Author: Tejan Mitra

Leaked: Samsung’s Latest Galaxy Edge S6 Plus Could Look Like This

Last week, we reported that Samsung may have advanced the release date from September to August for Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, to boost the struggling sales the company has been experiencing for past few months. Earlier today we gave you a sneak peek into what the Galaxy Note 5 would look like and along with it were a new set of images that were posted, giving us an idea about how the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus would look. All About Samsung has posted photographs of what looks like a storage dummy for the upcoming phone.

In the above photo, the S6 Edge Plus looks to be around the same height as the Galaxy Note 4, but is slightly less wide. The Note 4’s display clocks at 5.7 inches, which makes the Galaxy S6 Edge + bigger than its predecessor.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is basically the phablet version of the Galaxy S6 Edge. The device is assumed to have a curved display and run on Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB, instead of the Snapdragon 808. Samsung will probably release the official photos in the next few weeks, and judging by the above photo, this one looks to be a serious contender to Apple’s upcoming iPhone.

July 20, 2015
Here’s a Close Look at Samsung Note 5’s Design

Samsung is pinning all its hope on the heavily anticipated Galaxy Note 5. The company hasn’t earned a strong profit this quarter and it has recently shifted the phone’s launch date from September to August. Now, an artist has rendered photographs of what looks like a realistic version of the Galaxy Note 5, using leaked data.

https://instagram.com/p/5QQbKSPy8F/?taken-by=beespline

https://instagram.com/p/5QQT3oPy74/?taken-by=beespline

It should be noted that these images do not represent the final version of the Galaxy Note 5. The company is yet to reveal official images of the phone, which should happen in a matter of a couple of weeks.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is likely to feature a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with curves on both the edges. The display is likely to also feature a 4K resolution. According to reports, the Note 5 will feature 3GB LPDDR3 DRAM, 32GB of eMMC (embedded multimedia card) along with a controller. The phone may also feature a 16MP rear camera, 8MP secondary shooter, 4GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

July 20, 2015
Unboxing and Hands On of Yu’s YuFit

After a few months since its inception, the company will launch Yubic, a portable Bluetooth speaker and YuFit, a fitness band it announced back in May. Both of the products have been strategically priced at Rs. 999, which means the company is aiming to counter the likes of Xiaomi, a company known for providing quality products at affordable prices.

The YuFit is YU’s attempt to mark its territory in the wearable segment, which is currently new in India. The YuFit has an OLED display that tracks steps taken, sleep cycle and alerts about incoming calls and messages. The fitness band comes along with an accompanying app. This app calculates the calories of any food material you click along with suggesting a healthier alternative.

On the fitness front, it gives access to group coaching, social fitness, motivation and more.The YuFit will be available on Amazon India at a price of Rs. 999 and the registrations will open on 21st July.

For more information, watch the video below in which we unbox the YuFit:

July 20, 2015
Exclusive: YU’s YUFit Band To Go on Sale Starting 29th July, Registrations open on 21st July

YU Televentures is venturing into the wearables segment and is starting with the YuFit fitness band. The registrations for the band will start from 21st July and will go on sale on 29th July. The Yufit band has been priced at Rs.999 and will be available exclusively through Amazon India.

The YuFit has an OLED display that tracks steps taken, sleep cycle and alerts about incoming calls and messages. The fitness band comes along with an accompanying app called HealthifyMe. This app calculates the calories of any food material you click along with suggesting a healthier alternative. On the fitness front, it gives access to group coaching, social fitness, motivation and more.

YuFit Band.

The company will also offer a free personal trainer for the first 1000 YuFit users. Along with the fitness band, YU also revealed another device known as the HealthYU cassette. This device measures body vitals such as ECG, skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiration rate and is is priced at Rs. 4,999. This small device can fit into your pocket and has two suction cups that help in attaching the device to a smartphone’s back cover. The device then pairs with an app working on the phone with Bluetooth, and once the pairing is complete, you can keep four fingers on the four sensors on the HealthYu to start tracking the body vitals.

With inputs by Rishi Baruah.

July 18, 2015
Exclusive: Starting at Rs. 55,000, the Turing Phone is Set to Launch in India by September

In a post-Snowden world, privacy has become an integral part of our lives. We have seen in TV shows and movies where the protagonist and spies carry an uncrackable, heavily encrypted phone. Turing Robotics Industries has launched a smartphone, the Turing Phone, which the company claims is unhackable and unbreakable. Appropriately named after Alan Turing, the first person to develop cryptographic machines, otherwise known as computers, the device will launch in India by the first week of September, starting at a price of Rs. 55,000.

