Author: Bharat Nagpal

#LetsTalkShop with HTC India head Faisal Siddiqui

This week in Lets Talk Shop we speak to HTC India country head Faisal Siddiqui. The man has been heading HTC in India for many a years and offers a bit of understanding on how they run shop in India.

The three most important products for HTC this year are the HTC One M8, the HTC Desire 816 and the Desire 210, with the desire 210 being the most unique product from HTC as it is the first HTC phone to have been launched under the Rs. 10,000 price bracket.

Faisal promises that the build quality and HTC lineage follows through even in the Desire 210 while most of the top end features including blink feed, quick OTA updates etc will also be seen in this entry level handset.

The Desire 816 will be getting more colors including a “fuchsia pink” apart from the white, black and orange available presently. He claims that people now like color options when buying smartphones and HTC wants to provide that option.

HTC has always been strong headed about staying away from tablets, and in the past they have remained focused with their smartphones. However, unlike previous meetings, Faisal was keen on not comment on the Tablet agenda for the company , which could mean that HTC may finally be planning tablets or that the new Nexus 8 being made by HTC rumors may be true after all.

HTC is strongly focused on building an experience in India, whether its their concept stores or their service centers. Including basic infrastructure, like Air conditioning, drinking water and a systematic approach HTC feels they can break down the long list of issues that go on with providing service in India.

As far as functioning goes, Faisal does feel that there are some major issues in running shop in India, but getting past them is what makes the challenge interesting.

If you ever want to head/run your own company, Faisal’s advice:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Faisal Siddiqui” author_title=”HTC India”]

Always hire the right people, if you have the right team, reaching your objective is that much simpler.

[/quote]

June 10, 2014
Nokia Failed, Microsoft Won : Here Is How

It was the year 2001, and Nokia had just rolled out its best phones yet, the 8250 was a super success right after the launch of the 8210 which was one of the best selling “high end” cellular phones available at the time. But, the year also marked the end of monochrome displays, as Nokia the only big name in mobile telephony would transition to color displays for their next generation of phones.

Nokia 8250 Print Ad Title : Walk on the Blue Side!

The Nokia 9210 communicator became the phone of choice of many professionals, the first color screen clamshell to revolutionize the Mobile industry. Nokia had everything working for them, they had the right markets, the right products and they were rich, rich enough to explore the future.

It was also the year when Nokia secretly developed 2 world changing products, a Color Screen touch phone set above one single hardware button, and a ten-inch tablet computer both of which had features like video playback, internet access and navigation capabilities. These two world changing devices could also securely order products online and create online accounts and keep data safe within the internet (Now known as Cloud Storage).

Nokia was innovating and how, but these products never came out, the consumers never saw them and the corporate marketing heads shut down the research claiming that the ideas were far fetched. Ironically, Nokia had never been so wrong in the many years of leading the wireless revolution and becoming stronger than ever in the 1990’s.

Steve Jobs Announces the First Apple iPhone in 2007

Seven years later, Steve Jobs got on stage and announced the first Apple iPhone, and all hell broke loose in the world. Nokia execs were scrambling left right and center to now re energize their seven year old product research. But the world had matured beyond Nokia’s internal understanding, while people now wanted Capacitive Touch Phones, because they were easy to use and type on, Nokia still confident of its seven year old tech wanted to hold on to their N series and E series which they continued to develop for quite a while.

In 2012, Apple had already announced the iPhone 4 and had taken a major chunk of the Smartphone sales under its banner, a new enemy loomed for Nokia: Android. This Google made OS, was revolutionizing the Smartphone and bringing it to the masses. This year Android Powered handsets were available for as low as 200 $ and Nokia ended its 14 year streak as the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer. Nokia’s Stock crashed and thousands of employees lost their jobs.

Nokia had another big opportunity lost around the time when they started a cold war with Google and decided never to make Android Phones, and shift focus completely towards making Windows Phones, bringing gradual cancerous death Meego and Symbian in the process.

But there was a name that is mostly believed to be the root cause of the above decisions. In September of 2010, ex-Microsoft Exec Stephen Elop was the first non-Finn to be named CEO of Nokia. During the 3 years Elop was Nokia CEO, Nokia revenues fell 40%, Nokia profits fell 95%, Nokia market share collapsed in smartphones from 34% to 3.4%.

In one of my meetings with a Product Design manager at Nokia during IFA 2012, it became apparent that Nokia was still the same, shutting down ideas and killing innovation. In fact, most of those who worked at the Finnish HQ already assumed that Nokia would collapse under Elop and Windows Phone.

