Author: Nitya Uppal

Here’s How Force Touch Will Work on the iPhone 6s

Back in March, when Apple unveiled its new MacBook it brought out minor tweaks which would soon turn out to be major innovations of the future.

Along with the MacBook came the USB Type-C, their refined Battery tech and most importantly, Force Touch technology. It was the first time, the three elements had been introduced by a major commercial company.

Thanks to several leaks, it has now been confirmed that the next iPhone will also include some of these elements. We know that the trackpad of the MacBook uses the Force Touch, but how will it be implemented on the iPhone 6s?

Simply put, it is the mechanism which senses pressure. It is an entirely novel innovation that merges the previously released Multi-Touch with force sensors. That means besides sensing the multiple points of contact on your screen, the new feature can also gauge the amount of pressure put on each contact; detecting the subtle difference between the quantity of pressure imposed.

The current generation of MacBook’s use a ‘Diving Board’ design. The top part of the trackpad remains stable, any part of the lower end can be used to click or right click. The new Force Touch trackpad, gets four new sensors – allowing you to click using any part of the designated surface.

Here’s how the upcoming iPhone is expected to use the technology :

To enhance your music experience: Now, instead of clicking the actions button on the right side of each track listing, one can just deep press on the listing for a song and immediately options to add the song to your playlist or to listen to it later, will appear.

Shortcuts are said to become even shorter: The user can now apparently just press the phone on the app icon and be directly navigated to the Voicemail tab or even the Favourite or For You tabs.

Navigation can be simpler: With just a touch on the destination, one is said to be able to directly start navigating. So, instead of clicking on the navigation logo and then clicking another button to actually start navigation, one can get direct navigation with a single touch.

Some other features: One is said to be able to view or preview webpage links, address or contact names, maps, definitions to words etc directly, with the use of Force Touch.

Reports suggest that Apple plans to expand the Force Touch technology by incorporating it beyond their core apps and operating system for developers to be able to ship iOS 9 App Store apps. Apart from this, the new and rumoured 12.9 inch iPads are also said to feature the Force Touch.

The expected unveiling date of the iPhone and new iOS-based Apple TV is said to be on the 9th of September 2015.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/10/force-touch-on-iphone-6s-revealed-expect-shortcuts-faster-actions-across-ios/”]9to5mac[/tw-button]

August 11, 2015
Chennai-Born Sundar Pichai is Now the CEO of Google

It’s always good news when we see a fellow Indian speedily climbing the ladder of success. Google’s Sundar Pichai, who earlier used to head the company’s strategic businesses, has been given more responsibility.

Larry Page, former CEO has handed over his responsibilities (and title) to Sundar Pichai. Meanwhile Larry Page, along with Sergey Brin, will be handling their new company – Alphabet.

And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google.

Before this Pichai, as the Senior Vice President, headed the most widely used OS in the world – Android, along with which he was incharge of Google Chrome, and oversaw the company’s suite of apps including Gmail and Docs. He was also working on research, search, maps, Google+ social network, ads and infrastructure. In October last year, the then CEO, Larry Page wanted to focus more on overall business strategy, off loading some of his responsibilities to Pichai. Now it seems like the entire responsibility has been handed over, and Sundar Pichai is officially incharge of Google.

Want to know more about the new Google CEO? Click here.

Source : [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://investor.google.com/releases/2015/0810.html”]Google Blog [/tw-button]

August 11, 2015

Asus Launches the Zenfone Selfie with a 13MP Front Camera in India

At the ongoing Zen Fest held in New Delhi, Asus has launched three new smartphones. One of them is the Asus Zenfone Selfie which, as name suggests, is aimed at selfie enthusiasts. With a 13MP front camera, it can click sharp self portrait images. The hi-res front camera is paired with a 13MP back camera as well; both come with Dual-LED flash. The device has been priced starting at Rs. 15,999.

Camera specifications aside, the smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1920x1080p) IPS LCD display, protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit processor paired with Adreno 405 GPU is equipped to the Asus Selfie. It comes with 2GB RAM for the 16GB variant and the 3GB RAM for the 32GB variant. The two handsets run on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom ZenUI on top. The two variants come with expandable memory and are fuelled by a 3,000mAh battery.

Some of the other smartphones which for selfie lovers include Sony Xperia C4, Micromax Canvas Selfie, HTC Desire Eye and the recently launched Xperia M5.

