Author: Meenakshi Rawat

LG Confirms the G4 Will Come With a 5.5-inch Quad HD Display

Much has been spoken about LG’s next flagship, but till now they’ve only been rumours. However, an official confirmation has arrived from the display manufacturing unit of the company which confirms that a newly-developed Quad HD LCD panel will be fitted on to LG’s forthcoming flagship.

LG Display brought out a 5.5-inch QHD IPS panel that offers a resolution of 1440×2560 pixels. The pixel density stands same as LG G3, at 538ppi, but the company claims that the new display technology offers richer and more accurate colour quality. As compared to the 100 percent gamut of the latest available LG smartphone, the upcoming device display would have a 120 percent colour range.

Also, the contrast ratio of the next LG flagship is enhanced by 50 percent as compared to the standard QHD LCD panels, while brightness is upped by 30 percent. The modifications help users have a better view of the screen especially under bright sun. It should be noted that the display upgradations would not hamper the battery consumption at all, and users can experience better display with the conventional battery of the device.

More details about the LG G4 will unfold on its official launch on April 28. Keep checking back for updates.

April 4, 2015
Now Run Android Apps on Windows and Mac Using Google Chrome

Back in September, Google released a beta project ARC (App Runtime for Chrome) that allowed Android apps to run on Chrome OS. Now the news has surfaced that speaks of its compatibility on every desktop version of Chrome. This means any user running the latest Chrome browser can download and run the Android apps on different platforms like Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

As aforementioned, the project is in beta stage and is officially designed for developers only. But one can download the .apk file of any Android app and install it on their desktops. All you need to download is the ARC Welder tool where you can find the official .apk files of all the Android applications from Play Store.

The ARC project is a double benefit initiative targeted at customers and developers alike. Customers can port any Android-powered app to the desktops, developers can test any app by submitting it on ARC. The application to run softwares is based on Android 4.4 KitKat, giving users access to a range of standalone apps like Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and a wide variety games.

It’s a nice push by Google to make every laptop or Macbook running Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux its platform. Through the project, the internet giant has given folks an easy way to peek into the gigantic Android world and experience it.

April 3, 2015
Russian Government Runs a Troll Army Just to Promote the YotaPhone

It is long known that Russia has a large troll army (paid bloggers) that manipulates online content and works extensively to diffuse a positive picture of the government. According to The Guardian, hundreds of trolls spread a word in praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on depravity and injustice of the west, and most surprisingly, to promote the Russian-made YotaPhone.

The Guardian stated that it contacted two of the former employees of the troll enterprise, out of which one disclosed that they were employed unofficially and were paid cash in-hand to promote the YotaPhone. The international publication said that it located leaked set of documents that speak of an opaque company structuring the image of the smartphone. One of the documents recovered was “technical task sheets” that gave an angle to the hired writer so that they flash the scripted “conclusion” to the commenters.

It is also reported that the manufacturing company has no clue about the government’s strategic plan and the administration is doing it without informing the producer; however it works in their favour. Every thing is carried out behind proxy servers so that their original location remains concealed.

It should be noted that the Russian government has stakes in the smartphone company Yota, but it appears that the case is the other way round. Russian administration seems to be doing undue advertising of YotaPhone to establish itself in the international smartphone market.

If it was all about advertising the phone globally, then the trolls have done their job well. However, it doesn’t seem like the gadget needed such a huge strategy behind the curtain. YotaPhone is a one of a kind device that boasts two back to back displays and that too with remarkable display sizes of 4.3-inch. It has accumulated positive response from tech reviewers worldwide.

April 3, 2015
Microsoft Brings Document Scanning App ‘Office Lens’ to Android and iOS

Microsoft’s last year release ‘Office Lens’ was a big hit in the Windows app arena – and for good reason. The mobile scanning app is a handy tool that lets users take picture of a document and convert it into a editable file format. The same application has now arrived for Android and iOS smartphones, as confirmed by Microsoft.

The hardware and software firm announced through its official blog post that it has released an Android Preview of the Office Lens on Google Play Store and a full-fledged version of the app for iOS users on the Apple Store. The app is free for download on both the platforms and one can start editing their pictures once the scanning tool is installed on the device.

The uses of Office Lens are varied. As mentioned above, the tool turns a phone into a scanner and scans the picture of the required document, such as menus, receipts or business cards. The cropping feature is pre-installed within the app through which users can cut the required image and discard the rest. The desired image then converts into an editable file which can be saved it in any format of your choice, i.e. Word, PowerPoint presentation or PDF.

