Author: Happy Nagashetti

HTC Brings Out The Colourful Desire 820

HTC has had a good year. With the success of HTC One M8 and the Desire line-up, things are looking good for the company. Now HTC is about to bring another phone is its Desire line-up called the Desire 820. The phone was announced at the ongoing IFA event.

The phone is a looker and comes with a bold two-tone color scheme that makes the device standout. Even the HTC logo on the back gets a different color treatment for each phone color option. The device is made in a unibody, polycarbonate casing that HTC defines as its “double shot color technology.” The color scheme surely has a youthful appeal and is pleasing to the eyes.

Like the Desire 816 before it, the Desire 820 comes with a 5.5 inch 720p HD screen. The new phone will be one of the first phones to come with a 64 bit Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 615 chipset. The processor runs on two quad-core chips of 1.5GHz and 1.0GHz. It comes with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage.

The Colors and powerful front camera makes the Desire 820 a youth friendly device.

The main camera on the device is a 13 MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture. Now the shining glory of this phone is the front camera, it packs an 8 MP camera on the front. This can be a selfie hogs’ favorite toy. Unless, of course, you got the money to enjoy the superior selfie and weefie capabilities that were showcased last night on the Note 4.

The device is powered through a 2600 mAh battery. HTC says that the phone will be updated with Android L when it comes out. HTC has been one of the first companies to promise the Android L upgrades for most of its devices. It will also hold HTC’s Dual Boomsound front facing speakers. It will also have its version of the dot view case.

The Desire 820 will come to the markets by the end of September and will be available in glossy and matte colors. This is one colorful treat, and if priced right, it can prove to be some serious competition for others.

September 4, 2014
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR, It’s An Oculus For Note 4

Samsung had quite an eventful, launches filled day today. After facing immense amount of criticism for lack of innovation, Samsung flexed out its innovation muscle for its critics. The company released varied products that were impressive in their own strengths. One major release is the Gear VR which is a virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 for displaying content.

Few weeks back we had heard of oculus using the Note 3 screen for its display. Guess there were bigger plans at work and Samsung working in coordination with Oculus brought out this piece of gadgetry.

Apart from the focus control and the trackpad, there aren’t any manual controls/
Image Credit: The Verge

The device looks like Oculus but is untethered and only works with the Note 4. The only control it has is a trackpad on the right and focus adjusting wheel on the top.

The Gear VR does remind you of the Google Cardboard project but much more complete. It also has a safety support for the head so the device stays stable on the head.

The device comes with some preloaded content, and you can use it to play games, watch immersive videos. The coolest aspect of the device would be the Tony Stark labs which let you peer at the world with Tony Starks perspective, We are Sold!

The release date of the device is not mentioned yet, but it hopefully will arrive by this fall. We’ll be vigilantly looking forward to this one.

September 3, 2014
YouTube Goes The Crowdfunding Way, Introduces Fan Funding

If you thought you had good ideas that you could share with people and make some money out of it, it’s become rather easy. YouTube, which has become the largest repository of informative and entertaining videos along with some rants and hurtful comments, now allows you to collect tips through the virtual tip jar.

This update is a great initiative from YouTube. Google has struggled with the great YouTube experiment as the website demands massive investments to run at optimum speeds but the revenue from the website has been low. The ads gradually became a menace and folks went with an Adblock solution which again harmed the websites revenue stream. Google will take a tiny 5% cut off each video that is an acceptable considering the huge platform they offer.

Youtube’s platform has been used by everyone, from prominent corporations to a blogger, sending out his thoughts from the bedroom. It surely has made a lot of people famous as well as wealthy. It did occasionally give undue attention to certain folks, but that’s what you from a completely free and open ecosystem.

Fan Funding is mutually beneficial for the content creator as well as the company

This initiative was announced at VidCon this year along with features like viewer translated videos. A YouTube user can translate the video and give it subtitles, and the owner has the authority to accept or decline the videos. It was seen that the viewership of the videos greatly increased when it was translated into multiple languages. This will let a channel attract a larger viewer base as well as help in a free and fair exchange of ideas throughout the world.

To make a contribution to a channel, a user must have a Google Wallet account. A support button will be added on the info card, or on the channel page, using which people can make the contributions.

Crowdfunding has been immensely successful in bringing ideas, films, prototype products and much more to the real world. These innovations would have had a tougher time seeing the light of the day if they had taken the tough route of impressing venture capitalists to fund their products. Using crowd-funding, consumers can invest in the projects they like and clearly make a consumer oriented market.

