Acer Iconia Tab 7 voice-calling tablet

The Indian market is booming and every manufacturer wants a piece of it. So it's no surprise that Taiwanese company Acer has launched its Iconia Tab 7 voice-calling tablet in the country to capture the market of people who want a multimedia device that doubles up as a smartphone.

Does this 7-inch voice-calling tablet have what it takes to win over the market and position itself as a challenger to other models in this range, such as Asus FonePad 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3? We find out in our Acer Iconia Tab 7 review...

Design



Acer Iconia Tab 7's back cover is predominantly made of metal; the part housing the sim card and microSD card slots is made of plastic, while the portion where the non-removable battery is placed is made of aluminium. With curved edges, Acer Iconia Tab 7 gives good grip, such that the tablet does not become unwieldy. Acer branding is present on both, the front and the back.

There are no keys in front; however, there are lock and volume control keys on the right side. The back of the tablet sports a protruding camera and speaker. While the microUSB port is on the bottom, the earphone jack is on the top.

In terms of design, Acer Iconia Tab 7 looks nothing out of the ordinary, but the metal on the back distinguishes it from the plethora of plastic-bodied voice calling tablets in the market today.

Display



Acer Iconia Tab 7 has a 7-inch 800x1280p display; the Home, Back and Task Switcher keys are on the screen. The display quality is average, with poor viewing angles and decent colour reproduction. You can notice the pixilation without squinting, which hampers the user experience while watching movies or reading ebooks.

However, it is not hard to read the text under direct sunlight even with full brightness.

Hardware
In terms of hardware, Acer Iconia Tab 7 offers decent specifications; it runs on a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT8382 quad-core processor with 1GB RAM. The tablet comes with a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. It has 16GB built-in storage, and allows users to expand storage by an additional 32GB via microSD cards. The connectivity suite of the tablet includes 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.

Software
Acer Iconia Tab 7 runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) out of the box, but it received Android 4.4 (KitKat) during the review period. The software is stock Android, with no customization whatsoever on the manufacturer's part.

Despite no changes to the user interface, Iconia Tab 7 comes with a number of pre-loaded apps. These include a few Acer apps, Amazon Kindle, McAfee Security, Booking.com etc. If you don't plan to use all these apps, prepare to be disappointed as you cannot uninstall them. You can, however, disable them.

Performance
Despite the quad-core processor, Acer Iconia Tab takes a lot of time to open apps. Even switching between the portrait and landscape view is a prolonged process and seems to be stretched as we are now used to much fast processors.

Although Acer claims battery life of six hours, Iconia Tab 7 when used moderately — which includes making calls, browsing the web, listening to music etc — lasted for just 4-5 hours.

Talk about multimedia playback, as a 7-inch tablet/phone is best used to watch videos; you can mention that watching videos is not a good experience due to poor viewing angles and how the sound quality delivered by the speakers is.

As far as cell reception goes, we did not encounter any problems while making calls. But with a 7-inch size device, it becomes cumbersome to hold it every time next to to your ear and, thus, a Bluetooth headset or earphones are recommended.

The gaming experience was also average, with games taking longer-than-usual to load. High end games like Real Racing 3 suffered from frequent lags and pixilated graphics.

To sum up, Acer Iconia Tab 7 can perform all the basic tasks without any problems, but to experience anything beyond, you need to be really patient.

Camera



Acer Iconia Tab 7 comes with a 5MP fixed-focus rear camera and 2MP front facing camera with normal and panorama capture modes. It also lets you choose between many filters, such as sepia, aqua etc.

As with most budget Android tablets, the camera is functional at best. In well-lit situations, photos taken with the tablet show oversaturated colours, suffer from poor contrast; colours bleed into each other.



When used in low-light, we observe a lot of noise, and images suffered from lack of detail.

Verdict
Priced at Rs 12,999, Acer Iconia Tab 7 is pretty much a run-of-the-mill tablet. With a disappointing camera and sub-par display, it is a little overpriced.

In this range you may get Asus Fonepad 7 Dual Sim at Rs. 12,999, which offers better display quality and battery life. HP's Slate 7 VoiceTab is also a good option at the price as it offers great design and better battery life.

Apple Iphone 6 vs Samsung Alpha Vs Htc One(M8)

1.

Design

Apple iPhone 6: While designing iPhone 6, Apple has carried forward the design of iPad Air, which is characterized by curves on the sides, edges as well as corners.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: The smartphone has a metal frame on the sides, which makes it feel much more premium than Galaxy S5. However, the back is still made of plastic and the look is largely the same as that of Galaxy S5.

HTC One (M8): This has brushed metal finish on the back panel and features speakers in the front. It has rounded corners and chamfered edges, and does not have any hardware buttons below the screen. On the back is a noticeable secondary camera, located just above the primary camera.

