Author: Bharat Nagpal

Samsung Galaxy S5 to Hit India Early April

Update : The Device will Launch on the 27th of March : Read More Here

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will come to India early April for a price that may be cheaper than the launch price of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Sources close to iGyaan, who have been pretty accurate in the past have let us know that Samsung Plans to bring the S5 to India as early as April to match up with the US availability of the smartphone which is rumored to be April 11th.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has 5.1 inch full HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and is powered by a 2.5 GHz Quad-Core CPU, Snapdragon 800 chipset and Adreno 330 GPU. The Handset has 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB Storage along with a 2800 mAh battery. The main camera has been bumped up to 16 MP and features 4k video capture. Samsung has also added a new set of features to their S Health application allowing better use of the inbuilt heart rate monitor and the Galaxy Gear 2 watches.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was launched at MWC 2014 in Barcelona and is going to be their new flagship of the Galaxy S series. The phone is expected in India for a price of around Rs. 45,000 but may actually be available for as low as Rs. 40,999.

March 22, 2014
5 Things You Should But Don’t Know About Buying a New Phone

Buying a new phone is always cumbersome, and unless you spent the past few months researching up on what the tech world is all about, you probably have a few misconceptions in your head. Here is a list of the most common confusions and beliefs that we think need to be set right.

1. Which Phone can I buy, that will be future proof?

Answer : No technology is future proof, no matter what the manufacturer says. In fact its bound to get dated even so more if the manufacturer says that its future proof. The reason why technology advances is because there will be someone buying whatever is new. Because there will always be demand for new things, more resources are put into creating a better technology, all so that something can be sold and a profit can be made.

Projects like the Motorola Ara provide hope for a future proof phone, but once we think about it, it essentially ends up being the same thing. The Motorola Ara is comprised of the phone’s exoskeleton and various modules that “can be anything” according to Motorola. The modules could include anything from a new processor or display to a pulse oximeter or an extra-large battery. But every module will need to be bought and there is a high chance that the owners will get bored of the design or looks of the concept. In that situation a newer phone would make more sense vs buying newer modules.

2. Does Buying an Expensive Phone Mean I will not have any problems?

Answer : Not everything expensive is perfect. At the end of the day every phone consists of hardware, which can fail due to a number of reasons. Buying a more expensive phone may reduce the chance of issues, but may not remove it completely. Companies like Apple, Samsung etc have various quality standards that they enforce on their products. While some lower level companies who sell “cheaper” phones (read : import and sell Chinese handsets) many not have any standards of their own what so ever. Most of these “cheap” phone sellers rely on standards set by the manufacturers they buy their products from.

Buying an expensive handset from a well known manufacturer mostly ensures good after sales support and maybe relatively less problems.

3. Should I buy my phone now or wait for the next version/ next big thing?

Answer: There are two ways to look at this and two possible answers. The first answer is Yes, Buying a newly launched phone means that you get the latest in technology, the newest features and the “coolest”, newest phone on the block.

However, the Second answer is No, every time you buy a new phone, there will be something newer that will be launched. Unfortunately thats how it works!

So if you want to buy a new phone, the time is when you have the money and the intent.

4. I have a budget of x, If I extend this will i get a better phone?

Answer : Again the answer is Yes and No. This truly depends on what your initial budget is and how much you are willing to extend it. For example if you extend your budget from a Galaxy Grand to a Galaxy Note 3 then yes you will get a better phone. But unless you are willing to drastically extend your budget, any other device around your original price bracket, even if its slightly more expensive may be no better than the other.

Q. My Son / Daughter wants to buy an iPhone, Is it a good investment?

(iPhone is purely for reference, it could be any other phone)

Answer : If your Son/ Daughter wants to buy a particular phone they have their reasons for it, so the best possible thing to do is to let them buy it. It will be the easiest decision to make without any repercussions and hey, If they don’t like the phone at a later stage, they can’t blame you.

Whatever their reason for selecting the phone; be it the way it looks or a special feature it has, is probably a good reason. Yes your job is to guide them and yes there may be a better phone or a better investment to be made, but it won’t be their choice and they won’t be happy.

So, If your budget permits buy them the damn phone.

Bonus Question : Can my new phone FaceTime ? Will i Be charged for it?