Currently, the service is available in U.S., Australia, Japan and Mexico and will be extended to other nations. To access the YouTube Fan Funding feature, users can use PC web browsers and the official YouTube Android app (version 5.7 or later).

September 3, 2014
The Beast is Back: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Unveiled

The season of big ticket releases has been kicked off by Samsung in an optimistic fashion. The company flaunted an assortment of products at its pre-IFA event in Berlin. The company finally unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 which gets quite a few upgrades over its predecessor both on the hardware, as well as the software front.

The presentation was done by three presenters who were well prepared for the show, though it got a bit annoying when they tried to over-reach. Most of the features presented were affirmative of the leaks.

Looks

Image Credit: The Verge

The new generation Note flagship comes with a 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen. It has a thickness of 8.5 mm and weighs 176 gm. The device is LTE category 6 ready.

On the looks front, the device borrows the design language from the Samsung stable while going for an edgier design. The device is built on a metal frame which strengthens the device to minimize damage from dropping of the device. It has a soft textured back cover.

Camera

The cameras on the Note 4 get a lot better.
Image Credit: The Verge

The Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16 MP camera on the back with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS.) With the OIS, Samsung claims, you’ll get professional quality HD videos with minimum jitters.

The company has gone out of its way to bring a superior selfie experience, and it was truly innovative of them. The 3.7 MP front camera has a wide f/1.9 iris which will ensure brightness of the image. To make selfie taking more convenient, the Note 4 utilizes the heart rate sensor on the back as a shutter release. To take a selfie all you need to do is hold the heart rate sensor and release, when you are ready for a click. For taking a wider selfie or a “Weefie” with multiple people, the device offers a wide 90-degree frame. There is also an option for Wide Selfie that lets you take an even wider 120-degree selfie by moving the phone till everyone is in view. The presenters took the photo of the entire auditorium using the feature.

The camera also has an extremely useful feature called the Snap Note through which you can take an image, and the phone will extract the data from it. So when sitting in a classroom you can simply click the photo of the board, and the phone scan the image and will take the information out. You can then add annotations to the information and have an easy learning experience.

S-Pen

The S-Pen also gets upgrades and added functionalities. The pressure sensitivity has been increased to give a more natural pen-like feel. The pen now also acts as a mouse with features like click and drag which lets you select multiple files at once.

The Smart select feature lets you select text and images from multiple sources and lets you bring them all together. It also lets you easily share them on the internet.

Audio Recorder

The audio recorder on the device has also received some really handy and functional upgrades. The device can now track voices in 8 distinct directions so it great for getting quality sounds in multi-people environment. The interview mode on the device cancels out the unnecessary ambient noise and hence gives a clearer audio output.

Multi-Windows

Using multi-window gets easier with the new device. You can now access the multi-window feature through the recent apps menu. It has become a lot easier to resize, relocate or minimize the screens during multi-window usage.

Note 4 comes in four color options: White Black, Gold and Pink. It also provides customizability with 4 covers. There is the S-View, Flip wallet, S-view Flip wallet and LED cover which reminds of the Dot case by HTC. The device also comes with a back panel encrusted with Swarovski Crystals.

The device is sleeker and edgier than the Note 3.
Image Credit: The Verge

Battery

The device gets its juice from a 3220 mAh battery which is a slight increase over the predecessor. Samsung claims that with advanced optimization of their product, the battery will last longer than before. They have also brought the ultra power saving mode from the S5 onto this device.

Mont Blanc

As the phone flaunts its USP of a writeable screen, it was only natural for them to partner with a writing instrument manufacturer sooner or later. So Samsung has partnered with Mont Blanc to bring stylish writing instruments for the Note 4. The pens have multiple usability as they come with interchangeable refills for the paper and the screen. They also offer several nib options for different needs. The pen is connected with the device using a chip that lets the user have a fulfilling writing experience on the device’s massive 5.7 inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with 50 GB of Dropbox storage for two years. The phone will be available in the market in the month of October.

Samsung has done well on its presentation, and this will help calm some of the criticism that it has been facing for a while. The Note 4 is without a doubt a new era for the company. This was a good launch event, and we’ll be updating you when more information surfaces.

September 3, 2014
Android Wear Updates to Make Smartwatches More Independent

The biggest factor blamed for the slow adoption of smartwatches is their need to be connected with smartphones. This made them more of an accessory than an actual fully-functional device. Now the companies have sensed the need to detach the Smartwatch from the smartphone while keeping its smartness intact. Google plans to do the same with its Android Wear Operating system.