Sony Xperia Z3: The new Sony smartphone has a similar design as that of its predecessors Xperia Z2, Z1 and Z, but is much smaller in size, thus making it easily pocketable. The metal frame on the sides is much less pronounced as well, even though the glass back looks just the same.

Nokia Lumia 930: Microsoft’s top-end smartphone also has a metal rim on the sides, and feels just as good in the hand as its rivals. The back is made of plastic, and buyers get four colour options to choose from (white, black, orange and green).

2.

Display

Apple iPhone 6: The new iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch IPS display and is protected by ion strengthened glass. It has display resolution of 1334x750p, resulting in pixel density of 326ppi.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: The metal-bodied Samsung smartphone has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with HD (720p) resolution and packs 312 pixels per inch.

HTC One (M8): The top HTC smartphone has a 5-inch Super LCD3 display panel layered with Gorilla Glass 3. It has Full HD (1080x1920p) resolution and 441ppi pixel density.

Sony Xperia Z3: The all-new Xperia Z3 smartphone has a 5.2-inch IPS display that sports Full HD resolution. It is protected by shatterproof glass and has pixel density of 424ppi.

Nokia Lumia 930: Microsoft’s Lumia 930 has a 5-inch Full HD display that is protected against scratches by Gorilla Glass 3. Like HTC One (M8), it also packs 441 pixels per inch, the highest pixel density in this league.

3.

Operating system, processor & RAM

Apple iPhone 6: The iOS 8-powered iPhone 6 has a dual-core 1.4GHz Cyclone A8 processor with 1GB RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: Running on Android 4.4 (KitKat), Samsung Galaxy Alpha has an octa-core Exynos processor (four 1.8GHz Cortex A15 cores and four 1.3GHz Cortex A7 cores) and 2GB RAM.

HTC One (M8): This Android 4.4 (KitKat) smartphone packs a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB RAM.

Sony Xperia Z3: The Xperia Z3, powered by Android 4.4 (KitKat), has a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. It has 3GB RAM, the highest among the smartphones in this segment.

Nokia Lumia 930: Running on Windows Phone 8.1, Nokia Lumia 930 has quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.2GHz and 2GB RAM under the hood.

4.

Storage options

Apple iPhone 6: This smartphones comes in three internal storage options: 16, 64 and 128GB. Buyers cannot expand storage via microSD cards in this smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: The South Korean manufacturer only offers 32GB storage, with no option of expanding storage via microSD cards.

HTC One (M8): The India variant of HTC One (M8) comes with only 16GB internal storage, but allows users to expand capacity by another 128GB via microSD cards.

Sony Xperia Z3: This smartphone comes with 16 and 32GB in-built storage options and supports microSD cards up to 128GB.

Nokia Lumia 930: Like Samsung Galaxy Alpha, Microsoft’s Lumia 930 comes with 32GB internal storage and does not allow users to add microSD cards.

5.

Camera

Apple iPhone 6: Apple has retained the 8MP resolution and dual-tone LED flash in iPhone 6, while the front camera has resolution of 1.2MP.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: The Galaxy Alpha smartphone has a 12MP rear camera with LED flash and a 2.1MP front camera.

HTC One (M8): This smartphone has a 4MP UltraPixel camera and LED flash on the back; an extra rear camera lets it capture images that have a sense of depth. This selfie-focussed camera has a 5MP front camera.

Sony Xperia Z3: The new Xperia Z3 has the highest pixel count in this race with its 20.7MP rear camera. Also on the back is the LED flash, whereas a 2.2MP camera is in front.

Nokia Lumia 930: This smartphone is not too far behind with a 20MP rear camera and LED flash.

6.

Battery

Apple iPhone 6: Going by the figures Apple gave during the launch event, buyers will not see a big jump in battery life of iPhone 6 compared to iPhone 5S. So, expect iPhone 6 to last a little more than half a day on one charge.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: This smartphone has a 1,860mAh battery, which is expected to give battery life of around 8 hours.

HTC One (M8): The HTC smartphone has a 2,600mAh battery that delivered battery life of more than a full working day in our tests.

Sony Xperia Z3: The smartphone has a 3,100mAh battery that is said to last over a day on a single charge.

Nokia Lumia 930: Its 2,420mAh battery is capable of lasting nearly a full working day after it is charged once.

7.

Unique features

Apple iPhone 6: Barometer, fingerprint sensor

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: Fingerprint sensor, heart rate monitor, battery longevity mechanism

HTC One (M8): Dual cameras on the back, battery longevity mechanism

Sony Xperia Z3: None

Nokia Lumia 930: None

8.

