Author: Sushant Talwar

iPhone 7 To Include Improved Speaker System

Today’s dose of iPhone leaks and rumours brings to us news which will be music to curious ears. After angering audiophiles world over with its alleged decision to do away with the headphone jack, the Cupertino based company is now is looking to atone for its sins by planning to equip the next iPhone with a new and improved speaker system.

Latest set of patents doing rounds on the internet reveal Apple is looking at ways to boost the audio for the iPhone 7. As suggested by the patents, the next iteration of the iPhone could have significantly improved sound output.

Apple is to create a new sound system for the iPhone 7 which will use the entire phone as an audio chamber. The idea is to use the phone’s interiors to improve the amount of air that can pass through the speaker system, thus resulting in better volume output as well as audio quality. This new system adopted by Apple would also see the phone keeping up with the rumoured sleeker form of the phone.

The patent reads,

“As portable electronic devices get smaller and thinner, there are increased difficulties in providing the same or greater functionality in a smaller area.The one or more speakers of the system can produce audio sound that can be directed to one or more audio output openings.”

The interpretation of this patent information also hints at a better system for audio input which would essentially mean an upgrade to the phone’s microphone too! Nice try Apple, but the loss of the 3.5mm jack still hurts.

January 13, 2016
Possible LG G5 Launch Round the Corner after MWC Event Tease

Mobile World Congress, 2016 is just round the corner and big name brands have already started gearing up to showcase the best they have to eager customers around the globe. Surprisingly, first out of the blocks is South Korean tech giant, LG.

The G5 which has been rumoured to get an earlier than usual launch date is being tipped to be unveiled next month in Barcelona. LG for its part has today only added fuel to fire by sending out invites to the media for an event on February, 21. The invite does not reveal much, but only states, “Play Begins” with a mysterious jack-in-the-box music player in the background. What this could possibly point to is a music focused flagship for this year.

LG on its part has usually unveiled its G series flagship phones later than its competitors Samsung, and HTC, and has lost out in sales numbers because of it. This switch in strategy could well see it substantially increase sales in important markets.

The G5 is rumoured to come equipped with a 5.3-inch QHD display, sporting a Snapdragon 820 processor and 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. It’s also suggested that LG G5 might include an eye scanner, USB-C connectivity and a fingerprint sensor. Speculation also points to a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor.

There are also whispers suggesting that the device might come with some sort of modular attachment. Well, what that attachment could be is anybody’s guess right now. The stylish addition of leather to the back of the handset could also be seen in the new flagship.

January 13, 2016
Flipkart Deals of the Day

Good morning readers, iGyaan comes bearing good news. Flipkart today is running a sales promotion campaign under the name “Brand Days Store Online”. Under this promotion campaign Flipkart is offering some really cool handsets at great discounts and exchange offers.

The catalogue brings to you a variety of handsets from the house of Motorola, and the much wanted Nexus 6. If you’re not the one for exchange offers, Flipkart gives you a Flat discount of Rs 2000 on devices such as Moto X Play, Moto G Turbo, and Moto G( 3rd Gen). These come with exchange offers also which depend on the handset.

Moto Turbo, Moto X Style, and Nexus 6 are also up for grabs at great exchange deals. All three of them are available for upgrade with exchange amount upto Rs 15,000 for your old phone. Moto E2, and Moto 4G are also available for exchange offers of upto Rs 3000.

Moto X Play/ Moto X Style

The Moto X Play boasts of features that are sure to excite the masses. With a 21 MP camera, 3630 mAh battery, and expandable memory up to 128 GB. Other features include a 5.5 inch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Snapdragon 615, and an Octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. The Moto X Play is currently available at a price of Rs. 16,499.

The Moto X Style has a 5.7 inch, 2K display, 3 GB of RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset. The cameras are marked at 21 MP for the main camera and 5 MP for the front camera. Both cameras are equipped with flash. The phone has a 3,000 mAh battery and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. The device is available on Flipkart for Rs. 29,999, but there’s an exchange offer up to Rs. 15,000 on the device.

Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 boasts a 5.96-inch QHD (2560×1440p) AMOLED display. It is powered by 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. The screen of the device is shielded by Corning Glass 3, which means users need not have to worry about scratches.

On the camera front, it sports a 13MP rear and 2MP front snapper. The device gets its juice from a 3,220mAh battery, which the company claims to last for six hours on a 15-minute charge as it comes along with Motorola’s Turbo Charger. Nexus 6 offers wireless charging. The device is up for grabs with great exchange offer as well.

Moto Turbo

Comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset with a Quad Core CPU clocked at 2.7 GHz (Krait 450). The GPU is the new ADRENO 420 and all of this is managed with 3 GB of RAM and a fixed 64 GB of storage. On the outside is a brilliant 5.2 inch Quad-HD Super-AMOLED type with a 2560 X 1440 Pixel resolution giving it 565 ppi. Priced at Rs 31,999, the device has an exchange offer available through the Flipkart app.

Moto G Turbo

The Moto G Turbo comes with a Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 chipset, with Adreno 405 and a quick charge capability that Motorola calls a turbo charge with 2GB RAM. 13 MP Camera, and HD 1280*720p display. The device is available at a price of Rs. 12,499.

Moto G (3rd Gen)

The device boasts of a 5-inch 720p display with 1280×720-pixel resolution and 294ppi. It is powered by a 1.4GHz Quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, along with an Adreno306 GPU. It is juiced by a 2,470 mAh battery that can last roughly up to a day. The handset is available in two variants- 8GB storage with 1GB RAM and 16GB storage with 2GB RAM. The discounted handset for the 8GB variant now falls just under the 10K bracket at Rs. 9,999, while the 16 GB device is available for Rs. 10,999.

January 13, 2016
Polaroid ModelSmart 250S : 3-D Printer for your Home

Polaroid is a company which became a world-wide hit during the 70’s with its instant photo spitting devices. It’s a brand that invokes nostalgia amongst all who ever held, or saw one of its rainbow striped cameras. Though these devices are no match for today’s digital cameras for features, but in terms of fun, and instant gratification, Polaroid’s instant snappers provided something that no digital camera can match.

At CES, 2016, Polaroid keeping in touch with the core values of its brand launched the Polaroid Snap. The Snap was the evolution of the 70’s Polaroid instant Snapper. This device is a Digital Camera + Bluetooth Instant Printer in one. Suffice to say onlookers were charmed, Polaroid back in the news, but it seems like the Company wasn’t done. Well, not just yet. Enter Polaroid ModelSmart 250S.

Smart 250s is Polaroid’s attempt at testing new waters in 2016. This is Polaroid’s foray into the 3-D printing market. The company will produce this tech in partnership with U.K based Environmental Business Products(EBP).

The printing chamber’s dimensions are 250 x 150 x 150mm (W x H x D), and on the outside the printer bears Polaroid’s iconic color band along with its name at the front. It is a refreshing change from the other dull 3-D printers available in the market.

Polaroid’s machine comes with autocalibration, and 3-D Prep software, and hence only 10 Simple settings for printing. It also is equipped with Wi-Fi enabled camera, and app control so that printing can be done sitting from the users desk. Objects between the size of 50-350 microns can be created with ModelSmart 250.

With the ModelSmart 250S, Polaroid’s come to the market with a simple product aimed at home users, but more likely users of this machine could end up being small businesses, and startups. No pricing information has been announced for the ModelSmart 250S.

January 12, 2016
Apple iOS 9.3 to bring big changes to iPhones and iPads

Apple today has released a new iOS 9.3 beta software for its iOS devices, giving developers a glimpse into the new features that will soon be available. Public beta will be up for download for all who signed up for it. The iOS 9.3 beta is one of the biggest updates to iOS 9 as of now, and brings along with it a number of really cool features.

