Author: Sanket Vijay

LG G5 Specifications Revealed in Benchmark Test

As we approach closer and closer to February 21 where LG, among others, will unveil its flagship G5 smartphone, we will find a number of details in online that want fans to know everything about the device before it is unveiled. LG yesterday made official one of the features of the G5 and today we have some specifications confirmed by Geekbench benchmark test.

Apparently, someone with an LG G5 model decided to run a Geekbench test on the device and has posted the result online. We find that the device with the model number F700 will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4GB of RAM and will run on Android 6.1 Marshmallow. The test also reveals the G5 scoring a 2248 in single-core test and 5061 in multi-core.

Now, these specs are but a few and aren’t all that surprising. Being an Android flagship device in 2016, one expects to see the above specifications. The F700 model number logically implies the G5 as the F600 and F500 in the past stood for the V10 and G4, respectively.

Other specs still unconfirmed include a dual rear camera setup, an 8MP front camera, 5.6-inch QHD display. The device is also said to come in a modular design for easy access to the battery. We’ll know if any of the alleged rumors are true in just a few days time.

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February 11, 2016
Sony Launches the NW-A25 Hi-Res Walkman in India

Sony today launched the NW-A25 high-resolution Walkman in India at a price of Rs 13, 990. The audio player is available through all Sony distributors and is available in Black, Blue, Pink, Red, and Yellow.

The Walkman comes with a 2.2-inch display with a 320×240 pixel resolution and has an internal storage capacity of 16GB that is expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD card slot. Sony promises up to 50 hours of MP3 playback and up to 30 hours of high resolution playback.

The audio player supports mp3, wav, aiff, wma, aac, he-aac, flac, and Apple Lossless formats. Other features include USB 2.0 support for fast charging and Bluetooth 3.0. One of the highlights of the Walkman is its digital noise cancelling system which means you won’t have trouble hearing music in buses, trains and anywhere else noisy.

Sony’s LDAC technology also allows for wireless Bluetooth audio streaming from compatible devices. The DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhanced Engine HX) bumps up standard quality audio to Hi-Res quality.

February 10, 2016
Silver Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Appears in Render

We get a lot of renders and live images of major flagship phones days before their official launch. The hype behind Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S7 was always expected to be huge and this in effect would lead to a lot of leaked renders and images to please eager fans until the official unveiling.

Trust Evan Blass of @evleaks to post a render of the Galaxy S7 to please his followers. The render shows the Galaxy S7 in silver colour and it looks great. Agreed, it’s but a render, but we’d take a good looking render any day over a poorly lit live image.

The render shows the curved edge side of the device with the volume controls on the left and a new Galaxy S7 wallpaper. Now, @evleaks did not confirm this to be the Galaxy S7 Edge but it is pretty clear from the image that it is.

Samsung quite certainly looks to keep the Galaxy S7’s design language similar to its predecessors, which is not a bad thing at all. The render of the device looks positively great and a bump in specs will make the Galaxy S7 the flagship to beat this year. In a few days we will know everything about the deice at the MWC.

February 10, 2016
New HTC One M10 Render Emerges

While a few flagship devices are scheduled for the MWC, one device that will have an event for its on in March will be the HTC One M10. Over the past few weeks there have been tons of rumours to play around with. There have been suggestions that the One M10 will look a lot like the One A9 and now we have a new render that has emerged online that tell us what the next flagship from HTC could look like.

According to the image, the HTC One M10 does borrow a lot of the same design elements from the One A9. The front shows the disappearance of HTC’s famed BoomSound dual front speakers. instead, the front looks pretty similar to the One A9 with thin bezels and a home button on the bottom which is just marginally smaller than the one found in the One A9. The much-hated logo bar that was found on the One M10 has also disappeared improving the screen to body ratio.

The back shows the antenna lines on the top and bottom much like the One A9 and, in essence, the iPhone 6. The rear camera on the One M10, however, is slightly bigger and is placed just below the top antenna line. There also seems to be a slight bump with the camera module. The left side shows two card trays – one for SIM and the other quite possibly a MicroSD slot, which again looks very similar to the One A9. Naturally, the right side is where the power and volume control buttons will be.