The smartphone is 4G-enabled and comes with dual SIM capabilities.

Here are the full specifications of the Asus Zenfone Selfie

Specification	Asus Zenfone Selfie
Display	5.5-inch display
Resolution	1080 x 1920 p
Chipset	Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit
RAM	2GB/3GB
Storage	16GB/32GB
Rear Camera	13 MP
Front Camera	13 MP
Battery	3,000 mAh
Operating System	Android Lollipop with ZenUI
Miscellaneous	Infrared sensor for remote control
Starting Price	Rs. 15,999

August 6, 2015

OnePlus is Selling OnePlus 2 Invites for Charity

Yes, OnePlus has given us a legit way to purchase OnePlus 2 invites. The Chinese company on their official blog admitted that they have always known that people sell OnePlus invites on third-party websites. In their words, since they couldn’t beat them, they decided to join them. But all for a good cause.

OnePlus is auctioning a total of 100 invites. Fifty invites are already up for grabs and the next batch of 50 will go live tomorrow. Currently, the bidding range is between $151-$405 (Rs. 9,600-25,000 approx). Seems like a heavy cost added to a smartphone which costs only Rs. 24,999 ($400 approx.) You could look at it this way – It’s the cost you pay to be one of the first people in the world to own a OnePlus 2.

The proceeds from the OnePlus invites auction will go to the UNICEF Tap Project. For those of you who don’t know much about it – it’s a cause which contributes to providing clean and safe water to underprivileged children around the globe. The company states that 100% of the proceeds would be given to the charity.

So, if you’ve been planning on donating a percentage of your hard earned money, and want to purchase a OnePlus 2. This might be a good option for you. Click here to check out the eBay auction.

Watch the unboxing of the OnePlus 2 here:

August 5, 2015
Report: Apple to Bring Out its Own Mobile Wireless Service

Earlier this year, Google surprised us all by bringing out Project Fi – the company’s own cell service. The Google-run network service is a customizable package that switches between Wi-Fi and multiple cellular networks. We’ve now seen reports that claim that Apple is also planning to launch a service, similar to what Google already has to offer.

According to the reports, the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently in talks with telecom companies in Europe to work with them on their very own Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service. In the States, the service is already in trial mode.

It’s operation may be similar to Google’s Project Fi. Apple would chalk out a deal with multiple carrier services so that once you opt for Apple’s MVNO service, it would provide you the best service available in that particular area – hence, switching between multiple carriers. And with this switch, you would also begin paying Apple for your texts, calls and data usage, instead of your current network provider. When Google launched its cell service, it claimed that it was the ultimate way to make sure you get the best possible network connection available.

Again we should remember that this isn’t new territory for Apple. In September 2014, along with new iPads and iMacs, Apple had also announced the Apple SIM, which is a reprogrammable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) that you could use to switch from carrier to carrier, networks and pricing plans using just a software in the device. The card is removable and if you buy a carrier locked device, it will carry the carrier’s SIM card.

The recent report states that Apple might take upto five years to launch this new service. We have no doubt that this service would be exclusive to Apple devices only. The company seems to be dabbling with multiple projects, and making its way towards the future.

Source : [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.businessinsider.in/Apple-is-in-talks-to-launch-its-own-virtual-network-service-in-the-US-and-Europe/articleshow/48333937.cms”][/tw-button]

August 4, 2015

Samsung Brings Out the Galaxy A8 in India

Lately, Samsung has been in the news for its upcoming smartphones – the Galaxy Note 5 and the S6+. But before bringing out its big guns, Samsung has launched the new Galaxy A8 for the Indian market. The smartphone has been priced at Rs. 32,500. The Galaxy A8 stands out in the company’s vast portfolio as their slimmest smartphone, with a thickness of a mere 5.9mm and a fingerprint scanner included.

Specs-wise the 4G-compatible smartphone features a 5.7-inch Full HD display, and is powered by octa-core Samsung Exynos 5430 SoC (four cores clocked at 1.3GHz, and four at 1.8GHz). It has 2GB RAM and comes with a single storage variant – 32GB which is expandable upto 128GB via a microSD card.

With a combination of a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, for photography enthusiasts this smartphone is well equipped. The rear camera also features autofocus, Optical Image Stabilisation, f/ 1.9 aperture, LED flash and a wide-angle lens.