Stephen Elop at a Launch

A company that was easily valued for upwards of $150 billion 14 years ago, when they secretly developed the first “iPhone” and “iPad” (Smartphone and Tablet) was sold in 2013 to Microsoft for a mere $ 7 Billion. For context, that’s less than half of what Facebook paid for Whatsapp. Stephen Elop who would then join back Microsoft as Executive Vice President, later to be made head of XBOX, Games and Hardware division. Conspiracy theorists have called Elop the Trojan Horse who led Nokia to its demise simply because Microsoft eyed a takeover.

Elop and Nadella

Microsoft has confirmed that they will kill the “Nokia” branding and start building a new line of smartphones internally called “Microsoft Mobile Oy”. The final name may simply be Microsoft Mobile or Microsoft Surface Phone even Microsoft Lumia. This may not be the smartest move on Microsofts part, A long legacy of Nokia also would have brought among the loyalty of Nokia users. But, as Elop mentioned, “Nokia is not a Brand placement” that Microsoft would like for their lineup of Smartphones, especially if one was to consider the bad press we have seen lately. “Nokia” as a name is now considered “old school” and maybe a new name might just do wonders.

After the announcement of the acquisition Nokia shares jumped 35% on the news, whereas Microsoft’s fell more than 5%, either way the only company to benefit is Microsoft, and Nokia truly lost, thanks to a corporate culture that lavished funds on research but squandered opportunities to bring innovations.

Nokia’s line of Lumia Phones have seen some success in the recent past, only to measure their success in non percentages compared to the world. Nokia is finally dead, and most of the world will and should shy away from investing in the brand. At least up until the Microsoft version comes out.

[poll id=”4″]

June 5, 2014
HTC Desire 816 Review
The HTC Desire 816 is the newest entrant from HTC in their so called Mid Range product lineup of Android based Smartphone devices. The Desire 816 has Dual Sim Capabilities and supports CDMA networks alongside the GSM networks.

The HTC Desire is a good mix of looks, brain and brawn, but does it tackle a market well versed with hardware at a price point of a Nexus smartphone. Lets find out!

Overview

The HTC Desire 816 is the prettiest looking Desire we have seen yet, and it manages to do that in a an ironic rugged fashion. The phone musters up the strength to take on the likes of great phones like the Nexus 5, Moto X and Sony Xperia T2 in this price segment offering something extra.

Design, Hardware and Build

HTC has managed to hit the nail on the head when it comes to design in the past couple of years, with the One series of phones coming out stunning, one after the other. The Desire 816 is one phone that is completely inspired by the One M8 however keeping costs low, it brings a new material to the users. The design is very unique, blending a matte plastic edge with a glossy plastic back gives the phone two independent looks. The Front keeps the plastic chin and the head at a minimal, the front mostly has glass.

As far as hardware goes the Desire 816 also has a great mix of that. Running the insides is a Qualcomm MSM8928 Snapdragon 400 at 1.6 GHz on Quad Cores along with an Adreno 305 GPU. For memory we have 8 GB of Storage, 1.5 GB RAM and expandability of upto 128 GB via microSD card. Optics shave enhanced quite a lot and you will see impressive results from the 13 MP main camera and 5 MP front camera both capable of impressive 1080p, impressive because its quite accurate with respect to color and white balance.

Powering it all is a 2600 mAh battery pack, the front has a 5.5 inch Super LCD 2 display with a 1280 x 720 p resolution and 267 pip. However the display is actually better than it sounds on paper. All of this works in tandem with Android 4.4.2 kitkat OTB with HTC Sense 6.0, which has some new unique things to offer up. Finally the Desire 816 in India is a Dual Sim device with One 3G Sim card slot and one GSM aka no data slot.

Make no mistake the phone is “unapologetically plastic”, however the build quality is superb and does not feel cheap or flimsy at all. In fact, the “slab-ish” feel that you get from the moment you pick up the phone is pleasantly reassuring. The phone is presently available in three colors – Grey , White and Orange.

Display and Multimedia.

The HTC Desire 816 has a brilliant display, that looks great from the moment you first hold the device in your hand. The 5.5 inch Super LCD 2 display offers excellent brightness and great wide viewing angles. Almost every time you turn on the display you get a slight smirk on your face as to how beautifully HTC manages color and how good this screen looks. For the geek squad the 720p screen may not be a let down, it’s actually better than almost every other 720p display we have seen.

