Reliance to role out 4G services soon?

We Indians haven’t started exploiting 3G yet, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping Indian telecom operators from bringing 4G to India soon. Few months ago, the 4G bandwidth auction had happened and now telecom operators are getting back to the basics—that is getting the infrastructure up and running for the technology. According to news sources, Reliance Industries Ltd’s telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm is already talking to some of the Chinese mobile device makers for bundling their products with its 4G services. A top official of a Chinese mobile devices firm told PTI that they have signed a non-disclosure agreement with RJio, but didn’t divulge any further details. When PTI contacted, an RJio spokesperson, they were being told: “Reliance Jio is actively working with all major handset device manufacturers to ensure and certify their phones for use on Jio network and shall ensure adequate availability of phones in entire price range.” Reliance Jio also has a programme in place to work with all major manufactures to ensure that future releases of phones are pre-certified and are fully compatible with Reliance Jio 4G, the spokesperson added. RJio has announced its plan to launch 4G service across all states, around 5,000 towns and cities, accounting for over 90% of urban India and over 215,000 villages this year. The PTI report further adds, “As per the rules, August 31 is deadline for all companies which won BWA spectrum in 2010, including RJio, to roll out the services in at least 90% of the service areas, failing which the Department of Telecom will have the right to withdraw the radio waves.” Inputs source: http://www.ptinews.com/

Google Fit the Android OS app undergoes surgery comes out very beautiful

Many smartphone users have fitness apps downloaded on their phones and pretty much use them religiously. Google did realise this fact a little while back and released its own fitness app called Google Fit. The application was specifically made for Android driven phones and seemed very interesting. However, couple of things were missing from the application like the calorie meter. Google has updated the app now and new additions make Google Fit app even better. Besides calorie counter Google has added estimated distance travelled by the user in this version of the app too. Google’s official blog did say ‘’To help you keep track of how far you’ve come, Google Fit now estimates distance and calories burned. Simply update your profile to include gender, height and weight and we’ll let you know how far you’ve gone and estimated calories you’ve burned off throughout the day and during your workouts.’’ The new app seems quite user friendly and people who use Android wear smartwatch can also use the new version on it. A new widget also comes with the new app that can be pinned up on the smartphone home screen for ease of use. Overall, the update does bring some much needed stats to the table making the Google Fit app, making it one of our top 5 must haves for fitness freaks.

Microsoft Lumia 540 First Look

Here is the first look of the new Microsoft Lumia 540 smartphone that is available in a wide variety of colours. Lumia 540 can be picked up for Rs 10,199. Not bad for a phone this size, however the Snapdragon 200 chipset is a bit of a setback. Check out the rest of the features in the video. Also, stay tuned as we bring you the review very soon.

Asus launches the hot new Zenbook UX305 for Rs 49,999

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Asus is going a bit aggressive with the PC and laptop platforms. A good sign as the market is again looking a bit open for these devices. Asus has launched a hot new laptop called the Zenbook UX305 in India. This notebook has a 13.3-inch QHD+ display and is just 12.3 mm thick, making it one of the thinnest laptops available today in the market. Zenbook UX305 has stunning exteriors and is available in white and black colours. When it comes to the firepower within the laptop, this stunner has the works. To start with, Asus has given the Zenbook UX305 512 GB SSD hard drive. This will surely keep the boot up time and app load times low. Next is the CPU, which is powered by Intel. This laptop has Intel Core M-5Y10 processor that comes along with 8 GB RAM. Despite the slim bezel Asus has managed to give this notebook three USB 3.0 ports and a mini display port. Zenbook UX305 runs Microsoft Windows 8.1 and manages to capture the finger gestures like pinch zoom etc using the large track pad on the system. “Today’s introduction of our latest ASUS ZENBOOK is our step ahead to make the incredible available for the Indian masses. Being the pioneers of bringing ultrabooks in the country, we comprehend the market for Ultrabooks here and have timely introduced various variants to cater to the demand.  Zenbook UX305 is one of our elite ranges of products and will further enhance our Ultrabook Series and quality offerings for our existing and prospective customers,” Mr. Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager – System Business Group – ASUS India This lappy also supports 3,200 x 1,800 pixels resolution that has 700:1 contrast ratio. As far as battery life is concerned this Zenbook can stay alive for 10 hours. Pretty decent for a laptop this size, if you ask us. Zenbook US305 weighs 1.2 Kg’s and can be picked up from Flipkart or exclusive Asus stores for Rs 49,999.  