Answer : FaceTime is an Apple only VOIP service, that works between iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs. So if your new phone is going to be an iPhone, Yes you will be able to FaceTime. That being said you can always use other services like Tango, Skype and possibly upcoming WhatsApp on any new phone that has a front facing camera and supports the said service.

Most of these services rely purely on the device being connected to a data network like 3G or Wifi, so all you will be charged for is your data connection or whatever you already pay for your Wifi.

In other words ; No, you will not be charged for the service.

There are several other questions or myths people have about new technology, do you have any myths to bust, or suggestions for more myth busters. Drop them in the comments below.

March 22, 2014
Moto 360 is Motorola’s Android Wear Watch

Its no surprise that Motorola will be the first company to drop in the most interesting piece of hardware in the new ecosystem announced by Google, aka Android Wear.

Called the Moto 360, its possibly the best vision of what a smart watch should be like. Motorola has taken the traditional route with the new Moto 360 keeping the design round and the materials very robust. A generous use of Steel and Leather alongside a tried and tested milled round design make the hardware look very promising.

Thanks to very enticing images, we are now aware that the Moto 360 will show maps as well as updates from Google Now. Motorola may have hit the nail right on the head with the new Moto 360, it is said to be available in the summer in a list of varied styles including a Leather strap or all metal strap.

Its goes on sale in the US in the summer to start with, expected globally soon after.

March 19, 2014
Google Announces Android Wear; Clean Android for Wearables

Looks like Google has been noticing the recent influx of Smart watches and will be extending its love to devices more than just Google Glass. Google has announced Android Wear, a new way for the company to bring Android to wearable technology. Many call it the Nexus of smart watches, its more a clean Android interface the way google wanted it.

The Android Wear project will bring an ever aware, smart watch which is always listening. So just say “okay Google!” and open your garage door.

Android Wear promises to be more than just voice commands and just a user interaction based response system. The Android Wear project promises to bring contextual updates and notifications based on your likes, location and available choices keeping in mind weather conditions and local ambiances.

The new project promises to bring better interaction with your smartphone, alongside better health features and tracking.

If you’re a developer, there’s a new section on developer.android.com/wear focused on wearables. Starting today, you can download a Developer Preview so you can tailor your existing app notifications for watches powered by Android Wear.

Google has gone ahead to announce that Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung are working on Android Wear devices; chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm are helping with the hardware; and fashion brands like the Fossil will bring it to the global consumer.

March 19, 2014
Apple iPhone 5C 8GB Officially Launched

Apple has officially unveiled the 8GB variant of the iPhone 5c on the UK Apple store for a price of £429.00 For an unlocked variant. It is worth noting that the price is about £40.00 cheaper than the outgoing 16GB model which costs US $ 549 in the US and Rs. 39000 here in India. Which means that the price for the iPhone 5c 8GB model for the Indian market should be Rs. 34,500 or around that region.

The iPhone 5C has received huge response since its launch alongside the iPhone 5S in India last year, especially thanks to the EMI and cash back offers from banks. The Apple iPhone 5c features a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD display with a resolution of 640×1136 pixels and a 326ppi pixel density. It is powered by the Apple A6 chipset, which is also seen on the iPhone 5. It also features a hard-coated polycarbonate body an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. Essentially the 5c is the iPhone 5 in new clothes.

Stay tuned for more updates.

March 18, 2014

Micromax Canvas Knight A350 Unboxing and Hands On

The Micromax Canvas Knight is a sequel to the Micromax Canvas series of devices, and on paper it does not seem to disappoint. With a set of good specifications and impressive design along with build quality to match the aforementioned, the phone has been all the rage in the market since its launch last week.

Box contents

The Micromax Canvas Knight A350
Snap on Back Panel
Flat Cable USB
Flat Cable Earphones
USB wall Charger
Additional Ear tips
Sim Removal Tool
Documentation and Warranty

Specifications

Price	Rs 19,990/-
Chipset	MT6592T Mediatek
CPU	OctaCORE 2.0 GHz
GPU	MALI – 450 MP
Camera Primary	16 MP
Camera Secondary	8 MP
Display	5 inch 1920 x 1080p
RAM	2 GB DDR 2
STORAGE	32 GB
Battery	2350 mAh

Initial Impressions

The first thing that one should consider is that the Micromax Canvas Knight is running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which is a far cry from the standard Android 4.4 KitKat seen on many of todays launches. The Canvas Knight is designed well, subtle Micromax branding and flat design cues make it look a lot more elegant. The Glass back and front add to the design and remind us of the iPhone 4/4s designing. The front is laden with a 1920 x 1080 p IPS display of 5 inch size with excellent viewing angles and vivid brightness especially outdoors.