Movies and videos play perfectly on the Desire 816, with no lag whatsoever, even while high bitrate movies are difficult to view, they work exceptionally well on the 816. Multimedia playback is a good mix of visuals and audio experience, the Boomsound speakers contribute to the latter. The new speaks have large cavities and the sound almost competes with the likes of the new M8, which by itself says a lot. Their new audio engine also does an equally good job as the beats engine did, when the company still made phones with Beats audio.

Camera

The cameras on the HTC Desire 816 are not far from impressive, with excellent color reproduction, no banding in images, and excellent video capture. Both cameras capture video at Full HD 1080p resolution and the video is smooth and jitter free.

The camera works well in all kinds of lighting, although in extreme dark environments the Desire 816’s flash may not hold up to the mark. The camera is fast at focusing, and delivers mostly sharp results.

While taking a different approach from their One series of phones HTC has actually added a big sensor in this one , a 13 MP snapper will satiate the most needs.

The new Camera features in Sense 6.0 including ZOE is available on the HTC Desire 816, however you won’t see the UFocus option from the HTC One M8 because its hardware dependent. Although HTC could have gone the Sony and Samsung Route and used “Selective Focus” softwares.

Phone and Battery

While the Desire 816 uses 2 SIM cards, like most lower end phones it has only one slot for a 3G sim card. Both sim cards need to be Nano Sims to fit in this bad boy, which might have been a movement decision vs a design or need decision on such a large device.

The Phone call network strength is very good, and data connectivity is strong funnily in places where phones usually end up in “E” (edge) mode, the Desire 816 hangs on to the one last bar of “H” (3G/HSDPA), which by all means to us is very impressive. The Desire 816 also supports CDMA which is a fantastic thing, and makes the Desire 816 the best dual sim CDMA phone in this price bracket.

Battery life is phenomenal, you will easily bump one day of use and go into the next without worries. This is probably the only phone we have seen in the past that offers up this kind of battery life. However this is respective of usage, and may vary.

Talk Time : 6-7 Hours

Music and Multimedia : 9-10 hours

Internet : 7-8 Hours

Android and UI

Android KitKat along-with Sense 6.0 is a fantastic combination, just as we saw on the HTC One M8. HTC is now also promising quick updates to their handsets and we have seen updates roll out and almost all of their handsets released in the past few years are running KitKat. This means that we can rest easy when hoping for updates to the latest version of Android.

The Blinkfeed UI has become more and more acceptable and according to HTC over 79% of HTC owners are actively using Blinkfeed. The new Blinkfeed interface lets you add custom lists and sources as per your needs.

The Interface is infact, very customizable and intuitive and HTC offers a lot of sounds and wallpapers etc, to keep you busy for a very long time (incase you choose to use them.)

Performance and Gaming

The Desire 816 is a crack performer, no lag whatsoever, even when storage runs out. RAM is managed exceptionally well and fluidity of the ecosystem is constant. Muti-tasking works just the way it was designed, and while you could be easily switching b/w apps, they are actually put in a hibernate mode allowing the continued smooth performance.

All games are compatible and work well, the storage remains a limitation, and most games cannot be transferred to the SD card, which is slightly disappointing. You get approx 4+ GB free and although move to SD works in most cases, some games like GTA SA cannot be transferred and end up using 2.5 GB /4 available.

Conclusion

Honestly, HTC had us at the first look of the phone back then at MWC, but now with that gorgeous display, impressive build, fluid UI and impressive optics and multimedia, the Desire 816 is becoming more and more worthy of the “best title”, already winning the Best Dual Sim phone with CDMA in the under 30,000 category.

The HTC Desire 816 may be a tad large for some but it fits comfortably, and is an excellent phone with solid network strength. What you get for the price is a well rounded phone, with many features that will satisfy mostly all demographics.

If you are in the market for a phone that does CDMA as well, the 816 becomes the obvious choice, however despite there being many phones in this price bracket. The Desire 816 offers possibly the most satisfying experience.

Best Price

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Well Built and Snappy
- Well Responsive
- Excellent Design and Looks
- Great Cameras
- Android KitKat and Updates
- Sense 6.0
- CDMA and 3G GSM Capable
[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS
- Internal Memory Low
- Nano SIM Slot could have been Micro
- None, really!
[/tw-column]
June 4, 2014
iOS 8 Finally Gets a New Keyboard with QuickType + 3rd Party Keyboards via Plugins

Apple’s new iOS 8 comes with a brand new keyboard that will predict content and learns the phrases you use most and fills them in. The new Keyboard isn’t actually new, and Android users have been enjoying this with SwiftKey and many other forms of Android Keyboards.