If the price seems too steep, there is a reason behind it. The Turing Phone has been constructed from a material called Liquidmorphium, which is stronger than titanium and steel. It uses nano-coating to cover the internal parts, which makes it waterproof. To round off its main selling point, the phone has built-in end-to-end encryption in its core apps, which means servers and third parties cannot intercept your calls and messages. The phone has been built keeping security in mind. To that extent, it doesn’t even has a headphone jack or a USB port. It is meant to be unhackable.

The Turing Phone lacks a headphone jack and USB port. Source: Turing Robotics Industries.

On the specifications front, the Turing Phone runs on the 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801c processor with 3GB of RAM. The phone supports 4G LTE and is powered by a 3000 mAh non-removable battery. The rest include a 5.5 inch full HD display, a 13MP rear and an 8MP front camera and a fingerprint scanner on the left side of the phone. The phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with Turing Aemaeth UI. The phone can be charged via a magnetically attached power connector, like Apple’s MagSafe.

Source: Turing Robotics Industries

It is available in three variants – 16GB, 64GB and 128GB. In India, the 64GB variant will be available for a price of around Rs. 55,000 and the 128 GB variant will be available at a price of around Rs. 68,000. The Turing Phone comes in three models – Pharaoh, Cardinal, and Beowulf, each one taking colour and texture cue from the source material.

Turing Robotics’ CEO SYL Chao hopes that the material used in the Turing Phone will become standard in the near future. In the present, it seems that the phone will only attract businessmen and people working at higher positions in corporate sectors, considering its steep price tag.

July 18, 2015
Trailers This Week: Suicide Squad, The Revenant, Batman V Superman and More

This week is turning out to be awesome for any movie buff. For months, people have been waiting to see Jared Leto’s version of Joker, the new Batsuit, and an exciting new film from the person who made Sherlock Holmes.

Suicide Squad:
For those who were disappointed for not being able to see the Suicide Squad footage screened for Comic Con, don’t worry. Warner Bros. has released the official trailer for Suicide Squad, featuring Deadshot, Harley Quinn and the Joker. For those uninitiated, Suicide Squad is a group of supervillains who work for the government. Added bonus: Batman riding on top of a car driven by Harley Quinn.

The film will release in August 2016.

Batman V Superman : Dawn of Justice:
After we saw a bare glimpse of the highly anticipated movie earlier this year, a full trailer has been released for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. We finally get a glimpse of Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor.

Goosebumps:
No childhood is complete without reading a Goosebump book. The much beloved children’s horror book series is finally getting a movie adaptation. How awesome does the Abominable Snowman looks?

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. :
After directing two successful SherlocK Holmes films, cult favourite Guy Ritchie is back with a film adaptation of the TV series of the same name. It stars Henry Cavill (Superman) and Armie Hammer, whom you may know better for playing the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network.

The Revenant:
Fan-favourite Leonardo DiCaprio is seeking for revenge in this new trailer for The Revenant. The film has been directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who has become famous for directing the technical marvel Birdman. The film has been shot entirely in natural light and seeing from the footage, it looks amazing.

July 18, 2015
Cortana’s Beta Version for Android Leaked

Microsoft’s plan to release Cortana for Android to coincide with the release of Windows 10 may have received a bit of setback. According to sources, a version of Cortana for Android has leaked earlier than expected. It’s still a beta version, so Microsoft has nothing to worry about.

Android users who have used the Windows version before, will find nothing new in the Android version. Except for one detail, the beta version is identical to the one found in Windows devices. You can check for weather, set reminders, see sport results, ask it to tell you Rahul Gandhi’s age etc.

Source: Microsoft News

Named after a character in the Halo video game series, Cortana is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri. The virtual assistant is currently available to only Windows 8.1 phone users. After Microsoft launches Windows 10 later this month, the feature will be made available to both PC and mobile phone users, as well as for Android, iOS and XBox.

Cortana has proved itself time and time again that it is equivalent to Siri. Last year, Cortana gained its fame when it successfully predicted most of the FIFA World Cup games.

July 18, 2015
Apple’s New Patent Will Use Solar Energy to Power Accessories

Apple’s new patent will solve two problems faced by smartphone users and manufacturers – longer battery life and energy conscious batteries. According to Patently Apple (via 9to5Mac), Apple has patented a technology that involves applying solar cells to a touch display surface like a trackpad or iPhone to store power for the device.