It runs on it runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top. The device’s connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC and Bluetooth 4.1. The Samsung Galaxy A8 is powered by a 3050mAh battery and will be offered in three colour variants – black, white and gold.

The misgiving about the smartphone is that one of the Micro-SIM card slots doubles as the MicroSD card extension slot. So, you can either use the expandability option, or you can use two SIM cards at the same time. Stay tuned, hands on with the device is coming up soon.

Here’s a look at its full specifications:

Hardware Specs	Samsung Galaxy A8
Display	5.7-inch FHD
Resolution	1920 x 1080p
Chipset	Octa-core (Four cores clocked at 1.3GHz, and four at 1.8GHz)
Processor	Exynos 5430 SoC
GPU	Adreno 405
RAM	2GB
Primary Camera	16MP f/ 1.9, Auto-focus, OIS,
Front Camera	5MP, 120 Degress wide-angle lens
Storage	32GB
Expandable Up to	128GB
Battery	3,050 mAh
Operating System	Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz
Bluetooth	4.1
Price	Rs. 32,500

August 3, 2015

Power Banks Reviewed : OnePlus vs Xiaomi vs Asus

We have smartphones that can achieve anything on the go. They’ve freed us from the need to carry around a map, dictionary, camera and basically a full-blown PC. But the thing that has continued to haunt these devices is their battery handicap.

As soon as the battery sign hits the dreaded red colour, its time to cut all operations. And sadly, for most of us this happens midway, through the day. The only upside to this miserable tale is that it has given birth to a whole new industry. Meet the power banks. Nearly all major companies have launched their own portable packs that help our smartphones survive a whole day and more.

Overview

To help you decide which one to pick up, we’re testing the three power banks in the market that are a mix of affordable pricing and consistent performance. The oldest one around, Xiaomi Mi Powerbank is priced at Rs. 999, weighs 250g and provides 10,400mAh of battery. Next in line is the Asus ZenPower which is available for Rs. 1,599, weighs 215g and provides 10,050mAh of power. The fairly recent arrival in India is the OnePlus powerbank which is priced at Rs. 1,399, weighs 222g and comes with 10,000mAh of power.

We pit them against each other in terms of design, size, durability and most importantly, power.

Xiaomi Mi Powerbank

Starting off with the oldest, we tested out the 10,400mAh version for you, though it is available in 5,000 mAh and 16,000 variants as well. When it comes to design, the Mi power bank has a textured anodized aluminum casing that covers the entire battery and has a smooth metallic finish. As with some of the other Xiaomi products, this one also looks like it has followed Apple’s strict visual guidelines.

The credit card-sized devise easily fits in your hand (and your pocket). It is claimed to be water and corrosion resistant. The surface is a bit slippery but that can be easily addressed by using the rubber case provided with it. The LED indicators for battery level especially stand out against the unadorned surface. Though it’s slightly on the heavy side, about 250 grams, but it’s the one which comes with maximum capacity. This factor alone will keep the user from complaining about the extra weight.

The Mi Powerbank turns on automatically when a device is plugged in for charging. To check how much battery is left on the device, all you need to do is press the power button once and the LED indicator displays how much battery remains.

According to our performance tests the battery pack took over 5.5 hrs to charge with 5V/2A plug and standard cable, meanwhile it took 12 hrs with 5V/1A plug and standard cable. Once it was fully charged, it was capable of charging the iPhone 6 Plus (2915mAh battery) three times.

OnePlus Power Bank

The OnePlus Power Bank is available in both Sandstone Black and Silk White with a capacity of 10,000mAh. The company claims that it easily slips into your pocket and can fully charge your OnePlus, thrice. The major advantage of this one over the others is the fact that it comes with two USB ports so that you can charge two devices at once. Unfortunately, the device cannot be charged and plugged into another device at the same time; the two actions need to be done separately.

Design-wise, we checked out the white model and it looks extremely stylish. It resembles a small notebook, and the matte white casing feels good to touch. The fact that it is slimmer than the rest on this list may be appreciated by some but it’s too large to comfortably carry around in your pocket. Since portability is the biggest criterion when picking up a power pack, this point is important to note. This powerbank is wide and tall, so if you’re used to lugging around a backpack or bag then this shouldn’t affect your decision to purchase the OnePlus powerbank. The simplistic design skips out on the power button, however the LED battery indicators can be lit up by shaking the power bank.

