iPhone 7 is still a year away, but that has not stopped the rumour mill working day and night to bring you every little piece of speculated news. Earlier, there were rumours that the upcoming flagship device from Apple will lose the home button. Now, we have fresh rumours regarding the screen of the iPhone 7.
According to AppleInsider, the iPhone 7 will sport an OLED display thereby giving up on LCD display that it has relied on so far. Apple followers will know that the Apple watch is the only Apple device to sport an OLED display currently. In 2013, Tim Cook has expressed his distaste for the OLED displays calling them “awful” when it came to colour saturation.
However, it looks like Tim Cook may have changed his opinion now. One reason behind this change could be that OLED displays have improved considerably since they were first introduced. OLED offers a deeper black and can do without a backlight, which means that devices can be slimmed down. It is clear that Apple will look to make it’s upcoming flagship sleeker, slimmer, and perhaps wider than its predecessors, and an OLED display will certainly help with that.
Concept
As of now, LG has been supplying Apple with OLED displays for the Apple Watch and will probably do so for the upcoming iPhone as well. Meanwhile, Samsung is also trying to become a supplier for Apple’s wearable device and reports suggest the Korean manufacturer also wants to supply displays for the iPhone 7 and has already shown some sample OLED display panels for Apple to consider.
Samsung’s OLED displays have been praised over the past few year while Apple’s displays have been wanting. Switching from LCD to OLED will undoubtedly give users a better visual experience with the iPhone 7. Apple has yet to confirm the reports. A concept video of the iPhone 7 was posted by FreeMind. The actual device may be far from it, but the concept does look good. Follow this space for all the latest news on the iPhone 7.
Micromax today launched a new smartphone, called Canvas Mega, that is priced at Rs. 8,320. The phone is available online and offline at select retailers. Micromax and Intex have been at loggerheads to claim the second top spot in the Indian market.
The Canvas Mega sports a 5.5-inch display with HD resolution. It is powered by a 1.4GHz MediaTek octa-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB interns storage expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD card slot.
Other features of the Canvas Mega include a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP front, a 2,820mAh battery, and dual SIM. It also comes with the usual connectivity features that include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Micro USB 2.0 port. For a phone below Rs. 9000 the Canvas Mega isn’t the greatest device in the block.
The Coolpad Note 3, for example, is one f the better phones under Rs. 9000. It offers 3GB of RAM and 3,000mAh battery. The front and back cameras are similar to the Canvas Mega, but supposedly capture better photos.
Diwali is nearing and the shopping spirit is in the air. So those looking for a phone below the Rs. 9,000 range can add Micromax’s Canvas Mega to the list. The phone is listed on Flipkart currently with no information regarding the official launch.
Xiaomi is reportedly working on a ‘Pro’ version of its recently release Redmi Note 2. A few days ago some leaked images of the upcoming device revealed a sleek, all-metal body as well as a fingerprint scanner. A new leaked image straight from China shows a clearer view of the metal back.
As rightly suggested, the Redmi Note Pro will have a metal body and it will be the first Xiaomi device to feature a fingerprint scanner. The sensor will be just below the the camera and LED flash on the back. You will also notice a speaker at the bottom while the power and volume buttons will be on the right side.
In terms of hardware specs, this model is expected to come with the same specs as seen in the Redmi Note 2. The Redmi Note 2 Pro will likely sport a 5.5-inch touchscreen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 chipset, and at least 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage with a 3,060mAh battery. On the camera front, the device will likely feature a 13 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front.
With an all-metal design, the Redmi Note 2 Pro can be expected with a price slightly higher than the Note 2, but still in the budget friendly zone nevertheless. The Redmi Note 2 has proved exceptionally successful in China due to its $150 price tag, making it one of the bestselling smartphones in the market currently.
Nothing is official as of yet so the leaks and rumours should not be considered the final word on the Xiaomi device Watch this space for more Note 2 Pro updates.