Google in talks with CNET said that the company plans to bring several updates for the Android Wear ecosystem. These updates will add additional features to the devices as well as cut the umbilical cord that feeds the wearables their features through the smartphones.

These updates will help decouple the Smartwatch from the Smartphone

The updates are essential to providing independent features to these devices. Updates such as Bluetooth headsets support will let you hold your playlist on your watch itself so that you don’t need to lug around your huge smartphone when you go out for a run. In a GPS-enabled smartwatch, the GPS support will map your jog for you.

The updates will be rolled out on a regular basis and will roll out from next week. The first update is expected to advance the voice and navigation features of the smartwatches. One update that the customers will really look forward to is the one that will provide custom watch faces. This will offer the option to have customized watch faces that the users can select according to their liking.

There is still a lot of promise in this burgeoning tech segment. Smart wearables are where the companies are putting their money right now. If Google succeeds in bringing a standardized operating system that is appreciated by the people at large, it will be a big boost to the smartwatch category. Not only would there be a recognizable UI throughout, it will also help easily interconnect with the wide Android ecosystem.

It’s time Apple opened its cards on the long rumoured iWatch. The world is waiting to see if Apple can stop Android’s victory march midway.

September 3, 2014
3D Printing’s Greatest Achievement, NASA Creates Rocket Engine Injector

3D printing is one of the most beneficial technologies out there and it is all set to bring immense comfort to our lives in the coming decades. It is a process through which one can create three-dimensional objects in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. NASA pushed the limits of this technology and decided to create one of the most complex parts of a rocket engine, and then they tested the prototype. What happened next will blow your mind.

At a test stand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, scientist tested out a design with a new manufacturing process. The design was fed into the computer and then manufactured layer by layer in a 3D printer. The process involved layering metal powder and fusing it together with a laser, a process known as selective laser melting.

3D Printing will make Space travel immensely convenient.

This injector design was similar to the ones that are used in small rocket engines. It is also close to the design of the RS-25 engine which will power the Space Launch System (SLS), which will be the biggest rocket ever built. The entire injector was created as a single component instead of manufacturing each element individually. In traditional processes, about 163 individual parts are made and then assembled for this extremely complex equiment. This process is economical, both money and time wise.

NASA engineers tested out two designs for five seconds each, and they produced 20,000 pounds of thrust. They performed as per the expectations. The 3D printing process afforded the engineers the convenience of building parts that enhance the performance of the rocket engine. They created geometric flow patterns that allowed oxygen and hydrogen to swirl together before combusting at 1,400 pounds per square inch and temperatures up to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

For this initiative, NASA took the assistance of two private companies, Solid Concepts in Valencia, California, and Directed Manufacturing in Austin, Texas. Both companies were responsible for printing out one injector for testing.

NASA now plans to test out the feasibility of additive manufacturing process in the entire manufacturing process of a rocket engine. They have already tried complex injectors and other components through 3D printing process, and are impressed by the speed at which the components are manufactured and the ease of testing these components. The technology will make space travel a lot more convenient too. Instead of taking huge cargo of equipments, astronauts can simply print out the tools they need, thereby being independent of the earth base. 3D printing, by the looks of it, is here to stay, and this technology is capable of changing the world.

September 3, 2014
ZTE Releases the V5 in India for Rs 10,999

In this season one more Chinese company brings in their smartphone to the Indian market. ZTE is a major Chinese brand with subsidiaries in multiple countries. It has been in this country for a while and now it has brought the V5 to India. The device will be exclusively sold on Snapdeal.com.

The ZTE V5 has a 5-inch 1280x720p HD screen. The display has Dragontail glass protection. The device has a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1 GB RAM. It provides 4 GB of internal storage with an expandable option up to 32 GB. The dual SIM device is powered by 2400 mAh battery.

The user interface on the ZTE V5 is ZTE’s own Nubia 2.0 UI which is based on Android KitKat 4.4.

The camera on the device is its USP

V5 has a 13 MP camera on the back. This camera has a Sony Exmor RS CMOS sensor with a wide F2.2 aperture, so you can expect good night shots on this device. It also flaunts features like blue glass composite IR filter. On the front of the device, there is a 5MP camera which comes with 88-degree wide angle, BSI sensor and self-portrait special effects for enhanced selfies.