Price

Apple iPhone 6: It is expected that the base variant of iPhone 6 will be priced between Rs 55,000 and Rs 62,000 in India.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: The South Korean manufacturer is expected to price Galaxy Alpha around Rs 50,000.

HTC One (M8): The official price of HTC One (M8) in India is Rs 49,990, but it can be purchased in the market for approximately Rs 43,000.

Sony Xperia Z3: Sony is likely to price Xperia Z3 in the Indian market for Rs 50,000.

Nokia Lumia 930: Microsoft may price Lumia 930 between Rs 45,000 and Rs 50,000 in India

Dell Vostro 15 3000 Laptop

Dell has launched new Vostro 15 3000 Series laptops, targeting small business and professionals.

The new Vostro 15 3000 Series laptops sport a 15.6-inch, anti-glare display (1366x768p) and are powered by 4th Generation Intel ultra-low voltage processor with up to Core i5 performance and Intel Turbo Boost technology, up to 8GB RAM and up to 1TB hard drive. Dell claims the laptops offer up 6.5 hours of backup with a 4-cell battery.

The base model is powered by Intel Celeron 2957U processor, 4GB RAM, and 500GB hard disk, and runs Windows 8.1.

Vostro 15 3000 Series laptops come with built-in discrete graphics from NVIDIA with up to 2GB memory for performance boost.

The laptops are fitted with a textured cover in grey wave pattern and the base model weighs 2.38kg. These devices sport a big touchpad and a 10-key numeric pad.

The Vostro laptops come with next-business-day onsite service after remote diagnosis and customers can also opt for Dell ProSupport for direct telephone access.

The Vostro 15 3000 Series laptops are available starting at Rs 30,090.

Key Difference between IPhone 6 and IPhone 6 plus

Apple has finally raised the curtain. As the rumours said, Apple launched the new iPhone 6 in two variants — iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

If you are confused which one to go for, here are the differences that could determine your decision.

iPhone 6 Plus is more expensive than iPhone6
The 16GB version of iPhone 6 will cost $199. That's $100 cheaper than the iPhone 6 Plus, which will be available at a starting price of $299 (16GB version).

iPhone 6 will cost $299 for 64GB, and $399 for 128GB.

The screen of iPhone 6 is smaller than that of iPhone 6 Plus
Apple's both new iPhones have larger screens and better resolutions than the iPhone 5S has. However, the screen of iPhone 6 is about 1 inch smaller than that of iPhone 6 Plus.

iPhone 6's 4.7-inch display will have a 750 px resolution and the 5.5-inch iPhone will come with a 1,080px resolution screen

iPhone 6 Plus has better battery life than iPhone 6
Phone 5S and iPhone 6 have the same battery life — about 10 hours. iPhone 6 Plus, however, has about 16 hours of battery life.

Internals are largely same
The internals of both the phones and the photo quality is largely same. Both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus also some with Apple's new mobile payment technology 'Apple Pay'. 'Apple Pay' will allow iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users to tap their handsets at retailers instead of using debit or credit cards. Both the smartphones will also work with Apple Watch.

Apple iwatch:First Look

While the Moto 360 has come close to the Apple design ethos, the rest of the manufacturers have been floundering in the design department. Jonathan Ive has brought the iconic Apple design and the shape that made the first iPhone so popular together into Apple Watch. Undoubtedly, it flaunts one hundred percent Apple style. The rounded edges look fantastic on this watch.

Straps is where most other manufacturers have skimped on. The sheer variety in straps that Apple has introduced with the Watch will make it blend into any mood and any setting. There are metal ones, colourful sporty ones; we spotted a few leather ones and even rich gold ones. Switzerland will surely be breaking a sweat right now.

 

Apple has always been the king of interface design. Apple Watch’s circular interface is a pure joy to see on the little display. All of this is controllable using an interesting physical button called the Digital Crown, which works a lot like the jog dial on the iPod. However, it’s still unclear as to how it will work. Not only that, there are tons of apps and features to explore.

 

The interface features make Android Wear seem like a half-baked affair. Apple Watch has apps covering everything from messaging to calls to sketching little animated drawings using its touch features. Apple is very serious about the Watch and it is already starting to build an app ecosystem around the Watch, looking at advancing the apps through the Watch product lines. It’s pretty clear from even the first iteration, the Apple Watch is very real and here to stay.

 

A plethora of sensors on the underside of the watch exist to record and show you data about your activity using a variety of colourful rings. In just a glance, you can get all the reminders, goals and achievements with easy stats and graphics. Apple Watch sure spells doom for all the health bands out there, although the apps could breathe new life into their software. So your favourite health tracker software could make it to the Apple Watch.

 

Finally, what’s a watch without the time, and with so many watch straps, you got to have watchfaces to go with it. With the Apple Watch, there’s a lot built in and considering the permanency of the platform, it may entice a lot more designers to build their own watchfaces.