This new render fortifies the image posted a few days ago by @evleaks on Twitter. Indeed, this is perhaps what the One M10 will look like and in a few weeks we will know just how true that is.

The rumoured specs of the One M10 suggest a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED touchscreen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset powering the device with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a microSD card slot. On the camera front lies a 12 MP UltraPixel rear camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization. The device will likely run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense 8 atop. We’ll know more as we approach HTC’s event in March.

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February 10, 2016
HTC Slashes Price of Desire 626 and 728 Dual SIM

HTC launched the Desire 626 Dual SIM on Friday and slashed the price by Rs 1000 on Tuesday. The device, which was originally priced at Rs 14,990 is now available for Rs 13,990. Another device that got the same price cut along with the Desire 626 is the Desire 728 Dual SIM which is now available at Rs 16,990.

The HTC Desire 626 Dual SIM comes with a 5-inch display and resolution of 720 x 1280. Internal storage of 16 GB expandable up to 32 GB with the microSD card slot, and 2 GB of RAM are some of its other specifications. Desire 626 is powered by 7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor, while its Android OS is coupled with HTC Sense.

The phone has a main camera of 13 MP a BSI sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and a front camera of 5 MP, again with BSI sensor. Further, Desire 626 packs a battery of 2,000 mAh.

Meanwhile, The Desire 728 Dual SIM features 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 also features 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.

February 10, 2016
Apple is Selling Virtual Reality Binoculars for iPhone

Everyone is moving towards virtual reality. Indeed VR is the next phase for technology and the biggest names in the tech industry have already begun working towards it. We have already seen Samsung come out with its Gear VR, Google with its Cardboard, HTC with its Vive, Oculus with its Rift, and now Apple wants to join in too.

Over the past few months we have been seeing Apple’s growing interest in VR technology. The Cupertino-based giant has made some big acquisitions to boost its VR development. While a proper VR headset is still far away, Apple has released VR binoculars to fill the gap for now.

The View-Master VR binoculars from Apple has made a quite appearance in the App Store for a price of $29.95. The binoculars work a lot like the Gear VR and Google Cardboard. It needs a smartphone – in this case the iPhone – in order to create a virtual environment for the wearer.

The View-Master is not a hands-free device. It requires the user to hold the device up to their eyes just like the old school View-Masters. Like the Google Cardboard, the View-Master lets consumers get a taste of the virtual space. A sort of baby step to know whether consumers are ready for the major VR headsets like the Oculus Rift.

This is just an easy, affordable offering from Apple, which is planning in all likeliness to come out with its own Rift-like VR headset in the near future.

February 10, 2016
LG G5 to Feature an Always On Display Mode

Last week, LG confirmed that its LG G5 flagship will be officially unveiled on February 21 at the ‘Unpacked’ event just before the MWC. Today, just days before the unveiling, the company has revealed a new feature for the G5 – an Always On mode.

The Always On mode, much like the Active Display found in Motorola devices and Ambient Display in Google’s latest Nexus phones, displays notifications on the screen without having to turn the screen on. This feature that is slowly growing in importance will also be seen in the new Samsung Galaxy S7 devices, according to rumours.

The image release by LG shows the Always On feature as well as an outline of the phone itself, the shape of which looks similar to past renders of the device. Furthermore, it is also reported that the G5 will be made out of metal and will also feature a fingerprint scanner and a dual rear camera setup. It won’t be long before these rumours will be confirmed as we appraoch the big day.

February 10, 2016
Moto X Force, Moto G (3rd Gen) and Moto G Turbo go on Sale

Motorola launched the Moto X Force with ‘ShatterShield’ display on the 1st of February. The ‘shatterproof’ device is now on sale on Flipkart priced at Rs 49,999 for the 32GB variant and 53,999 for the 64GB variant.

On the specs front, Moto X Force packs a 5.4 inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset along with 3 GB of RAM. The two internal storage options of 32 GB and 64 GB are expandable up to 2 TB with the help of a microSD card.

The highlight of the device is its super-hardy screen. Motorola claims to have integrated a ‘Moto Shattershield’ technology in the display of Moto Force which, it says, is the first shatterproof screen in a phone ever. The company feels confident enough to affirm the screen would stay intact for up to four years, owing to the multiple layers of different materials used in making it capable of absorbing shock and providing protection against cracking. The phone also boasts of two touchscreen layers, which make sure that the smartphone can be used even if one of the layers is cracked. Check out unboxing and hands-on of the Moto X Force as well as our 1000ft drop test video for all you need to know about the handset.