Meanwhile, Android users have only received a preview of the app. Users can experience the amazing features of the app only when they join Microsoft Office Lens Android Preview community on Google+. However it’s easy to get the application, but the company could have shrinked the process to one-click download, as they have done for iOS users. For now, Android users have to follow these three steps: Join Community > Become a Tester > Download ‘Office Lens Preview’ from Play Store.

Microsoft has made Office Lens a cross-platform productivity tool from a Windows-only app. The company is well aware of the reach of the Android and iOS platforms and, hence, is pushing the largely appreciated feature from the minute share of the Windows market to the colossal app communities.

April 3, 2015
OnePlus is Building a Dedicated Customer Support Team, Says it Hears You Loud and Clear

OnePlus has emerged as one of the fastest growing companies in the tech domain. It’s first and only smartphone, the One, is a flagship decimator that provides aggressive performance at an affordable price point. The Chinese smartphone brand got rave reviews for the handset, but was criticized for not having an established Grievance Redressal unit. The company is now working on fixing the loophole by improving their support team.

The firm addressed in its official blog post they understand the need of a customer support team and are working to make the support experience amazing for every customer. OnePlus mentioned that it has expanded the customer service team and the department now employs the highest number of members in the company. The support team has increased by 4500% since the time of its launch. Meanwhile, social media like Twitter and Facebook will continue to be the main platforms to address customer complaints.

Agent expertise is the next segment where the company will have its major focus. The agents catering to customers feedback will undergo an intensive training through weekly workshops where they will learn soft skills, tech support, policy changes and more. This means, customer service executives will be trained to be as polite as they can.

Also, OnePlus shared one more update about the warranty and return policy of its products. The company remarked that from now on, all its accessories will come with an extended one year warranty, and a no-questions-asked return policy extends from 14 days to 15 days. In addition, OnePlus stated that it tries to respond to every request within the minimum time frame of 9 hours, which is faster than the average industry response time of 21.2 hours.

It’s nice to see that a company that is about a year old making efforts to maintain a healthy customer relationship. We hope that the smartphone label establishes a strong link with its customers and stays true to the promises it makes.

April 3, 2015
New HTC One M9 Plus Leak Shows a Physical Home Button and a Textured Body

For a while now, rumours have been floating around about the much-anticipated Plus variant of HTC One M9. Earlier we reported that the bigger version of the One (M9) flagship will feature fingerprint scanner, and from the images leaked today, it is now becoming clear how the firm has designed the smartphone.

A new batch of pictures leaked hint at the Plus version of both the One E9 and the One M9. The alleged images of One M9 Plus depicts the presence of a physical home button on the device, much like the one Samsung follows on its S series line-up. The image has a magnified view of the home button which gives us a close look at the rectangular button with rounded edges.

The inclusion of a physical button, if the images are true, strongly hints at a presence of a fingerprint scanner.

The next image focuses on the other design element of the smartphone. The close-up above seems to highlight the controls of the phone, along with the textured metal shell.

The last image is of the screen that supposedly stresses on the QHD quality display. Along with these leaks, the pictures have confirmed one more thing, the launch date of the handset. All three images read – Beijing, April 8^th 2015.

Alongside these revelations, few more rumours came out that speak of its specifications. It was earlier leaked that the One M9 Plus would sport a 5.5inch 2k display together with snapdragon 810 and 3GB RAM. A dual camera of an unspecified MP will sit at the back of the phone. Rumours need to taken with a pinch of salt, the true picture of the phone will only come to light when the Taiwanese brand launches it officially.

April 2, 2015
Xiaomi’s Next Band to Embrace One-Touch Mobile Payment Technology

Xiaomi’s smartbands are assumed to be the next big thing by the tech world; much because they are rightly speculated to be cheaper than the present offerings by other brands. According to a recent disclosure by a Chinese online publication, the next-gen Xiaomi smartband will incorporate a mobile payment solution, providing users a safer, more convenient payment experience.

Huami, the Chinese start-up set to partner with Xiaomi for fitness wearables, declared that it has inked a strategic cooperation in AliPay. The tie-up is aimed at developing a wearable device that fits modern one-touch payment system. The idea is to speed up the payment process and eradicate the need of providing passwords at retail stores.