House of Marley launches second generation Get Up Stand Up Bluetooth speakers

Seems like, it is suddenly raining Bluetooth speaker systems in India. Another company to launch a set of Bluetooth speakers is House Of Marley. They have partnered with Amazon India to sell these fabulous looking wooden speakers for a price of Rs 39,990. These are the second generation of Get Up Stand Up Bluetooth speakers, which feature 60W RMS audio output (30W x 2). The machinery consists of two 4.5-inch speakers and two 1-inch tweeters along with a powerful amplifier. Apart from Bluetooth, users can connect auxiliary devices to the system with the help of the 3.5 mm auxiliary port on it. Aman Gupta, Director, Imagine Marketing said on the recent launch of  Get Up Stand Up Premium Bluetooth Audio System at Amazon in India, “The House Of Marley Get Up Stand Up Bluetooth speaker has a modern, slick and stylish design and fits with almost any home’s interior design.  The system’s custom design birch wood bent and the Marley Signature audio output are its differentiators. The room-filling sound submerges those listening to an all-encompassing range of treble, bass and mid-tones.” As always House of Marley has brought a fresh and unique design to the table. Price might be on the higher side, but we are sure the audiophiles would not mind spending the extra buck for this beauty.

Tete-a-tete with Tom Lu, CEO of OPPO Mobiles India [Gadget Bridge Exclusive]

OPPO mobiles has tried to capture a chunk of mobile phone market in India and have somewhat succeeded in doing so. After a year of launch in India, We caught up with Tom Lu, CEO of OPPO mobiles India and threw some doozies at him. This is what he had to tell us about the company’s performance and future of the mobile brand in India.  How has the journey of OPPO Mobiles been so far in India? How are the people of India warming up to the brand? We have received an overwhelming response in India. There has been positive feedback from customers about the product quality in terms of the design & innovation and on the after sales service. OPPO entered India in January 2014 and this year we are celebrating the first year anniversary of our successful journey in India. Till date, we have launched 14 smartphones in the Indian market, out of which the total number of 4G phones is four (Find 7, Find 7a, R5, and N3). Our flagship models such as the N3, R5, Find 7 & N1 along with innovative technologies like VOOCave received rave reviews from the experts as well as the consumers across India. Customers are the very source for OPPO’s passion in the industry and we have got an amazing response from our customers. OPPO has co-developed products with customers based on their feedback in both hardware and software user experience. In this price sensitive market there is a certain section of consumers who are extremely technology savvy and are looking for innovative and power-packed devices. The way consumers choose and buy smartphones is continuously evolving and that means you need to have a diverse portfolio of products and price points to appeal to a wide range of consumers here. eing a Chinese manufacturer, how are you taking up the ‘’Make in India’’ Policy by the Indian government? We are really excited for “Make In India” initiative by the Indian Government. This initiative will boost demand; encourage development, which will be benefiting the investors as well.  We would wait to see the clear map of the Government policy and how the market is developing. We would be happy to be part of the ‘‘Make In India’’ project. What new innovations can we see from OPPO mobiles in India? As we always says that OPPO is very much concerned about Innovation and Technology. Our R&D team is diligently working to come up with the best and the latest and products that delight our customers.  India is a very interesting market with significant growth still to be found in the sector.  It is no doubt a price sensitive market but there is a certain section of consumers who are extremely technology savvy and looking for innovative and power-packed devices. The way consumers choose and buy smartphones is continuously evolving and you need to have a diverse portfolio of products and price points to appeal to a wide range of consumers there. The current trend indicates that increasingly Smartphones are doubling up as cameras. OPPO N3 is the first Smartphone with a motorized camera which can get 64 MP Ultra-HD photography with 16 megapixel camera OPPO PI 2.0+, which was launched in Singapore in last October, is developed by OPPO to provide innovative philosophy experience and is available on both N3 and R5. PI is short for Pure Image and it includes more than 15 features, such as 8 Beauty Modes, GIF and Double Exposure. Mirror 3, the latest phone which has been launched in March is also equipped with Pure Image with the price of Rs.16990. The other major feature that influences a buying decision is battery life and strength. With users spending hours and hours on their smartphones, battery life is one area that is seeing and is likely to see more innovation. OPPO is at the forefront of rapid smart phone charging with its VOOC Flash Charge technology. Designed specifically for the needs of the customer of today who is increasingly using the Smartphone for a number of functions like work, emails, entertainment, social media etc. The OPPO VOOC Flash Charge is capable of charging the phone’s battery from zero to 75% in only 30 minutes. Coupled with useful accessories such as VOOC car charger and VOOC power bank, makes the Smartphone ready and charged at all times of the day. Anything else OPPO might be foraying into besides mobiles? Right now our focus is on Smartphones. We plan to introduce new smartphones in different categories. We are focusing on getting innovative products in the Indian market. We will surely be introducing new products in the coming years. Last Words and the road ahead for OPPO mobiles in India? We see India as one of the most important markets for us as we go global.  We are committed to India for the long run, and are keen to ensure that we are seen and acting as an integral part of the community here. India is a strategic market for us primarily because there is clearly a huge potential to grow in the Indian Smartphone market.  We are speeding up our sales and service network and expect a fair growth and a bigger share of the market in the times to come.  On the brand aspect, we expect our brand will become a well-known name for its innovation, quality and service over the next five years. The company also has plans to expand more service centres in the next one year. Right now we are retailing in over 20 major cities and regions, mainly through multi-brand stores, and we have started to partner with nation-wide retail chains like Flipkart and Amazon.in for online sales. We are also planning to build our showrooms and exclusive stores in a short time. Last but not the least, our company philosophy and culture are two essential facilitators for our market success.  

