Source: http://konacompany.com/ State of mobile phones in 2015 [Infographic]
![State of mobile phones in 2015 [Infographic]](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/state-of-mobile-1.jpg "State of mobile phones in 2015 [Infographic]")
As part of the Gadget Bridge Ace initiative we will bring you new infographics every now and then from the world of gadgets and technology. Here is the first one around the king of gadgets, the mobile phone.
We came across this infographic from Kona Company that reveals some pretty interesting facts about the cell phones. There are over 1.2 billion mobile users worldwide today and the number will jump almost 5 times by 2015. This roughly means over 70% of the world’s population will have a mobile phone in the next 3 years.
Another fact that caught the eye is that the mobile wallet market is growing at a staggering pace. It is seeing grow this as high as 147% yearly. No wonder we see so many Indian companies jumping on to the mobile wallet bandwagon. Advertising on the mobile phone is also growing rapidly thanks to the smartphone and internet penetration. The most lucrative vertical for mobile advertising is entertainment.
Check out the rest of the infographic and interesting facts below below:
Source: http://konacompany.com/
Source: http://konacompany.com/ Motorola slashes the price of Moto 360 smartwatch
Motorola 360 is one of the best smartwatches available in India. And if you were one of them who was looking to pick this beauty up, but couldn’t because of the price, are in luck. Motorola has announced a price cut of Rs 5,000 on the Moto 360 smartwatch in India.
The leather version of the watch can be picked up for Rs 12,999 and the one with the metal band is now available for Rs 14,999. Both the variants have gone down by Rs 5,000 each as earlier they were available for Rs 17,999 and 19,999 respectively. The offer is for a limited time only or till stocks last.
The watch was launched in India in September 2014. Besides having a 1.56-inch LCD display the watch also sports 512 MB RAM and 4GB internal memory. Its battery lasts for a day. This Moto 360 smartwatch includes pedometer, heart rate monitor and is water resistant too.
Users can get their hands on the Moto 360 smartwatch deal exclusively through FlipKart.com.
Micromax to sell Yu Yureka on sale without registration on 6 and 7 May
People have been trying to get their hands on the Yu Yureka phone by Micromax since long. The phone was launched more than 6 months ago. People were only able to buy it via registering themselves on Micromax’s exclusive partner Amazon.in. However, now Yu Yureka phones will be available on a two day sale without any sort of registration.
Micromax announced the deal on the social media site Twitter and people can directly goto Amazon and pick the phone up.
[ https://twitter.com/wordpressdotcom/status/204557548249026561 ]
Microsmax Yu Yureka sports a 12 MP rear camera with LED Flash and a 5 MP front shooter. It also comes with 16GB on-board storage that can be expanded by up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. This could be a way to clear out lying stocks and make way for the new Yu phone coming soon.
5 Android games to play this weekend
Weekend is here and one way of getting away from the hustle and bustle is to immerse yourself in some mobile or tablet casual games. We love games and they love us. Every other week a handful of good games get released that are a must play and must-win. Then there are evergreen games that one can play whenever one wants to.
Week after week we will bring you come crazy, some smart and some really action packed games that you can enjoy over the weekend. Here are the picks for this weekend:
- Dead Trigger 2
- Shadow Fight 2
- Brothers In Arms 3
- Baldurs Gate (Rs 620)
- The Walking Dead Season 1
Micromax launches Laptab in India, basically a tablet with keyboard attachment
This was the most logical step for a company like Micromax to head into. They have forayed into two in one categories of laptops. The company has launched Laptab, which is basically a tablet that can be put over a full QWERTY physical keyboard making it look like a laptop.
The concept is not new and has been tried out by many multi-national companies in the past. However, what the other companies could not provide and Micromax did is value for money. They nailed the pricing and have managed to keep the price under 15K (Rs 14,999 to be exact).
Micromax Laptab has a 10.1-inch WXGA IPS display on it that hides an Intel 1.83 GHz Atom CPU and 2GB DDR 3 RAM. The main USP of the device is its battery life. Micromax claims that this next gen tablet cum laptop can give users battery backup of 10 hours. That is far superior than most of the other machines in the category.
Microsoft Windows 8.1 makes an appearance on Micromax Laptab and users get the option to upgrade to Windows 10 for free (once it is released). Microsoft Office 365 also comes bundled in the package. On the other side, weight is on the higher side. With these machines one wants extreme portability. Micromax Laptab weighs 1.1 Kg, which is definitely bulky.
Commenting on the launch Mr. Vineet Taneja, CEO, Micromax Informatics Limited, said, “At Micromax, we have always believed in bringing the best in class and innovative devices to the consumers and have always aimed to bridge the gap between actual consumer device requirement and available device offering and hence, the Laptab promises to bridge the same at a very consumer friendly price point. Today’s launch marks our entry into the PC segment, where we intend to drive category growth and not only garner an available market share. We believe that our vision complements the initiatives for Digital India, and we will be launching a range of exciting products over the next few months in the category.”
