Author: Sushant Talwar

Xiaomi Mi 5 to Come with 5.7-inch Display and Glass Back

The Chinese tech giant, Xiaomi is all set to unveil its next handset to global audiences on the 24th of this month, and as we near the launch date leaks and rumours regarding the phone are heating up. Details of the SoC on board have already been revealed by the company, but Xiaomi has decided to keep a tight lid on everything else about the handset.

Latest leaked pictures of the phone reveal it to come with a glass back, something that had been widely reported for some time now, but what came as a surprise to us was that the previous leaks failed to reveal that this glass back would have a beautiful pattern running all over it.

A new GFXbench listing though has revealed something not as welcome. According to the report, the Xiaomi Mi 5 will have a 5.7-inch, 1080p display and will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 SoC. This contradicts the 5.5″ and 5.2″ size reports, as well as QHD resolution rumours that have been making rounds for the past couple of days.

The listing pegs the Mi 5 to come with 3GB RAM and 64GB for storage. No other variants are listed. Apart from this, the Xiaomi Mi5 will have a 16MP main shooter with f/2.2 aperture and an 8MP camera on the front. Other expected features include Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BDS, OTG and NFC.

February 5, 2016
Fitbit Launches the Stylish Alta Fitness Wristband in India

Fitbit Alta, a sleek new wristband fitness tracker has been announced by the company which recently introduced a bigger Fitbit Blaze at CES this year. Fitbit Alta is a slim, sleek fitness wristband that can be personalized to fit your style. Alta comes equipped with features which enable it to automatically track the users day to day activity, exercise and sleep patterns.

Fitbit left no stones unturned when it came to styling the device. The fitness tracker is designed with a satin finish, stainless steel body and features a line of stylish interchangeable bands in multiple popular colors and premium materials.

Speaking about the Fitbit Alta, the CEO and Co-Founder of the company James Park, said

“Fitbit Alta will turn heads as our most fashionable device yet. The attractive, versatile design of this new fitness tracker fits seamlessly into daily life – from the gym to the office to a night out.”

The company says that the Alta will remind you to move, and nudge you to stay active throughout the day. It will congratulate you on reaching personal health milestones daily, and help keep track of your progress. Users can customize the prompts based on the schedule and can put it on “Do Not Disturb” during long meetings or appointments.

Fitbit Alta Lineup

The Fitbit Alta works in tandem with the Fitbit app which records the users daily activities and shows them in the app along with the weekly goals. The goals can also be personalised to the user’s fitness routine. The Fitbit Alta will start retail with a price tag of Rs. 12,999 available starting March via Amazon India and retail stores.

February 4, 2016

Samsung Galaxy A5(2016): Hands On

Samsung today unveiled the refreshed models of the budget, Galaxy A5 and A7 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Galaxy A5 2016 model is priced at Rs 29,400 in India, and will be available through Samsung’s e-retail partner, Snapdeal, and other offline retailers.

The refreshed A5 features the glass and metal design found on the Samsung Galaxy S6. The A5 (2016) model also comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner. The phone will be available in three color variants gold, black and white.The A5 in terms of design, just like the A7 (click here for A7’s hands on), does look and feel extremely premium.

The Galaxy A5 (2016) comes packing a 5.2 inch Super AMOLED display with full HD resolution. It is powered by an Octa-Core processor clocked at 1.6GHz paired with 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. The memory on board is 16 GB which is expandable to 128 GB using a MicroSD card. 4G and Dual – SIM connectivity.

The phone has a 2900 mAh battery. This is a significant bump up from the last generation A5 which came packing only a 2300 mAh pack. To add to this, the A5(2016) also features Fast Charging which is sure to bring smiles on a lot of faces reading this hands on.

The A5 (2016) offers a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. Both the front and rear cameras of the phone come with a f1.9 aperture. The rear camera on the back of the refreshed Galaxy A5 also has an Optical Image Stabilisation feature.

The phone overall is nice. The refreshed A5(2016) does not come with great under the hood specifications. For the price it’s being sold at the return feels inadequate. Full HD display and 2 GB RAM without the capability of capturing 4k Video that even the Rs 10,999 Le 1s comes equipped with only shows the disparity between options in the market and what Samsung is offering here.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Samsung’s Galaxy A5(2016) is still stuck on 5.1.1 and does not come with Android Marshmallow out of the box. But for all its shortcomings what does work in the handset’s favour is the fact that it feels extremely premium when it comes to looks which might help buyers gloss over the hefty price tag that Samsung plans to sell this handset at.