Improved 3D Touch

The latest update to the OS will bring with it advanced 3D Touch capabilities. Advancements to the way users interact with their Apple device will be seen such as the use of pressure commands. New ‘Quick Shortcuts’ for the App store, Compass, Health, iTunes Store and Weather are going to be seen,

App Switcher

iOS 9.3 includes haptic feedback when using the Force Touch app switcher on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus. “Peek” feedback is provided when first opening the app switcher, and a full “Pop” feedback is given when pressing further to open it fully.

Night Shift

This is a new feature designed to decrease the amount of blue light an iOS user is exposed to at night. Night Shift allows for the OS to shift to more yellow tones for the iPhone or iPad’s display. Apparently this shift will help the user, be more comfortable while reading in the dark, and result in a more peaceful sleep at night. Thank you Apple for caring so much.

News

Improvements have been made to the news app in iOS 9.3 to make it more specific to each person’s interests. A new For You section will also incorporate trending topics and specific picks from Apple editors to help users discover conetent. Other new features include a new landscape view for News on the iPhone, in-line video playback for videos in news stories. According to Apple faster content updating when opening the news app will also be noticed.

Health

iOS 9.3 will include third-party app recommendations in the Health app, where users will also be able to see move, exercise, stand, and goal data from a paired Apple Watch. Health will highlight apps for example tracking weight.

CarPlay

CarPlay apps have been updated to bring them in line with iOS apps on iOS 9. The Apple Music CarPlay app now include a new For You sections to help the user with music discovery. A new Nearby feature is also added to maps to offer information about what’s close-by tailored for the user.

Education

iOS 9.3 will bring with it several Education-oriented features such as feature of shared iPads for students, a new Classroom app, an Apple School Manager, and improved Apple ID management features. Sharing of iPads is a particularly interesting feature which is picked up from android, and as such could be seen soon in use for more than just the Education app.

Apple Watch

Alongside iOS 9.3, Apple also released the watchOS 2.2 beta to developers around the world. With both these updates installed the iPhone will be able to pair with more than one Apple Watch at a time.

Live Photos

iOS 9.3 will also see the iPhone 6s get a brand new option to save a full resolution photo from a Live Photo. Users can do this while using Share Sheet, choosing “Duplicate”. it will now gives an option to create a Still Photo duplicate of a Live Photo.

Notes

The Notes app has a minor update to it. iOS 9.3 will see the Notes app get finger-print unlocking ability. This is expected to make using the the must have app more convenient.

January 12, 2016
Meizu MX6- World’s First handset to feature 10-Core Helio X20 SoC

After the success of Meizu MX5, and Meizu Pro 5 last year, the China based company plans to raise the bar even higher in 2016 with its new offering, the Meizu MX6. The Flagship phone from Meizu is expected to be officially launched in June-July this year, and according to reports is expected to come to the market packing some serious under the hood specs.

Fresh leaks have surfaced on Weibo showing Antutu benchmark reports of the MX6. The particular leaks reveal the handset to be powered by MediaTek Helio X20 chip with a 10-core 3-cluster processor (2x Cortex-A72 at 2.5GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 at 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 at 1.4GHz). If the leaks indeed end up being true, then Meizu MX6 will become the first phone to use a Deca-Core processor on board.

Further specs revealed courtesy of the Antutu benchmark show the phone to be equipped with a Mali T880 GPU, and 3GB of RAM. The phone will have 32GB of internal memory, 1080p Full HD Display, and will come bundled with Android 6.0 Marshmallow with company’s Flyme UI on top of it.

The MX5 which shipped with an X10 Octa-Core processor inside retailed for Rs 19,990, and that is the price point which we expect the new flagship to retail at in a couple of months. There are also a couple of other things that Meizu could improve upon in the MX6 such as the amount of RAM come its launch date.