According to our performance tests, the device takes 6 hours to charge fully with a 5V/2A plug and a standard cable, meanwhile it took 13 hrs with a 5V/1A plug and a standard cable. After which, it is capable of charging the iPhone 6 Plus (2915mAh battery) thrice.

Asus ZenPower

Design-wise, read the Xiaomi section, because the two are nearly identical. The only exception being that the Asus ZenPower is smaller and lighter. It features the same aluminium finish, rounded corners and hosts only one device at a time. It comes with LED indicators and a power switch, which function in the same fashion as the Xiaomi power bank. It is accompanied by a rubberised cover, which helps protect the device against scratches. Asus gets another brownie point for launching the powerbank in multiple colours – the black colour variant looks especially attractive.

According to our performance tests, the Asus ZenPower takes 4.5 hours to charge fully with a 5V/2A plug and a standard cable, meanwhile it took 12 hrs with a 5V/1A plug and a standard cable. After which, it is capable of charging the iPhone 6 Plus (2915mAh battery) 3-4 times. The ZenPower demonstrates that it has the capacity to fuel devices slightly more than the OnePlus and the Xiaomi charger.

Conclusion

With the three devices, there were zero complaints in terms of functionality and the workings. They all feature LED indicators, are heavily protected and provide your devices battery when they need it the most.

However, having used the three power banks interchangeably over the past few months, we can easily say that we’d pick the Asus ZenPower over the other two. While it may be the most expensive of the three, it is also the lightest one. Since a battery pack is an extra device that you need to carry around – the portability of the device matters the most. The OnePlus one is too wide to carry around easily, and the Xiaomi powerbank feels heavy.

Arguably, if you don’t want to spend the extra Rs. 500 on a battery pack then go for the Xiaomi – it makes for a good second option. The only major advantage the OnePlus carries is the fact that you can charge two devices at once. If you’re used to carrying around multiple handsets, then this one is for you.

Power bank	OnePlus Power Bank	Xiaomi Mi Power Bank	Asus ZenPower
Colour variants	Sandstorm Black or Silk White	Silver or Gold	Black, Blue, Gold, Silver, Pink
Battery type	Lithium-polymer	Lithium-ion	Lithium-ion
Capacity	10,000 mAh	10,400 mAh	10,050 mAh
Charging Time	6 hrs with 5V/2A plug and standard cable, 10 hrs with 5V/1A plug and standard cable	5.5 hrs with 5V/2A plug and standard cable12 hrs with 5V/1A plug and standard cable	4.5 hrs with 5V/2A plug and standard cable, 10 hrs with 5V/1A plug and standard cable
Dimensions	142.8 × 72.6 × 16.2 mm	90.5 x 77 x 21.6mm	90.5 x 59 x 22 mm
Weight	220g	250g	215g
Price	Rs. 1,399	Rs. 999	Rs. 1,696

August 2, 2015

Unboxing and Hands On: Micromax Canvas Xpress 2

Starting the week right is Micromax’s launch of its ultra budget smartphone. Meet the Canvas Xpress 2 – it comes with a 13MP camera, a 5-inch HD display, 1GB RAM and is only priced at Rs. 5,999.

Chinese companies have spoilt Indian buyers by offering high-end specs at affordable prices and Indian companies are trying hard to keep up. This is Micromax’s attempt.

You’d expect that such a smartphone would be a product of the company’s subsidiary Yu Televentures. But Micromax decided to swoop in and bring out its own budget offering.

In the box, along with the smartphone, we get a pair of earphones, a data cable, a power adapter, a screen guard and standard documentation.

Coming to the smartphone itself, this one is quite a looker. The smartphone comes with a gold rim, which is subtle and stylish. It also has a smooth matte black back, so there isn’t a need to worry about fingerprints. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which takes away the worry of careless scratches. The gold and black exteriors complement each other well and moreover give the phone a premium feel. The design of the device also seems sturdy.

Meanwhile, under the hood, the Xpress 2 comes with an octa core, MediaTek6592 chipset clocked at 1.4 GHz. It comes coupled with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone offers 8GB internal storage, which is expandale to 32GB. Micromax has provided a 2500Ah Battery to fuel the device.