Though the device is low on internal specifications at the price it comes at, the camera surely is the winning feature on the device. Now we say this because it looks good on paper. We’ll wait till we get our hands on the device to say for sure. ZTE surely needs to match up with some of its comrades in terms of specs. This phone is still better than the Oppo Neo, which while priced in the same bracket had some spec deficiencies too.

September 2, 2014
How to Protect Your Cloud Account from Data Hacks

The recent hack perpetrated by an unethical digital thief has raised serious concern about security of personal data especially on cloud accounts. Cloud computing has been touted by companies as the next step in the evolution of computing where your data is accessible to you through all your devices. It is immensely convenient, but this leak brought forward some serious flaws in the security.

Cloud computing has seriously gained steam, with government and corporates bringing in their data on the cloud. The Indian government recently spoke of a plan for bringing each citizen’s government data on the cloud that can be accessible by government offices. This surely has a lot of merits but the privacy concerns still looms. Hopefully, the lessons learnt by incidents like the recent hack will help make the security of cloud systems stronger.

So how do you keep your data safe from the low-lifes’ on the internet who go snooping into others business? Well, here we list how you can enjoy the convenience of cloud storage and the internet while not letting go of your rightful privacy.

1. Set Up Two-Step Verification

A good way of doing this is through the two-step verification feature. This process adds an extra layer of security. All major service providers like Apple, Google, Facebook and others provide a two-step verification which sends a code in a text message that you punch in to access your account.

Two step verification is a secure way of making sure only you have access to your account.

2. Use Google Authenticator App

If you are a heavy Google account user then the Google Authenticator app for iOS, Android and Blackberry can come handy for you. Its main function is that it develops a two-step verification code, making it practically impossible to hack. Download it from here.

3. Stay Vigilant

Learn how your account works, because there is no value in ignorance. In times when we live in a network of digital devices, knowing how they operate is essential. Don’t take pride in your ignorance, something that Jennifer inadvertently did at an award function, and it tipped off the hacker.

4. Change Your Passwords Frequently

This point has been said multiple times but it still needs repeating: Change your password regularly. Even when you think your account holds nothing of importance, there is still a lot of personal information in there, so it’s better to have a strong password protecting your information. You can create a code that you can keep on updating without forgetting.

5. Better Safe Than Sorry

Last but not the least, the most important precaution that you can take is, not take the compromising images in the first place. If you take an image with a device that connects to the internet, know that the people on the internet have the ability to access it. Yes, sadly that’s the world that we live in now. But if you really need to send some data that you want to be fully secure; you can show the data to the person intended physically, send files through Bluetooth or use encrypted messaging apps like Signal.

With all the security measures that can be taken, you have to realize that the systems will have some deficiencies. The hackers exploit those deficiencies. But each time they do infiltrate the security, they teach the companies the faults in their systems and make systems stronger. So even though someone as amazing as Jennifer Lawrence had to deal with this inconvenience, the system has become a bit more secure for the regular folks. So be alert what you do on the internet. Take precautions and you’ll be safe.

September 2, 2014
Massive Celebrity iCloud Hack: Who’s to Blame?

The internet world went abuzz yesterday when one hacker picked up images from the iCloud accounts of celebrities such Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Kate Upton and posted them online. This massive breach of privacy was taken very seriously as it hit some of the most prominent public faces and consequently raised concerns about the security of user data.

The fault of this massive leak lies on Apple. The failure of iCloud’s security features caused this breach. One of the main culprits of the heist is said to be the ‘Find My iPhone’ API, which let hackers try different passwords repeatedly without getting locked out. This fault was addressed by Apple after it came to light.

Hackers accessed personal accounts through a loophole in Apple’s “Find My iPhone” service

The hacker said that he held hundreds of other nude and semi-nude pictures. He demanded $40,000 in Bitcoins for releasing more photos. Thankfully the world felt a lot better and saner when all that the guy got was 0.2 Bitcoins which amount to just $95. It is said that hacker got a whiff of Jennifer Lawrence using iCloud when she said at an award function that she doesn’t understand how to back-up on iCloud.

The important part to remember is that if you go looking for these pictures, you are becoming a party to the side that is harassing the actresses. The lesson was well-learnt by professional pain-in-the-butt of celebrities, Perez Hilton, who said that they were removing the images from their website. You can see how severe the privacy breach was; the guy who makes a living out of the misfortunes of others had the decency to bring down the violating images. So be good and stay away from 4chan for good.