The front also has an 8 MP camera which sort of takes on handsets like the Gionee E7 (even though they are a different spec set), the rear has a 16 MP snapper, of which not a lot of detail is present, it does however manage a full HD video. The battery on the inside is a 2350 mAh which seems a lot less than needed for a OctaCore chipset and in our initial tests we did find the handset heating a bit from the earpiece region. Whether this will affect battery life performance or not is unknown.

The Canvas Knight A350 seems like a promising product from the company, check out the hands on Images on top and stay tuned for the Video Unboxing and Full Review.

March 18, 2014

Nokia’s Refocus App comes to all Lumia Phones on WP8

Own a Nokia Lumia phone running Windows Phone 8? Its time to hit the App store and download the Nokia Refocus app. The app was earlier thought to be reliant on the Pure View Camera tech. But it appears that Nokia has made the App available to all.

How the picture can be refocused is reliant on the apps ability to scan the area, a Focus Sweep while you hold the camera steady. The phone camera and app will then capture multiple images at various focal lengths and combine into one dynamic image which can then be refocused later. Sort of like the Lytro camera.

In other news it looks like the new HTC One (aka M8) will also have this functionality inbuilt.

March 14, 2014
Nikon’s 1 V3 is a $ 1200 camera that does 120fps slow motion

Nikon has just launched the new Nikon 1 V3, the third iteration in their lineup of their 1 series micro 4/3 mirror less cameras. The new unit packs a 18.4MP sensor, built-in WiFi, 1080/60p video capability and a new image processing chip.

The fast sensor captures 20fps stills with autofocus possibly the fastest mirror less yet. The Nikon V3 also does 720p slow motion video recording at up to 120fps and has a massive 171 focus points that Nikon claims make it better to track moving objects than traditional DSLRs.

The camera now comes with two new less in the Nikon 1 lineup a 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom and a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 priced at $300 and $1,000, respectively. A standard full kit is priced at $ 1200, which contains the body, the 10-30mm lens and a viewfinder. The new V3 also has a tilt touch screen display of 3 inches.

March 13, 2014
LG’s G3 may come with the Quad HD Screen that Samsung Galaxy S5 Fans Wanted

Samsung’s recent launch of the Galaxy S5 left a lot of people disappointed due to the lack of the rumored 2560 x 1440 display aka the Quad HD display. However, LG might be one up again this year with the upcoming G3.

Thanks to the User Agent Profile found by known tipster @eveleaks, the LG G3 will have a QHD display or 2560 x 1440 or 2K. Its also known that the LG D850 is set to launch soon, with the D800 being the code for the G2, the D820 was the code for the NEXUS 5 and the D830 was the code for G Pro 2 launched earlier at MWC. It is assumed that the D850 will be the LG G3.

LG seems to be moving fast in releasing the G3 and supposedly wants to bring it out in June vs the September launch cycle to battle competition.

Other confirmations lead us to believe that Samsung will also launch the 2K Galaxy S5 later this year.

March 13, 2014
Xiaomi’s next Budget Phone with Octa Core Mediatek Chipset bounces online

Xiaomi’s new Redmi handset is supposed to be a sequel to their previous budget phone, has now finally been spotted online. The sub Rs. 10,000 / US $130 handset supposedly is called the Redmi aswell thanks to the red android buttons on the front of the handset.

It’ll feature a 5.5-inch, 720p IPS display), as well as Android 4.2.2, 1GB of RAM and an octa-core processor coming in two versions: 1.4GHz and 1.7GHz.

Designed to be sold for China Mobile the handset will be unlocked to 3G, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA option and CDMA 2000.