However, for iOS users this is something people have been asking for a very long time. the keyboard studies your messages and conversation patterns and delivers options based on that. Its about time we say!

Update: Apple has also announced that 3rd Party keyboards will be allowed to be installed onto your iPhone/ iPad (Finally!). So you can now finally get the Swype keyboard you always wanted.

June 2, 2014
Apple takes on dropbox with MailDrop and iCloud Drive on new Mac OS X Yosemite

Apple has just announced a new Mac OS at WWDC 2014, dubbed Yosemite, with great new feature and visual enhancements. However one new feature in the new redesigned Mail for Mac is taking a straight dig at Dropbox. Now with MailDrop every time you send an email with a file larger than the recipients server can accept, apple will automatically upload the large file to iCloud and create a download link for the user on the other end.

Unless the recipient is on a Mac, who will then see the attachment in MailDrop like a regular attachment, if you open it on a PC you will get a simple download link. The attachments can be unto 5 Gb in size and the service comes free.

The new iCloud drive lets you dump images or whatever files you want to to your online cloud, with access available on iOS and Mac. Basically urging all iDevice users to dump third party services (aka dropbox).

More developing.

June 2, 2014
#LetsTalkShop with Arvind Vohra from Gionee

Gionee’s recent arrival into the mobile market has proved the theory that not all “Chinese Goods” are poorly made. A few recent handsets from the company have proved to be quite the segment leaders. The Gionee S5.5 being the slimmest phone in the world and the Gionee E7 with its impressive camera.

We got a chance to sit down with the Country Head of Gionee in India, Mr. Arvind Vohra , and discuss the company, its operations and its future in a market like India.

We started of by discussing why he chose Gionee as a brand and how important it was to him, the answer seemed quite obvious. He believed in the company and its operations and the fact that he knew the global president personally helped.

Arvind claims that service is a key ingredient to providing a hardware, and as a manufacturer if he doesn’t have the right parts then the whole process is flawed.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Arvind Vohra”]

As a Manufacturer, if i don’t have spare parts, then there is something very wrong.

[/quote]

Operating in a market like India has become much more easier than before, and most of the challenges are overcome by doing everything in the manner its supposed to be done. As far as comparing India with any other market , he feels since he hasn’t worked anywhere else therefore he does not have a benchmark.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Arvind Vohra”]

There are no problems in operating in India, things have become much easier. You can register a company in three weeks, and as long as you do everything right you will be in a good place.

[/quote]

He is very keen on “exploiting OTA” updates and claims that most devices will get the OTA update for KitKat in the coming weeks. Which is avery big thing for the market he is operating in. The Elife series phones will be always be OTA supported as long as the hardware allows.

The next lineup of devices will include LTE phones, as Arvind feels that the country is ready to exploit the resource, and if Gionee can provide hardware then they will.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Arvind Vohra”]

We like to exploit the OTA updates, and almost all our devices launched recently will get the OTA KitKat Update. Going forward all our devices will launch with LTE, especially since China is transitioning we feel India will soon be ready.

[/quote]

Arvind sees no point of a tablet and fails to understand why people use them, the day he finds the real use of tablets he will start making them.

Watch the full video below and stay tuned for our next #LetsTalkShop

June 2, 2014
LG G3 Goes Official 2K Display and Quick Laser Focus
LG today officially announced the new LG G3 with most of the specs that have leaked all over the internet in the past. The new phone however, has a few tricks up its sleeve.

The G3 has been a design revision on the G2 with subtle changes, including a new metal-esque design (completely plastic though) and newer improved rear buttons and capabilities. The design curves out like the HTC One M8, being 2.75mm at the edges, 8.9mm at the thickest point. On the Hardware front there don’t seem to be many surprises either, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset the Quad Cores are clocked at 2.5GHz, with two variants the 2GB RAM/16GB Storage and the 3GB RAM/32GB Storage variant. Other features include a removable 3000 mAh battery and support for micro SD cards (we read upto 2 TB).

LG has continued with the reduced bezel design and the large 5.5 inch phone does not feel that big thanks to the shape. As for the front the LG G3 does actually feature the Quad HD display with 538ppi i.e. 2560 x 1440 px.

The phone is equipped with wireless charging capabilities, and docks will be available separately. The optics are the key points of conversation with the handset sporting a 13 MP camera with OIS and a Laser (infrared based) focus system, which claims to be razor sharp and extremely fast.