HTC recently launched the One A9, but it will be a while before the phone hits the Indian market. In the meantime, you may be interested in the HTC’s Desire 728G that is set to arrive in Indian stores soon.
The news comes from a Mumbai-based retailer that says that the device will be priced at Rs. 17,990. The HTC Desire 728G is a variant of the 728 that was launched in China recently.
The device comes with expected mid-range specs such as a 1.3GHz MediaTek octa-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage expandable up to 2TB via MicroSD card slot.
The handset will also feature a 13 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front camera with 1080p video recording capabilities, a 2,080 mAh battery, and will run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Other connectivity features include dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS.
No further details on the exact date of launch have been revealed yet. Let us know if you’re interested in the Desire 728 or would rather hold out for the One A9 in the comments below.
Samsung’s ‘A’ series continues to grow. Last year, the company released the Galaxy A5 handset and has since seen the launch of the A6, A7 and A8. Latest rumours going around that Samsung is working on an A5 successor. To back this up, a smartphone carrying model number SM-510F has shown up pn GFXBench.
As the listing suggests, the A5-like model will feature Samsung’s Exynos 7 octa-core processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The device will sport a 5.2-inch screen with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution.
Other features include a 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage (11 GB free) expandable via MicroSD card slot, 12 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front. The phone will run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop while connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS.
Samsung unveiled its ‘On’ lineup of budget smartphones last week. The On5 was even briefly listed on Flipkart last week with the name ‘Samsung Galaxy On5 G550’ without any mention of the price. Last night, Samsung India sent out a tweet that suggests that the low-range smartphones will see a November 3 launch.
The tweet doesn’t give away much and you can expect Samsung India to make a few more announcements in the days leading up to November 3. The On series phones also promises an ‘exhilarating music experience’, which points out what the devices main attraction is going to be, apart from it’s price tag.
For those unaware, the Galaxy On5 and On7 are equipped with a 1.3 GHz 32-bit quad-core Samsung Exynos 3475 processor paired with a Mali-T720 MP1 GPU and 1.5 GB of RAM. The phones come with a low 8 GB internal storage, but are expandable up to 128 GB via MicroSD slot.
Furthermore, the On7 and On5 feature 5.5-inch and 5.0-inch Super AMOLED display, respectively. Another point of difference between them is the camera. The Galaxy On5 has an 8-megapixel rear camera while the On7 houses a 13-megapixel sensor rear, and they both sport a 5-megapixel front. Meanwhile, the On7 has a bigger 3000mAh battery compared to On5’s 2,600mAh.
The expected prices of the On5 and On7 stand at $150 (approx. Rs. 10,000) and $200 (approx. Rs. 13,000), respectively. You can expect the Indian pricing to be made official in the next few days. Follow this space for more on the On series launch.
Fear of public speaking, inabilty to communicate face-to-face, the need to stay in the background and establish relationships from a distance, and fear of being judged that leads to insecurities and self-doubt -these are but some of the signs of social anxiety, and many people around the world suffer from it.
The advent of the internet and social networking sites was supposed to bring people around the world closer. It was supposed to let people socialize even more than they normally do. Meeting friends and family from time to time on specific occasions were now not the only ways for people to connect.
Internet has changed the way people interact with one another.But how does it affect those who are unable to socialize? Is the internet, and social media in particular, helping or harming the socially challenged? While many studies have suggested that social media has led to more social anxiety among teens and elderly folks, the picture isn’t as cut and dry as that.
Anonymity Through Social Media
Socially anxious people shun society and crave solitude. But that doesn’t mean they don’t seek company or contact with others. So if there is a medium to provide that contact without a physical presence, how can it be a bad thing. Granted, therapists and loved ones will suggest that one should be more open, explore and step out of the fear of establishing contact, but actually doing it is never easy.
It was generally believed that the internet would be specially useful for those who struggle with social anxiety. There was a sense of anonymity while using a social networking site and people could explore and connect with more ease without the fear of revealing too much. Even today, a public forum like Reddit lets you post questions and opinions on literally anything while staying anonymous. This makes it easy for people to connect who would otherwise be embarrassed and would fear being judged.
