Author: Sanket Vijay

Blackberry CEO Fumbles While Demonstrating the Android-Powered Priv

Blackberry CEO, John Chen, had an awkward time showcasing the new Blackberry Priv in an interview. The Priv is an Android-powered slider smartphone that combines the best of Google’s mobile OS with Blackberry’s security and productivity.

At a hands-on interview with the Priv, John Chen found himself fumbling through the device. Presumably, the CEO was not prepared for an impromptu demo such as this. Throughout the demo Chen repeatedly stated that the Priv “runs on Google,” and found it quite a task to open Chrome tipping that the handset is a demo unit.

Now, we understand that the Android operating system is a new area for the company, and it is also understandable that hands-on demos do tend to make you stumble a little (remember Satya Nadella’s faux with Cortana). Chen’s failure to name Google’s operating system is perhaps symbolic of the company’s current difficulties.

We had mentioned in an earlier post that the Blackberry Priv is expected to feature a 5.4-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) display, a 1.8GHz hexa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 808 SoC, 3GB of RAM, and an 18-megapixel rear camera.

While the company is confident of the success of Priv once it is out in the open, it is still hard to tell whether consumers are ready for a hybrid smartphone such as this. The phone is expected to hit the stores later this year.

September 28, 2015
Here’s How Facebook is Supporting ‘Digital India’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Silicon Valley has already created quite a buzz on social media platforms. While the likes of Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook have expressed their support for Digital India on Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg wanted to express his support by displaying it to the world on his home turf, and by that we mean Facebook. On Sunday, Zuckerberg changed his profile picture ahead of his Townhall interaction with the PM. The new profile picture has his own display picture with the Indian tricolour overlaying it.

I changed my profile picture to support Digital India, the Indian government's effort to connect rural communities to... Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday, September 27, 2015

Clearly, Zuckerberg's "effort to connect rural communities" integrates Digital India with his own Internet.org initiative (now changed to Free Basics by Facebook). Following Zuckerberg, Modi changed his profile picture as well, and expressed his thanks for Zuckerberg's support.

Thanks Mark Zuckerberg for the support. I changed my DP in support of the efforts towards a Digital India. You too can change your DP at fb.com/supportdigitalindia Posted by Narendra Modi on Sunday, September 27, 2015
Pretty soon the rest of Facebook caught on as well with thousands of users changing their profile pictures in support of Digital India. Users can visit fb.com/supportdigitalindia to have their own version of the profile picture. It seems likely that Facebook is attempting to merge Internet.org with Digital India since the former has received strong criticism in India. In the last few months, we have been seeing advertisements by Facebook claiming how rural India will benefit from free internet. Post your comments below if you think Digital India should merge with Internet.org or not.

September 28, 2015
GoPro Introduces Entry-Level Action Camera With Wi-Fi And Bluetooth

If you’ve been looking for a GoPro camera that doesn’t pinch your pocket and yet has some important features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, then the company has just the thing for you. GoPro has announced an entry-level action camera, the GoPro Hero+ that comes with (you guessed it) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and will be priced at $199.99 (Rs. 13,200 approx). The camera is placed between the base GoPro Hero ($129.99) and the more expensive Hero+ LCD ($299.99).

Earlier, you would have had to pay a lot more if you wanted a GoPro camera that allowed you to transfer videos to your phone. However, with the GoPro Hero+ expected to release worldwide on October 4th, you won’t have to pay that extra $100. The Hero+ Wi-Fi has the best of both worlds. On the outside it pretty much looks exactly like the Hero, while the internal camera equipment borrows from the Hero+ LCD. The Hero+ will allow you to record 1080p videos at 60 fps (up from the Hero’s 30 fps) minus the LCD touchscreen. It also sees a bump in still shooting from 5 to 8 megapixels.

The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity allows you to frame shots, change camera settings, and share the videos you capture, all from your smartphone. The company is also looking to cut the price of the Hero 4 Session action camera from $399 to $299. Before this, the Hero 4 Session had trouble finding takers since it lacked a display which could be found in the Hero 4 Silver for the same price. The price cut is likely to change that.

Click here to watch some amazing videos shot on GoPro.

September 28, 2015
Samsung To Pay For Your Galaxy In Monthly Installments Until 2016

We all love to see a good old fashioned cat fight between Apple and Samsung. The mud-slinging between the two smartphone giants has been going on for a while now, and recent news has seen Samsung doing most of the slinging. Samsung recently trolled the Apple launch by having Galaxy S6 Edge+ show up in the Google Search engine top advertisements when people were searching for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Samsung also took to Twitter, posting images that clearly mocked the event while the event was taking place.

