2,140mAh battery and we were satisfied with the battery backup delivered by the phone. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the phone will last you a full working day even if you put the screen brightness at the maximum level and keep 3G turned on.
Gaming
We played games like Subway Surfers, Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8 (with Visual Quality set to High and Engine at 100%) without encountering frame drops or freezes on Oppo N1 Mini.
O-Click
We also got a chance to use the O-Click Bluetooth accessory with our N1 Mini review unit. The optional accessory is essentially a fob that acts as a camera shutter button, a device to locate the phone and an alarm that triggers whenever the phone is moved away (more than 5metres). It looks really sleek although we had a tough time opening its back cover to place the button cell battery that comes with it (in order to power the device).
It is easy to setup O-Click. You just need to pair it with the N1 Mini. A pre-loaded O-Click app lets you enable or disable features associated with it.
We found the remote shutter button to be the best feature of the O-Click as it makes taking group selfies really simple. The O-Click is available for Rs 1,800 and is an interesting accessory albeit with limited functionality.
The phone may have a smaller form factor compared to Oppo N1, but it is by no means a compact device. Other than the smaller foot print, the phone looks just like Oppo N1.
It looks sleek but at 151gram, it is not the lightest or slimmest phone around.
Oppo N1 Mini sports a brushed steel frame that wraps the entire edge of the body, while the front and back panels, in plastic, feature a matte finish.
The way the bezel fits into the front panel, without any gaps or tapering, is remarkable.
The swivel camera earpiece is placed above the display, while the three capacitive touch navigation buttons sit below it. The right edge features the volume rocker key and the sim tray while the left one sports the power key. The keys are a little thin compared to other devices but offer decent tactile feedback.
The 3.5mm headset jack, micro-USB port and the speaker grill sit at the bottom edge of the phone.
The key highlight of Oppo N1 Mini is its swivel camera (13MP) features a singe-LED flash and can be easily rotated by 206 degrees. The swivel camera can be rotated easily and at times we ended up accidentally moving it while taking the phone out of the pocket. As with other devices with moving components, we're concerned about the durability of the swivel mount but in our use we felt that it was pretty well built and would be able to withstand rough handling.
The back of the phone is slightly rounded and features a soft, porcelain-like, matte finish. It feels extremely good to hold and at the same time, offers a good grip.
Overall, we love the build quality of the phone and have no qualms in grouping it with some of the best designed phones.
Display
The front of the phone is dominated by its 5-inch 720p screen. Compared to N1's full-HD display, N1 Mini's HD display is not as crisp and sharp. Having said that, it does offers good viewing angles and looks really bright and vivid. Sunlight legibility was also good. The screen was very responsive to touch.
Software
Just like the Oppo Find 7, the N1 Mini runs Color OS which is based on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). The company is currently testing the Android 4.4-based build and plans to release it in the near future.
The OS is essentially a heavily customized version of Android that offers support for themes, an app launcher and lock screen widgets.
Unlike UI skins from Gionee and Lenovo, Oppo's Color OS features a separate app launcher and is closer to stock Android in terms of navigation, home screens and lock screen widgets. However, the company has replaced the stock apps with its own and has skinned menus and notifications panel. Some apps, such as Music, look really good due to Oppo's nice little touches.
Oppo has also incorporated support for gestures, including 'double tap to unlock,' three finger swipe for screenshots, and pinch-to-launch camera app. The app switcher can be launched by long pressing the Home button.
If you swipe top to bottom from the left side you'll see a gestures panel where you can draw pre-defined gestures to launch a specific app or do a particular task. Swiping down from the right side reveals the notifications panel.
While Oppo has customized the OS to a great deal, people familiar with Android will feel at home while using the phone. The Color OS is good to look at and functional at the same time.
Camera
The key highlight of Oppo N1 Mini is its swivel camera (13MP) featuring a singe-LED flash. It can be easily rotated by 206 degrees. The camera features a 1/3.2 Sony sensor with a 6-piece lens arrangement and an f/2.0 aperture.
The camera's Ultra HD mode is capable of capturing 24MP photographs by picking out the best parts of six successive pictures and combining them.
The camera app is pretty simple and doesn't feature a large number of toggles for granular settings. It's easy to switch between shooting modes and change major settings.
Shot in Super HD mode
The quality of images captured outdoors, in daylight was impressive with good level of detail, accurate colour reproduction, little noise and good contrast.