Apple Iphone 6:10 Best Features

Apple has outdone itself in the buzzwords game. The new Retina HD display is an ultra thin IPS display with 326ppi pixel density for iPhone 6, capable of wider viewing angles.

 

is it Gorilla Glass? Is it a Sapphire screen as rumoured? No, it’s a brand new ion strengthened screen. While there are absolutely no details on this mysterious new screen technology, which curves neatly around the sides of the iPhone. We should have more details on this Ion technology when we get them. As long as it makes iPhone tougher to break, we are fine.  While the Android world is still floundering in the dark for 64-bit processor, the only significant next step in mobile technology, Apple has bettered its superb A7 processor with the A8, using a 20nm manufacturing process. Not only that, Apple claims that it will perform better over a longer period of time. In a surprising move, Apple revealed the Metal API for game developers to take advantage of in pushing the graphical envelope of their games. Steve Jobs had never been big on gaming for years and Bungie story is the biggest example of that. However, it’s great to see Tim Cook making big strides into gaming territory, especially since the App Store has some of the best games on mobile devices to date.   Apple’s M8 health chip has gotten better, with the ability to measure relative distance and elevation, and can tell the difference between cycling and running. While elevation helps in tracking the amount of steps you climb, the Nike+ app was shown displaying relative elevation on hikes by using the barometer too.

A feature that iPhone users have been screaming hoarse about and Samsung 

 

A feature that iPhone users have been screaming hoarse about and Samsung has taken the opportunity to jab at in their ads is the bad IPhone battery life.

 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support 802.11ac, the superfast new Wi-Fi band that’s all the rage. Apple claims the new iPhones can browse up to 3x faster on Wi-Fi which is good if you happened to have put down a lot of money on one of the first 802.11ac modems.  Though Apple did not stuff more megapixels in the new iPhones, it’s 8 megapixel snapper has grown up. With True Tone Flash and with the 1.5 Micron pixel sensor, Apple seems to be taking a cue from HTC’s handbook with ultrapixels. Apple has also introduced Focus Pixels for faster auto-focus with phase detection, and an aperture of f/2.2. iSight camera can take a stunning 43MP panorama.

It has an image signal processor to aid in all the image-heavy lifting. Both iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have auto (optical) image stabilisation: an absolute first for an iPhone. The camera can capture 1080p video at 30 or 60 fps and slow motion video at 240 fps. With Cinematic Video Stabilisation, and using Focus Pixels, you can get continuous autofocus in video.       The selfie has bought the front-facing camera into the limelight. A Facetime HD camera with a yet unknown megapixel count. However, it’s capable of beautiful selfies, with improved face detection.

The most important feature is burst selfies, which takes a bunch of pictures in one shot, allowing you to never miss a moment.     the cherry on top of the iPhone 6 cake is iOS 8. While we have seen several features already, it’s great to know that in just a few days, you’ll be updating your devices on September 17.

What’s amazing is how Apple has managed the scaling so well. The iPhone 6 gets a scaled-up iPhone screen size whereas the iPhone 5.5 looks like it gets scaled-down iPad apps. Sharply handled and planned, so the user will hit the ground running with fantastic looking apps out of the box.    

        

Apple iphone 6:First Look

pple did not let down its admirers despite failing to surprise them on Tuesday. In line with the numerous leaks and rumours ahead of its launch event, the iconic Cupertino, California company unveiled two new thinner, bigger and faster smartphones — iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — and a new smartwatch simply called the Apple Watch.

The two phones finally take Apple to the big-screen smartphone segment, sporting 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens respectively. The iPhone 6's 4.7-inch display sports a resolution of 1334x750p, while the iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5-inch display sports a resolution of 1920x1080p.

Apple announced it has scrapped the 32GB variant with iPhone 6. It will come in 16, 64 and 128GB options. In the US market, where telecom carriers provide subsidies on smartphones, the two models — iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — will be available for $199, $299 and $399 respectively, on a two-year contract. The iPhone 6 (unlocked version) starts at $649 while the iPhone 6 Plus (unlocked version) starts at $749.

In the Indian market, the two iPhones will be launched in India on October 17, according to Apple's local website. There is no official word on pricing yet.


According to Apple, the displays deliver higher contrast, dual‑domain pixels for more accurate colour at wider viewing angles and an improved polarizer.

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the thinnest smartphones Apple has ever made. iPhone 5S and 5 are 7.6mm thick, but iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are even thinner at 6.8mm and 7.1mm respectively. These are, of course, not the thinnest smartphones globally, as that honour lies with Chinese Gionee's Elife S5.5 which has a thickness of 5.5mm.