January 12, 2016
LG K10 to Launch This Week

According to communication received from LG, the latest range of mid range offerings from the South Korean Tech giant, LG K7, and LG K10 are slated for launch this week. These smartphones will be available in South Korea starting January 14th.

Specifications of the model launched in Korea reveal the device to have a quad-core 1.2 GHz CPU, backed by 1.5GB, while internal memory is 16GB. In terms of camera, the device sports a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter.

The measurment of the phone will be 146.6 × 74.8 × 8.8mm and it will weigh 140g. On the outside will be a nice 5.3 inch, 720p display. The phone will come equipped with Android 5.1 Lolipop, and will pack a 2300 mAh battery to keep it going through the day. Connectivity options on the much awaited phone include Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, USB 2.0, and Micro SD. It will be available in three color options Indigo, Black, and White.

Pricing of the K10 is set at a tag of KRW 200,000( Approx Rs 11,037), but expect it to be priced a bit higher when it hits Indian shores.

January 12, 2016
Samsung ‘Smart Suit’ to Dress You Up For the Future

Smartphones, smart-watches, smart cities with smart people living in futuristic smart homes doing smart things all the time! Well, the future sure promises to look like the setting of a Sci-Fi movie. And, for better, or for worse, Samsung is here to do its bit for this revolution by promising to dress up the future, you and us, with smart-clothes.

Samsung unveiled its Smart Suit concept, a range of smart wearables at CES, 2016. The technology behind the Smart Suit, however, isn’t that impressive. It’s basically your every-day clothes with an NFC tag sewn into them.

SMART Button

This range of smart clothes includes a button that can be used to put your phone into “do not disturb” mode and can share contact details, getting rid of the need for business cards to be exchanged -all this by just swiping your smartphone over this smart-button on your suit.

Welt- The SmartBelt

The Button is joined by the Welt. This smartbelt will not only hold up your pants, but also track the size of your waistline, steps you’ve walked, among other things. We say that’s pretty impressive for a belt.

Body Compass 2.0

The smart suit concept also brings to us Body Compass 2.0, which has two pieces of apparel to it, a tank top, and a pair of trousers. No prizes for guessing, both come sewn with a metal nub that houses a processor, and a small battery to power the sensors in the clothes.

These sensors that send data back to this hub are incorporated in the material itself, and help the athletic wear measure body fat, heart rate, and stance of the user. On the flip side, usage of sophisticated tech in these clothes also makes them non-machine washable.

This range of smart wearables interact with a Samsung app, and provides real-time analysis of your workout, going as far as advising you to correct your posture and even pesters you if you take too long a rest. Phew! Too much pressure.

January 11, 2016
Apple Music Reaches 10 Million Users in 6 Months, Spotify took 6 years

It’s only been six months since Apple started operations at Apple Music, and in that short span of time, this promising service has outdone market expectations, and already managed to reach half the number of paid subscribers that the market leader, Spotify has. Noteworthy is the fact, that it took Spotify, its main rival, 6 long years to reach this milestone of 10 million subscribers.

What makes this feat even more impressive, is the fact that Apple’s streaming service which because of it’s bug ridden, and clustered interface met with a lot of criticism at its launch. It was only after iOS 9 came in that many of these issues were cleared.

This growth of Apple’s premium music streaming service, which launched in more than 100 countries, not only raises the competition in the music streaming service space, but more importantly raises hopes for the future of the music Industry itself, which has been fighting a losing battle against Piracy for the last decade or so.

Deciphering this music industry analyst, Mark Mulligan had this to say,“It’s good news that Apple is making streaming work but it is also going to accelerate the decline of downloads.” Apple is rapidly gaining on Spotify and at its current growth rate has “the potential to be the leading music subscription service sometime in 2017.”

Streaming is slowly becoming the preferred form of consumption of music, and is growing rapidly as people give up on downloads. In the US, demand for streaming increased more than 50 per cent, with 164bn songs streamed in total.