Apple is not the first one to think of incorporating solar charging into its devices. In 2010, Puma launched a phone in tandem with Sagem, which included a solar panel. It’s a different thing that the device didn’t work.

According to Patently Apple, Apple notes that “the wireless device has a touch sensor and a solar cell that converts ambient light into electrical power. Wireless communications circuitry transmits the touch input to the external equipment using the electrical power from the solar cell. Energy storage devices such as a capacitor and a battery can be charged using the electrical power.”

Source: Apple Patently

The above technology described can be used for Apple’s Wireless Keyboard or Magic Mouse, which require AA batteries and wirelessly transmit signals through Bluetooth. In the diagram procured by Patently Apple, it seems the new design would be applicable to only Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.

The potential doesn’t end here. In a few years, we can see the new design getting implemented into Macbooks, iPhones and Apple Watch, which could run continuously on solar power, allowing users to continuously perform tasks.

July 17, 2015

Yu Teases its Next Phone Through This Cryptic Teaser

If you have seen the latest ad by Yu, you may think that the company is probably sticking too close to its ‘Play God’ tagline. The new ad, which is quite cryptic in nature, teases the date 20th July, which has probably got to do with the launch of a new phone.

In the teaser we see a man piecing up a smartphone in a grinder. Does it mean that the new phone could be a better combination of various phones? Or a new phone will rise out of the ashes? Aside from quoting True Detective like quotes, we can’t say anything. Yu is asking people to guess on social media using #YuGuessWhat.

Yuphoria was the latest phone launched by Yu, priced at a mere Rs. 6,999. According to our review, the phone packs more than you can expect from a budget handset. Check out the phone’s specifications and our review:

Specification	YU Yuphoria
Display	5-inch IPS HD
Resolution	1280×720 pixel (294ppi)
Additional	Protected by Gorilla Glass 3
Processor	1.2GHz Quad Core, ARM Cortex- A53
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 \| 64bit
GPU	Adreno A306 3D Graphics Core \| 400 MHz
RAM	2GB
Internal Memory	16GB
Expandable Up to	64 GB
Sim Cards	2 x LTE Enabled Sim Card Slots
Primary Camera	8MP
Secondary Camera	5MP
Connectivity Options	4G LTE
Battery	2,230mAh
Operating System	Cyanogen 12.0 (Android 5.0 based)
Price	Rs. 6,999

July 17, 2015

Motorola’s Media Invite Teases the Launch Date for the New Moto G

Just two days ago, we reported a leak that showed off the next generation Moto G and Moto X by the Lenovo owned Motorola. Motorola India has sent a media invite for the 28th July, which could possibly be for the launch of Moto G (3rd Gen.) in India.

Though the invite doesn’t really say anything specific about the event, our guess is that the company could launch the next generation Moto G. The date, 28th July, corroborates with the earlier rumours we heard about the Moto G’s launch date.

According to the photos that leaked a few days ago, the new Moto G (3rd Gen) seems to have identical hardware Snapdragon 410, 2GB RAM and Android 5.1.1 out of the box. It will have 4G + dual SIM versions and is a IPX7 waterproof cell phone.

Motorola will offer the new Moto G with various options. The Moto G 8GB variant will come with 1GB of RAM whereas the Moto G 16GB variant will come with 2GB of RAM. The new Moto G will be equipped with a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The company will reportedly also extend the Moto Maker to the Moto G.

July 17, 2015
Surprise! Rovio is Releasing Angry Birds 2 Soon

Remember Angry Birds? The game, which was massively popular before the likes of Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans replaced it (and its various spin-offs). The addictive game will now make a comeback in the form a sequel. Rovio, the publisher behind Angry Birds, confirmed that a sequel named Angry Birds 2 will be released on July 30. The news is a bit surprising since the game has lived on in the form of various spin-offs such as Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars.

https://twitter.com/AngryBirds/status/621602008110202881/photo/1

At this point, Rovio has revealed next to nothing about the upcoming game. Aside from the above tweet, Rovio has released a teaser in which we see a bunch of pigs standing around some crates and we can hear the trademark banter by the birds in the background. The look of the teaser reminds us of the prologue that comes before every stage in the game.