The Paint finish is also self healing like the G Flex but its not as good and the “metallic skin” on the phone will be available in five colors as of now, metallic black, silk white, shine gold, moon violet and burgundy red.

LG has made significant improvements to the interface and the access of tasks has become much smoother. LG claims this phone is a simper handset where the time from making the decision to executing the task has been decreased. The interface has been cleaned out and there is a minimal approach everywhere including using features like the new camera.

LG is expected to launch the new G3 in India in the coming month and we will get you more insights into that soon.

Key Specifications*:
- – Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 801 (up to 2.5GHz Quad-Core)
- – Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS (2560 x 1440, 538ppi)
- – Memory: 16/32GB eMMC ROM, 2/3GB DDR3 RAM / microSD slot (128GB max)
- – Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS+ and Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP
- – Battery: 3,000mAh (removable)
- – Operating System: Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- – Size: 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm
- – Weight: 149g
- – Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21 Mbps (3G)
- – Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X), NFC,
SlimPort, A-GPS/Glonass, USB 2.0
- – Color: Metallic Black, Silk White, Shine Gold, Moon Violet, Burgundy Red
- – Other: Smart Keyboard, Smart Notice, Knock CodeTM, Guest Mode, etc
May 28, 2014
LG G3 Completely Leaked : QuadHD Display and Wireless Charging

Over the past weeks we have seen LG’s latest marvel, get leaked front, side and centre. This time around the Korean manufacturers latest flagship the LG G3’s press images have leaked along with the full list of specifications.

The new marvel will feature a 5.5 inch QuadHD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440px. The first flagship to have such a resolute, the new G3 will also feature wireless charging for its 3000 mAh battery and a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2.46 GHz on the clock. Just like last years G2, the LG G3 will also feature Optical image stabilization.

The images of the LG G3 show that the company will launch the phone in 3 colors, White, Grey and a new Copper Gold to match up to the other manufacturers. Interesting elements include the fact that the handset will support upto 2TB microSD cards. Another good news for prospective buyers is the fact that the phone will feature Globally unlocked LTE at launch even in India.

Yesterday a couple of videos teased the LG G3:

With the event scheduled for tomorrow, it seems that LG may not have any surprises left to share. Unless they pull “an Apple” on stage and use the words “One More Thing”. Either way, an anxious lot of people wait for the final launch.

May 27, 2014
New Prime Minister of India Website Goes Live: India to Become a Broadband State

As Mr. Narendra Modi got sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India, the new website for the elected representative went live. PMIndia.nic.in was updated with new images and new government policies, along with a way to greet the man himself.

This small move which may not be important to many, shows a major difference of opinion between the past and new government, towards the new digital generation. To put things in perspective the last time our Prime Minister was elected the website took over a month to get updated.

The new Government of India, led by Mr. Narendra Modi as Prime Minister has a brilliant agenda towards the technological improvements in India, should they get implemented. For one that stands out is seemingly the need of the hour, for India to become a truly broadband enabled state.

The new government promises severe improvements in telecom and internet access in the country making broadband high speed, and no not speeds of 512 kbps, but actual high speed internet available to all. While major metropolitans will see fibre networks within the next 6 months, low connectivity states will get access to ADSL.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Narendra Modi” link=”http://pmindia.nic.in/pmmessage.php” author_title=”Prime Minister of India”]

I envision this website as a very important medium of direct communication between us. I am a firm believer in the power of technology and social media to communicate with people across the world. I hope this platform creates opportunities to listen, learn and share one’s views.

[/quote]

For India, this might be one of the crucial blockades, that might be on the eve of removal. Many of the business leaders and active online (dare we say) Netizens have seen great hope in this new government and its forward policies towards a better connected India.

The new Government will also discuss the existing duty rates on the import of various forms of technology, this might result in decrease in prices of various daily use tech like smartphones and cameras.

However, India seriously lacks behind in the deployment of connected hardware in the country. Many manufacturers have started bringing the latest tech to India in a timely manner, but we are yet to see infrastructure to support it. Again, for perspective the United States had a fully deployed 4G/LTE network by the end of 2012 and India is still in the testing phase, all this despite the fact that urban India will continue to account for a large percentage of mobile internet users across the country and is expected to reach 126 million by March 2014 and touch 153 million users by June 2014. Significantly, a drastic growth was witnessed in the number of users of mobile internet in rural India and will register an impressive 50% growth to reach 32 million by June 2014.

Once we have stable networks and high speed internet access we can then possibly discuss the next major issue; Street TRAFFIC!