Specification	Galaxy A5(2016)
Display	5.2″ FHD Super AMOLED
Processor	1.6GHz Exynos Octa-Core Processor
RAM	2GB
Front Camera	5.0MP(f1.9)
Rear Camera	13MP (f1.9) AF with LED Flash
Storage	16GB
Expandability	128GB
Battery	2,900 mAh, Fast charging
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® v 4.1, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC (UICC, eSE)
Operating System	Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
Price	Rs. 29,400

February 4, 2016

Sony Announces Alpha A6300 -World’s Fastest AutoFocus Camera

Sony today announced a new, mirror-less camera that boasts of the world’s fastest autofocus speed and the world’s highest number of autofocus points. The Alpha a 6300, successor to the Sony A6000, one of the best-selling mirror-less cameras of the past few years, will soon come to markets with the promise of a more intelligent, faster autofocus system and support for 4K and high-frame-rate video.

The camera comes with a new 4D Focus system which locks on to an object in hardly 0.05 seconds. According to Sony, this sets a new record for a camera with interchangeable lens and APS-C sensors. It has also been claimed that this creation of Sony Labs also boasts the world’s highest 425 phase detection autofocus points.

Another key enhancement seen on the A6300 is the addition of a reworked 24.2MP APS-C Exmor sensor, featuring thinner copper wiring and enhanced processing with the BIONZ X processor that is slated to improve low-light performance up to ISO 51200 and allow for 4K recording with full pixel readout, and Full HD video at up to 120 fps.

The back of the Sony A6300 houses a XGA OLED Tru-Finder electronic viewfinder with 2.4 million dots and a 120fps framerate mode for smooth subject tracking. Below it is a tilting LCD display.The camera comes with 64 different functions which can be operated by 9 customizable buttons housed on the dust and moisture-resistant magnesium alloy body.

The A6300 camera includes silent shooting mode along with a microphone line input for convenience. Wi-Fi, and NFC connectivity options are also present on the camera.

Specification	Sony Alpha A6300 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Lens Mount	Sony E
Image Sensor	APS-C Exmor CMOS (23.5 x 15.6mm)
Effective Pixels	24.2MP
Total Pixels	25.0MP
Maximum Resolution	24MP: 6000 x 4000
Aspect Ratio	3:2, 16:9
Still Image File Format	RAW, JPEG
Storage Media	SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
Card Slot	1 x SD (UHS-I) / Memory Stick Duo multi slot
Viewfinder Type	2.36m-dot 0.39″ / 1 cm XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF
Frame Coverage	100%
Magnification	1.07x (35mm Equivalent: 0.70x)
Eyepoint	23mm at -1m^-1
Diopter Adjustment	-4 to +3m^-1
Shutter Type	Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse focal-plane type; Electronic
Shutter Speed	1/4000 to 30 sec., bulb
Flash Sync Speed	1/160 sec.
Drive Modes	Single, continuous (Hi+, Hi, Mid, Low selectable), self-timer, bracketing
Top Continuous Shooting Rate	11 fps
Self-Timer	10, 5, 2 sec.
Exposure Metering System	1200-zone evaluative metering with Exmor CMOS sensor
Metering Method	Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Metering Range	-2 to 20 EV with f/2 lens
Exposure Modes	Auto, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority, Manual
Exposure Compensation	±5 EV in 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps
Exposure Bracketing	3 or 5 frames in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2, or 3 EV increments 9 frames in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV inctrements
ISO Sensitivity	Stills: 100-51200 Movie: 100-25600
Autofocus System	Enhanced Fast Hybrid AF with 4D FOCUS
Number of Focus Points	Phase Detect: 425 Contrast Detect: 169
Focus Modes	Automatic, Single-shot, Continuous, Direct Manual Focus, Manual
Autofocus Sensitivity	-1 to 20 EV with f/2 lens
Built-In Flash	Yes, Guide Number: 19.7′ / 6 m; Coverage: 16mm
Flash Control	P-TTL
Flash Modes	Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Rear sync, Slow sync, Red-eye reduction, High-speed sync, Wireless with compatible external flash
Flash Compensation	±3 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps
Flash Bracketing	3 or 5 frames in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2, or 3 EV increments 9 frames in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV inctrements
External Flash Interface	Multi Interface Shoe
White Balance Modes	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (Warm White, Cool White, Day White, Daylight), Flash, Color Temperature (2500-9900K), Color Filter, Custom, Underwater
Movie Recording	XAVC S 4K: 3840 x 2160: 30p, 24p, 25p XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080: 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 24p, 25p AVCHD: 1920 x 1080: 60p, 60i, 50p, 50i, 24p, 25p MP4: 1920 x 1080: 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p; 1280 x 720: 30p, 25p
File Format	XAVC S, AVCHD, MP4
Compression	XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 AVCHD: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 MP4: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio Recording	Yes, built-in stereo microphne or 3.5mm audio input
Audio File Format	XAVC S: Linear PCM, 2ch AVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3), 2ch, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator MP4: MPEG-4 AAC-LC, 2ch
External Microphone Input	Yes, 3.5mm stereo input
Headphone Jack	None
Maximum Recording Time	29 minutes 59 seconds
Monitor	3.0″ / 7.5 cm 921k-dot tilting TFT LCD
Interface	1 x Micro-USB (Multi Terminal) 1 x Micro HDMI (Type D) 1 x 3.5mm stereo audio input
Wi-Fi	Yes, built-in with NFC & QR Code function
GPS	None
Power Source	1 x NP-FW50 Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery Pack
Battery Life	Viewfinder: 350 Shots LCD Screen: 400 Shots
Operating Environment	32 to 104°F / 0 to 40°C
Dimensions	4.7 x 2.6 x 1.9″ / 120 x 67 x 49mm
Weight	404 g with battery and Memory Stick