Siri, what do you think of the Galaxy S6 Edge?” #StillLostForWords http://t.co/XUgCuXYnql pic.twitter.com/5utS8tnvlX

— Samsung Mobile UK (@SamsungMobileUK) September 9, 2015

And also snuck in one at the end of the event.

On the plus side, it’s pretty obvious what the right choice is now #GalaxyS6EdgePlus http://t.co/BGhgwMApJZ pic.twitter.com/AtPNBtpOjC

— Samsung Mobile UK (@SamsungMobileUK) September 9, 2015

In a latest attempt by Samsung to get customers to shift from the iPhone to its Galaxy phones, the company is offering to pay the monthly installments for your Galaxy phone for the rest of 2015. This offer, however, is restricted only to the US. The discount applies if you buy a Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, or Galaxy S6 Edge+ on an installment plan from T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, or US Cellular. This means you’ll get up to $120 off on the price of any of these phones if you buy one under a carrier installment plan from now until October 9th. AT&T users, however, will not be able to take part in this promotion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmhi0Vi9oo
Moreover, Samsung is throwing in an additional $100 Google Play gift card for those users who switch from iPhone. The announcement comes just after the new iPhone 6s launched in stores. Clearly, Samsung is trying to curb the sales of the latest iPhones that is expected to create a new sales record for Apple. Samsung also released a TV spot recently that highlighted all the things the latest Galaxy phones can do that the iPhone can’t. The name of the ad is cleverly similar to the iPhone tagline: “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone”. All we can say is grab your popcorn and brace yourself for an entertaining fight.

September 28, 2015
Leak Confirms Huawei Nexus 6P Will Be the First All-Metal Nexus Flagship

With only a day to go before the reveal of Google’s Nexus smartphones, the leaks continue. We just did a roundup of everything we know of the Google event so far with some rumored specs for each of the flagship phones. Now we have more to tell. Imgur recently leaked images of a Nexus 6P presentation which basically confirms everything we know and a little bit more.

The slides discuss everything from design to specs, and one of the specs that caught our eyes in particular is the massive battery that’s fit into the Nexus 6P. The smartphone will come with a 3450mAh battery that should last you a pretty long time. Clearly, Google has been focusing on battery life this time around. For a little perspective we would also like to point out that the other recent phablets such as the Samsung Note 5 and the iPhone 6s Plus come with a battery of 3,000mAh and 2,750mAh, respectively. Other slides focus on camera, features of Android Marshmallow, and fingerprint sensor.

Other features that are revealed show that the phone will feature a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, a 2560 x 1440 display, a Snapdragon 810 processor, and USB-C. The phone has an all metal body and a large 5.7-inch screen. As earlier reported, the phone will come in four colours – black, white, silver, and gold.

The launch of the Nexus smartphones will take place on the 29th of September in San Francisco.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://imgur.com/a/YGUzM”]Imgur[/tw-button]

September 28, 2015
Leaked Images Reveal Specs of Three New Microsoft Lumia Models
Over the past few months, Microsoft has been leaking images of its two new flagship phones – the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL. The handsets will be launched on the 6^th of October in New York City, along with the Surface Pro 2 and Microsoft Band 2

Now apart from these devices, Microsoft also plans on bringing out a new budget device called the Lumia 550. The Lumia 550 is rumored to have a 5-inch display, 1GHz processor, and 5-megapixel camera. The lumia 550 will look to replace other 5xx models such as the 540.

Some slides of what appears to be a Microsoft presentation in Spanish were posted in Forever Nokia Latin America’s Facebook page. The slides reveal a whole bunch of specs and features for the three new Lumia phones. The slides also show that the phones (except the 550) will feature a version of Windows Hello, which is Windows 10’s facial recognition technology.

According to the slides, here are the specs for the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL. These specs also match the earlier leaks that have been floating around.