A False Sense of Society, But a Society Nevertheless
Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram also provide a way to be out there. What’s changed is that these sites don’t let you stay anonymous. These sites have become more personal now. A person struggling with social anxiety might spend 30 minutes making sure his Facebook post is perfect so as to not to invite judgement. While looking at pictures on Facebook or Instagram, you may think that people around are having more fun than you. These insecurities do exist, but it doesn’t overshadow other areas that actually improve, namely, relationships.
Here’s the thing about sites like Facebook – It can help socially anxious people but not always in the right way. Having over 300 friends can make a person feel good despite the fact that one never talks to 299 of them. This false sense of having a lot of friends can be therapeutic, according to some people. However, there is a flip side to this. Having a lot of friends can also cause some people to feel lonely because you end up sacrificing conversation for connection.
Social Media Lets You Present a Different Self
A number of studies have explored how social media stimulate sharing and relationship-building among their users. Researchers have also found that the perceived usefulness of a platform positively influences the adoption and spread of said technology by users (Hsieh, Hsieh, & Feng, 2011). In case of social networks, such as Facebook, the illusion of building and maintaining relationships with people is more important than their actual effectiveness.
Studies have also suggested that chatting online might allow people with social phobia the ability to practice social skills in a non-threatening setting that they could then use in face-to-face social situations. In a face-to-face setting, conversations happen in real time and you can’t control what you’re saying. But texting, email and posting is done through a virtual sphere where people have more time to carefully think about what they want to say.
The positives and negatives are vast and there is no clear proof of whether social media aids the socially anxious or harms them. The answer will vary from person to person and the discourse will continue as long as social media is an intrinsic part of our lives.
Trust our species to think ahead. 4G has yet to establish itself firmly around the world and now news has reached our ears that plans on 5G mobile network is very much on. The UN said on Thursday that member countries have approved the roadmap for the development of the next generation of mobile networking – 5G.
Needless to say, 5G mobile networks will promise lightening-fast downloads and will also help bring driverless cars closer to reality. The future 5G technology will supposedly deliver data speeds up to 1,000 times faster than the current 4G network. Just when you thought such speeds were too farfetched for the present. But a lot can happen in 4 years.
UN’s 193 member countries have approved the plan and are now working on how to harmonise the development of the next-gen networks. Sanjay Acarya, spokesman for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) told AFP that the UN agency is “looking at a 2020 timeframe” for rolling out 5G networks.
Interestingly, many countries have yet to harness the potential of 4G networks. India, too, is far behind in the 4G game. The need is to build infrastructure that can carry mobile signals quickly, consistently, and reliably so as to support split-second activities. Spectrum allocation is the biggest concern and the UN member countries will have to decide how much spectrum can be allocated for this at next month’s World Radiocommunication Conference.
It has been estimated by Boston Consulting Group earlier this year that mobile companies will need to spend $4.0 trillion on research and investments by 2020 to develop 5G.
In a merger that could probably spell disaster for Google, the company is planning to fold its Chrome OS into its Android OS. Why is this a bad thing? Well, the Chromebook with Chrome OS was introduced as a lightweight operating system with limited native apps for low-powered netbooks. It was meant for students who would do most of their networking through the browser.
With this merger, Google has basically stated that the Chromebook is opening the gates for a horde of Android apps. This will not only leave the Chromebook more cluttered, but could also invite potential security concerns.
Samsung Chromebook
The news is not unexpected, though. Plans for a Chrome and Android merger have been on the cards since 2013. In the past few years, Google has been getting Android apps to run on Chrome, and back in 2009, Google co-founder Sergey Brin himself said that Chrome OS and Android would “likely converge over time”.
The end result of this merger will be an all encompassing OS for both mobile devices and notebooks. Again, net security is the primary concern for people after this merger news. While Chrome OS has been relatively malware-free due to its minimalism, Android apps have been riddles with vulnerabilities. As expected, users took to Twitter to express their disappointment at Google’s latest move.