Originally launched in 2009, Angry Birds became the ‘must-have’ game on everyone’s phone.The game was designed to be played on smartphones (Android and iOS were a couple of years old back then) and in a matter of months, achieved a massive following. Rovio took advantage of the success and released different versions of the game like Rio, Seasons, Star Wars and Transformers. Rovio also made a huge amount of money through Angry Birds merchandise. Even the pigs got their own game!

Although Angry Birds has been downloaded almost 3 billion times, counting all versions, Rovio has seen a decline in profit. According to Time, the company generated just $170 million in revenue and $11 million in operating profit in 2014, down from the year before, which forced the company to cut more than 100 jobs last year as well. To revitalize the franchise, Rovio is also planning to release an Angry Birds movie next year starring Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones.

We will learn only after July 30 whether the public still loves the angry, glass and wood smashing birds.

July 17, 2015
Xiaomi Will Also Sell A Water Purifier and Sports Shoes

Today, Xiaomi was supposed to launch the much awaited Mi5. However, the company went ahead and launched MiTV 2S. Turns out, it wasn’t the only product Xiaomi launched today. The company went ahead and launched a water purifier and sports shoe.

For years, people have joked that Apple is so huge that it will one day launch its own brand of water. Xiaomi, which has gained a reputation for being the Chinese counterpart of Apple, went a step further and launched its own water purifier. Known as the ‘Mi Water Purifier’, the device can connect directly to the tap, thus removing the requirement for any laborious setup. The purifier can dispense 400 gallons of water purified through a four-step RO process.

Since it’s Xiaomi, the purifier can notify you about filter change and other such details on your phone. It is not cheap though, for it costs around Rs.13,000 with extra accessories available on Xiaomi’s website. Mi’s Hugo Barra is excited to launch the purifier in India.

The Mi Water Purifier

Xiaomi also launched a smart shoe in partnership with sports brand Li Ning. Known as the ‘Li Ning Smart Shoes’, it features military-grade motion sensors supplied by Xiaomi.

Source: My Drivers

The Li-Ning Smart Shoes are claimed to be waterproof and sweat-proof and can withstand pressure while running. It uses a Bluetooth chip that allows the user to connect with a paired smartphone. It is available in two variants, CNY 199 (Rs. 2,000) and CNY 399 (Rs. 4,000) and will go on sale in China from Monday.

July 16, 2015

Priced at Rs. 19,990, HTC Rolls Out the New Desire 820 G+

It seems HTC’s average performance isn’t enough to discourage it from launching new phones. Today, HTC has launched a new entrant in the Desire series, 820 G+, weeks after it launched the Desire 826. The new phone is the 21st addition to the Desire series.

HTC hopes that the phone, which is priced at Rs. 19,990, performs in India. “As our customers create and consume more rich video content and want greater freedom to personalise their smartphones, they are increasingly looking for bigger and better screens, faster processors, amazing sound, and outstanding battery life,” said Faisal Siddiqui, President, South Asia, HTC.

A dual-SIM phone, the Desire 820 G+ runs on Octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A7 processor with Mediatek MT6592 chipset. The phone comes with 1GB of RAM and has a storage capacity of 16GB, which can expand upto an additional 32 GB. For OS, the phone uses Android Lollipop with HTC Sense.

HTC claims that the 5.5-inch display “allows you to enjoy big-screen entertainment without compromise”. To enhance the audio, HTC has used HTC BoomSound with Dolby Audio, just like in the Desire 826.

The Desire 826 sports a 13 MP rear camera with BSI sensor that can allow the user to capture pictures even in low-light situations. The front sports an 8-MP camera and a feature called Live Makeup will allow you to preview the image and set the desired level of skin smoothing before capturing.

On the connectivity front, the phone is a let down since it only supports 2G and 3G, considering that 4G is making its mark in India soon. The battery is the same as the Desire 826, a 2600 mAh non-removable lithium polymer battery. The phone is available in India in two colours – Santorini White & Milky-way Grey.

Keep checking iGyaan for our review of the Desire 820 G+.

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot?

Specifications	HTC Desire 820 G+
Display	5.5-inch HD 720p
Processor	Octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A7 processor
Chipset	Mediatek MT6592
RAM	1GB
Storage	16 GB expandable Upto 32GB
Rear Camera	13MP, f2.2, BSI Sensor, 1080p Video Recording
Front Camera	8MP, 1080p video recording
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP, GPS, USB 2.0
Network	2G, 3G
Battery	2,600mAh
Operating System	Android Lollipop with HTC Sense
Price	Rs. 19,990

July 16, 2015

Samsung Launches Galaxy J5 and J7, Hopes to Rival Xiaomi

If there is ever an award for the ‘The Manufacturer With The Most Handsets’, it should go to Samsung. The company has launched two new handsets under the Galaxy brand, named J5 and J7. According to Samsung, the phones have been oriented towards gamers. By pricing Galaxy J5 and J7 at Rs.11,999 and Rs. 14,999 respectively, the Korean giant aims to rival the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 2 and Lenovo K3 Note.