September 2, 2014
Xiaomi Redmi 1S Disappears as Fast as its Bigger Sibling

Another sale and another disappearing act. Xiaomi brought out the Redmi 1S for sale today, and as expected they flew off the virtual shelf within a couple of seconds. And when we say a couple, we mean a couple because, in the third second, the phone went out of stock. This sale will do nothing to calm the folks who missed out on the Mi3, as well as the Redmi 1S sale today. At the risk of sounding pompous, we’d like you to know that we used our tips and they helped us score a Redmi. If you didn’t manage to get your hands on one today, do bookmark the link for next time.

Xiaomi brought a bigger stock when compared to its previous sale standards. The 40,000 devices it brought had 2,50,000 claimants according to Flipkart, but the number is estimated to be around 1,00,000 people. The massive demand for the product saw the device getting sold off instantly. Flipkart has used delayed payment method for the past couple of sales that gave it some breathing space in executing orders. It also helped Flipkart prevent a website crash as had happened on some occasion.

Redmi 1S has the best features in its price bracket. The phone features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 (HD) IPS display and is powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Cortex-A7 core with 1 GB RAM. It has 8 GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 64 GB.

The phone features an 8 MP camera on the back and sports a 1.6 MP camera on the front. With all these specs, it is miles ahead of its competition. It is an obliterator of the segment. The phone is capable of taking on both the reigning champions from Motorola, the Moto E and Moto G.

Today’s sale also proved that Xiaomi is still a hot commodity, and people would still race to get the device. If you were one of the lucky ones who scored the device, congratulations to you and if you did not, don’t worry, just revise our tips and hit the “Buy Now” button hard when you see it the next time.

September 2, 2014
Google May Introduce Android One in India on 15th September

During Google I/O this year, Google announced an initiative that will help bring better user experience in the lower end price bracket. It was called Android One. Now it seems Google is ready to kickstart the initiative and might launch it in India soon.

Google has sent out the invites for an event on Monday, September 15th which only talks about “an exciting announcement” from the company but doesn’t give out more details. It is speculated that it most probably will be the Android One announcement.

The Android One initiative was taken by Google to boost the smartphone adoption rate in emerging markets. This will also be helpful for Google to expand the user base of Android in India. It will also give a better user experience, close to what Android had hoped for and which got lost in a whole array of sub-standard hardware.

Through this initiative, Google will send out a standardized list for affordable phones to the mobile companies. The idea is to prevent heavy expenses for creating a new phone to smaller companies. Currently, Google is working with Micromax, Karbonn and Spice in India for these phones. The company intends to keep the cost of phones under this banner, under $100.

With Android One Google wants to bring a Standard User experience throughout Android Ecosystem

During his presentation at Google I/O, senior Vice President of Android, Sundar Pichai said, “I’ve been using this phone for a while, and it is really good,” Pichai said on stage. “When I go back home to India and other countries like that, it is exciting to see the impact phones have on people’s lives, but it’s disappointing that only less than 10 percent of the population has access to smartphones. We want to change that.”

This is a good initiative from Google especially at a time when companies like Intex and Spice are bringing in with the Firefox OS, which intends to bring the smartphone experience to the lowest mobile segment. Also, the Android market is extremely segmented, lot of phones running older versions of Android can be found in the market. With Android One, Google will be able to make devices that would be easily updatable. Even though, the initiative is inspired by business motives it will directly help a lot of folks to get connected to the information age. This is an appreciable step from Google.

September 2, 2014
These Are The Best Upcoming Smartphones of Q4 2014

The year 2014 has been action packed for the tech world, especially the smartphones market. We saw big-ticket brands like Samsung, LG and HTC bringing out their flagships. Then there were the showstoppers like the Xiaomi Mi3, OnePlus One who took on those flagships head-on and created a lot of waves amongst budget shoppers by giving them flagship smartphone performance in an affordable price.

Now there are only four months left in this year, and it still has a lot of action left in it, especially in the month of September. So we decided to give you a handy checklist that you can use to keep track of the arrival of most awaited phones. Bookmark this page and we’ll keep updating it as we get to know the dates of some of the devices.

Apple:

1. iPhone 6

Expected Date: September 9

The Big daddy of smartphones will see its 6th edition releasing this year, and Apple is going for something big. The iPhone 6 will come with a bigger 4.7 inch display which was the need of the hour as a 4 inch screen was just not cutting it anymore. The phone has a redesigned charger which will help to charge the device faster, and it also has a bigger battery, thanks to the size increase. It is also expected to get a faster processor from Apple and a faster 4g radio.