The company claims they’re extremely proud of the smartphone’s camera prowess. The Canvas Xpress 2 comes with a 13MP rear camera, with a Dual LED Flash and f/ 2.0 lens, which promises to produce clear pictures in low-light settings.

The device comes with Android KitKat 4.4.2 out of the box, which is upgradable to Lollipop. The user interface is mostly generic, with a little or no changes from Micromax. The overall experience of the UI is incredibly smooth. One of the useful features about it is that a quick swipe to the left opens up the newsfeed; which is an easy way to keep up with current events. The standard three buttons at the bottom of the screen are touch-capacitive.

The smartphone is again, available online-only, and will exclusively go on sale via Flipkart via the infamous flash sale model. Registrations begin today, i.e 27th July and the first sale is scheduled on the 4th of August. The company also is offering an exclusive deal in collaboration with Vodafone.

Watch out Unboxing and Hands On review here:

To know what we think of the device, wait for our full review.

July 27, 2015
Major Leak : Lava’s Android One Device, the Pixel V1

We have an exciting week ahead of us. In the next few days we’re officially going to see the arrival of OnePlus 2, Moto G (Gen 3) and an ultra budget smartphone by Micromax. Kicking off the week, however, is the new Android One phone, on the block.

We now have information that at noon today, Lava will unveil the Pixel V1. The smartphone is said to arrive with a 5.5-inch 720p display and powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor.

To take care of the camera needs, will be a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP secondary camera. The device will come with 32GB of storage space and is expected to be priced between Rs. 10-12K.

Other than that, reports online also mention the presence of a 2,650mAh battery, and the use of Android 5.1.1 – which is expected as it is an Android One device.

The Android One initiative, which was announced at Google I/O last year, is Google’s direct link to the lower-end consumers. The biggest issue with the Android platform is high levels of fragmentation, devices running older versions of the OS are still available for sale in the market. With the lessons learnt by this initiative, the Android team may be able to provide a better integration of its OS across devices.

In the past we haven’t seen worthy devices by this initiative, however it looks like the Lava Pixel V1 may arrive to change that perception.

Thanks, anonymous insider.

July 27, 2015
Top 5 Ways to Score a OnePlus 2 Invite

With the OnePlus 2 launch yesterday, we decided to tackle the company’s dreaded invite system. Although OnePlus claims that they have a new and improved plan charted out for the upcoming smartphone, we have our doubts. Trying to get an invite for anything is serious business, especially when you’re talking about one of the most anticipated devices of 2015.

Today we discuss how to make sure you get your hands on the coveted red card, without too much hassle.

Reserve Your Phone

Starting off with the easiest. The company recently announced that they’re going to start a separate list for interested buyers. All you need to do is – log in, enter your email ID and hopefully you’ll receive an invite soon after.

Click here to register now.

Pair up

Same as with their previous flagship, anyone who manages to get a OnePlus 2 will also receive an invite that can be shared with friends or family. These invites are valid typically up to 1-2 weeks from purchase.

So, make sure you pair up with a friend. Chances are one of you is bound to score an invite. OnePlus promises that unlike last time, the sharable invite will arrive sooner (than later).

Get Your Social Media Guns Out

The company is sure to run contests on their social media pages. To follow OnePlus on Twitter click here, here for Facebook and here for Instagram. Make it a habit to frequent their accounts and take part in any giveaways that come your way.

Use The Forum Advantage

On a recent blog post by OnePlus, the company admitted that they would be favouring forum members when sending out invites. Users who join the OnePlus One forum can either win an invite via an engagement, event or contest, or through the official registration list. Consider signing up now.

Giveaways Etc

Since the Chinese company is now exclusively launching the OnePlus with Amazon India, you should track the e-commerce website for ongoing contests. Also, you can expect a giveaway here on iGyaan as well.

Living in a day and age where there is a new phone being launched every other day, this was one of the rare products we’re genuinely excited about.

Watch the hands on video with the OnePlus 2 right here:

[tw-toggle title=”Here’s Why OnePlus Insists on Using the Invite System”]
Ever wonder why OnePlus follows the annoying invite system? It’s actually one of the smartest business moves by the company. It is there to ensure that their company takes strong and steady steps forward. Thanks to the system, they only manufacture enough inventory as the demand. While at times the demand may be higher than the supply, their supply will never overpower the demand. They said it was their solution to managing risks. And for such a young company, that is one of the most important things they need to think about.
[/tw-toggle]

July 26, 2015
Yu Yubic Portable Bluetooth Speaker | Unboxing and Hands On

Today Yu Televentures announces its bluetooth speakers, Yu Yubic, priced at Rs. 999. The device comes in a portable, cubical shape with minimal functions (which serve the purpose). The device comes with a pouch and a USB cable.