The Moto G (3rd Gen) and Moto G Turbo smartphones, which were available exclusively on Flipkart, are now available on Amazon India as well. Both the devices are available for order today but will be on stock starting tomorrow, February 10.

The Moto G (3rd Gen) comes with a 5-inch (12.7 centimeters) HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and 2470 mAh lithium-ion battery. on the camera front, the device packs a 13MP f2.0 primary camera with CCT dual-LED flash and 4X digital zoom and a 5MP f2.2 front.

The device runs on Android v5.1.1 (Lollipop) OS operating system and is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB. Check out our review of the Moto G (3rd Gen) for all you need to know.

The Moto G Turbo comes with a different chipset, a Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615, with Adreno 405 GPU and a quick charge capability that Motorola calls ‘Turbo Charge’. Everything else remains identical to the 16GB storage variant of the Moto G 3rd Gen. The Moto G Turbo is availble on Amazon for Rs 12,499 while the Moto G (3rd Gen) is priced at Rs 10,999. Amazon, however, does not offer an exchange option on the devices as Flipkart does.

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February 9, 2016
Capcom’s New Street Fighter V Trailer is Awesome

We’ve grown up playing Street Fighter. We’ve grown up knowing the amazing feeling of landing a Shoryuken on the NES. Yes, hand-held and NES were where the magic happened. 20 years later, Street Fighter still hasn’t called it quits. The makers of one of our favorite franchise are back with Street Fighter 5. The game is set to launch worldwide later this month for PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Linux. Check out the trailer below to have your mind blown.

As you could see, there’s a lot to love about this trailer. All your favourite fighters are back and look realer than ever. Thanks, technology! You see M. Bison awakening from his grave, looking evil as hell and ready for another bout. You see Chun Li and all the others reading themselves for the next round, showing off moves to a sick background score. And finally, you have Ryu unleashing his inner Super Saiyan.

All the elements are here to get you good and pumped for the release of the game. It’s nearly here, so make sure you’ve got your wallet ready. Let us know what you thought of the trailer in the comments below.

February 9, 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 Seen in First Live Image

We’re only a few days away from the unveiling of Samsung’s next flagship smartphone at the MWC ‘unpacked’ event on February 21 and it’s only expected that leaks and rumours will come in plenty until the day. Today, we have the first live image of the Galaxy S7, which puts to rest all the renders we have come to see of the device.

The leaked image comes in from Vietnam and shows the back of the device which tells us a lot of things. Firstly, the rumours that all the S7 models will have an ‘edge’ is true. The image shows the 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 variant having a curved back. We also see that the camera on the back comes without a bump, which again confirms past rumours.

The back seems to be of glass, and indeed, that’s what we’re expecting. The device also comes with a metal frame. This may be a prototype device and the final product will look a lot more polished. On the design front it looks like Samsung has another winner on its hands.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 upon launch is expected to to feature a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution, a new 12 MP BRITECELL camera with f/1.7 aperture, and a 5 MP secondary cam. Two SoC configurations are expected. One being a Exynos-based version and the other a Qualcomm-powered model. The battery is expected to be upwards of 3500mAh.

February 9, 2016
IRS Website Hacked, Down Since Saturday

The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) website has been hacked and reports suggest that a Pakistani group is behind the hack. According to Indian Express, after hacking the website http://www.irsofficersonline.gov.in, the hackers reportedly wrote ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘We are cyber attack team of Pakistan’.

After the hack, the website put up a message saying, “We’ll be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but we’re performing some maintenance at the moment.” The IRS site is used as an official communicator for official work between the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the IT department field offices in the country.

As per the Daily, the hackers got into the ‘Official Communique (for IRS officers only)’ section and wrote – “Hacked by Faisal 1337, Dated: 05/02/2016, Pakistan Zindabad” and “We are Team Pak Cyber Attacker. Go Home Kiddo India Kids Hacker.”

The technical team of IRS website is seeking help from the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), an agency that deals in combat hacking, phishing and fortifying security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain.