Source

February 4, 2016

Samsung Forum 2016 : SUHD TV and Smart Fridge Unveiled

Samsung Electronics showcased its range of new innovative technologies for smart homes today at the Samsung Forum 2016, Kuala Lumpur, in a bid to make a serious dent in the growing market space for smart home appliances in the country. Samsung showed off technologies that it believes will make a meaningful difference to the lives of consumers.

The company unveiled its range of smart appliances, spotlighting a dynamic line-up of new products such as the KS9500 series SUHD TV – available in 65-,77-, and 88-inch sizes – that come with the thinnest bezels you’ve ever seen and a smart fridge that comes with a giant 21-inch touchscreen display. The smart fridge is part of Samsung’s ‘Family Hub’ lineup of home appliances.

Samsung along with these also launched a smart oven which comes with what Samsung calls the HotBlast Technology, and also digital inverters which will come with inbuilt stabilizers.

SUHD TV

The SUHD TVs produce unparalleled picture quality with what is “world’s first cadmium-free”, 10-bit Quantum dot display with the “world’s first bezel-less curved design”. The new range as Samsung claims offers stunning brightness, exceptional contrast and the most life-like colors ever offered by Samsung on a TV.

These TVs will provide a premium high dynamic range (HDR) experience, with 1,000 nit HDR minimum for a higher level of contrast between light and dark images. New Ultra Black technology also significantly reduces light reflection, further enhancing picture quality with minimal glare.

The Samsung SUHD TVs will be powered by Tizen operating system for fast access across content, and will also feature a 360 Degree design language.

RT700 Refrigerator

Samsung at the Forum also unveiled the world’s first Smart convertible 5in1 frost free refrigerator. The new top-mounted freezer (TMF) refrigerator, the RT7000, which features Samsung’s unique Twin Cooling Plus technology, is designed to focus on modern, and healthy living.

Twin Cooling Plus tech cooling system that the refrigerator comes equipped with ensures that a humidity level of up to 70 percent is maintained throughout the fridge so that the food stored stays fresh.The smart fridge has a capacity of 620 litres.

Samsung AddWash-Washing Machine

Samsung AddWash Washing Machine has comes with a nifty feature that makes it convenient to add any item, such as a piece of forgotten laundry, without having to drain the washer in mid-cycle. It comes with an extra access door that allows enables it to do so. It also allows users to add hand-washed items for rinsing or additional softener anytime during the cycle.

AddWash Washing Machine comes with a SuperSpeed feature that makes it possible to complete a normal wash in less than an hour without compromising washing performance.