Micromax Laptab also has 2 MP fixed focus front and rear cameras. To store and download files to, the company has also given it 32GB internal memory. For connectivity Micromax Laptab has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a SIM slot for 2G/3G data streaming. Laptab will start its sales in India by May 6 exclusively on Amazon.in. Overall, the device seems like decent buy, but will it be successful (unlike many others)? Only time will tell.
Key features of Micromax Canvas Laptab– LT666
- Intel Atom Processor Z3735F (2M Cache, up to 1.83 GHz)
- Windows 8.1 (free upgrade to Windows 10) and Office 365
- 1-inch WXGA IPS Display
- RAM 2GB DDR3L
- 32GB Flash Memory
- 10 Hours Use Time
- 2MP FF Rear Camera & 2MP FF Front Camera
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, 1 Micro USB and 1 USB 2.0
- SIM slot for Data Access only (2G/3G)
- USB Ports to plug in SATA drive and other peripherals
- Weight – 1.1kg
- Price: Rs 14,999
Microsoft launches Lumia 430 in India for Rs 5,299
Yesterday we saw an exciting session of Microsoft Build 2015 developers conference and today Microsoft launched a new phone, called Microsoft Lumia 430, in India for the masses. This is their cheapest mobile offering in the country and is available for a price of Rs 5,299.
The Microsoft Lumia 430 has dual SIM slots. These can house two 3G SIM cards. Right next to it users get a MicroSD card slot that can expand the 8GB on board memory by up to 128GB. With a cheap price tag such as this, the general feedback one would get is that this is a very basic phone hence the firepower inside it will be less. But, that is not the case. It has a 1.2 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon CPU and 1 GB RAM. The only thing that we feel could have been better is the camera. Microsoft Lumia 430 has a low powered 2 MP rear camera for pictures and videos.
This phone has the latest Windows 8.1 operating system with all the stock applications. Over that, popular applications such as Instagram, Whatsapp and Viber are also available. One can download more using the Microsoft app store. Moving on to one of the most important aspects of the phone, Microsoft Lumia 430 has a 4-inch WVGA display that supports 400 x 800 pixels. To stay alive the phone comes with a 1,500 mAh battery.
Consumers also get 500 MB of free data from Vodafone with every Microsoft Lumia 430 (for first two months). Users can also avail discounts worth Rs 1,500 from RedBus when they purchase this device. 30 GB of cloud storage is being given free with the Microsoft Lumia 430 on the Microsoft One Drive.
Microsoft Lumia 430 Tech Specs
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8 GB internal storage; micro SD up to 128 GB
- 4-inch WVGA (800 x480) LCD at 235 PPI
- 2 MP rear camera
- 1500 mAh removable battery
Microsoft Edge will replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10 devices [Microsoft Build 2015]
![Microsoft Edge will replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10 devices [Microsoft Build 2015]](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Microsoft-Edge.jpg "Microsoft Edge will replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10 devices [Microsoft Build 2015]")
Look who showed up for the big Microsoft Build developers conference. Microsoft has announced at Build 2015 that a new browser will replace Internet explorer from all Windows 10 devices. This new gen browser (originally called Spartan) is called Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Edge is built using a new rendering engine called EdgeHTML. This browser is made for both, consuming content as well as building it. Microsoft has approached this browser in a new manner and much neater look has been given to it. Cortana support will come with the browser as well as distraction free reading.
Microsoft on its blog said, “With the new browser you can write directly on Web pages (and share them), read online articles free from distraction or use the offline reading feature for greater convenience,”
It is still unclear that will it come to older operating systems or not, but we do have a hunch it might show up on Windows 8 (at least) after a few months of Windows 10 launch.
Here take a look at the video of the new Microsoft Edge:
Lapcare brings new Bluetooth headphones to India
The headphones demand in India is increasing, especially when it comes to good ones for mobile phones. The latest company to launch a Bluetooth driven headphone is Lapcare, a Singapore based company. They have brought Lapcare YO! – LBH208 headphone that are designed to work with any smartphone that has Bluetooth in it.
Carved for today’s generation these nifty headphones are available in an array of colours. These are wireless so the users are away from the messy wires and don’t get tangled in them. Lapcare YO! – LBH 208 folds up as well, so that users can store them as easily as they can wear them. These headphones come with its own rechargeable battery, which once fully charged can give up to 500 hours of standby time.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Atul Guupta, Managing Director, Lapcare, said “At Lapcare we constantly strive to transform and better the lives of our customers through carefully designed products. Everyday life requires making/attending frequent calls or listening to music during leisure time, while still on the move. This demands products which are both easy to carry and comfortable to use. The all new LapcareYO LBH 208 packs comfort, ease and style. It’s also a smart accessory that offers stand by time of Upto 500 hours, thanks to its built in smart power saving technology. We are certain that it will resonate well with our customers.”
Manish Paul, the brand ambassador for Lapcare added, ‘ Acting involves a lot of travelling. So, I relax with my Lapcare YO LBH 208. Being foldable it’s convenient to carry around and the headband just fits right. The sound clarity is also amazing and lasts long due to its smart power saving technology. It’s a must carry accessory for me everywhere.’