May 26, 2014
New Micromax Unite 2 Wants to Trouble The Moto E

Micromax’s new Unite 2 is priced to excite the buyers of the Moto E, however it wasn’t how the company planned it. The Unite 2 was supposed to be priced for a higher price, and since the launch of the Moto E, many companies seem to have revised their pricing schemes and Micromax seems to be one of them.

The Unite 2 does some of the magic of the Motorola Moto E, as Micromax claims that the handset will stay updated with FOTA “Free Over the Air” updates. But Micromax is using a new approach to the handset as it will be one of a few handsets that support Indian Languages. The Micromax Unite 2 will support 21 Indian languages and will come with Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat out of the box.

Micromax Unite also beats the Moto E on paper, as the new Unite 2 also has a 1.2 Quad Core processor, a 4.7 inch display with 800 x 480px resolution, 2000 mAh battery and a 5 MP main camera.

Design wise the Unite 2 is also taking its cues from the Moto E by offering replaceable back panels. and a similar design but build quality details are vary and we couldn’t get confirmation on the use of reinforced plastics or gorilla glass.

The idea is really novel, however will it give people the kind of assurance they have gotten in the past with Motorola and their Moto G and X. Micromax is trying to bring the better specs and pricing to the market with this handset, they have also made it more localized by adding multi language support, but it really comes down to experience. If Micromax can deliver a good package, they might be able to save their most important price market which is currently been highjacked by one of the oldest manufacturers of cellphones.

May 24, 2014
Right Time to Buy : Samsung Galaxy S5 Price drops to an all time low of Rs. 40600

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was launched for a price of Rs. 52500 last month in India. The Phone however saw a major price drop and was selling at a price ranging from 47500-50000 in less than a week. The Galaxy S5 price has hit an all time low of Rs. 40600 available from online vendors and some retail stores. It is said that Samsung has seen a major drop in sales of their flagship when compared to last years launch and people seem to be inclined more towards Nexus devices, or flagships like the HTC One M8 or the new Xperia Z2.

Samsung also launched a Gold variant of the Galaxy S5 to lure the Indian buyers who were very excited to buy the golden iPhone 5s launched last year. The Galaxy S5 in India has two Quad Core processors (one chipset), one clocked at 1.9 GHz and the other at 1.3 GHz. Samsung claims that unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S5 has both the quad cores running simultaneously thereby giving you the experience of a true octa processor. The lighter applications are handled by the 1.3 GHz Quad core whereas the more power intensive apps (HD games, HD video playback) are taken care of by the 1.9 GHz Quad Core processor. 2 GB RAM is what supports the processors in the Galaxy S5. The Phone is also the first to be weather sealed and offers water and dust resistance.

Most have not appreciated the minor design changes in the handset and the back panel has been critiqued heavily of being anywhere from ugly to resembling a Band-aid. Performance wise Samsung has shown major improvements in the handset and it is possibly the best phone from the company today even though it has only 2 GB RAM. If you were eyeing the Galaxy S5 the time to buy may be right now. Read our full Review of the Galaxy S5 here.

May 21, 2014
Motorola Moto E Review : It’s Time to Switch
Its not often you see a phone sell out hours from launch, especially in India. The Motorola Moto E saw sales skyrocket the minute the handset went on sale, and there is a good reason behind it. The Moto E is built on the philosophy of the Moto X and the Moto G, two phone essentially responsible for bringing Motorola back into the same game they had originally started back in the day. But is the Moto E good enough to live up to the hype? and is it the only thing Motorola needed to defy all logic and become prominent again? Lets find out!

Overview

Motorola is trying to change the need of the hour, by re organizing spends and delivering Android in the purest form. The Moto E is a perfect example of what a user needs from a budget device. It lives up to almost any needs in this spend, however there is no kitchen sink.

Build Quality and Hardware

The Moto E is exceptionally well built, in fact if you put the Moto E and the Moto G side by side, there is hardly any noticeable difference in the build quality of both devices. The Moto E has a brilliant mix of quality materials and reinforced design along with a gorilla glass 3 front that will ensure that no one is disappointed with the phone. The Moto E also boasts water resistance and has an unknown IP coating that we will be soon putting to test. However the company claims that the handset is splash proof, just like the G and the X.

The Moto E also comes with customization options like replaceable back panels and special rubberized grip panels that will add color and strength to the already solid phone.