Apple despite all of this has a long way to go before it comes close to overtaking Spotify. Spotify last reported its number of subscribers in June, and it is expected to have grown substantially since then. Back then it had 20 million paid members, and in total it reported 75 million users.

January 11, 2016
Polaroid Snap – A Digital Camera That Prints Photos on the Go

Polaroid is the company best known for its instant-film camera from the 70’s which revolutionised photography back in the day. An old school, no non-sense camera that made it easy for anyone to become a photographer, and in the true sense made photography a thing for the youth.

It’s been decades since the release of the photo spitting device, but Polaroid still thinks it can attract new, younger customers to the brand with this refreshed take of the old concept. And, to be honest, the marketing guys at Polaroid have got their thinking right.

The Polaroid Snap is a cute looking digital camera that throws out instant-film prints and it even has the iconic rainbow stripe. Since this is a digital camera, it comes with a couple of nifty features not present on its predecessors. A 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD on the back of the Snap lets users line up shots or even select photos to print at any time.

The Snap’s bluetooth capability allows other devices carrying photos to connect to it and lets them print from Polaroid’s printing barrel. The Snap has a 10-megapixel sensor, shoots 1080p Full HD video, and has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. No launch plans for India have been revealed, but considering its price $99 (Approx Rs, 6,500) if it indeed lands on our shores, this camera is sure going to have a lot of takers.

January 9, 2016
Samsung’s Profit Forecast Misses Expectations

South Korean tech giant, Samsung has announced expected operating profits for Q4 2015. The company foretold an operating profit of 6.1 trillion Korean won (around $5.08 billion), which is up 15% compared to the 5.3 trillion won figure the company reported in Q4 2014.Analysts had expected the figure to be closer to 6.6tn won, fueling growth concerns. This comes after Samsung products got hit by weak demand in China and currency woes. Operating profits also fell 7.5% from the previous quarter. Sales of the world’s biggest maker of memory chips, smartphones, and other consumer devices also missed forecasts at 53tn won for the period.

These figures, point towards what could be a tough year for not just Samsung, but the tech industry itself.

Samsung is facing strong competition from Apple at the premium end of the market, while cheaper Chinese rivals are eating into the mid to low level range for mobile devices. As such, this next year could well be crucial for Samsung if it wants to protect its supremacy in the market.

January 9, 2016
MSI Launches GT72S Gaming Laptop with Tobii Vison Tracking

The future of gaming is here, and it’s amazing! Case in point, the GT72S Tobii from the stables of MSI is as cool, as gaming laptops can be. Using Tobii eye tracking hardware, this laptop lets you control games with just your eyes. For all you non-believers out there, this tech is more than just a gimmick, and comes in handy while playing games and even while logging into Windows 10.

Three infrared sensors placed behind the laptop’s display, track the users eye movements and translate them into inputs. What this would mean in a First Person Shooter like Batllefield, or Counter Strike will be aiming at a target just by looking at them, or aiming at a location in strategy games. This laptop could also be a natural for Racing games such as Project Cars, and Dirt.

The setup of this alien tech is surprisingly simple. A small calibration test is all it takes to get the hardware acquainted with the users sight. Tobii also helps your laptop to do basics tasks such as recognize when you’re sitting in front of the computer and tie it to Window’s screen dimming and sleep times.

This Gaming Laptop also comes equipped with a 2.9GHz Intel Core i7-6820K processor, and unlike the GT72S Dragon only sports a Nvidia GTX 980M GPU. It will feature 8GBs of DDR5 VRAM. Other specs include 32GB of DDR4 RAM, plus a 256GB SSD with another 1TB HDD.

This piece of fancy tech can be yours for a meagre sum of $3600 ( Approx Rs 2,50,000) so yeah, better start saving up.

January 9, 2016
HTC Launches Desire 728 Dual Sim in India

After the launch of the HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM and HTC One A9 in India last month, HTC today has launched the Desire 728 Dual SIM in India – priced at Rs. 17,990.The phone will be made available for purchase only through major offline retailers starting next next week and will have two color options -White Luxury and Purple Myst.