Most experts I know have deep respect for the security in Google’s Chrome OS. None have respect for Android. Sad that Android won vs Chrome.
Netflix, the internet media streaming service, is planning to widen its reach by entering into the Middle East. The service is looking to target a population of 370 million, which includes a young, media hungry demographic.
John Evers, vice president and head of communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Netflix, confirmed plans of expansion by the end of next year. “We plan to complete our global expansion by the end of 2016. Of course the Middle East is part of that, hence our hiring,” he told the IGN Middle East gaming news website.
Starz, IcFlix, Telly and OSN Play are some OTT subscription services that already exist in the Middle East and have received a fair bit of subscribers already, which suggest that the market is ready for the big one.
Icflix was launched in 2013 and reportedly has 250,000 subscribers across the Middle East and North Africa, which include Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. The streaming service offers Hollywood, Bollywood, and Arab content which include Egyptian productions as well.
Meanwhile, Netflix currently caters to over 69 million subscribers in more than 50 countries. Netflix is on a global expansion mode and is expected to cross 100 million subscribers in 2018. India is yet to receive the service, and we may just hear something on that front soon enough given that India has a a huge number of OTT subscribers as well.
We had earlier reported that OnePlus’ latest smartphone will be launched in India on the 29th of October. The company has indeed lifted the veils off the OnePlus X today. This is the third entry in the company’s lineup and it falls under a whole new category for OnePlus – not exactly a mid-range device but also not a ‘flagship killer’.
The OnePlus X was touted as a smaller version of the OnePlus 2. Recent leaked images also suggested that the company was not going with the OnePlus 2 design for the X, which made sense given the poor response towards the OnePlus 2’s look.
The phone was launched today in New Delhi. The GM of OnePlus India, Vikas Agarwal, said that the OnePlus X is made for a design conscious user and brings a feeling of high quality. The company has introduced for the first time a glass-ceramic variant for the phone. The OnePlus X onyx will come with a black glass plate and round edges while the OnePlus ceramic comes with angled edges that will reflect light. The ceramic variant is limited edition with only 10,000 units available.
The specs of the phone keep with past rumours. The OnePlus X sports a 5-inch AMOLED display (1920×1080), with a primary camera of 13 MP and a 8 MP front. The device runs on a 2.1 GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset. It features a 3 GB RAM with 16 GB internal storage and is expandable up to 128 via MicroSD card slot. The phone includes an alert slider, like the one found on OnePlus 2. The OnePlus X weighs around 138 gm for the onyx variant and a heavier 160 gm for the ceramic variant.
As expected, the OnePlus X is available through invite only. The handset comes at a very affordable price tag of Rs. 16,999 for the onyx variant and Rs. 24,999 for the limited edition ceramic body. The price is great for a phone that aesthetically looks high-end but isn’t. The device will be sold exclusively on Amazon from the 5th of November. Have a look at the spec table below.
Specification
OnePlus X
Display
5-inch full HD AMOLED screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
When Apple launched the first iPod 14 years ago on October 23, 2001, very few imagined the impact it would create in the way we consume music. For all the hate Apple receives today by dedicated groups out there, even they would have to agree that back then when Apple said it would come out with something revolutionary, it meant it.
The iPod was perhaps one of the best inventions of the 21st century. The device literally changed the way we listen to music and single-handedly dethroned the traditional Walkman and CD player. 13 years later, on September 9, 2014, Apple quietly decided to kill the classic iPod.
The sixth generation 160GB iPod Classic was the last Apple product in the iPod line to use the original 30-pin iPod connector and the Click Wheel. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the iPod Classic was discontinued because the parts were unavailable and a redesign was unwarranted given the small amount of consumer interest in the product.
Blame it on a generation that was moving towards all things touchscreen, the iPod Classic indeed was seeing low demand. But that doesn’t diminish the fact the Apple had made a serious dent in technology and the music world with the iPod Classic.