Users can receive calls using these headphones too. It comes with an in-built MIC and volume buttons. The Lapcare YO! – LBH208 is decently priced at Rs 1,999 and comes with 1 year warranty. It is available on Amazon, FlipKart as well as Snapdeal.
Manish Paul, the brand ambassador for Lapcare added, ‘ Acting involves a lot of travelling. So, I relax with my Lapcare YO LBH 208. Being foldable it’s convenient to carry around and the headband just fits right. The sound clarity is also amazing and lasts long due to its smart power saving technology. It’s a must carry accessory for me everywhere.’
Users can receive calls using these headphones too. It comes with an in-built MIC and volume buttons. The Lapcare YO! – LBH208 is decently priced at Rs 1,999 and comes with 1 year warranty. It is available on Amazon, FlipKart as well as Snapdeal. Zebronics launches less expensive LED TV’s in India
Most IT manufacturing companies in India are looking to foray or are already in gadget arms other than IT. Zebronics who is one of the Indian brands known for IT and PC peripherals has moved a step further and dipped its toes in the large screen TV segment. They have launched LED TV’s in 16, 19, 20, 21, 24, 32 and 40-inch sizes.
The 40 inch ZEB-4001LED flat screen LED display has 1000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It supports Full HD 1080P display and a viewing angle of 178 degrees. This model also has 12 X 2 W speakers hidden behind the slim bezel. Power consumption lies at a miniscule 80W. As far as connectivity goes this TV has VGA, AV in/out, RF, 2 HDMI and composite ports.
Commenting on the launch of the LED TV’s Mr. Pradeep Doshi, Director, Zebronics says “There has been a transition from the traditional CRTs or LCD TVs to LED TVs. The LED TV Market in India, is very promising and has been witnessing a steep growth but still at a very nascent stage. Zebronics wants to lead the growth of the Industry with its ‘value for money’ LED TVs. Our latest range shall enable the consumers to choose the best LED TV suiting their pocket”
Adding further he says, “Understanding the desires of the Tier 2 and 3 cities, we also plan to roll out Smart TVs in smaller sizes for these Cities which have come into reckoning as the growth drivers of the future”
The TV’s come with 1 year warranty and in all certainty are built in China. The range starts from Rs 6,999. Zebronics wants to capture a decent chunk of the TV market in the next two years. Their aim to sell in tier 2 and tier 3 towns can help them expand rapidly and get good numbers in their favour.
The TV’s come with 1 year warranty and in all certainty are built in China. The range starts from Rs 6,999. Zebronics wants to capture a decent chunk of the TV market in the next two years. Their aim to sell in tier 2 and tier 3 towns can help them expand rapidly and get good numbers in their favour.
Gigabyte brings a new motherboard that is good for office and home use
If you are a professional who is looking out for a motherboard for both home as well as office use then you are in luck. Now the choice has been made easier by Gigabyte, when it comes to motherboards.
They have brought the GIGABYTE GA-B85M-D3H motherboard to India, which is built for professional as well as entertainment purposes. The new motherboard is not very expensive and can be purchased for Rs 6,200 with 3 years of warranty. It is built for productivity as well as daily home requirements.
This motherboard has 2 USB 3.0 ports along with 4 USB 2.0 ports. It supports Intel’s fourth gen Core processors and is AMD crossfire ready. Intel HD4600 graphics come on board, which means you do not require an additional graphics card if you don’t run graphics hungry applications and games on your PC. For monitor connectivity this Gigabyte motherboard has VGA, DVI and HDMI ports at the back.
Key Features of GA-B85M-D3H
Key Features of GA-B85M-D3H
- Supports 4th Generation Intel Core processors
- GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 Plus Technology
- GIGABYTE Hybrid digital power engine
- GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS
- Multi-GPU Support
- GIGABYTE On/Off Charge for USB devices
- LAN with high ESD Protection
- HDMI 1.4, DVI, D-SUB
- Long lifespan Durable Solid caps
- GIGABYTE LAN Optimizer
LG G4 gets launched in leather attire
While the world is ogling over iPhone 6 and Samsung Edge, LG has gone ahead and launched it’s flagship model G4, which is nothing short of a stunner. The phone has an arc type design that keeps the phone safe and offers 20% higher toughness if it gets dropped by the user. It also promotes hand comfort while talking and holding the LG G4 in the hand.
As far as performance is concerned, LG G4 is right up there with the big players. Inside it has a 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 CPU with 3GB RAM and an Adreno GPU. For file storage LG has installed 32 GB internal memory that can be pumped up by 128 GB with the help of a storage card. The company has put a 5.5-inch IPS quantum display on the LG G4 that supports HD resolutions at 538 PPI. Corning Gorilla Glass 4 is also there adding to the toughness and protection bit.