Low-light shots also came out well, but had more noise, especially under 100% zoom. Details were good and the camera doesn't over-process images except in the Night mode.
The Ultra-HD mode shoots 24MP images by combining six good images and offers better detail. It's useful for large prints.
The rotating camera can also be used for taking wide-angled selfies and the app features a Beautify mode to enhance facial features. As a result, you look much better in your selfies.
The camera app also offers slow shutter for creating motion blur and light trail images, an audio photo mode and GIF picture mode.
Overall, the camera is the high point of the Oppo N1 Mini.
Performance
Oppo N1 Mini is powered by a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, Adreno 305 GPU and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 32GB internal storage out of which about 12GB is available to the user. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't come with a microSD card slot. So, you'll have to make do with the limited storage or use a USB on-the-go compatible device (or a regular USB drive with an adapter) to store additional media.
We did not encounter any lag or stutter while launching and switching between apps, browsing the web, clicking pictures, watching high definition videos or playing graphics-heavy games.
In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scored 11,112 in Quadrant Standard, 20,656 in AnTuTu and 58.3 in NenaMark 2. The benchmark scores are higher than Panasonic Eluga U and Motorola Moto G but almost at par with HTC Desire 816. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
We were able to play videos of popular file formats without any hiccups. Additional file formats can be played through third party video player apps.
Call quality was very good and the phone works well even in weak signal areas.
The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal. It has NFC connectivity as well and we were able to transfer files via Android Beam without any hiccups.
Oppo N1 Mini has a 2,140mAh battery and we were satisfied with the battery backup delivered by the phone. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the phone will last you a full working day even if you put the screen brightness at the maximum level and keep 3G turned on.
Gaming
We played games like Subway Surfers, Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8 (with Visual Quality set to High and Engine at 100%) without encountering frame drops or freezes on Oppo N1 Mini.
O-Click
We also got a chance to use the O-Click Bluetooth accessory with our N1 Mini review unit. The optional accessory is essentially a fob that acts as a camera shutter button, a device to locate the phone and an alarm that triggers whenever the phone is moved away (more than 5metres). It looks really sleek although we had a tough time opening its back cover to place the button cell battery that comes with it (in order to power the device).
It is easy to setup O-Click. You just need to pair it with the N1 Mini. A pre-loaded O-Click app lets you enable or disable features associated with it.
We found the remote shutter button to be the best feature of the O-Click as it makes taking group selfies really simple. The O-Click is available for Rs 1,800 and is an interesting accessory albeit with limited functionality.
LG G Watch R:First Look
LG's second Android Wear outing has a few fancy special features of its own: No "flat tire" on its screen and a ring of ticks etched around the outside.
The LG G Watch R sports a 1.3-inch P-OLED display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, a best-in-class 410mAh battery (better than the G Watch and the Gear Live though we still don't know what the 360 has), a heart rate monitor, and is waterproof for up to 30 minutes in three feet of water.
As for that face, you'll notice the lack of a black-spot at the bottom, like the one you can't unsee on the Moto 360-a point LG is keen to drive home, (rightfully) calling the G Watch R the first wearable to use "100 percent of its circular display."
As for the tick marks around the side? Yes, those are etched in, so expect any pure digital watchface to look a little goofy. But what are you doing using a digital watchface on a beautiful round screen anyway? Besides, this is exactly this kind of hardware innovation that'll make Android Wear devices fun and different if also occasionally weird and dumb.
The G Watch R will be available later this year with price announced at launch.
The LG G Watch R sports a 1.3-inch P-OLED display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, a best-in-class 410mAh battery (better than the G Watch and the Gear Live though we still don't know what the 360 has), a heart rate monitor, and is waterproof for up to 30 minutes in three feet of water.
As for that face, you'll notice the lack of a black-spot at the bottom, like the one you can't unsee on the Moto 360-a point LG is keen to drive home, (rightfully) calling the G Watch R the first wearable to use "100 percent of its circular display."
As for the tick marks around the side? Yes, those are etched in, so expect any pure digital watchface to look a little goofy. But what are you doing using a digital watchface on a beautiful round screen anyway? Besides, this is exactly this kind of hardware innovation that'll make Android Wear devices fun and different if also occasionally weird and dumb.
The G Watch R will be available later this year with price announced at launch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)