Hardware wise we are not empty either, the Moto E runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset on dual cores with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB storage, an Adreno 302 GPU completes the mix ( it is read as 305 in benchmark apps) . You have a 5 MP camera at the back, that does not live upto anything, and then there is the 1980 mAh battery which is simply wow. The display is a 4.3 inch 960 x 540px capacitive panel with great color reproduction and brightness.

1980 mAh battery which is simply wow.

The Moto E is a dual sim phone, which will create mobile hotspots using your 3G connection and can tether upto 5 devices for the use of 3G data. Battery life does not drain and the hotspot feature is very stable. The phone also has a nice white notification light on the right of the earpiece, that breathes once you get a new notification and goes away the minute you pull down the notification panel (you can disable this from the settings panel)

UI and Android

There is less to say here, it runs a sort of pure, yet tweaked version of Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out of the box. You do get two bloatware apps which can be uninstalled (oh thank god!) and some useful Moto apps like Moto Assist, Migrate and Alert. You might find yourself using these more than once. The great thing about Motorola’s intention behind a pure Android experience, unlike other manufacturers, is that the company plans to deliver updates almost as soon as Android gets updated in Mountain View (Google HQ). The Moto E also has a FM radio which will be appreciated by many, the FM reception is solid and the earpiece is needed as an antenna.

[pullquote] lives up beyond expectations and still remains very responsive[/pullquote]

The OS is buttery smooth and honestly you can’t ask for more from the handset, it lives up beyond expectations and still remains very responsive. This phone will be the benchmark for all phones going forward in this price bracket.

Battery

The Phone will beat all odds and defy all logic when it comes to battery performance. The Moto E can even run some heavy games, albeit one at a time, but games like Asphalt 8 runs on this US $ 120 phone and it is actually playable.

Battery life is also excellent from this dual sim handset, once you get over the initial phase of playing with the phone, most users should expect a good 1.5 days of use on this phone, with talk times running into 6+ hours in most cases with both sims installed.

Basically Motorola has a beautifully built rom of Android, that does not leak RAM and drain power, cellular antennas are strong so network searching is minimal and hence battery is saved there as well.

Phone and Networks

The dual SIM capability is just like the Moto G, and there is no surprise there. Calls are smartly forwarded to the next number once a SIM is busy. The network strength, as mentioned in the previous segment is surprisingly powerful and we are happy with the overall quality of networks and the call drops or the lack thereof.

Microphone and earpiece speaker are great and both sides will be pleasantly happy with the loud volumes.

Display, Camera and Multimedia

For all the coverage you have already seen, you should be aware by now that, the Moto E has the best possible display in this price bracket. Stop looking at specs and look at the actual quality of the display. It is crisp and bright, even outdoors, its got great viewing angles, its got gorilla glass 3 and smudge proof coating (which is brilliant by the way) and it is insanely responsive for an under 10k or even under 8k phone (INR).

The Camera is there, because its there. Honestly don’t plan on becoming a lifestyle fashion photographer with this phone (unless you already own a fancy camera). The fixed focus camera is there because they wanted people to have a camera, and it solves purely that purpose. That being said whatever pictures are clicked in good lighting and end up in focus, have good color reproduction and almost no noise. See samples: (coming up)

The LED flash is missing which is quite a shame. More than the need of a flash for the camera, consumers in this price bracket would have appreciated the LED flash as a torch. We really love our phone torches Motorola, our streets are not very well lit!

Multimedia wise, Motorola did a few good things; the speaker is now in the front, and not easily blocked by the hands, so it doesn’t muffle with ease. The audio is loud and clear, with a balanced output and an impressive sound from the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Lose the included handsfree for some real headphones to truly enjoy that audio bit. Display, like mentioned, is good so watching video or playing games is really enjoyable on this powerful budget device.

Conclusion

It takes a lot from a company to not make us so excited about a product, in fact India and many other nations in general appreciate the intent of the company. The Moto was sold out within hours of launch of sales in India, on the online shopping website Flipkart. This phone leaves little to complain about, it is well built, has great specs and features bundled with a unique and stock Android experience that will leave many happy. This is the best “first phone” for those wanting to jump the feature phone/Blackberry ship to a uber – budget Android device. It is also customizable with panels on the exterior and has a Gorilla Glass 3 and splash proof front making it a pseudo rugged, long lasting handset.

There are, however, major flaws in the current positioning of the phone. The handset is supposed to be an average mans everyday phone. It is supposed to be a emplacement for a feature phone and it’s supposed to be a phone for the masses and on a low end budget. This category of user is currently not happy or capable of shopping online. So by the time the phone gets sold from Flipkart and reaches the masses, the price escalates to Rs. 10000 and more, thanks to black market dealing and short supplies on this impressive product.