February 4, 2016
iPhone 7 to Skip the Camera Hump and Antenna Band at the back

Apple’s iPhone 7 isn’t expected to launch anytime before September but that does not mean we won’t get to know what it will be like before the launch date. In today’s dose of iPhone rumours, we bring to you news that will be music to most ears.

According to latest reports, the iPhone 7 body will appear very similar to the design scheme used for the iPhone 6 and 6s, but with two very notable exceptions.

To start things off, Apple will do away with the slightly protruding camera module present on the iPhone 6 and 6s. On the iPhone 7, the camera is said to sit flush with the rear casing, enabled by a thinner camera module. Earlier we had reported that Apple was looking at new camera tech for what is expected to be a leaner iPhone 7.

The second change that this latest report talks of is the removal of antenna bands at the rear of the handset. Antenna bands along the sides would still be present on the new iPhone.

iPhone 7 is expected to come in two variants. The smaller iPhone 7 will come equipped with a 4.7 inch display, while the 7s will feature a beautiful 5.5 inch OLED diplay, with a full body speaker grill, and could even support Li-Fi. It is also expected to skip on the 3.5mm jack in favour of a system that will see audio accessories being connected to it via the lightning port.

February 3, 2016
iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 to be Unveiled at the Apple Event on 15th March

Rumours have been circulating about an Apple event slated for sometime next month which will see the company unveil the new 4-inch iPhone and updates for the Apple Watch, along with the iPad Air 3 which is also expected to make an appearance at this event.

Though no concrete information has been available about this event but sources now reveal that this event will take place on the 15th of March.

According to reports, a new Apple Watch being launched is unlikely but news about the launch, and information regarding what to expect from the next Apple Watch when it finally arrives is surely on the cards. The existing Apple Watch is also going to receive some new band options and refreshed software.

The iPhone 5se which is going to be the big announcement at this event except for the possible addition of some extra curves at its edges, and an overall “less shiny” look will look very much like the iPhone 5s. It is expected to be priced around the $450( approx Rs. 30,000), and will be available in either 16 or 64 GB of storage. It will be powered by an A9 chip.

February 3, 2016
MediaTek Helio X20 Facing Overheating Issues

It looks like MediaTek’s top of the line offering, the Helio X20 is already running into trouble. This Dec-Core beast which comes with the promise of never before seen power on a smartphone will allegedly bring along with it more heat than it can handle.

The SoC much like the 810 is being accused of producing too much heat, and if industry sources are to be believed, it could be overlooked by manufacturers in the coming months just like the 810 initially when Samsung turned it down because of the overheating issues it brought along with it.

Mediatek-Helio-X20-Deca Core

Reports also suggest that the Helio X20 has done so poorly in its trials with phone manufacturers when it came to managing its thermal outputs that it has already been rejected by HTC, Lenovo, Xiaomi amongst others for their upcoming phones.

Needless to say, all these are just murmurs for now making their way to and fro across the trusted land of Internet, so waiting for something official before sounding the X20s death knell is highly recommended.

February 3, 2016
Microsoft to Build Under Water Data Centers

Building data centers underwater might sound bizarre but in the age where cars are starting to drive themselves, and computers can read the user’s mind, is it really something to be shocked at? Microsoft certainly doesn’t think so.

The global tech giant is currently working on something that it calls “Project Natick”, and its website states its purpose: “to understand the benefits and difficulties in deploying subsea data centers worldwide.”

No joke, it’s really happening. Microsoft has researched and tried out underwater data centers. This project was first proposed in 2014, and now it has effectively tested an underwater data center as part of Project Natick.

Microsoft said of the project, “Project Natick is a Microsoft research project to manufacture and operate an underwater data center…Project Natick reflects Microsoft’s ongoing quest for cloud data center solutions that provide rapid provisioning, lower costs, high responsiveness, and are more environmentally sustainable.”

The trial project which gave satisfactory results included a steel capsule placed 30 feet under the water in the Pacific Ocean. The capsule was covered with a range of sensors to monitor the kind of environmental challenges the capsule faced. Microsoft has revealed the findings of this trial project have given them great encouragement, and Microsoft has stressed that this could be the future of data center installations.

Data centers, which power basically everything we do on a daily basis contain thousands of computer servers which generate enormous amounts of heat which when not controlled properly can lead to crashing of these servers. Microsoft engineers say putting the data centers under cold ocean water could fix the problem.