One thing that even Apple fanboys will admit openly and bitterly is their gripe with the iPhone battery. The good news is that battery life of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is relatively better than that of iPhone 5S. iPhone 6 will deliver 3G talk time of 14 hours and run 10 hours if the user is browsing the internet on 3G and 4G networks. The bigger model, iPhone 6 Plus, will offer 3G talk time of 24 hours and 12 hours of web browsing on 3G and 4G.



As rumoured, iPhone 6 Plus will be a $100 more expensive for each storage variant compared to iPhone 6. iPhone 5S will now cost $99 on a two-year contract, while iPhone 5C is free.

Powered by the new A8 processor, iPhone 6 is up to 50% more energy efficient, so you can have higher sustained performance, claimed Apple.

The 64-bit CPU architecture-based A8 processor is 20% faster in application processing and 50% faster in rendering graphics compared to its predecessor. It is able to sustain performance-intensive tasks like playing a game at higher frame rates.

Apple also increased the pixel density of the two smartphones, with the smaller one having 38% more pixels at 1334x750p resolution and the bigger iPhone 6 Plus sporting 185% more pixels with screen resolution of 1920x1080p.

Apple called the new display panels Retina HD, a "new generation" of iPhone screens. These LCD panels feature ion strengthened glass, but there was no word on the long-rumoured sapphire glass panel.

The two iPhone 6 models sport an 8MP iSight camera that features phase detection. Despite no increase in camera resolution, iPhone 6 takes 43MP panorama photos. And like many rivals, including Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and S5, HTC One (M8) and LG G3, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus feature Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for blur-free photos and videos.

The new iPhones support landscape mode. Apple also unveiled its own take on single-handed operation mode, wherein touching the Home button quickly will shrink down the whole display area such that the buttons on the top can be accessed easily.



The Power button in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is on the side. It features a barometer sensor that can measure relative elevation.

Apart from the two new new iPhones, Apple unveiled its first-ever smartwatch, named Apple Watch.


Apple has also announced Apple Pay a new mobile payments service that works with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus through NFC, a dedicated chip called the Secure Element, and Apple's Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Apple Pay will also work with the newly announced Apple Watch, extending the service to owners of iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S.


Users can simply add their credit or debit card on file from their iTunes Store account for payments. Apple Pay supports credit and debit cards from the three major payment networks, American Express, MasterCard and Visa, issued by the most popular US banks including Bank of America, Capital One Bank, Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo.

In addition to the 258 Apple retail stores in the US, some retailers that will support Apple Pay include Bloomingdale's, Disney Store and Walt Disney World Resort, Duane Reade, Macy's, McDonald's, Sephora, Staples, Subway, Walgreens and Whole Foods Market. Apple Watch will also work at the over 220,000 merchant locations across the US that have contactless payment enabled.

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini Launched in India

More than two months after its initial unveiling, Samsung has launched Galaxy S5 Mini smartphone in India at Rs 26,499. It will be available on ecommerce marketplace Flipkart in charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold colours, starting September 10.

The phone brings features of the company's flagship smartphone in a compact size.

The main differences between Galaxy S5 and S5 Mini are in display, camera and processor. Galaxy S5 Mini has a 4.5-inch HD (720p) Super AMOLED screen, which is smaller than the 5.1-inch Full HD (1080p) display of Galaxy S5. The camera resolution has gone down from 16MP in the S5 to 8MP in the new smartphone.

While the India version of Galaxy S5 comes with an eight-core Exynos processor, the new Galaxy S5 Mini is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. Th phone comes with 1.5GB RAM.

Despite the downgrades, Samsung has retained the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor, which debuted with Galaxy S5, in Galaxy S5 Mini. The smartphone is IP67 certified, meaning that it is water and dust resistant to an extent, and has Galaxy S5's Ultra Power Saving mode.

Other key hardware specifications of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini are 16GB internal storage, 64GB microSD card support, LED flash on the back, 2.1MP front camera and 2,100mAh battery. Connectivity features of the smartphone include 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC.

This smartphone runs Android 4.4 (KitKat) and comes with Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz UI on top. Interestingly,

Moto X(Gen 2) Preview

Motorola has refreshed its smartphone lineup, introducing new versions of Moto X and Moto G smartphones. While the new Moto G is more of an evolutionary upgrade, the next-generation Moto X brings with it a number of radical changes. In fact, it won't be wrong to say that it's a completely new phone and not just an iterative upgrade.

We got our hands on the new Moto X and felt it has the potential to be one of the top contenders if there's ever a contest for the best designed Android smartphone. The new Moto X looks much more premium compared to the original Moto X thanks to its all-aluminium frame. Despite sporting a larger, 5.2-inch display, the new Moto X doesn't feel cumbersome to hold and fits nicely in your hands. The narrow bezel and the smooth tapering towards the edges accentuate the phone's design. The AMOLED panel also gets credit for the seamless black glass look at the front. It has two front speaker outlets, but they are subtle unlike the new Moto G's chrome grilles.