The Camera bundle includes a 5 MP front camera and a 13 MP main shooter. There is 8 GB of storage and 32 Gb expandability for the handset that comes with just 1 GB RAM. The Redmi will still miss out on LTE whereas other manufacturers are now gunning for LTE handsets in the sub 10,000 price bracket.

March 13, 2014
Instagram updates Android App, is now Faster and More Responsive.

Instagram’s latest updated Android app may come as a great welcome to selfie fans on Android. With version 5.1, Instagram has cut the footprint of the app in half, while making the app faster. Profile pages, for example, now load twice as quickly. The buttons have also been rearranged to make the app easier to navigate on different sized handsets.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Instagram” link=”http://blog.instagram.com/post/79272915088/android-update”]We’ve worked to make sure that Instagram feels native and at home on any Android device, We’ve simplified our visuals throughout our app, making use of valuable screen space for small devices and feature phones and rearranging our design to keep buttons within easy reach as you navigate the app on a larger device.[/quote]

The Update did not however bring the much desirable “Lux Tool” that came out for iOS users earlier this week. This slider lets users define the saturation of Range in their images. The company does claim that the Android App will get the “Lux Tool” soon.

March 13, 2014
Google Translate for Android, Brings the Love for Handwriting in 13 new Languages including Punjabi, Gujrati and Arabic

Google’s latest translate app update will offer a lot of help to travelers and locals of the middle east and South Asia including India. With handwriting recognition added in 13 new languages including Arabic and Persian as well as Indian dialects like Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. You’ll also find support for Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Maltese, Mongolian and Somali.

Google is constantly updating their language tools and it becoming easier and easier to communicate with people of a different language thanks to these updates. With handwriting support added, those from India who cannot type can now scribble directions to the nearest bar on this app. Lovely!

March 13, 2014
New HTC One Sold on Ebay for $500

The revision to the HTC One aka the new HTC One or the HTC M8 was purchased by a lucky bidder on popular bidding website eBay for a meager price of $500 box packed in Verizon packaging.

Considering a number of leaks of the handset in the past, the box gives more details than required of the handset all set to launch on the 25th of March.

According to the box, the handset features a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, a 5-inch 1080p display, microSD slot for expandable memory and 32GB internal storage, a 5MP front-facing camera, UltraPixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, a Nano-SIM slot and 2GB of RAM.

The Ultrapixel camera in question is bound to be an 8 MP variant with 4k video recording as per sources. The phone will run Android 4.4 out of the box with the latest iteration of Sense UX.

March 13, 2014
LG G Flex Review

LG has been an underdog in the mobile industry for quite some time. However, last year brought about a new beginning for the Korean manufacturer especially in the mobile space. LG broke the traditional association of “cheap products” when they successfully chased the market with a product like the LG G2.

The new G Flex is the company’s latest marvel and a first of a kind phone at that. The first phone with a curved display, a curved body and a curved battery. The G Flex is also capable of handling reverse tension of upto 40 kilograms and then returning to original state.

Specifications

[row cols_nr=”2″ bg_color=”e0fce0″]

[col size=”6″]

Display

Chipset

Battery

Camera

RAM

Storage

Price

[/col]

[col size=”6″]

6 Inch

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

3500 mAh

13 MP main / 2.1 MP Secondary

2 GB

32 GB

Rs. 63000 / USD 899

[/col]

[/row]

Build Quality and Design

The funny thing about the build quality of the LG G Flex is that on one hand, it has a brilliant build and design : it is the first curved phone, which flexes and returns to its original position. It also has great tensile materials that allow it to do that flex thing it does, including LG’s patented Plastic OLED (POLED) tech. However on the other hand, the phone is purely plastic, front to back, the Plastic Display adds to the plastic nature making the phone look : well not so premium.

[quote text_size=”small”]Curved and Flexible makes it unique![/quote]

The G Flex however due to its design can be mishandled quite a lot. It has a very damage resistant design, including the Gorilla Glass (er.. plastic) front, the self healing paint finish on the back that does a pretty decent job. You can however scratch the back if that what you are trying to do, dropping the phone on concrete can have bad repercussions.

Performance, Display & Multimedia

The G Flex is a refreshing change for Android devices, just like the G2 the G Flex is responsive and fast and hold down on the lag quite a lot. Apart from daily chores, it does a brilliant job in handling heavy games and performance apps, especially a few architecture and calculation apps we tried.