Microsoft has also revealed that this new radical solution may be easier to install than current solutions which takes up to 2 years. The new system would be up and running in not more than 90 days.

February 3, 2016
WhatsApp Reaches 1 Billion Users

The Facebook-owned, and arguably the world’s most popular instant messaging app, Whatsapp has reached a major milestone today. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that the app was now being used by a Billion people around the globe, with 42 billion messages along with 1.6 billion photos and 250 million videos beaming across through WhatsApp servers daily.

Zuckerberg through his Facebook profile conveyed, “One billion people now use WhatsApp. There are only a few services that connect more than a billion people. This milestone is an important step towards connecting the entire world. WhatsApp’s community has more than doubled since joining Facebook. We’ve added the ability for you to call loved ones far away. We’ve dropped the subscription fee and made WhatsApp completely free. Next, we’re going to work to connect more people around the world and make it easier to communicate with businesses.”

Facebook bought the mobile messaging app in 2014, in a deal worth $19bn which back then was described by many analysts as not the best move forward for Facebook. Though most such doubts have been cast away but a couple of questions still linger.

Jack Kent, mobile analyst at IHS reacting to this news said, “WhatsApp still trails behind local competition in some key markets. There are big markets where WhatsApp isn’t the dominant player. WeChat in China has more than 500 million users, while Line is popular in Japan, and Kakao Talk is big in South Korea. But WhatsApp is certainly the most internationally successful.”

February 2, 2016
Le 1s Sold Out Under a Minute in its First Flash Sale

LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) unveiled to eager audiences a couple of days back the Le 1s. This budget phone from the Chinese phone maker has finally arrived in India, and earlier today was on sale exclusively through Flipkart.

The device is marked for a price of Rs 10,999 and retailed via its first flash sale which lasted for just about a minute. According to the company it had received over 5,30,000 registrations for the first flash sale.

The phone on offer was available in one variant, with pretty impressive specs for the price. The Le 1s will come equipped with a MediaTek X10 Turbo running at 2.2 GHz. It will house a VR6200 GPU, 3GB RAM with 32GB storage.

The ‘SuperPhone’ also supports Dual Sim 4G connectivity, backed by a 3000mAh battery pack in only one color option. It’s slimmer than the Le Max at 7.5 mm, and boasts of a 5.5-Inch Full HD Display, with a clarity of 403 ppi.

The Le 1s has a couple of other fancy tricks up its sleeve. It comes with the LeTouch Mirror Faced fingerprint scanner which will be the first finger scanner in the world with mirror surface. It also comes equipped with USB Type- C charging, and fast charging which will enable it to be used for 3.5 hours on a 5-minute charge.

The design is a full metal double chamber unibody design. It will be made completely out of Aircraft grade aluminium, and just like the Le Max, will be bezel-less.

Coming to the camera, the phone comes loaded with a front 5 MP shooter, and a rear 13 MP high definition rear shooter. It will have a ‘Blue Glass Infrared Filter’ F2.0 aperture and High CSR Flash for great looking pictures. The camera is pretty good and the quality is sharp, especially in outdoor conditions.

February 2, 2016
Google to Manufacture In-House Nexus Devices, OEMs to Exit

According to reports emanating from Google headquarters in Calfornia, the tech giant is reportedly looking at going the Apple way when it comes the manufacturing of its Nexus devices. Currently, Google shares the branding of its Nexus devices with the hardware manufacturers who have a significant input in both the hardware and designing of the device.

Google wants to change this from the ground up; it plans to bring to users in the future pure Nexus branded devices which will be designed fully by Google. From the hardware to the aesthetics, these phones will be a creation of minds at Google, and as such will not sport any branding of manufacturers. As the tech giant does not have any manufacturing units, the Nexus handsets of the future will take birth in manufacturing plants of handset makers on a contractual basis.

If and when this switch takes place, it won’t be a jump in the unknown for Google as it has already tried its hand at a task like this in the form of Pixel which are also 100% Google designed smartphones.This lineup which was originally created to use the Chrome OS was seen using the Android OS for its last product.

Reports suggest the murmurs for this switch in tactics for Google have made their way directly from the high offices of its CEO Sundar Pichhai who is said to have signaled to his associates at Google as well as outsiders of what could be the road-map ahead for Google.