Lumia 950
- Display: 5.2 inches, QuadHD
- Processor: Qualcomm 6-core Snapdragon 808
- Camera: 20MP PureView rear camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and dual flash; 5MP HD front camera
- Storage: 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage
- Battery: 3,000 mAh, with rapid charging via USB-C
Lumia 950 XL
- Display: 5.7 inches, QuadHD
- Processor: Qualcomm 8-core Snapdragon 810
- Camera: 20MP PureViw rear camera with OIS and triple LED flash; 5 MP front camera
- Storage: 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage
- Battery: 3,300 mAh, with rapid charging via USB-C
The Lumia 550, on the other hand, reveal specs that suggest the handset will aim at the low-end market. According to the slide, the Lumia 550 is set to have the following features:

Lumia 550
- Display: 5 inches, HD resolution
- Processor: Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon 1GHz
- Camera: 5MP rear autofocus camera with flash; 2MP front camera optimized for Skype
- Storage: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage; 128GB microSD card
- Battery: 1,905 mAh with rapid charging
Microsoft will also look to incorporate other Windows 10 features such as Cortana, OneDrive cloud storage, and others. No details on the price or release dates of the phones have been revealed yet.

Image Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://www.facebook.com/NokiaForeverLatinoamerica/photos_stream”]Nikia Forever Latinoamérica[/tw-button]
September 26, 2015
This Game Proves That Virtual Reality is The Best Thing to Happen to Gaming

Epic Games, the developer behind Unreal and Gears of War has come out with a Matrix-like virtual reality shooter game called Bullet Train, designed for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. The game was demonstrated at the Oculus Connect 2 conference held in Hollywood.

Bullet Train succeeds in not making one feel queasy as is the case with fast paced virtual reality action games. The game is developed using Unreal Engine 4 and uses Oculus Rift’s Touch controller for the gameplay. The Touch controllers give you “Hands” with which you can grab any nearby weapons (and there are many to choose from) and start shooting away.

By Matrix-like we mean that players can slow down time to avoid getting hit by bullets or to catch bullets and missiles in mid-air and fling it back at the enemy. In other words, you pretty much get to play as Neo, which is what Nick Whiting, lead programmer at Epic Games was going for with Bullet Train. Indeed slow-motion is a big part of the game. The game is set at a train station and players get to frantically teleport around the station (in slo-mo), shooting wave after wave of enemies.

Teleportation is used to travel around rather than walking as it seemed like the best way to move without motion sickness. Whiting described the game as everything one could want from a simple shooter game. “You’re badass,” says Whiting of Bullet Train’s appeal. “You’re shooting people, you’re teleporting, you’re slowing down time. It’s a little bit insane. But it’s fun. And that’s what we wanted to make, because we’re a game company.”

One of the biggest selling point of this game is the ability to interact with the environment. The game provides a very life-like experience especially when you cock a gun and feel it click into place with the Touch’s haptic feedback. “We built this very physical world and then you can’t ask people not to play with it,” says Whiting’s partner Nick Donaldson.

It’s always better to see something to get an actual idea of what is being talked about. Here’s a little peek at what Bullet Train looks like.

September 26, 2015
‘Stick with Android’ App Mocks ‘Move to iOS’

Android fans have spoken. The Move to iOS Android app that was launched by Apple recently was received like a cold slap by Android users. Now an Android developer has come out with a hilarious reply by creating a ‘Stick with Android’ app.

A developer named Jonatthias released the app on Google Play Store and this is the app’s description:

“Everything about Android is designed to be easy. That includes sticking with it. With just one step, you can keep your content automatically and securely on your Android device with the Stay on Android app. No need to save your stuff elsewhere before staying on Android. The Stay on Android app securely keeps you away from switching to another (worse) platform.”

Clearly, the description wages an all out war to take down the apparently insulting Move to iOS app. The Stick with Android app doesn’t do much except show a single button on screen that says “Click here to stick with Android” which, when pressed, lets the user stick with Android. And it’s as simple as that.

However, the hilarity does not end there. The app has an almost perfect 5 star rating in the Google Play Store whereas the Move to iOS app currently has a 1.8 rating, which is perhaps more to do with the existence of the app rather than the functionality of it. This practically useless app is one of the best rated Android apps at the Store.

As usual, the best part about an app like this is the user reviews. Click here if you want to download the app for a quick giggle.

September 26, 2015
Apple Set to Create New Sales Record with iPhone 6s

Apple is all set to create another record with the launch of the iPhone 6s that began on Friday. The sale of the latest device is estimated to fall between 11 to 13 million this weekend. Foursquare and Swarm are working together to find out the foot traffic at Apple retail stores across the world based on the information from their apps.

“Based off of early indicators, we predict that launch day traffic will be about 360 percent higher than preceding weeks. This likely means that iPhone sales will surpass previous records, in the 11 to 13 million range.” A report cited.