Walkman of the 21st Century
The idea behind the invention of the iPod was to create a portable music device that was not “big and clunky or small and useless”. One of the reasons Apple is what it is today is because its founder, Steve Jobs, was bent upon making technology sleek and beautiful. This is what they wanted to with the music player. Successive generations of the iPod Classic saw not only a sleeker, beautifully crafted device but also having a sturdy construction and a massive storage capacity to the pleasure of music lovers.
The Feel of the Iconic Wheel
iPod (3rd Gen)
One of the main reasons the iPod Classic was so successful was because of its simplicity. The device had a decent sized screen and a Touch Wheel that was replaced with a Click Wheel with the 3-gen iPod. The wheel made using the iPod ridiculously easy. A scroll from left to right or right to left let you navigate through thousands of songs and artists in your collection. There was also a center select button, and four auxiliary buttons around the wheel. And that’s really all one needed.
The wheel added that extra bit of flair that came with the device’s sturdy yet sleek design. Navigating through your library was simply too easy. One could even do it without lifting one’s thumb. In all honesty, touchscreens may be the present technology, but even that can’t compete with the wheel’s functionality. Music needed a device that made listeners feel the music; that made them want to listen to music all day. That kind of feel of a personal music player died with the iPod Classic.
A Hundred Albums, A Thousand Songs
It started off with a 5 GB storage and went up to 160 GB by the sixth-gen model. But even an iPod with 30 GB or 60 GB storage was enough for music lovers. The point is that Apple provided a device that had a massive storage for users to keep their entire collection of music all in one place. Spotify and Apple Music is useful in certain circumstances, but you can never get the feeling of owning your own music with them. For years Vinyl collectors bemoaned the emergence of MP3 players as it meant you couldn’t own a physical object. Now music streaming has literally killed the idea of owning music.
iPod (6th Gen)
The iPod Classic let you access hundreds of albums and thousands of songs in a single device. The Guardian‘s Will Dunn lamented the demise of the iPod: “There’s still a huge affection for the iPod Classic and it’s not hard to see why – Spotify might offer 20 million songs, but 120GB of music is more than most people need, and your iTunes library doesn’t carry data charges or a subscription fee. Also, I think the Classic is a more distraction-free listening experience – I’m more likely to get through a full album on one.”
A Pure Music Experience
Today, one is surrounded by the latest in technology. You probably have a phone with 32 GB space or higher. And yes, you do have songs in them too. But they’re still devices that are used primarily for other purposes and can never provide one with the same feel as a dedicated music player. Another point one should remember about the iPod was the massive battery life. You could go through a week of music on a single charge.
Do we really have a device today that looks and feels like a music player? Even the iPod Touch models don’t really look the part. If you go on Amazon or Flipkart today and type in music players, you’ll be surprised to see that there is not one good music-dedicated device that would take your fancy.
People Still Want a Portable Music Player
It’s true. Technology may have changed, but people haven’t. The need for a small, portable music player still exists in the world. Don’t believe us? Well, when Apple decided to call it a day with the iPod Classic, a lot of people rushed to Apple retailers to buy the last of the remaining stock. The sales of the iPods (what was left of them) suddenly saw a rise and even saw some of them being sold for four times the actual value.
What one can take away from this is that the news reminded people just how important the music player was. until a few years ago, before streaming become the new thing, music was something that people loved to ‘own’. Steve Jobs was against the idea of music streaming and he pretty much summed up what music meant to him as well as to many others:
“These services treat you like a criminal. And they are subscription-based and we think subscriptions are the wrong path. One of the reasons we think this is because people bought their music for as long as we can remember. When you own your music it never goes away. When you own your music you have a broad set of personal use rights – you can listen to it however you want.”
Maybe instead of discontinuing the iPod Classic, Apple could have thought of ways to refashion it, adding present-day technology while still keeping the ‘Classic’ look and feel. It probably would have been worth a try. Maybe some day a company might come along and bring back the love for music the way Apple did.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in Delhi today and hosted a Townhall Q&A at the Indian Institute of Technology to a crowd of around 900 students. The visit was posted by Zuckerberg early this month on his Facebook page.