Suggestions are Google’s extreme step of alienating itself from its current OEM partners is a result of the company’s growing frustration at Apple’s monopoly over the high-end Smartphone market. Google as of now has not been able to influence Android phone hardware so that it can enable new experiences which has lead the Nexus program to not gain the kind of traction with consumers that Google had previously hoped for.

February 2, 2016
Xiaomi to Unveil a Mi 5 Windows 10 Variant

Xiaomi which has recently announced the launch date for its upcoming handset, Xiaomi MI 5, has now according to reports plans of bringing the flagship to its users in a variant which will run using the Windows 10 OS. According to reports, the launch of the Windows 10 variant will be seen alongside the launch of the Android variant of the handset.

This move comes in continuation of Xiaomi releasing a Windows 10 ROM for the LTE version of its Mi 4 smartphone. It also announced a Windows 10 version of its Mi Pad 2 tablet last month. Other than the OS, the new Windows 10 variant will be identical to the Android variant. ‘

On the specifications front, not much is known apart from the fact that the Mi 5 will sport a Snapdragon 820 SoC, but according to reports, the device will be equipped with impressive under the hood specs that should be a match for the other flagships in the market.

Leaks claim the smartphone will have a 5.2-inch Quad HD display coated in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It’s also suggested the phone will have a 6-element 16MP camera on the back with f/2.2 aperture and 4K video recording.

February 2, 2016
Mobile Phone Manufacturing Crosses 100 Million Mark in India

Telecom Minister of India, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday revealed that mobile phone production in India had crossed the 100 million mark while also telling the media that many leading companies also want to set up their manufacturing units in the country in the coming year. This favourable news comes in at a time when there is an increased push from the country’s government for its pet project, “Make in India”.

“Today, I am happy to announce that in December, Rs 1.14 lakh crore investment has come in electronic manufacturing in India. We have attracted around 15 new mobile plants. Earlier in 2014, 68 million (mobile phones) were being manufactured and now 100 million are being manufactured,” Prasad said at Global Business Summit here.

He added, “All the major companies in the world namely Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Nidec, Samsung, Bosch, Jabil, Flextronics, Continental are in India besides all the top Indian companies who are already here,” Prasad said.

In addition to this, the president of the Indian Cellular Association, Pankaj Mahindroo was quoted as saying “In terms of value, mobile phone production in India increased 95% in the current financial year as compared to the previous year”

“Government has made sincere efforts to boost mobile phone production in the country. The new investment has created 30,000 new jobs in the country and state governments have shown keen interest in attracting these investments,”

The tech savvy telecom minister when asked about the experimentation of new technologies in the country, including that of Project Loon by Google and White space spectrum use for broadband by Microsoft, had this to say, “Once the pilot becomes successful, then depending on security concerns, final call will be taken,”

February 1, 2016
Moto X Force : Benchmark and Gaming

The new kid on the block, Moto X Force which has been in the news for bullying its way out of drop tests without a scratch will today be put to task in our extremely strenuous benchmark, gaming and heat test. Let’s find out how it fares when it comes to handling the most demanding games available on the Play Store.

When it comes to gaming the Moto X Force promises to handle anything and everything you throw at it. Backed by some serious under the hood power in the form of an Adreno 430 GPU coupled with a Snapdragon 810 Quad Core rocking at 2GHz the Moto X Force gives users great gaming performance.

The Moto X Force does not show any signs of stutter, and we noticed little or lag with seamless animations while gaming. 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM on board works in overdrive to provide users Graphics as smooth as butter, and with the help of the sturdy Quad HD AMOLED display gaming on the Moto X Force turns into a visual treat.

Speakers at the front provide great surround audio which adds to the overall gaming experience. The device also does not seem to heat too much, with the temperature staying around 35 degrees. Motorola’s use of ballistic nylon to the back of the phone helps keep the hands from feeling any rise in temperature.

The Moto X Force clocked impressive benchmark scores. The device scored 70839 on AnTuTu while still on Android Lollipop OS. The switch to Marshmallow OS is expected to offer better results.

Meanwhile, the device scored 7288 on Vellamo’s Chrome browser benchmark, beating the Galaxy S6 and LG G4. The Moto X Force’s multicore performance was also good, scoring 2437, though not as impressive as many other flagships currently out there.

To round it off, the Moto X Force not only promises a strong build with its shatterproof display, but does exceedingly well in benchmarks scores and real-world performance.

February 1, 2016