Even benchmarks are not a problem for the G Flex and you will find it hovering in the top range of the spectrum of devices. The graphics performance also takes a leap as it saves up on the lower 720p display. The limitation of the new “POLED” tech restricts the screen resolution to 720p and may be upped in the G Flex 2.

For the time being the display is pretty fantastic, the vivid colors and exceptional brightness put it in the top their in our list. If you ignore the resolution which effective is pretty alright, considering the size of the display you are bound to hold it further away. You will not notice the lack of 1080p, and if you do its purely an irritation in the mind .

Multimedia is a brand new experience, it fun even, simply because the curved display adds a strange magic to the viewing experience. The curve is pretty good and noticeable and anyone holding the device is impressed when viewing videos . The inbuilt sound may not be the top notch sound you would expect .

The G Flex captures and plays back 4k video, which allows you to zoom into videos without loss of resolution. A new tech also allows you to zoom into the sound of the area you zoom into. LG calls it Audio Zoom and shockingly it works well.

Camera

The camera on this handset seems less polished than one would expect. Images are shabby, and mostly end up shaky. The lack of image stabilization also shows its dark side. Unlike the G2 the G Flex seems to have a slow and shabby shutter and mostly translates to less sharp images in the end.

That all being said, its not a complete failure and one can really take pictures by being careful with the handset. On the plus side the sensor captures unaltered 4K video which is simply too good to talk about. Talk about portable Ultra High Def, the camera is highly capable and manages excellent video. There is some software stabilization which may not be very well appreciated but, applying stabilization in post works great and you can even select your areas from the 4k footage to make a nice 1080p video with the right kind of detail. Its like a lossless zoom in video. 4k Video is the future of mobile camera tech, we saw that at MWC, and the G Flex embraces it really well.

[quote text_size=”small”]G Flex embraces 4k Video as it’s the future[/quote]

Phone Networks and Battery Life

The G Flex is a great phone too, with an excellent grasp on network towers the G Flex is able to get network where most phones failed. We used the G Flex primarily while traveling for MWC and while most people struggled with network problems, we were pretty happy.

Battery life was also excellent, also possibly due to a great network antenna. The 3500 mAh battery is not only good on paper but also in real life usage. LG has managed processes and its display really well ensuring high battery life. Great apps like the power saver enhance the battery considerably and come out of the box. Oh and did we mention that he battery is curved!

Conclusion

The LG G Flex is a new age smartphone, it has all the matching pre requisites and it is a one of a kind device. It is not only curved, it flexes! The hardware is on the low side when compared to higher end of the spectrum, 720p display vs an 1080p and 2 GB of RAM vs 3 GB. However, those specs are arguably not needed.

While the performance of the phone is really on the happy side, the camera especially for stills is the sad side. Video, especially 4k is good and the phone networks are solid and battery excellent. The G Flex is large and not easily handled with one hand, even with large ginormous hands.

The G Flex brings in a new category, bendable phones, while its a step into the future we are not quite there yet and a long time from it. The design is unique and one of a kind, the build nice and resistance splendid. Honestly if LG made this phone slightly smaller we would have been happier, at 6 inches its more a mini tablet. So bring on the G Flex Mini and we we be happy soldiers.

Even though its priced high, its a new technology and may be worth the value for those who become first movers.

March 11, 2014
Here is an Exclusive look at the HTC M8 : HTC One Successor

While we are not far away from the launch of the possible successor of the HTC One (also known as M7), iGyaan has got some images of what may as well be the HTC M8.

The handset seen above sports a high quality polished Aluminum casing designed from a single block just like the HTC One. The M8 will have different specs compared to the HTC One including a 5-inch 1080p display powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8974 coupled with 3GB of RAM and Sense 6.0 UI on top of Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

If sources are correct the UltraPixel camera setup at the back is designed to use an 8mp sensor and a 4 MP sensor as opposed to the dual 5MP setup we have all been hearing. The led flash, like the one seen on the Apple iPhone 5s, is a dual-tone type.

The front is mostly identical to the HTC One and features a BoomSound speaker setup and lacks physical or dedicated capacitive touch buttons.

(Thanks Anonymous Tipster)

February 16, 2014