With this, whenever a user will come in the range of an AliPay client, the mechanism will activate automatically, establishing a link with the client. Through the technology, the payment will be done directly through the wristband.

The smartband works in conjunction with smartphone to function. The band gets connected to the handset through Bluetooth to verify the user’s identity, thereby acting as a channel to enable payments. Once the identity is established, the Xiaomi band then authorizes it to make payments via AliPay client.

Xiaomi smartband payment system

Xiaomi smartband payment system

The start-up further mentioned about the verification technology stating that it uses industry standard encryption measures to make the payments secure. In this, every user is provided with a unique identifier which verifies the status of users after eliminating the password link.

However, the mobile payment technology is not new and many big names in the technology sector have already embedded it to their devices. Though this will widen the reach of the technology. As Xiaomi offers products at a reasonable price, the forthcoming band is expected to become a common accessory and bring a larger change in the retail payment mode used in China.

April 2, 2015
HTC One M8s Unveiled : a Refreshed One (M8) with Enhanced Camera and Battery

Post the launch of the flagship M9 at MWC this year, HTC today brought out a tweaked version of its predecessor HTC One. Dubbed as HTC One M8s, the smartphone embraces the same all-metal body and trademark features of the One such as BoomSound front speakers, Duo camera, and more. The handset is launched at a price of GBP 379.99 (in Indian currency that translates to approx. Rs. 35,000).

With a full HD display of 5-inch (1080×1920 pixels), the screen of the One M8s comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating. The smartphone holds a tweaked 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, bundled with 2GB RAM. The internal storage option stands identical at 16GB, which is expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD card slot. The One M8s runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense 6.0 skin on top, while the One (M8) came with default Android 4.4. KitKat, upgradable to 5.0 Lollipop.

The rear camera is the one feature which gets a major boost. The device now sports a 13-megapixel duo camera. The front camera is static at 5MP just as the previous iteration. Battery is also a noticeable change in the One M8s. A 2840mAh, just as the one fitted on to the One M9, powers the handset. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and NFC.

The smartphone will be available in the European market early April in three colour options – Glacial Silver, Gunmetal Gray, and Amber Gold. Meanwhile, there is no word about the device arriving in other countries.

April 2, 2015
Xiaomi is Currently Working on a Refreshed MIUI 7 That Will Debut on the Mi 5

The tussle to bring the finest product to the customers is getting meaner by the day. With many top-notch smartphones already present in the crowded market, there’s a need for every mobile brand to stand out of the pack. Xiaomi enjoys a large fan base in the world majorly because of its affordably priced devices and for the unique MIUI that makes the smartphones look different, not just externally. The Chinese brand is now considering giving its users a better experience with a brand new user interface.

The company is said to be working on the next instalment of MIUI which will debut with the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone Mi 5. The firm has teamed up with AOKP (Android Open Kang Project) to build the new UI. The latter company made public information about the new interface that gives us a fair idea of MIUI 7.

Minimalistic Look with subtle graphics.ith

According to the official AOKP blog, the forthcoming interface is codenamed MiKangy and will be based on Android 5.1 OS. It will be a whole new take on the Android UX and will combine the salient features of top ROMs like CM, PA, Omni and AOKP. MIUI 7 is stated to “create an experience which completely submerges the user in his own world.” The web page further reads that the UI will evolve with the user, and after a period of time, it will be different for every MI 5 user. Now that sounds innovative.

The market of custom ROMs and user interface has lately grown to become a sizeable industry. There was a time when smartphones were mostly about bumped up specifications and features. The brawl between Micromax and OnePlus on Cyanogen that pushed them to the court room is an example that the tech domain is growing in every sector, largely and rapidly. We hope MIUI 7 turns out to be as good as its description.

April 2, 2015
Motorola is Not Considering an Offline Sales Policy Anytime Soon: Moto India Head

At a time when most of the major tech giants are setting up their retail stores, slowly making the move from online to offline, Motorola wants to stick to their present sales model. The telecommunications firm revealed that it has no plans to sell smartphones through physical stores in India and will continue to retail handsets through their exclusive online partner Flipkart.

According to Times of India, the India Business Head of Motorola, Amit Boni spoke about the company’s plans, “It is important that when you take a strategic bet, you stand by it and make it work. That’s what we are doing with the Flipkart partnership. You need to look into other channels of sales only when your present channel is not sound enough.”