The Desire 728 runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with HTC Sense and features a 5.5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display. It packs a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 5- megapixel front facing shooter. Also, the handset is powered by a Octa-core MediaTek MT6753 SoC (clocked at 1.3GHz) and 2GB of RAM.

It comes with 16GB in-built storage which is expandable via microSD card (up to 2TB). Connectivity options on the handset include Wi-Fi, FM radio, Bluetooth, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, 3G and Micro-USB and 4G LTE TDD connectivity with support for Indian networks.

According to official listing of the HTC Desire 728 Dual SIM, the handset is backed by a 2800 mAh battery that can offer up to 21 hours of talk time and up to 485 hours of standby time in 3G. The dimensions are 157.9×77.84×7.87mm and it weighs at a measly 153 grams. It also comes with HTC proprietary BooMSound Technology, and Dolby audio for all audiophiles in the market.

January 8, 2016
CES 2016: Panasonic Transparent Displays Give Us a Peek Into the Future

For most smart-homes a shiny looking, flat-screen panel in the living room is the heart of everything smart, and beautiful. Over the years, display manufacturers have gone to great extents to create gorgeous looking TVs that not only add a dash of class to your home, but also are an embodiment of the latest technology available in the market.

Panasonic, in a bid to take things in this already heavily competitive space to another level, has come up with a new experimental screen that fades to total transparency when not in use.The display technology has such potential, that when it eventually gets retail release, it could well turn out to be one of the biggest TV advancements since the advent of the flat screen.

The Japanese company revealed its transparent TV screen on the floor of CES 2016, and was greeted by never ending crowds gathered around it. The display on show was a thin LCD panel with adjustable dimensions.

According to reports, the display has a slight tint to it which the engineers at Panasonic aim to get rid of in the future. The display also for now cannot process resolutions over 1080p, but be that as it may, this concept display is still nothing short of amazing!

Just thinking about the real life applications of this tech brings a smile to our faces at iGyaan. Imagine a warm morning couple of years down the line, when you wake up to look outside your window, and lo and behold, a notification pops up on your windowpane intimating you of the weather forecast for the day, or plays a video of the goal you missed from last night’s Champion’s League game! Yes, all that, and more could well become real in the future.

January 8, 2016
CES 2016: Lenovo Smartphone the First to Implement Google’s Project Tango

Third day of the Consumer Electronic Show 2016 has seen Google and Lenovo announce plans of a partnership to build, and sell the first smartphone that can make use of the former’s take on 3-D Augmented Reality technology. Google likes to call this tech fondly as ‘Project Tango.’

This tech will help support smart devices figure out space and motion just like humans do, allowing the devices to understand their surroundings in a 3-D view, and track their path as they move through them. Using ‘Project Tango’, a device can map the dimensions of the room, essentially projecting it on the screen in a 3-D form.

Project Tango Development Kits were earlier launched to help developers create apps to better use this technology. Future uses of Tango could be apps that use 3-D augmented reality technology to help you decide how a piece of furniture will look in your room. Several interactive games could also be made using ‘Project Tango’. Possibilities, in all honesty, are endless.

The Lenovo smartphone that will be the first to do the ‘Tango’ with Google’s latest tech, is going to be priced at $500(approx Rs 35,000), and will be out sometime during the “Summer of 2016″. Not much has been disclosed in terms of specs, but the phone will be powered by a Qualcomm processor, sport three cameras (RGB, Fisheye, and Depth) for it’s 3-D mapping needs, and could have a display as big as 6-6.5 inches.

Vice President of Lenovo, Jeff Meridith stressed at the event that this will not be a niche product, but a device for the masses He stressed,” We locked arms with Google to bring out a consumer device based on Tango. The goal here was to create a mainstream device. We don’t want this to be a niche technology. Lenovo is extremely proud of where we are at this stage of the effort.”

January 8, 2016