The G4 sports a 16MP rear camera with dual LED flash and for selfie lovers an 8 MP front one. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery and runs the latest Google Android Lolipop operating system. But, what really takes the cake is the genuine leather casing the phone comes with. We have seen leather textured plastic designs on some of the Samsung phones and few HTC cases. This would be the first time we would see actual leather strapped onto the phone for good.
LG G4 Tech Specs:
- Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440, 538ppi)
- Memory: 32GB eMMC ROM, 3GB LPDDR3RAM / microSD slot
- Camera: Rear 16MP with F1.8 Aperture / OIS 2.0 / Front 8MP
- Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 808 Processorwith X10 LTE
- Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Network:4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21 Mbps (3G)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.1LE / NFC / USB 2.0
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Size: 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 – 9.8mm
- Weight: 155g
Here’s an App that can make you rich
An app that can make you rich even if you have not developed it? All I have to do is sign up? Well yes, apparently that is all you require to do in the social app called KQingdom. This is the first offering of sorts to users in India who become a partner/share holder in the apps monetary benefits. Collectively the users can own 50% of the shares of KQingdom.
The company says that “KQingdom app users can keep scores with friends and others for fun, while at the same time have real tangible benefits.”
Mr. Lucky Gupta of KQingdom says that,” The business model of all social apps is driven by their user base, and their continued active participation. Effectively, the users are responsible for their sky rocketing valuations with our personal profile information, network connections, and posting of content, while the chat app just provides a platform. However, users end up being short-changed, while the app promoters and investors mint billions. KQingdom management believes that they are correcting this imbalance by partnering with its Users and forging a strong bond with them.”
One has to download the app, sign up and be an active part of the group to reap maximum benefits. Of course they do not start right away, but over a period of time. Users will get rewards periodically, just like one gets dividend annually. As stated above, the company says users are the main reason behind an apps performance and its profits. So why not share some of the profits with the users themselves.
To get some of the profit users would need to put in a bit of effort as well. For example, how early did the user register, number of messages sent and received, time spent in-app, the frequency of use, number of friends joining the app, number of referral credit received from friends for joining the app, the number of likes received and so on.
Mr. Gupta further also said, “In future, the users will be able to collect their rewards in the form of digital money transfer, cash into digital wallet, coupon, discounts, and vouchers, once the company is profitable. The User’s respective profit share at the annual profit declaration will be determined as a percentage of User’s accumulated KQingdom Coins (called “KQins”) over total net KQins of all Users.”
It’s an interesting way to hook consumers on to an app. Probably most will come to make a quick buck, however by the looks of it, the benefits are not short term but long term (only if the app does well). KQingdom is currently available on the Android Play store as well as Apple app store.
Everything you want to know about 4G and how will it benefit Indians.
The evolution in the wireless network technology has been exponential in the past couple of decades. The smart phone revolution has completely taken the market by a storm. A cell phone is no more a mere tool to talk or send messages but has turned to efficient, fast and safe mobile computing devise. Fuelled by innovation it has evolved from the first generation of mobile telecommunication technology to the current third generation and the latest fourth generation which is designed primarily for data, has IP-based protocols and is a truly mobile broadband. To understand the generation leaps it is imperative to start from ground zero.
0 G-Zero Generation Technology
These are also referred as pre-cellular systems, since they were the first generation of mobiles radio telephone systems, devised before the prevailing of mobile telephony technology. These were available as a commercial service, with individual telephone numbers. These were made in the shape of a briefcase or were mounted on vehicles The transmitter-receiver was placed in the trunk of the vehicle and attached to the head, which had the dial, display, and handset, placed near the driver seat.
1G-First Generation Technology
Introduced in 1980’s, more popularly known as the cell phones and were used for basic voice service. The radio signals used are analogs, the voice during a call is modulated to a higher frequency, 150 MHz and above, and with the help of a technique called FDMA (Frequency- division Multiple Access, it is transferred between radio towers.
2G-Second Generation Technology
Launched in the 1990’s, the voice in the call was digitally encrypted and then digitally transmitted across the radio towers. Their advantage over the 1G was more efficiency on the spectrum giving improved coverage and capacity. Secondly data services were introduced starting with SMS text messages and moving on to picture messages and MMS (multi media messages). First digital standards (GSM, CDMA), were introduced.
3G-Third Generation Technology
Introduced in 1981/82, 3G has applications such as voice telephony, mobile internet, fixed wireless internet access, video calls and mobile T.V. The 3G service providers are supposed to meet the IMT-2000 standards, an information rate of at least 200 kbit/s (about 0,2 Mbit/s). The later additions also provided higher speeds than the minimum specifications. It was the first mobile broadband.
4G-Fourth Generation Technology
The Mobile WiMAX and LTE( Long Term Evolution) smart phones were available in 2010 and 2011, respectively in the United States, These were the first phones which were able to access the 4G network. These appliances had all the applications of 3G plus:
- Amended mobile web access
- IP(Internet Protocol) telephony
- Multi player gaming services
- High definition mobile TV
- Video Conferencing
- 3D television
- Cloud computing
- Speed- At an average a 4G network is 4 to 5 times faster than a 3G network. It also has superior, uninterrupted connectivity Downloading movies, games and music is much faster and streaming live videos, live TV, and video chatting is seamless.