Asim Warsi, Vice President, Marketing, IT & Mobile at Samsung India; Manu Sharma, Director, Mobile at Samsung India; Ankit Nagori, Chief Business Officer – Flipkart and Ajai Puri, Director-Market Operations, Bharti Airtel (India and South Asia) at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7

“Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 aim to give consumers options in the mid-range price segment. With optimal features and great value proposition for our consumers, the new devices will offer an uncompromised smartphone experience, at very competitive prices,” said Asim Warsi, Vice President, Marketing, IT & Mobile at Samsung India.

Samsung Galaxy J7

Let’s begin with common features. Both phones are dual-SIM and support 4G LTE. Both phones feature the same camera, that is, a 13 MP rear camera with LED Flash and a 5 MP front camera with LED Flash. The phones are capable of full HD recording. Both run on Android 5.1 Lollipop and feature 1.5 GB of RAM.

Galaxy J5 runs on 1.2 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has 8GB of storage which can be expanded upto 128 GB. It sports a 5 inch HD AMOLED display. The Galaxy J5 runs on a 2600 mAh battery.

On the other hand, Galaxy J7 runs on 1.5 GHz Octa-Core Exynos processor. It has 16GB of storage which can be expanded upto 128 GB and sports a 5.5 inch HD AMOLED display. The Galaxy J5 runs on a 3000 mAh battery and weighs more than the Galaxy J5.

Samsung unveiled the J5 and J7 in China last month and as NDTV points out, they are slightly different, considering the Indian market. Samsung has opened up pre-orders for the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 from 4 p.m. today.

July 16, 2015
Xiaomi Launches the Stunningly Thin MiTV 2S

Just four months after launching MiTV 2, Xiaomi has launched its successor, the MiTV 2S at an event held in China. At 9.9 mm, the 4K TV is as thin as Mi4, which the company claims, is the thinnest in the MiTV series. MiTV 2S is available in two variants – regular and Theatre.

Today we launch our most gorgeous TV yet, the #MiTV2S. It has the thinnest 9.9mm aluminum frame of our Mi TV series! pic.twitter.com/UAFRLMZddk

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 16, 2015

The MiTV 2S is a smart TV that runs on MIUI TV, a customised OS based on Android 5.0. The TV runs on a quad-core 1.4 Ghz Cortex A17 processor with 2GB of RAM and uses a MStar 6A928 chipset. Such configuration will allow the user to watch lossless 4K content, Xiaomi says. The MiTV 2S performs better than TVs from Sony, Sharp and Samsung, the company tweeted.

We compared clarity, color & contrasts with TVs from @Sony, @SHARP_JP & @SamsungTV. How do you think #MiTV2S did? ;) pic.twitter.com/PK4JodD6OE

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 16, 2015

The MiTV has an HDMI 2.0 port which supports 4K 60Hz input and USB 3.0 port which has a transfer speed of 5 GBps. The MiTV 2S also has an internal memory of 8GB, which should allow you to store your favourite movies and TV shows in the TV itself.It also supports Wi-fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

As far as sound is concerned, Xiaomi developed its own sound system using the latest Dolby technology. The MiTV 2S comes with its own independent sound system, which the company claims is better than the Bose CineMate 1 SR, which has the reputation of being the best sound system in the market, till date.

#MiTV2S Theatre system comes paired with an independent sound system, that uses the latest @Dolby sound technology pic.twitter.com/dyIWw5fyAd

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 16, 2015

On the design front, Xiaomi has spared no detail. The MiTV 2S sports a 9.9 mm thin aluminium frame and is available in five different colours – green, pink, white, blue and black. Even the plug has been stylishly framed, which the company says took 6 months and cost the company upwards of 500,000 Yuan.

The 48 inch MiTV 2S is available for 2,999 Yuan (Regular) and will cost 1,000 Yuan more for the Theatre edition.

July 16, 2015

Author: Tejan Mitra

Specification

YU Yuphoria

Specifications

HTC Desire 820 G+