The back of the Moto X is slightly curved and the back panel (non removable) will also be available in genuine leather and wood finish in addition to the standard black/white option.

The rear features a slightly recessed Motorola logo and the 13MP camera which is surrounded by a unique ring-shaped flash.

The right edge features metallic keys for power and volume rocker controls and offer good tactile feedback. The 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top while the micro-USB port is placed at the bottom edge. All in all, it won't be wrong to say that the new Moto X looks and feels like a premium version of its predecessor.

The new Moto X features a 5.2-inch full-HD AMOLED display that looks really bright and vibrant, and offers excellent viewing angles.

Thanks to the narrow bezel, it looks bigger than it actually is and dominates the front panel. The display is protected with a Coring Gorilla Glass 3 coating. Touch sensitivity felt great and the panel responded to the slightest of touches.



With the original Moto X, Motorola tried to prove that it's not just the hardware specifications, but the user experience that mattered the most. However, with the new version of the phone, Motorola doesn't want to leave any stone unturned. The new Moto X boasts of high-end hardware specifications. It is powered by a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB RAM.

In India, the phone will be available in the 16GB storage version and unfortunately, it doesn't come with a microSD card slot. This means you'll have to live with the limited internal storage despite the high price you pay for it.
The new Moto X has a 2300mAh battery and Motorola claims it lasts an entire day. We'll be able to confirm if it lives upto expectations when we get the phone for a review. In our short hands-on time with the phone, we did not find any lag or stutter while launching and switching between apps, and navigating across the home screens.

Motorola has bumped up the rear camera sensor to 13MP (F2.25) from 10MP and has put a unique ring-shaped flash for softer lighting. The camera is capable of recording video in 4K resolution. Pictures taken at the venue turned out well with little or no noise.



The front-facing camera sports a 2MP sensor. In the selfie era, it's acceptable but not that great. Selfies shot at the venue had good amount of detail, but were grainy due to less light. We'll only be able to comment on the camera after using the phone for a few days.

Coming to software, the new Moto X runs a near-stock version of Android 4.4 KitKat and the company has promised that it will get the upcoming Android L update. The phone comes with Motorola's Migrate and Assist software tools.

The original Moto X is known for its special features, namely, Active display and Touchless control. The two features have been updated to support more functions.

The voice prompt can now be customised to your liking if you don't like the standard 'Ok Google' prompt. It also supports additional commands and even actions for third party apps like WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook. We were not able to test this feature due to connectivity issues. Touchless control now supports a wide range of gestures, including waving your hand to get a peek at your notifications or even silence the ringer.



So is the new Moto X worth a buy? We'll need to spend more time with the phone to arrive on a conclusion but we were impressed with the phone after our brief hands-on session. It looks like a good upgrade for existing Moto X users and will rival the likes of the Nexus 5.

Having said that, the pricing will also play a big role. Currently, the new Moto X costs $499 in the US which roughly turns out to be Rs 30,000. With Xiaomi and OnePlus all set to release their flagship devices in India, Motorola will have to price the phone competitively if to wants to succeed. However, it's highly unlikely that the company will sell the phone below its US price. The new Moto G priced at $179.99 (Rs 10,800 approximately) in the US sells at Rs 12,999 in India.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S:review

After disrupting the budget segment, Xiaomi now has its eyes set on the entry-level smartphone market in India with its Redmi 1S smartphone. The Xiaomi Mi 3 boasted high-end hardware at a budget price, and now the Redmi 1S features mid-range hardware for the price of an entry-level phone.

At a price of Rs 5,999, is the Redmi 1S a game changer, redefining price segments? We try to find out in our review...

Build and design

Xiaomi Redmi 1S plays safe when it comes to design. The phone retains the rectangular slab form factor we've seen on the Mi 3 but looks like its compact version. Its corners are more rounded and the red coloured navigation keys on the front (true to the 'Redmi' monicker) give it a distinct look. The front panel also features a 4.7-inch display and a 1.6MP front-facing camera.



Redmi 1S has a removable back cover that wraps around the edges. The black coloured cover has a matte finish and doesn't look frail. It is a bit susceptible to smudges, though. There were no creaks and wobbles and the cover fits snugly with the phone. It is also easy to take the cover off thanks to the small opening at the right hand side.

The back of the phone features an 8MP camera lens, LED flash and a speaker outlet in addition to some Mi branding. Removing the back cover reveals the 2,000mAh battery, two slots for regular sim cards (Xiaomi will offer a sim adapter in the box) and a microSD card slot. Xiaomi will also offer back covers in different colours giving consumers the ability to customize their phones.