- Wider Coverage– Coverage of 30 miles and more and complete connectivity at all times.
- Online Security-Guarantees high security. The network prevents hacking and keeps your data private and secure, which is an asset for business purpose.
- Better Signal– More reliable signal, can be assured of connectivity, even on trains.
- Easy Installation– All that is required is a mobile phone which is 4G compatible or a PC card or USB port that can be easily plugged into a laptop.
- Low Cost Introductory Offers- Flexible plans available to suit your needs and usage.
- Business- Increased productivity and efficiency due to large file transfers at high speed, can set up workplace fast, even in transit, rich machine to machine and monitoring applications, videoconferencing, and media collaboration, can have remote access to business applications.
- Connectivity is limited to certain specified regions and carriers.
- Technology is new so initial hurdles, shortfalls and teething problems might be there.
- Switching cost will be there and hardware compatibility will have to be kept in mind.
- Poorer battery life with this network, so larger devices with more battery power will be required, especially when in use for longer duration.
- Health hazard- Stronger radiation and more high power towers can cause health problems at a later stage.
Apple on a new high ends second quarter with excellent earnings
Apple has announced their second quarter earnings for the fiscal 2015 with the quarter ending on March 28, 2015. The company did exceptionally well with the iPhone, Mac and App store sales in this quarter. As much as 27% jump was seen here when compared to same time last year.
The company did really well here and has posted quarterly revenue of $58 billion and quarterly net profit of $13.6 billion, or $2.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $45.6 billion and net profit of $10.2 billion, or $1.66 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
An area that has also accelerated total quarter revenues for Apple is international sales. These accounted for 69% of the quarter’s revenue. This just shows that Apple is doing a fabulous job in international waters as they expand further in to developing nations such as India.
“We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”
“The tremendous customer demand for our products and services in the March quarter drove revenue growth of 27 percent and EPS growth of 40 percent,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “Cash flow from operations was also outstanding at $19.1 billion.”
Apple suggests that in the third quarter they will generate revenues between $46 billion and $48 billion.
Spice launches Stellar 519 4G at Rs 8,499
4G network is becoming stronger in India and the mobile companies know it. This is the reason why many of them are launching 4G variants or newer 4G models of phones and expanding their lines.
The latest to join the 4G ranks in India is Spice Stellar 519, this the makers first offering that is open to 4G networks and can work on it. The phone is available in two colours – Steel Blue and Slate Grey. In pictures the phone does look a bit similar to the HTC One M7/M8.
Spice Stellar 519 comes with an 8MP rear camera and 3.2MP front shooter. It has a 5-inch touch display that supports 480 x 854 pixels resolution. The motherboard consists of a 1.2 GHz Quad-core CPU and 1 GB RAM. As far as the internal storage is concerned, Spice Stellar 519 has 8 GB of it that can be expanded by up to 32 GB using a MicroSD card.
The phone is still on the older version of the Android (Kitkat 4.4.4) and comes with a 2,500 mAh battery to keep it alive for long. Apart from 4G connectivity Spice Stellar 519 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Prashant Bindal, CEO, Spice Mobility Ltd, said, “We are thrilled to introduce our first 4G LTE smartphone, Stellar 519, which promises to deliver an outstanding and seamless internet browsing experience. The new Stellar 519 offers a scintillating combination of an amazing user experience with excellent speed and multi-tasking options. This is a great device for customers looking for a smartphone that has it all. We have packed in our latest technology complimented with a one-of-its-kind, unique 4G experience never before seen on a mid-range smartphone.”
The phone is built to go head to head with mobiles such as Moto E second Gen 4G, which has the latest OS and is less expensive than the Spice Stellar 519 by Rs 500.
Moto E second gen Review: A decent budget phone with latest Android OS
Motorola has made quite a remarkable re-entry in the Indian market. They were down and out; however with the new innings they have launched some great phones and accessories in India to capture a decent chunk of the pie. Last year we saw the Moto E from the brand and it was a fabulous device. Now they have launched the second version of the phone, which is not a significant upgrade over the previous one, but does get the job done.
Design
The Moto E second gen is available in two colours, black and white. We got our hands on the white one and right of the box we fell for it. Yes, some might say it is a bit chunky or fat, but we didn’t mind it one bit. This mobile has a nice feel to it and the white colour gives it the edge.
The battery is locked in. Hence users cannot replace it by themselves. Moto E second gen can accommodate two Micro SIM cards. The slots are well hidden under the detachable band, which runs all around the phone. The MicroSD card slot is also placed under the same band in between the two SIM slots.
Moto E second gen has a 4.5-inch IPS qHD display, which is slightly bigger than the last version. However, the resolution of the phone is much lower than what its competition is providing. Above the screen, consumers will find the front camera for selfies and at the back Motorola has incorporated a 5 MP shooter (without flash).