The Yu Yubic may not be the cheapest Bluetooth speaker available in the market, but by keeping the price tag at Rs. 999, YU may tap into the market segment dominated by the likes of JBL and Beats by Dre.

Watch the unboxing and hands on of the Yubic here:

July 20, 2015
One Good Reason Why No One Should Buy Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at Launch

Last year, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note 4 Edge at IFA Berlin. It was the first time the company had incorporated the ‘Edge’ on a smartphone. And unlike smartphone innovations, which are usually leaked weeks before their official launch, the company managed to keep this one a secret till the day it was slated to arrive.

We have to admit, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a beautifully designed gadget. It breaks away from the monotonous slab-like look and stands out in the overcrowded smartphone market. Now, in 2015, it’s time for Samsung to bring out its updated version. We’ve already heard several rumours about the Galaxy Note 5. We know that it might feature a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display with curves on both the edges, it might carry an upgraded version of Samsung’s Exynos 7422 and be powered by a mammoth 4100mAh battery. A latest report also suggested that the Note 4 successor will sport a USB 3.1 Type-C port, which we recently saw incorporated in Apple’s Macbook. Overall, the Note 5 sounds like it’s going to be a superb package.

Now if you’re wondering why we’d recommend you steer clear of purchasing Samsung’s upcoming handset at launch, then here’s the reason: Just like the company has a history of delivering solid flagships, it also has a habit of reducing the price of the smartphone, soon after launch.

We’ve noticed the pattern over the past few years. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S5, which was launched in India in April 2014 with a price tag of Rs. 51,500 ($802 approx), dramatically dropped its price and was available for Rs. 40,600 ($632 approx), within a month. A more recent example would be the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge at Launch

Both are impressive Android smartphones. At the time of launch in India, the 32GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S6 was available for Rs. 49,900 ($777approx.) Today, three months after launch, you can buy the smartphone for as low as Rs. 39,480 ($615 approx.)

All smartphone companies are known to reduce the price of their smartphones. Recently we saw the same for OnePlus, Motorola, and even Apple. However, the companies wait till they’re ready to bring out their refreshed models, before putting their offerings on sale.

The buyers who end up picking up the Samsung smartphones the same month as the launch, feel cheated about having spent a larger sum than anybody else. Instead of waiting to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at launch, we’d recommend you go for the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge. Since they’ve arrived recently, they’re sure to come with top-notch specs and updated features. It would be a much safer bet, than to go for the Note 5.

 

June 15, 2015
OnePlus 2 is (Almost) Here

We all agree that it’s about time OnePlus brings out its next flagship. And the OnePlus One, which released a year ago in June, needs to take a back seat.

We have an inkling that the Chinese-based tech company agrees with us as well. We know this because, yesterday, the company began promoting its next flagship.

OnePlus released a teaser for a contest on its Instagram account. The winner of which gets a chance to be one of the first to experience the OnePlus 2, at the company’s headquarter. This includes an all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong. The company also promised that the winner gets to play an important role in a secret project they have planned for the OnePlus 2 launch. You can click here, if you wish to participate.

Another thing to point out – with this, OnePlus also confirmed the name of their next smartphone as OnePlus 2 (barely a surprise.)

Share your photos for #PhotoMania2015 and you could be one of the first to try the #OP2! http://bit.ly/OP2pm

A photo posted by OnePlus (@oneplustech) on Jun 9, 2015 at 5:40am PDT

A few days ago, the company also announced that they will be permanently dropping the price of the One; a clear indication that they’re clearing stock to make room for the next iteration. The price of the One now starts at $249 (Rs. 15,899 approx) in the US and in select European countries. However the price of the handset has not reduced for India as of yet, it still remains Rs. 18,998 (16GB) and Rs. 21,998 (64GB.) However, if you’re a potential OnePlus One customer, we’d advise you hold off adding it to your Amazon cart just yet.