Zuckerberg had posted that he was eager to meet and hear directly from one of Facebook’s “most active and engaged communities.” India has the second largest user base of Facebook with over 130 million active users.
The Townhall Q&A started at 12 pm. Zuckerberg took the stage amidst a round of applause by the crowd. He expressed the importance of the Townhall Q&A in helping the social media site work better for every country.
Why India?
The questions began soon enough. The first question posed was regarding Zuckerberg’s interest in India. The Facebook CEO answered by saying that India still has a billion people who don’t have internet accessibility. One of his major interests is to bring basic internet access to as many people as possible, if not all. Zuckerberg is especially interested in bringing internet connectivity to rural areas. “We want to get the next billion people online,” said Zuckerberg.
“India is the largest democracy. It is one of the countries where you cannot connect the world without connecting India.”
Three Key Issues: Availability, Affordability and Awareness
A followup to the previous question was how Facebook plans on bringing internet to the rest of India. Naturally, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned Internet.org. He posed stats saying that the internet growth rate in India has doubled through Internet.org. Availability, affordability and awareness are three key areas that need to be addressed in order to bring internet.
Solar-powered planes that beam down connectivity, apps that use less data, Free Basics that provide basic information and communication tools not only provide free internet but also raise awareness of what can be found on the internet, are some of the ways the company plans on tackling the three issues.
“Internet.org and Facebook support Net Neutrality a hundred percent.”
Death to Candy Crush Invites
The top voted issue, that wasn’t exactly a surprise if you’ve been following Mark Zuckerberg’s post, was how to avoid getting Candy Crush invites. Based on the sheer number of votes, the question deserved to be asked. However, the answer did not help concerned and annoyed citizens. Zuckerberg stated that the company is working on getting rid of the problem. “I told my developers that can we have a solution to this problem (Candy Crush requests on Facebook) by the time I do my Q/A… So we are doing it now.”
Facebook VR and Artificial Intellegence: A Connected Future
Other questions asked were related to Facebook’s VR technology as well as artificial intelligence. With VR, the company wants to make video experience on Facebook more real than ever. And with AI, Facebook wants to make content more accessible for everyone, especially the physically handicapped. So, for example, a person who is blind will be able to understand a picture by having Facebook’s AI describe the picture.
There were some lighthearted moments during the Q&A where Zuckerberg was asked what he would do if he had superpowers given by aliens. Zuckerberg answered by talking about the VR headset that is very much like having superpowers, or at least will be in 10 years time. “Through technology, you can pretty much have abilities similar to super powers.”
Towards he end of the Q&A, Zuckerberg spoke about startups and the importance of knowing what you want to do rather than going in with little or no knowledge.
“None of the people who built big companies thought that they would be as big as they ended up being… So my advice is focus on what you care about and not the decision to start a company”
We’ve been hearing about it for a while now. BlackBerry will soon be out with the BlackBerry Priv and we will know if the company’s Android-powered gamble has paid off or not. Over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of rumours and leaks about the device that have revealed everything there is to it.
But now that we know what to expect, let’s see whether BlackBerry can bounce back with the Priv or not. Let’s have a look at what’s going for the Priv and what isn’t.
The Good
The BlackBerry Priv is the company’s last lifeline. BlackBerry is literally going all in with this one, which means that it will do everything it can to make sure the device is everything a BlackBerry fan (if there are any left) hopes for. This is a good thing. This means that the company will look to work on some key areas that were a problem with its previous phones such as having more native apps and freedom to customise.
This is also one of the reasons the Priv is the company’s first Android-powered device. BlackBerry knows that its own OS has been far too restrictive. Furthermore, every mobile brand (except Apple) has either adopted Android or has left the game. So, there really was’t much of an option for BlackBerry.