The power button is located on the right side of the phone along with the volume key. The USB port is located at the bottom and the audio port is available at the top. Audio port on top always works for the younger generation. The phone is aimed towards youngsters and we all know what they love to do, listen to a lot of music. People can easily slide the phone in the front pocket and listen to music using the headphones, which come with a nice long wire.
Performance
Moto E is not a power house when it comes to under the hood performance. However, it does justify its price. Moto E second gen has the Qualcomm 1.2 GHz CPU that comes along with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory. Out of which users only get about 5 GB to store files. For graphics an Adreno GPU is also installed on board.
We didn’t face any challenges as far as basic entertainment needs were concerned. The place where the phone stresses a bit is gaming. You can’t play high-end games on it. Power hungry utilities also run a bit slow on this phone.
On the other hand Music apps and video galleries ran beautifully. Talking about which, the audio quality is very fine. The supplied headphones get the job done and one can hear the beats clearly. Screen, image and video quality is above average.
We tested the phone out with Quadrant and it managed a score of 9,522 points. Not the best in the class, but is pretty much up there. Camera quality of the phone is not too shabby, when clicked in well lit rooms and outdoors. It becomes a bit sloppy in low light and dark areas. Front snapper is just about fine for selfies. You do get noise in pictures if the light is low.
Moving on to its battery life, Moto E second gen does manage to stay awake for a long duration. With 2,390 mAh battery inside it, we did get between 20-24 hours after a full charge (under nominal use). It will go down by couple of hours if you are using Wi-Fi network as well.
Verdict
Moto E second gen is definitely built for the masses. The voice quality is very good and you rarely end up missing a note, unless your mobile network is acting up. We did like the built quality and the looks. It has the latest Android Lolipop OS with stock apps. If users want to download more app on this phone they can do with the Play store. The price also plays a huge factor here. The Moto E second gen can be picked up for Rs 6,999. Not a bad price for this package. The 4G version of the phone is now available too and one can get that for Rs 7,999 from FlipKart.
Pros
Good built
Good price
Cons
Rear camera flash missing
Not built to play high-end games
The power button is located on the right side of the phone along with the volume key. The USB port is located at the bottom and the audio port is available at the top. Audio port on top always works for the younger generation. The phone is aimed towards youngsters and we all know what they love to do, listen to a lot of music. People can easily slide the phone in the front pocket and listen to music using the headphones, which come with a nice long wire.
Performance
Moto E is not a power house when it comes to under the hood performance. However, it does justify its price. Moto E second gen has the Qualcomm 1.2 GHz CPU that comes along with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory. Out of which users only get about 5 GB to store files. For graphics an Adreno GPU is also installed on board.
We didn’t face any challenges as far as basic entertainment needs were concerned. The place where the phone stresses a bit is gaming. You can’t play high-end games on it. Power hungry utilities also run a bit slow on this phone.
On the other hand Music apps and video galleries ran beautifully. Talking about which, the audio quality is very fine. The supplied headphones get the job done and one can hear the beats clearly. Screen, image and video quality is above average.
We tested the phone out with Quadrant and it managed a score of 9,522 points. Not the best in the class, but is pretty much up there. Camera quality of the phone is not too shabby, when clicked in well lit rooms and outdoors. It becomes a bit sloppy in low light and dark areas. Front snapper is just about fine for selfies. You do get noise in pictures if the light is low.
Moving on to its battery life, Moto E second gen does manage to stay awake for a long duration. With 2,390 mAh battery inside it, we did get between 20-24 hours after a full charge (under nominal use). It will go down by couple of hours if you are using Wi-Fi network as well.
Verdict
Moto E second gen is definitely built for the masses. The voice quality is very good and you rarely end up missing a note, unless your mobile network is acting up. We did like the built quality and the looks. It has the latest Android Lolipop OS with stock apps. If users want to download more app on this phone they can do with the Play store. The price also plays a huge factor here. The Moto E second gen can be picked up for Rs 6,999. Not a bad price for this package. The 4G version of the phone is now available too and one can get that for Rs 7,999 from FlipKart.
Pros
Good built
Good price
Cons
Rear camera flash missing
Not built to play high-end games 4G services from Airtel to go live in Delhi
Airtel is already providing 4G services in 19 cities across India. These include Chandigarh, Bangalore, Kolkata, Nasik and Pune. Delhi has been one its toughest targets to achieve. Finally the dark clouds might be evaporating as Airtel sees a ray of hope. They have got the go ahead from Department of Telecom (DoT) to deploy 4G services in Delhi.
Airtel has been fighting a court case where DoT had asked them to pay 436 crores for 4G deployment in the Delhi circle. As the mobile and broadband service provider had acquired 4G spectrum using Wireless Business Services, which was earlier part of Qualcomm and now has been taken over by Airtel under Airtel Broadband Services.
The court has asked Airtel to give and undertaking in which the company has to state that if their petition fails in court then they would need to pay Rs 436 crores to the Union of India with interest. On the same basis DoT has given to green signal to Airtel to deploy 4G services in the Indian capital.