Based on everything we’ve heard about the OnePlus Two till now, it seems to be a solid step up. The much-awaited device is expected to make a debut in the third quarter of this year. India will be one of the first countries to see the launch of the next probable flagship killer.

If you’d like more information about the upcoming smartphone, click here.

June 10, 2015
Coolpad’s Dazen 1 Adds Heat to the Flash Sale Fever

It all started last year in July when Xiaomi entered the Indian market with a bang. Our country was happily surprised when the Chinese tech company decided to launch the Mi 3, priced at a mere Rs. 13,999. It was the first time, potential Indian buyers were asked to pre-register and patiently wait at a particular time and e-commerce website, to try and buy a smartphone. Flash sales by Xiaomi caused such an uproar that even Flipkart was unable to cope with the traffic. Xiaomi brought the smartphone in small stocks, which only helped increase the enthusiasm of the Indian market to get their hands on the device.

This wildly successful (and frustrating) practice has since been adopted by Asus, Yu, Honor, Micromax and many more companies. The latest one to join in the flash sale madness is Coolpad.

Chinese manufacturer Coolpad had announced that it will be bringing in the Dazen 1, a week back, and it went on sale today at 12pm on Snapdeal. The company claimed that the smartphone had already received over 1 lakh registrations since the window opened.

Keeping up with the trend, this smartphone also comes with high specs at a low price. As a direct competition to Xiaomi Redmi 2, Yu Yuphoria and Moto E Gen 2, the Dazen 1 has been priced at a mere Rs. 6,999.

Specs-wise, the smartphone stocks a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with 2GB of RAM along with 8GB of built –in storage, which is expandable upto 32GB via a microSD card. The LTE capable phone comes with a 8MP rear camera, and a 5MP front camera. The Dazen 1 is powered by a 2,500mAh battery.

While there were 1 lakh people eagerly waiting to add a device in their digital cart, the company put out only 10,000 pieces on sale. We wish these companies soon realise that week after week, impressing an audience with the news that their “stock was sold out in seconds” will get old. While it may create a temporary hype, potential buyers would rather go for a device which wasn’t using an old marketing gimmick to persuade them.

June 9, 2015
Apple Music Rivals Are Not Impressed

At the Worldwide Developers Conference last night, Apple introduced to the world its new music streaming service. Over the past few months, we’d heard multiple rumours that this service was in the works, and last evening, Apple finally threw the covers off.

There’s a lot going on with this service. You can use Apple Music to stream songs, listen the Beats 1 radio, watch music videos, follow your favourite artists. The company claims that they’ve managed to combine the best ways of consuming music, into one consolidated app. While this all sounds super, our first reaction to the Apple Music was, how is this going to affect its competitors?

Just like us, Apple Music rivals not only followed the event minute-by-minute, but also decided to comment on it.

Daniel Ek, CEO and Founder of one of the successful music service, Spotify, was the first to publicly snark Apple music. He tweeted a sardonic ‘Oh ok.’

The tweet was deleted minutes later, but the damage was done.

Rdio, an online music and radio streaming service, perhaps gave the most brutal response to Apple. They copied Apple’s old advertisement from 1981, and welcomed Apple to the party as a latecomer. The original Apple ad was released two weeks after the debut of IBM PC back in 1981 by Apple, in a way to ‘welcome’ IBM into the PC marketplace.

Welcome, Apple. Seriously. #applemusic pic.twitter.com/AnoeKZ5ZIa

— Rdio (@Rdio) June 8, 2015

Slacker Radio also sent out a similar message in a less hostile way, tweeting that Apple is too late for the race.

Great radio = artists + DJs + curation. Welcome to the party, @AppleMusic: http://t.co/LihSRb09kV #WWDC15 @Beats1 pic.twitter.com/4qmvfYuhKl — Slacker Radio (@SlackerRadio) June 8, 2015

Finally, 8tracks responded to an Apple critic.

HA, true…but we don’t need one celebrity DJ when we have millions of people like you making beautiful playlists. ???? https://t.co/IfyigzmEfq

— 8tracks (@8tracks) June 8, 2015

While it’s easy to conclude that Apple Music may not be the “revolutionary” service the company claims it is. The music service has, however, managed to consolidate various forms of music consumption into one single widget on our phones. Not only that, it will be available for Android and Windows, later this year.

With the absence of services like Spotify in India, we’re quite excited to find out if Apple Music will arrive in our country.

June 9, 2015