After Xiaomi, now Yu has launched a fitness band for just Rs 999

Companies are getting really aggressive when it comes to fitness bands and wearables. And India is luckily amongst those countries, which are getting affordable fitness bands for just Rs 999. The first one came from Xiaomi few days back, and now Yu Televentures, a subsidiary of Micromax, has launched a similar device name YuFit at the same price. The only difference is: YuFit has got a display. The company announced this fitness band soon after launching their Yuphoria smartphone. Along with YuFit, the company has also unveiled another health-centric accessory called HealthYu for just Rs 4,999. It seems that the brand has taken health and fitness category a tad bit seriously. Jokes apart, here is what else you should know about these devices. One, both of these devices would go on sale in June—so hang on for a while if you really want to try them out. Two, while YuFit is just a fitness tracking band that watches your steps, sleep and calories burnt; HealthYu is a cassette-shaped accessory that will help you track more than that. You can connect it with your smartphones via Bluetooth, and measure your body vitals such as heart rate, ECG, respiration rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, and skin temperature. For more details on these two products, please stay tuned with us!

Here comes Micromax Yu Yuphoria for Rs 6,999 with Cyanogen OS and Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU

Micromax is going places. They certainly know how to woo the crowd and tap its pulse. Its subsidiary Yu has launched yet another phone for the masses called the Yu Yuphoria. The company came into existence last year in December. Today they have launched its second phone that certainly has some nice features. To start with, Yu Yuphoria has a killer price, Rs 6,999 to be exact. The phone can be picked up from Amazon India from 28, May. However, consumers can register today onwards on amazon.in and be one of the first to get their hands on the smartphone. Yu Yuphoria has a 5-inch HD IPS display that is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Micromax claims that the design of phone has been crowd sourced and they have picked up user suggestions to build this phone. Yu Yuphoria has semi metal body and it is the first to be seen in a not-so-expensive phone. The phone is powered by a 2,330 mAh battery. This is able to run the 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU combined with 2GB RAM and 16 GB on board memory. For graphics Micromax is giving Adreno 306 GPU on this phone. Yu Yuphoria supports 2 SIM slots and has an 8 MP rear camera along with a 5 MP front shooter. All in all, the package does look promising with Cyanogen OS 12 and Android Lolipop available right out of the box on this phone. Pricing is very-very competitive, but will the masses warm up to this nifty little device? We shall know in a few weeks time when it goes on sale officially.

One Plus launches 10,000 mAh power bank for Rs 1,399

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Most Chinese phone making companies have a wide range of accessories that can be bought along with their phones. A power bank is one of those accessories. Another mobile company to bring a power bank to India is One Plus. They have launched a 10,000 mAh power bank that has the battery juice to charge up the biggest of phones in no time. It takes 5.5 hours to fully charge this baby up and once charged, it has the capacity to charge two phones simultaneously with the dual USB ports. Weighing at 220 grams this power pack seems portable and one can easily keep it handy in the backpack. It comes with a warranty of 1 year and battery level meter as well. Safety has been kept in mind too. One Plus’s Indian blog says ‘’A multitude of safety features embedded within the OnePlus Power Bank prevents overcharging and overheating while removing the anxiety of travelling with your favourite gadgets.’’ One Plus Power Bank is available in two colours and can be picked up for Rs 1,399.

BlackBerry is taking a leap in India with its new smartphone

When smartphones had just entered the Indian market and Indian yout was waking up to the mobile culture, two names that Indians used to swear by were: Nokia and BlackBerry. Unfortunately, today both these companies seem to have lost their ground. But, they are still hoping to bounce back, with their new device launches. For instance, BlackBerry, which off lately has lost a major chunk of its market share, is planning to take a leap with its mid-range BlackBerry Leap smartphone. Yes, BlackBerry Leap is the same device which the company had announced at the Mobile World Congress in the beginning of this year, and the same would now be available for under Rs 20k. But don’t blame us if the company prices it a bit on the higher side, which is quiet possible going by their history. Now coming to the specifications. This BlackBerry Leap mobile phones would have a 5-inch HD screen and will be powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. It would come running on the latest BlackBerry 10 OS and will have a 2GB RAM and 16GB flash storage in it. The memory can be expanded further by up to 128GB. Camera have had always been BlackBerry’s weak spot, but we hope the Leap’s 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and flash, and the 2MP fixed-focus front-facing camera would do a decent job. In terms of connectivity, you would get 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy and EDR, GPS, FM radio and 4G (FD-LTE 1800MHz only). We hope BlackBerry does make a decent comeback with this phone, as we were one of the proud BlackBerry boys once.   Update: The price of the BlackBerry Leap will be Rs 21,490