“Thankfully, the website does not have information that can compromise national security,” an IRS officer commented.

February 8, 2016
Google’s Virtual Reality Headset to Launch this Year

Early in January, it was reported that Google is working on its own virtual reality headset. New reports now suggest that the successor to the Google Cardboard will see the light of day sometime this year.

Not much is known at this time as to what and how Google’s VR will look like, but sources close to the development of the device report that the company will attempt to take on Samsung’s Gear VR. This means that the Google VR will need to pair with a smartphone in order to work. However, unlike Samsung which allows only 2015 flagship devices to be compatible with its headset, Google will allow users compatibility with a wider range of devices.

Google will also likely release an Android VR software along with the VR headset that will look to enhance the VR experience by making the software native to the Android operating system.

The details as to when exactly Google plans to launch its headset is still a mystery. There is a possibility that the company will make the announcement or at the least discuss its VR intentions at this year’s Google I/O conference, which begins on May 18.

February 8, 2016
Microsoft Lumia 650 Dual-SIM Variant Passes FCC

A month ago, the single SIM variant of the Microsoft Lumia 650 had passed the FCC hurdle. The leaked live image of the device also confirmed a metal frame for a more premium finish. Today, the second, dual-SIM variant of the device with the model number RM-1154 was FCC certified and has been approved for sale.

The 5-inch 720p display device is likely to come bearing the Snapdragon 210 chipset clocking at 1.1GHz. A 2,000mAh battery pack in the 650 is small, especially when compared to the Lumia 640 (2,500mAh) and the Lumia 550 (2,100mAh).

It is also rumoured that there will be a larger Lumia 650 model expected with XL attached to it. The Lumia 650 XL is said to sport a 5.4-inch screen while most of the specs under the hood will remain the same as the Lumia 650.

From what the specs tell us, and this is yet unconfirmed, the Lumia 650 lacks both juice and power, but does well with the exterior design, and a pricing of under Rs. 10,000 (similar to the Lumia 550) will be needed for this device to tempt the masses.

February 8, 2016
HTC One M10 Leaked Image Shows Front Design

HTC is ready to out its newest flaship device. However, this won’t happen at the MWC this month where Samsung and LG and ready to unveil their own flagships. HTC is planning to hold a standalone event for the One M10 in March. Today, we have a new leaked image courtesy poplular leakster @evleaks that shows off the front look of the One M10.

As @evleaks had posted a few days earlier, the One M10 indeed looks a lot more like the One A9 and a lot less like the One M9, according to the image. From what we can tell, the most obvious feature missing here is the second front-facing speaker under the display, which means the One M10 will not have BoomSound speakers.

Besides this, the One M10 also sports a rounded home button much like the One A9, and it may also house a fingerprint scanner and a rigged power button on the right side to distinguish it from the volume buttons.You also notice that the bar under the display which had HTC’s logo is nowhere to be found here. This is a welcome sight for HTC fans who were not all too fond of the black bar that simply took up unwanted space on the device.

The rumoured specs of the One M10 suggest a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED touchscreen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset powering the device with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a microSD card slot. On the camera front lies a 12 MP UltraPixel rear camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization. The device will likely run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense 8 atop. We’ll know more as we approach HTC’s event in March.

February 6, 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 Leaked Photos Reveal Back Design

Some more leaks regarding Samsung’s Galaxy S7 flagship devices are out to keep you satisfied for the day. While there have been many renders showing the front of the device, not much attention has been paid to the back. Well, popular leakster @evleaks has just revealed images of what could be the back of the Galaxy S7.

From the images, it looks pretty certain that Samsung going by the Galaxy Note 5 design language, which we’re not complaining about as the Note 5 was a beautifully crafted device. The Galaxy S7 variants look like they will come with a glass back and curved towards the edges.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the Galaxy S7 will come in four variants – Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge, and Galaxy S7 Edge Plus. All of the devices, including the 5.1-inch S7 will come with a curved back, while the ‘Edge’ variants will curve at the front.

Other rumours include Exynos 8890 and Snapdragon 820 chipsets and a 12MP 1/2.0″ primary sensor. Samsung will hold is ‘Unpacked’ event on the 21st of February where it will unveil the flagship Galaxy S7.

February 2, 2016