This does seem like a sticky surface for Airtel, if you ask us. However, some sources do say that Airtel is confident of the situation and can go ahead with 4G deployment in New Delhi. The pricing of the service in Delhi is still not out and no one has commented on the same. Hopefully in the coming months we would have a clearer picture.
The go ahead from DoT could be the opportunity Airtel needs to get the edge over any other service provider in Delhi, but if it does not go in their favour in the court they would end up paying a lot of money.
Nikon is probably bringing new full-frame mirrorless cameras this year
Let the rivalry begin! Sony has enjoyed good market space, created by them, with a full-frame mirrorless camera in the form of A7. Now, Nikon is going to take the fight to Sony by introducing their very own full-frame mirrorless camera.
Sony’s A7 is top-of-the-line mirrorless camera that has seen great results with most photo enthusiasts. Sony has the monopoly here and is going strong. Nikon might play spoil sport to Sony’s party by bringing a full-frame mirrorless camera by the end of this year or early 2016.
If we go by the reports, Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless camera will be smaller than Sony’s A7. Its size will be identical to the Olympus E-M1. Nikons camera is said to be in the testing phase at the moment and more details will be released soon. However, the pricing and other tech-specs are still unclear. Do stay tuned as we bring you more on Nikons mirrorless camera, once additional information is revealed.
Nikon launches a range of new cameras
April is usually the time when we see camera companies such as Nikon bring a flurry of new cameras in the Point and Shoot category. This year is no different, as Nikon launched 12 new camera variants that are available in multiple hues. The new offerings are now available to the customers through online and offline stores.
Hiroshi Takashina, Nikon India’s Managing Director, said at the launch ‘’that the company would also hold workshops to promote the photography culture in India.
“Over last few years, we have witnessed a surge in the demand for high performance cameras from the southern states of India and we thought it to be perfect opportunity for us to expand in the region,” said Sajjan Kumar, Vice-President of Nikon India.
The launch saw new models being added to P, S, L and AW series. The price of the cameras starts from as low as Rs 6,950 for S series entry level shooter and goes up to Rs 29,950 for the advance CoolPix P900. The P900 is their flagship offering in the super zoom category. It has 83X optical zoom, which is highest in its class. With the new series of cameras, Nikon is set for the year 2015. They have brought something for everyone.
Moto E second gen 3G Video Review
Moto E second gen is a great device. Here is our video review of the Moto G second gen 3G.
Philips does a comeback, re-enters Indian market with 4K LED televisions
Philips is a brand that is pretty much liked by the matured audience in India. It is a brand that people have complete faith on. Weather it is your trusted Philips iron or the CFL bulb, people from the pre-2000’s era knows the brand well and trusts it to the core.
However, when Philips somewhat retracted from the home entertainment industry in India, people kind of forgot about it. As brands like Samsung, LG and Sony quickly gained speed. Now, the brand is back with an all-new UHD 4K LED television range that can give some of the best in the business a run for their money.
Philips 4K LED TV range sports its patented Ambilight feature, which emits an ambient light around the television panel (on to the rear wall) in accordance to the picture being shown on the LED screen. This has been seen in earlier LCD models from Philips and was quite a hit. So it made sense for them to bring it back in the newer version of televisions as well.
The Philips 4K televisions support 3,840 x 2,160 pixels resolution to bring movies, sports and games to life. 3D capability is what these TVs possess as well; the TV’s use active 3D method for the same. The range is available in 50, 58 and 65-inches, and the range starts from Rs 1.55 lakhs and goes upto Rs 3.72 lakhs.
Philips is again trying to make a mark and own a piece of the pie in the Indian TV industry. Yes, they are a bit behind in the race, but we do expect them to bounce back and hold a decent TV market share, considering they will launch more TV models in the near future.
New range of Canon projectors come to India
Canon is a well known brand for cameras, printers and projectors. They have recently refreshed their projectors range and have brought 9 LV and 4 XEED series of projectors to India. These are aimed at medium and large sectors such as big corporates, educational institutes and government organisations.
Mr. Yasuhiko Hoshino, Senior General Manager, Canon Inc. said, “We are excited to bring our globally leading projectors equipped with world-class technology and user-friendly features to customers in India. The projectors offer quality and brightness along with lower operating costs enabling both businesses and end-users to deliver optimum results at a minimum cost.”
Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President and CEO, Canon India Pvt. Ltd, said, “Projection requirements of Indian customers have evolved over the years. Apart from being used for projecting data, customers are now using it to project movies, videos and games as well. The new Canon projectors are equipped with high quality optics to cater to such needs. We will be reaching out to potential customers across all the major metros and aim to capture 10% market share by 2017.”
The LV Series of Canon projectors are the portable range that utilise DLP BrilliantColor display technology to deliver rich, realistic colour, 3,000 lumens of brightness. These also have 2,300:1 contrast ratio to reproduce excellent blacks with depth and dimension in moving pictures. The new range of Canon projectors is also 3D-ready.
On the other side, the XEED Canon projectors series have inbuilt liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) technology, which produces fine and detailed images. LCOS technology and constant brightness is a technology adapted by Canon, and is supplied to its users to experience outstanding imagery.