Motorola has made a fantastic phone, a phone that is truly a reason to switch from an old gen phone to Android on a budget. Why should you have to spend tens of thousands, when all you want is a phone that works well and gives you some basic functionality. Well the Moto E is here and it has changed the perception of the budget phone in our eyes. If you want to take our word for it, then the Time to Switch is Now!

(Note : the scoring below is entirely based on the Price vs ratio of each)

[tw-column width=”one-half”]
GOOD THINGS
- Well Built
- Responsive
- Stock Android
- Great Display
- Great Audio
- Solid Phone and Network
- Excellent Battery
[/tw-column]
[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]
BAD THINGS
- Camera is Torrid
- Low Availability, Sold on Flipkart Only
- No LED Flash
[/tw-column]

Buy Now
May 17, 2014
Google’s next version of Glass in Works

A few days back Google opened up the Glass program for everyone in the US with a valid credit card. While there were also reports of the Google Glass actually costing US $ 150 to build (which were later scrapped), it appears that the next version of Glass is already doing rounds of the RnD department.

Crystal Optech supplies Liquid Crystal on Silicon displays for the current version of Google Glass, Kong Wenjun of the company said that they were shipping newer displays for the next version of Glass.

Google has also involved a middle company in the purchase process which would help the Mountain View based search giant keep all of this under wraps. The latest version and the one we have is referred to as Google Glass Explorer Edition 2, which came out in October of 2013 and ships with a Mono Earbud.

While there are no specs or details or even a name available for the next version of Google Glass, it is also expected that Google will announce it at the upcoming I/O conference and this version may also be a public edition costing in the US $ 500 price bracket.

Google Glassware Gallery ( application store) also added new apps for Foursquare, TripIt and OpenTable making it a boon for the everyday traveller and connoisseur.

May 15, 2014
Nexus 6 and Nexus 8 Show up in Chromium Code

Google’s next edition of Nexus devices have been spotted in the new Chromium code, hinting confirmation of the Nexus 6 and the 8.9 inch tablet Nexus 8. While it’s not much to go on, references to the two devices have recently appeared in Chromium’s source code, as dug up by Florian Kiersch on Google+.

The reported changelog of Android 4.4.3 KitKat published on the Android Open Source Project (ASOP) has referred to HTC-made Flounder, and another product codename Molly. Where flounder is suggested to be the Nexus 8 which this time around could be an HTC built device. Molly on the other hand could be Android TV, both of which are expected to be launched at Google I/O Conference on the 25 and 26 June in San Francisco

Earlier, reports had claimed that the next-generation Nexus smartphone would come from LG, based on their new flagship device G3.The G3 could be a mix of the LG G Flex and the G2, So it may sport a 5.2-inch full HD curved LCD display. Everyone has their money down on the handset being powered by a 64-bit version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800-series chipset with 3GB RAM and running on Android 4.5 Lollypop.

The Nexus 8 on the other hand, if made by HTC, could mark the long awaited return of the taiwanese manufacturer in the tablet market. The push that a Nexus device could bring to HTC’s tablet line, may be as good as a push LG got.

It is also rumored that the Nexus 6 will be the last Nexus from Google, ending the Nexus saga from the Android maker. It is also assumed that Google will be developing a new name for its series of devices going forward, naming them with a different moniker.

May 15, 2014
PlayStation 4 Bookings open up, Shipping in a Week

A couple of days back we reported that the PS4 aka the Playstation 4 will be arriving to India on 14th May, and lo and behold major online retailers have started taking orders for the magical black box.

Sony stores and online retails have started taking bookings for the PS4 which has been in shortage since its launch early this year. The Playstation 4 suffered from the Blue light of death problem which had caused the company to rework their console and hence the lack of supplies.

It is said that this new batch of consoles headed for release will be void of that problem and will work without any overheating or chipset issues. Sony is also lining up the console to be available in time for major game releases, so that console sales can see a boost.

There are reports that Sony is also planning to drop the price of the PS4 to around Rs. 34,999 by August, so for those not in a rush a savings of 5000 may be up for grabs later this year.

You can click the button below to book your Playstation 4 , before it runs out of stock again.

[button link=”http://www.flipkart.com/sony-playstation-4-ps4/p/itmdrnshthv9egmf?pid=GMCDNZCHPFVHKGAT&affid=bhnagpalgm” size=”large” text_size=”beta” newtab=”on”]Buy Playstation 4[/button]

May 15, 2014