Let’s talk about the device now. Yes, it’s Android-powered, but it is very much a BlackBerry phone. Privacy and security is of major importance here and that’s what Priv stands for. The handset is a hybrid. It has a full touchscreen as well as a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This means the phone caters to both touchscreen fans as well as keyboard loyalists. And given that very few devices today offer a keyboard, this may just work in BlackBerry’s favour.
The phone looks sleek despite having a slide-out keyboard. It has the traditional BlackBerry feel to it and a bit of nostalgia is always welcome. From the promo of the Priv, the UI and overall functionality looks smooth, but one can’t judge everything from a video clip.
Finally, renders of the handset suggest that the Priv will have a curved display similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Edge series. Sure, BlackBerry is borrowing ideas here, but at least it’s open to trying something different.
The Bad
It has been a few years since BlackBerry has been in the game. In today’s world, a break of 2-3 years can be really bad. You have a number of new players today. Startups like OnePlus have done well to gain a fan base. The competition is fierce, to say the least. Can BlackBerry take them on?
Two years is enough for loyalties to change. No doubt there were and perhaps still are BlackBerry loyalists. But it is also safe to assume that BlackBerry has lost a lot (and we mean a lot) of customers over the years. So the company may not see sales of the Priv take off initially, as was the case with Z10, its previous handset. Sales of the phone will mostly rely on how initial customers take to it and by word of mouth. Yes, it is not easy to convince people to buy your product today. Especially when it comes to a smartphone.
The Ugly
It all boils down to the price, really. And from what we have heard and is pretty much confirmed now, the Priv will come with a not-so-modest price tag of $699. What’s more, the Indian pricing of the device is rumoured to be over Rs. 50,000. Now this is a serious gamble by the company. Many potential buyers were hoping that the Priv will be reasonably priced. Given that this is a comeback phone, one would have expected the company to focus on getting as many units out as possible. But at $699, we’re just not sure how many handsets will make it out of the stores.
The price is especially ridiculous given that there are loads of other phones out there that are cheaper and provide better specs than the Priv. In case you’re wondering, the Priv is said to come with a Snapdragon 808 processor and 3 GB of RAM with 32 GB extendable storage. It features a 5.5 -inch curved display with a 1440×2560 pixel resolution and 537ppi. Finally, the Priv has an 18 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front. Now while the specs of the Priv aren’t bad, it certainly doesn’t deserve a Rs. 50,000 price tag.
But this is just what we feel right now. The phone will be out soon enough and so will the verdict. For now, you can leave your comments below on whether you think BlackBerry has a win with the Priv or not.
Samsung is trying to work its way into every section of your home. With a slew of smartphones, tablets and TVs being offered, the company wants to cater to the kitchen as well. Kitchen tablets are becoming a thing now after the recently launched Alcatel OneTouch Xess and Sony’s two-year-old Tablet Z Kitchen edition. Now Samsung is bringing its own kitchen device with the Galaxy View tablet.
The massive 18.3-inch tablet was first teased at IFA 2015 in September and has now been listed on Andorama with some key specifications. The listing suggests that the tablet sports an 18.4-inch full HD (1080p) display with a density of 120ppi, which means the tablet should not be used at arms length. It is powered by a 1.6GHz 64-bit Carmen2 (Exynos 7580) octa-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. Carmen2 chip is a new moniker and very little is known about it as of now.
Further specs of the Galaxy View include 32 GB internal storage, expandable up to 128 GB via MicroSSD card slot. It also features a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. No word yet on the rear camera. It also features a rather modest 5,700mAh battery capacity, and Samsung promises up to 8.5 hours of video playback.
The tablet comes with the usual connectivity options such as Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, A-GPS and GLONASS, with quad-band 3G and Cat.6 LTE, and a Wi-Fi only option may be available too.
The Galaxy View is Samsung’s answer to what comes in between the Galaxy tablet and Samsung TV. The company has yet to announce a launch date. Pre-orders for the tablet had already begun on Andorama and was priced at $599 until the site took it down for unknown reasons.