Sometimes it takes only one new feature to get Apple loyalists around the world excited about a launch. And the Force Touch feature in the latest iPhone devices is the clear winner. This feature, among others, is set to take the sales of the iPhone to an unprecedented new high. Other features also include iOS 9, hugely improved camera (both front and back), faster processors and better connectivity.

Other than a robot in Sydney, the general crowd lining up are pretty much all human. Meanwhile, Apple stores around the world are readying their shops for the potential crowd lining up outside. Here’s a video of store employees setting up iPhone displays in Japan on Thursday night.

If Apple does manage to sell between 11 to 13 million units this weekend, they would top last year’s iPhone 6 that managed 10 million units in its opening weekend. Furthermore, a 13 million sales weekend would represent a 30% increase in sales.

The pre-orders for the iPhone 6s has already seen a major increase since the last year, with the Rose Gold colour being the most popular choice, accounting for 30 to 40 percent of total units pre-ordered.

Source : [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.computerworld.com/article/2986321/apple-ios/apple-s-iphone-6s-is-setting-new-sales-records.html”]Computer World [/tw-button]

September 26, 2015
These Ultra Cheap Feature Phones Are Still Worth Every Penny
With all the news of smartphones getting bigger, costlier, and more tech-savy, we tend to forget about the good old feature phones that remind us of a simpler time. Though companies like Samsung are working on the next flagship smartphones, they still make time out to focus on ultra low budget phones so that everyone’s happy.

Here’s a list of some popular feature phones under Rs. 4000 for those in the market looking for something cheap and good. We’ve steered clear of Chinese companies offering substandard products and brought you a list of the best:

Nokia 105

We start the list with a brand we know and (used) to love before it went extinct. The Microsoft-owned Nokia 105 was launched in 2013 and got an upgrade in 2015, with a little more internal storage, a rounder shape, and better audio. You also get 15 hours of talk-time, which is an improvement over its 2013 model that gave 12.5 hours. The phone is priced at Rs. 1495 on Snapdeal and Rs. 1249 on Amazon. It is available in Red and Cyan colours. The Nokia 105 is one of the best feature phones in this range and is a favorite amongst many.

Specs
- 1.45-inch LCD screen, 16-bit, 64k colors
- Dimensions: 108.5 x 45.5 x 14.1mm
- 800mAh removable battery
- Micro-USB charger
- Dual SIM card
Karbonn K22 Plus

When it comes to low budget phones, both feature and smartphones, Karbonn leads the pack. The Karbonn K22 Plus is an ultra low budget feature phone that looks sleek and stylish, and packs in a lot for less. It comes with FM Radio, USB connectivity and up to 8 GB expandable memory slot. It features a 1.3-megapixel camera. With a 1050mAh lithium-ion battery, the phone provides only 5 hours of talk time on a full charge.

With a 2.4-inch scree, the phone provides great colours and and a clean display. It is available in Black, Grey and White and you can find it on Amazon (Rs. 1290), Snapdeal (Rs. 1099) and Flipkart (Rs. 1190).

Specs
- 2.4-inch TFT display
- Dimensions: 15.5 x 8.1 x 4.8 cm
- 1050mAh lithium-ion battery
- 1.3 MP Camera
- 8GB Expandable Memory
Samsung Guru Music 2

The Samsung Guru Music 2 emphases music for a reason. The phone gives a loud and clear sound quality and comes with an FM and MP3 player. Other features also include dual-sim, 800mAh lithium-ion battery providing talk-time of 11 hours, and an expandable memory up to 16 GB. Go for this if you want a phone that can store all your favorite music and still gives you enough space for everything else.

The Samsung Music 2 is available in Amazon and Flipkart for Rs. 1698 and Rs. 1599, respectively.

Specs
- 2 inch TFT Display
- FM radio
- 800mAH lithium-ion battery
- Up to 16 GB expandability
Samsung Metro Duos 360

This phone falls in the 3k range and with that you get some neat features that include a 2.4-inch screen with 3.1-megapixel camera. The 312 MHz Single Core processor lets your phone run smoothly without lags. and a 1000mAH lithium-ion battery providing a talk-time of about 12 hours.

The handset is available in Amazon and Snapdeal.