Recently, Motorola inaugurated its first bricks-and-mortar store Moto Care in India. It’s a one of a kind store at Jayanagar in Bengaluru where customers can walk-in to check the product portfolio. The store showcases smartphones and accessories and also provides repair services. Boni further elaborated his statement, “We believe that there’s a certain set of customers who wants to see the device before buying it. We are making sure that we are opening up to them too.” The Chicago-based firm plans to open more such stores across the country in the coming days.

Motorola’s Handcrafted Selfie Stick

It has also been learnt that Motorola is planning to expand its 4G portfolio of devices. The company is expected to launch a 4G version of Moto E in India. Recently, the firm came up with few new releases. The first in the list is the Moto Turbo, followed by Moto Selfie Stick, which the company showed off on April Fool’s day. The company claimed that the stick is a $140 handcrafted accessory to click self portraits and is compatible with Moto X. We almost fell for that one.

April 2, 2015
Micromax YU Invites its Followers to Help Them Name Their Next Device

We’ve known for a while that Micromax YU’s upcoming smartphone is in the pipeline. However very scarce details are known about the much-awaited device, which till date has been called ‘Project Caesar’. Now YU wants to give it a fixed name, and one which has been decided by its fans and followers.

The Indian smartphone brand announced the first ever crowdsourcing, where its devotees can suggest the company a name of the forthcoming Cyanogen-powered smartphone. The firm has announced a contest where the winner’s decided name will be the moniker of the next YU handset.

Interested users can submit their entries at all the social platforms of YUPLAYGOD with a caption ‘#YUNameIt’. The submissions should be made on or before April 2. Once the entries are closed, top 5 participants will make it to the voting stage, which will be held on March 3 and 4. The one with highest number of votes will be the chosen name for Project Caesar.

Not only this, YU will reward 5 randomly picked contributions with the next YU device. An additional number of them with receive Amazon Gift Cards worth Rs. 1 lakh.

Customers can submit their entries using the following links:

Click here or here to play.

April 1, 2015
Apple Might Bring Facial Recognition Technology to its iDevices, But With a Twist

We’ve seen Apple deliver some of the best and secure technologies to its customers. Its TouchID, a fingerprint recognition feature, has laid the path to create a feature which makes phone locks reliable. Now, the Cupertino-based firm has plans to embed a simpler but effective technology to its devices for the same purpose – it’s called face recognition.

According to a patent recently granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent Office, the new-found invention will lock the device if the user’s face is no longer present. The granted patent reads, “In the embodiment of the invention, a mobile device is configured to automatically lock based on determining that a user’s face is no longer present in the image captured by the device’s built-in camera.”

It’s evident from the statement that the device will keep snapping pictures at a definite interval of time to check if the owner is working on the device. If the user doesn’t appear in the pictures, the device will automatically lock. This means if your iPhone is kept motionless for a certain period, it will lock on its own.

The patent also mentions that with this technology, iOS device users don’t need to type in the password or touch the screen. The handset would unlock through a selfie. This also means that if your phone reaches in the wrong hands, the intruder would not be able to access your device’s content.

The innovation is already present in Android smartphones, but it doesn’t keep a tab on the user’s activity continuously. Apple’s facial recognition technology looks promising and might arrive in the new gen iPhone, iPad or even the rumoured Apple Car.

April 1, 2015
Microsoft Announces the Sleeker and Lighter Surface 3

Alongside Google, Microsoft too made a few announcements. The brand unveiled the new tablet that is sleeker and lighter than the previous iteration. The device comes with a one-year free subscription to Office 365 and is available in two versions – Surface 3 and Surface 3 (4G LTE).

The Surface 3 holds a thickness of 8.7 mm and weighs a mere 1.37 pounds. Unlike its predecessors, the latest Surface version runs a full version of Windows 8.1 (64-bit), including desktop applications. It has a screen size of 10.8-inch (1920×1280 resolution) with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor, the Surface 3 features a fanless design with 2GB RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage.

Type Covers for MIcrosoft Surface 3

There is an 8MP rear camera along with a 3.5MP front shooter to capture photos. Three speakers with Dolby Audio-enhanced sound are fitted onto the tablet, and a three-position kickstand comes within the box for support. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.0 low energy and 4G LTE. The Surface 3 has physical connectivity options to connect to other devices like USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, a Micro USB, and a microSD card reader.