The power and volume rocker keys (metallic) are conveniently located at the right edge, while the micro-USB port is at the bottom edge. The 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top. The metallic keys offer good tactile feedback.



Overall, the Redmi 1S does not look and feel like a Rs 6,000 phone. It feels much more durable and well-built compared to phones in the same price bracket.

Display
The phone sports a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display that has Asahi Dragontrail glass protection.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, the display is certainly the best we've seen at this price. Colours look vivid and brightness levels were optimum. Sunlight legibility was above average though the display is a little reflective. Viewing angles were really wide and there was no distortion.

Thanks to the higher display resolution, images and text appeared to be crisp and sharp. We also found the capacitive buttons and the touch screen to be extremely responsive.

Software
Xiaomi Redmi 1S runs MIUI, a heavily customized version of Android. You would be familiar with the MIUI ROM if you're an Android enthusiast and like flashing different ROMs on your device. The ROM is available for a large number of Android phones and tablets.

While the MIUI software is based on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), the interface looks totally different.



In fact, people used to draw parallels between MIUI and iOS as the former follows a similar navigation structure.

The UI is devoid of an app drawer and app icons and widgets are spread across the home screens. The unified home screen-app launcher style may come across as user-friendly to people who have not used an Android phone before. But it will take some time to get used to if you have already been using an Android smartphone. You can of course download and install an alternate launcher.

Xiaomi has promised that it will update the software to Android 4.4 KitKat, later this year. The phone will also be updated to MIUI 6, the next iteration of MIUI.

Unlike the MIUI ROM and the phone's Chinese variant, the Indian version of the phone comes preloaded with Google Play Store and all Google apps including Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Hangouts.

One of the highlight features of MIUI is the ability to customize the user interface with themes, downloadable wallpapers and clocks. The Themes app offers a large number of free themes, each of which comes with a different set of icons, wallpapers, app switcher, font style, sounds, lock screen styles and even system apps.

For a detailed review of the software, you can read our Xiaomi Mi 3 review.

Lite Mode

The Redmi 1S offers a Lite Mode that features a simplified Home screen and menus. One can switch to the Lite Mode by going to the Settings and enabling the mode under the General Settings tab. The phone reboots to the Lite mode which looks a bit like Windows Phone with its big tiles for most core apps, large fonts and simplified versions of phone and messages apps.



The Lite Mode is good for first time smartphone users and the elderly since it doesn't overwhelm with the hundreds of options, settings and apps part of the Android smartphone experience. One can reboot to the full-fledged UI mode by going to the Settings app and disabling Lite Mode via the system settings.

Camera

Xiaomi Redmi 1S sports an 8MP rear camera accompanied by an LED flash. According to Xiaomi, the phone's 5-piece lens has an ƒ/2.2 aperture to capture more light, and 28mm wide-angle lens to cover a wider area. The camera hardware of the phone is the best in the segment with similarly priced rivals lagging behind it by leaps.

The camera app is similar to the one on the Mi 3, offering 'Simple' as well as an 'Advanced' mode with the latter offering granular settings for contrast, saturation, sharpness, anti banding, and exposure, among others.It also offers HDR, Panorama, Burst modes in addition to filters. The video mode offers standard and fast motion recording options.Images captured by the camera in day light turned out well with decent level of detail, accurate colour reproduction and good contrast. Images shot in low-light were grainy but comparitively better than other phones available in the same segment.

We did face some issues trying to focus, especially while shooting close-ups but the end result made up for these small niggles.

The front camera is also good for clicking selfies and for video calls. Unlike the Mi 3, it doesn't try to predict your gender and age!



The phone is capable of shooting 1080p video (in addition to 720p and 480p) and the results were surprisingly good for a phone that costs less than Rs 6,000. Overall, the Redmi 1S comes with a capable camera that won't disappoint you.

Performance
Xiaomi Redmi 1S is powered by a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1GB RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage out of which 6.1GB is available to the user. It also features a microSD card slot that supports storage cards of up to 64GB.

We did not notice major lag while navigating through the phone's menu, browsing the web and multimedia and scrolling inside apps. Having said that, the transition effects tend to slow down things a bit and unfortunately, there's no way to turn these off. These effects are visible while opening and closing apps and expanding folders.

In synthetic benchmarks, Redmi 1S beats higher priced phones like the Moto G by a margin. The phone scored 19,562 in Antutu, 10,775 in Quadrant and 56.6 in Nenamark 2 benchmark tests.

The phone was able to play Full HD video files without any problems.

Connectivity features of the device are 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. It also supports USB On-the-Go, so you can use an adapter (or a micro-USB equipped drive) to connect USB storage devices.