Specs
- 3.1MP primary camera
- 2.4-inch (6.12 centimeters) TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution
- 1000 mAh battery
- 312 MHz Single Core processor
- USB version 2.0 and Bluetooth version 3.0
Panasonic GD22

The Panasonic GD22 falls just below the 2k mark and perhaps the best feature about this phone is a 1800mAh lithium-ion battery that gives a talk-time of 15 hour. Other features are standard for a phone in this range. The 2.4-inch TFT display offers a comfortable viewing with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and a pixel density of 167 ppi,

The phone is available in Amazon and Snapdeal and is offered in Black, Grey, Red and White.

Specs
- 1.3MP primary camera
- 2.4-inch (6.0 centimeters) QVGA TFT display
- Memory expandable up to 16GB
- 1800mAh lithium-ion battery
Nokia 225

Another great Nokia device under the 4k range is the Nokia 225. The handset boasts of great features that make it worth buying if you have a budget between Rs. 3000 – Rs. 4000. The phone’s main attraction is its sharp 2.8-inch LCD display that brightens everything up. It also comes with a powerful 1200 mAh battery that will give you a whopping 21 hours of talk-time which is the highest in this list.

Nokia 225 can be found on Amazon and Snapdeal for Rs. 3055 and is available in Black, White, Yellow, and Red.

Specs
- 2MP primary camera
- 2.8-inch QVGA LCD display with 320 x 240 pixels resolution
- 1200mAh battery
- 32 GB Expandable Memory
- Dual SIM
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September 26, 2015
Microsoft Launches Gears of War, FIFA 16, and Forza 6 Xbox One Bundles in India

The Xbox One turned one this month and Microsoft India is celebrating its anniversary by announcing three new exciting Xbox One console bundles launching on October 2nd, 2015.

Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 Limited Edition Console

The Forza Motorsport Edition is the first ever racing-inspired console from Xbox with iconic sports car styling and custom automotive sound effects. The bundle includes a 1TB hard drive, matching wireless controller with rubberized diamond grips, and a digital copy of Forza Motorsport 6 plus the Tenth Anniversary Car Pack which features spectacular cars, all for Rs. 39,990.

Forza Motorsport 6 has been praised for its visual design and graphical details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBbXxfZYTAA

Xbox One 1TB EA Sports FIFA 16 Bundle,

In this bundle, you’ll get a full-game download of FIFA 16, three FIFA Ultimate Team Loan Legends, and one year of EA access. FIFA 16 boasts of spectacular gameplay with terrific graphics and also includes for the first time an all women’s team. “The bundle provides an improved experience gameplay across the pitch in FIFA 16, with more ways than ever to create moments of magic.”

Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle

This bundle comes with a 500 GB console, a wireless controller, a full digital game download of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The Xbox One Gears of War console is priced at Rs. 34,999. Some other features include a 60 FPS competitive multiplayer experience with 19 maps and six game modes. Players who purchase the Ultimate Edition can participate in the multiplayer beta of Gears of War 4, which is set to be released in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwbYhvlrQbc

Apart from these bundles, Amazon India is offering a minimum of 50 percent discount on select Xbox One games such as Halo, Forza 5, Call of Duty: Ghosts, WWE 2K15 valid till the 30th of September. So make the most of this anniversary and shop away.

“Games and gamers are at the center of everything we do and we’re always looking to offer the best ways to play on Xbox. With the launch of these bundles, we have taken into account the feedback that we received from our fans in India and added more storage to their consoles. This year, we’re delivering the greatest games lineup in Xbox history and we’re committed to delivering gamers the experiences and value they can’t find on any other platform.” said Anshu Mor, Director Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India.

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September 25, 2015
Virtual Reality is Now Affordable Thanks to Samsung’s $99 Gear VR

The Netflix experience is about to get a whole lot better. Samsung announced the newest edition to Gear VR in collaboration with Oculus , along with a slew of new features and apps. The headset will have a redesigned trackpad, a new Xbox-style Gamepad with dual analogue design, and a new, lower price that’ll be available this November in the United States.

The Gear VR is also getting a major media boost with Netflix, Hulu and Twitch among the few new services that will be available for the headset. The Netflix app, for example, creates a virtual living room for the viewer to watch in. The virtual television in front of you will have the Netflix UI on the screen. You simply look to move the cursor and tap the touchpad on the side of the Gear VR to make your selection. Currently the app allows almost no choice for the user in terms of the environmental changes or the distance of the screen.

The Oculus -made Samsung Gear VR will work with the whole 2015 line of Samsung Smartphones including the Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+, and will be priced at $99, a $100 less than the previous Gear VR.