Surface 3 Docket Station

The conventional version of Surface 3 holds a price tag of $499, while its 4G LTE version will cost you $599. Both these come with 2GB RAM and 64GB storage. If you wish to buy a higher version with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage space, then you have to dig your pockets for some extra bucks. The enhanced model is priced at $599 for 3G model and $699 for LTE version.

Surface Pens for Surface 3

Additionally, Microsoft launched two new accessories. One is the Surface 3 Type Covers featuring an improved trackpad and multi-coloured Surface Pens, and the other is the Docking Station that allows connection to external peripherals and turns the tablet into a full desktop workstation.

The tablet is up for pre-orders in 26 countries through the Microsoft store. The device will go on sale on May 5, while it will be made available in the 26 markets by May 7.

The list of countries to first get Surface 3 is: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K., and the U.S.

April 1, 2015
Google’s Chromebit is a $100 Portable Dongle That Converts Any Display Into a PC

Recently Google supplemented a new product to its range of devices that is a compressed form of Chromebook. Labelled as Chromebit, the gadget is a tiny HDMI dongle of a size smaller than a candy bar that can turn any connected display to a full-fledged computer.

The internet search major spoke about Chromebit –

The Chromebit is a full computer that will be available for less than $100. It’s the perfect upgrade for an existing desktop and will be really useful for schools and businesses.

The tiny little package is a powerhouse that runs on Google’s Chrome operating system. It features a Rockchip 3288 SoC, an ARM Mali 760 quad-core GPU, along with 2GB of RAM. A 16GB of internal storage space is provided with Chromebit to store important stuff. The quintessential features are also equipped with the fresh product, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, together with a Smart Ready controller.

The Chromebit supports connectivity through two ports. One is HDMI that allows you to connect the device to a TV or other external display, and the other is USB port that offers it to be plugged into peripherals like keyboard, mouse or any other mobile devices.

The handy PC is under testing as of now, but the company stated that it will come with an ASUS trademark. The product will retail for less than $100, and will be available later this summer in three colour choices – silver, blue and orange.

Google’s Chromebit reminds us of Intel’s Compute Stick that was designed to perform the similar task; except that it was a straight piece with no bends. Chromebit, on the other hand, is slightly curved at the end that gives it a smooth finish.

Besides Chromebit, the tech firm also disclosed two new laptops – The Hisense Chromebook and Haier 11 Chromebook. Each of them are priced at $149 and are available for pre-orders. The notebooks will be available later this year.

April 1, 2015
Xiaomi Announces a Bunch of Smart Products Along with Redmi 2A and Mi Note Pink Edition

On the grand occasion of completing five years in the market, Xiaomi brought out a slew of products. Earlier today, we mentioned the super cheaper Xiaomi Redmi 2A. And the Mi Note Pink Edition, which is just another Mi Note clad in a pink body. Now we will shift our focus to the other highlights of the day:

55-inch Mi TV 2

Xiaomi expanded its Mi TV 2 lineup today with the release of a newer version of Mi TV 2. The latest addition is the 55-inch 4K model, which is quite bigger than 40-inch variant released last week.

The TV sports a 55-inch Samsung LCD panel of (3840×2160) resolution along with MStar 6A928 processor. The device houses 2GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage capacity. Priced at 4,999 RMB (Rs. 50,380 approx), the TV stuffs aluminum Bluetooth subwoofer and speaker soundbar.

Mi Smart Scale

Another product unveiled today was asmart scale that looks pretty cool with its sleek design and rounded edges. The scale depicts weight by means of 161 white LEDs fitted onto the device and it displays weight between 5Kg to 150Kg. The smart scale connects to the smartphone with Android 4.4 and above and iOS 7 and above via Bluetooth.

The Mi scale can track record of as much as 16 people, which helps it measure the progress of each individual. The weighing scale is lowly priced at $16 (somewhere around Rs. 990).

Mi Smart Plug Board

The last offering of the day, is the Mi Smart Plug Board. It comes with 3 standard ports and 3 USB ports to charge mobile devices. The company claims that the Smart Plug Board is more energy efficient than the standard chargers. Mi plug board comes at a minimal price of $8. It allows users to turn the power on and off via Mi Connected Home App.

Meanwhile, these products have only been launched in China and we’re uncertain about if Xiaomi will release them in other markets.

March 31, 2015