Redmi 1S offers good call quality and signal reception and we did not encounter issues while making calls even in areas where cell signal is relatively weaker. The phone was able to lock to GPS without any hiccups.

It offers FM radio with recording capability and the app works even without plugging in headphones. We were able to play most popular video and audio file formats. The phone offers customized audio settings for different kinds of headphones and offers excellent quality sound output with headphones on.

The external speaker also offers loud sound output though the quality deteriorates at higher levels. Although the outlet is located at the back, the sound does't get muffled due to the phone's slightly rounded back.

It packs a 2,000mAh battery (removable) and will last you a full working day (14-15 hours) if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and use 3G data all the time. You'll be able to make about 1-2 hours of phone calls, play some casual games and browse the web in this time period. It lasted more than 20 hours with light to medium usage.

Your mileage may vary with different usage patterns. The phone offers three power modes and you can choose the economy mode to save some juice.

We really feel that the phone redefines the entry-level segment with its mid-range specifications and good performance.

Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2, and Subway Surfers, without encountering frame drops or freezes. We were also able to play Real Racing and Riptide GP 2 without encountering any lag or stutter. However, we observed that the phone got warm after a few minutes of gaming. Also, there are some compatibility issues with Asphalt 8. The game started crashing after we finished the first round, till we rebooted the phone.

Verdict
At a price of Rs 5,999, it won't be wrong to say that Xiaomi Redmi 1S is a game changer. It redefines the entry-level smartphone segment and creates a new benchmark. The phone is not just good on paper but is also an all-round performer with solid build quality, superior performance and a great camera.

Of course, Xiaomi achieves this price by following an unconventional sales model which the other players may find difficult to replicate. The company has been panned for the flash sales system and for keeping the phone exclusive to one online retailer but that is how it chooses to operate and sell all its phones.



Xiaomi has promised that it will offer more units every week, learning from past mistakes. It also plans to offer accessories for the phone from day one. Mind you, Redmi 1s doesn't come with earphones, protective cover or screen guard so you'll need to spend extra for acquiring these.

Even after these additional overheads, Xiaomi Redmi 1S is still the best entry-level smartphone available in the Indian market when it comes to delivering bang for your buck. If you're not able to get your hands on the phone, the Asus ZenFone 4 is the next best option.
 

Lenovo S5000 tablet:First Look

Lenovo has launched a new 7-inch Android tablet - S5000 in India at Rs 10,999. The device, which Lenovo claims to be India's slimmest and lightest tablet, will be exclusively available on Amazon India in silver grey colour.

The tablet is 7.9mm thick and weighs 246gram. Lenovo S5000 sports a 7-inch HD IPS display (1280x800p) with brightness levels of 350nits. The back of the tablet sports a laser-engraved 'fabric-feel' finish. It is worth pointing out that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is thinner thar than the S5000 at 6.6mm.

Powered by a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT8389 quad-core processor, the tablet has 1GB RAM and comes with 16GB internal storage. The tablet doesn't comes with a microSD card slot but supports USB on-the-go connectivity to connect microUSB port (or via adapter) equipped devices.

The tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which is upgradable to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The OS is not the latest version of Android.

Lenovo S5000 sports a 5MP rear camera that supports auto focus and a 1.6MP front-facing camera. It is powered by a 3450mAh battery.

In terms of connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth.

Commenting on the launch, Rohit Midha, director, tablet business unit, Lenovo India said, "At Lenovo, we believe in making everyday technology devices exciting through our focus on design aesthetics and performance. In keeping with our commitment to design, the S5000 represents a new league of Tablets that are ultra-sleek and ultra-slim. A growing number of technology enthusiasts are buying online and this is the platform we want to tap to reach users who are always connected. Partnering with a trusted, global e-commerce giant like Amazon, will make our products more accessible and easier to purchase. With Amazon's vast user base, we are confident to increase our reach to the Internet savvy audience. "

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310

Indian handset maker Micromax has launched Canvas Nitro A310, a new budget smartphone at Rs 12,990. The phone will be available exclusively on ecommerce marketplace Snapdeal starting today at 2pm. It phone features a faux-leather app to give it a premium design.


Micromax Canvas Nitro sports a 5-inch, 720p HD display. Powered by a 1.7GHz MediaTek octa core processor, the phone comes with 2GB RAM and 8GB internal storage.

The Canvas Nitro sports a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front facing camera.

The phone runs Android 4.4 KitKat and comes preloaded with Micromax content stores and apps. The phone comes with new software features including a lock screen notifications system and an HTC Blink Feed-like Quick Look home screen feed. It also comes with gesture control.

In terms if connectivity, the dual sim phone supports 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.

It has a 2500mAh battery and comes in white and blue colour variants.