The new Canon projector range starts from Rs 40,750 for the entry level models and goes upto Rs 5,00,000 for the more professional ones. The pricing is pretty decent as there is something for each business. But, they do have stiff competition in the market in the form of Epson and NEC.
Blueair launches its premium range of indoor air purifiers
Let’s face it we live in a deadly environment. Every other day there is a report in the papers that shows us how polluted each of our cities is. Doctors in cities like New Delhi are telling patients with breathing problems to flee the city if they want to live. In these circumstances it becomes extremely important to take care of yourself and your loved ones health.
To keep the air around you clean and fresh, Blueair has just brought 3 new indoor models of air purifiers. These will help you combat germs and allergies within the confines of your homes and offices. Blueair recently fitted 1,800 of these air purifier machines in the American embassy (New Delhi), ahead of president Obama’s visit. Blueair indoor air purifiers have won lot of awards for supplying pure including the Red dot Ward and Good Design award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. And is the preferred choice in 50 countries around the world.
The three models launched are 270E for rooms as big as 270 square feet, 450E for rooms as big as 370 square feet and 650E for rooms as big as 698 square feet. They are definitely priced on the more expensive side when compared to other purifiers in the market. The Blueair 270E is available for Rs 50,000, the Blueair 450E can be picked up for Rs 75,000 and the asking price for 650E is a whooping Rs 90,000.
What is Net Neutrality and how will it benefit or not benefit the Indian Consumer?
The Tsunami of protests and flake of the irked netizens has forced Flipkart to withdraw from the Airtel Zero platform. TRAI (Telcom Regulatory Authority of India) has received 3 lakh emails so far from India’s fuming internet population.
Airtel’s Airtel Zero, is a platform that allows internet companies to pay to Airtel to allow the consumers access certain apps for free. Anything free is always tempting and sounds lucrative at the outset. But, free always has a hidden cost, when the user will try to get to a site that has not paid with the telecom operator, the site will be either blocked or very slow. The whole concept is a staunch violation of the freedom of Net and its open and neutral nature. What is Net Nutrality?
As defined by Wikipedia, Net Neutrality is the principle that the internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.
“Net Neutrality” literally means that the internet should be neutral i.e the data on the net should be available without any biases, discriminations and democratically. Each data should be treated equally in terms of speed, access and cost. Access to knowledge, freedom of speech, innovation as well as ease of doing business are the core benefits of the internet and the internet owes its success to it’s neutrality–the fact that the net provides equal access to all legal websites and services, without prioritizing one over the other.
Net Neutrality tends to maintain the internet like a public utility, like electricity or water, same for everybody.
Airtel Zero is not the only violators of Net Neutrality; other telecomm companies have also tried a piece of the pie:
- The Reliance-Facebook deal for Internet.org- free access on 2G and 3G networks in select part of the country
- The free WhatsApp pack by Reliance in 2012– free Facebook and WhatsApp to its GSM users for Rs.16 per month, without extra data cost.
- Aircel and Wikipedia (2013)-free Wikipedia on Mobile phones.
- Reliance and Twitter pack (2013)- free Twitter access pack for reliance user.
- No Throttling- The cost of downloading is the same, irrespective of the content the user is accessing.
- No Censorship- There is no restriction as to the kind of content or the quantity that one can download besides connection rates.
- No Restriction- There is no restriction on accessing any part of the internet [except for content blocked by the Government]
- Capitalism- It provides a free market, an equal platform for start ups and for competing companies.
- Monitoring- The ISP,s would be monitoring all the content, product or services that their customers would be viewing. The availability of the content would depend on which content provider can pay to be there.
- Restrictions- Access to the web pages can get restricted, depending on who pays what. For E.g. peer to peer file transfers can be blocked, along with criticisms, political, social or business.
- Throttling- Intentionally slowing down some websites or speeding up others, the ones who have paid the ISP’s.
- Higher Cost- The increased cost to the service or content providers will eventually be extracted from the customers only and they only will end up paying more.
- Anti-Competition- The ISP’s could prevent access to their competitor’s products, services, or web pages.
Google ups the handwriting experience on Android devices
Google doesn’t like to sit idle and that is why it keeps rolling out new product enhancements every day. And no, we are not talking about the Android OS here—in fact, our focus is on one of the Google apps, which the company has recently announced. It is the new Google Handwriting Input using which you can write your messages the way you do on your notebooks—with or without stylus.
The app will be available to for Android 4.0.3 (or above) users. You can write text, draw emojis and do a lot more with this tool. This would be supporting 82 languages in 20 distinct scripts.
As per what is written on Google’s Research Blog, the idea behind this app is to allow for natural and intuitive method for text entry. It says, “Voice input is an option, but there are situations where it is not feasible, such as in a noisy environment or during a meeting. Using handwriting as an input method can allow for natural and intuitive input method for text entry which complements typing and speech input methods.”
If you want to use this app, simply download Google Handwriting Input available on the Google Play Store.