“Virtual reality that’s accessible to consumers is still very young and so it was all about developing the ecosystem,” said Jim Willson, director of immersive products and VR at Samsung. “We had to make sure there was enough content, both in terms of video content … and on the gaming side.”

Wilson hinted at a captive audience that an app like Netflix can provide with more number of hours being spent with these media apps. Apart from Netflix, Oculus also announced 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate, as well as Hulu, Twitch, TiVo and Vimeo for VR apps.

Samsung is looking to expand its consumer base and is looking to make the Gear VR not just a device for niche audience. It may take a while before people take to the virtual reality experience, but with PlayStation also working on its VR gaming technology, the future of media technology looks pretty clear. So, for those who want to experience the next season of Daredevil in virtual reality can get their hands on the Gear VR from November.

September 25, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S7 Could Be Announced As Early As January

According to emerging reports, Samsung could announce the release of the Galaxy S7 as early as January 2016. The reason behind this unprecedented announcement is not known but presumably the company wants to jump ahead of its competition, especially Apple, that will allow customers to purchase the S7 right away.

Generally, Samsung has followed an April release for its flagship smartphones. The upcoming flagship is being developed either under the codename Project Lucky (it’s the number 7 after all) or Hero and Hero2. It will come in two models with one to feature Qualcomm’s new quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor and the other having the octa-core Exynos. While one is said to have a flat display, the other will sport a dual-edge curved display.

Further reports also suggest that Samsung might have found a way to make microSD card slots work in conjunction with UFS 2.0 storage but this is mere speculation at the moment.

Only time will tell whether or not these rumors are true but for now it looks like Samsung is working on a clock.

September 25, 2015
Xiaomi is Officially Working on its First Laptop

Xiaomi is moving onto bigger things. The Chinese company is now working on its first laptop, according to reports. Since the company’s inception in 2010, Xiaomi has grown rapidly to become the fourth biggest smartphone maker in the world. The company is looking to create the same magic in the laptop game. The notebook is being manufactured by Inventec.

Xiaomi has made an impact in the smartphone market by selling near-premium phones at budget prices. But whether the company will use the same formula for its first laptop is a different story. “I am not sure if the smartphone approach will be applicable to notebooks, but I expect Xiaomi’s entry into the notebook industry to bring something new to the market,” said Inventec chairman, Richard Lee.

Leaked images of Xiaomi’s laptop were moving around as far back as December 2014, and it showed a very Macbook Air-ish design.

The leaked pictures of this laptop uncannily resemble the Macbook Air.

Lee also stated that Xiaomi’s first laptops will start shipping in the first two quarters of 2016. “I am upbeat about the business outlook for Xiaomi’s notebook computers, as the firm has more than 200 million registered smartphone users,” Lee said.

The company recently launched the China-only Mi 4c smartphone and introduced the Mi Mobile service in China with which the company is looking to compete against other Chinese-based carriers.

Though the news of Xiaomi’s new notebook was made official on Wednesday, rumors of it have been circulating much before. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Xiaomi’s first laptop is likely to be in the range of Apple’s Macbook Air, thereby stating who the Chinese company is planning to compete with. We will have to wait till next year to confirm the authenticity of those images.

September 25, 2015
Android 6.0 Marshmallow Will Release on October 5

According to latest leaks, Google’s most recent Nexus smartphones – Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 – will get an Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade on the 5th of October. Which means those of you who own either of the devices will be updated to the new software on that date. The information was spotted by MobileSyrup in a release schedule posted by Canadian wireless carrier, Telus.

This may also suggest that Android 6.0 Marshmallow will soon be available for other Android devices as well, however, the latest Nexus smartphones will be the first to get the upgrade since they run pure Android and don’t have any carrier bloatware that needs updating along with the basic software.

Android 6.0 promises improved performances and new features such as ‘Now on Tap’ that provides more information by pressing and holding the Home button on whichever screen you’re on, native fingerprint support, and individual app permissions, to name a few.

We know that Google is planning to launch two new Nexus devices on September 29 – the LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P – and will also run on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow in addition to the last two Nexus phones. Nothing is known yet as to when the latest Android software will start rolling out for other Android devices.

Source : [tw-button size=”small” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://mobilesyrup.com/2015/09/24/android-6-0-marshmallow-rollout-october-5/”]Mobile Syrup[/tw-button]

September 25, 2015