2. iPhone 6L

Expected Date: December

This is the first of its kind from Apple. The iPhone 6L will come with a huge 5.5 inch screen. This will be loved by multimedia enthusiasts and Apple fans who wanted pocket size device that gives an exception entertainment experience. Its release date is not known yet as Apple has been facing some production issues with the phone.

The iPhones are supposedly going to get a tough Sapphire glass; we just need to wait till September 9 to know which phones will feature the unbreakable screen. The entry level devices will have internal storage of 32 GB, which is welcome.

Samsung:

1. Galaxy Note 4

Expected Date: September 3rd

The Note 4 has been the Samsung phone that people have been waiting for this year. This phone will take a departure from plastic materials and will showcase new design features. This will be the first globally released phone with QHD display. Samsung had brought the QHD screen on the S5 LTE but with this, Samsung is ready to take on its compatriot LG. The phone will release in a pre-IFA event in Germany. Lots to look forward in this one.

Motorola:

1. Moto X+1

Expected date: September 4th

Motorola’s comeback has been exceptional. Not only did it reinvent itself it did it in style, and the Moto X was one of the most innovative devices from the brand. However, its now time for the next generation of the device to come into the world. According to the leaks, this new phone is expected to get a 5.2 inch screen with 1920 x 1080 resolutions. It will run on Android 4.4.3 and powered by a Snapdragon 800 CPU with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The camera is expected to be 12MP shooter, and there might be a built-in pedometer.

2. Moto G2

Expected Date: September 4th

The Moto G was one remarkable phone when it released last year. The Moto G2 is expected to take that legacy forward. The G2 is expected to get a 5 inch IPS LCD display with the Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It will still come with 1 GB RAM and 8 and 16 GB variants. This time though, some leaks speculate the inclusion of an expandable memory slot, which will only help increase its fan base.

3. Nexus 6

Expected Date: October

Features: Google has chosen Motorola for this year’s Nexus Smartphone, and it seems like Motorola is in no mood to disappoint us. The Nexus 6 aka Nexus X is expected to get a stunning 5.2 inch QHD(2560x1440p) display. It will run on the Snapdragon 805 and will have 3 GB of RAM. The phone is expected to come in 32 and 64 GB variants.

Xiaomi:

1. Mi 4

Expected Date: Post October

Xiaomi’s Flagship Killer, the Mi 3 has seen an unconventional success in an overcrowded market. The feature-laden phones flew off the shelves as soon as they were launched. Now the next generation of the phone is out, and it will try to outdo the last one. The Mi 4 comes with a 2.5 GHz, Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB RAM. This is one selfie friendly phone as it comes with an 8 MP front shooter.

LG:

1. LG G3 Stylus

Expected Date: October

LG tries to take on Samsung with this one. The LG G3 caused a lot of furor because of its superior build and a brilliant 2K display. Now its sibling, the G3 Stylus will try to keep the limelight brought on by the G3. The device, unfortunately, loses the USP of the product, the 2K display. The G3 stylus comes with a 5.5 inch display. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz processor and comes with 1GB RAM. This phone will of course have a cheaper price tag than the G3, but it will be interesting to see how folks react to it.

September 1, 2014
ZTE to Tie up with Snapdeal for New Launch on 2nd Sept

Chinese phone manufacturers ZTE are about to bring a new device to the Indian market next week. The launch will take place on 2^nd September, Tuesday. We have received word that the phone will be sold exclusively through Snapdeal and the invites of the event have been sent out.

The device details seem pretty vague. The phone has a 5 inch HD display with a 13 MP camera in the back and a 5 MP camera in the front. It is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor. By the looks of it the device most probably is the ZTE Nubia 5 and we have had a look at the device during our trip to CES 2014.

The device looks good and has minimal curves. It has a circle capacitive button which looks like a tron light disk and is realy eye appealing. On the back you get dual speakers placed with a little space between them.

Here is one more Chinese phone manufacturer taking a dip in the overcrowded Indian market. ZTE has been in India for a while and this time with exclusive partnership with Snapdeal they hope to attract more attention to the devices. So now we’ll just wait till Tuesday to check out what ZTE has really got to offer.

The device on the invite looks similar to the ZTE device we saw at CES

August 30, 2014
Intel Launches First 8-Core Desktop Processor With X99 Chipset

Intel has just brought out a solution to all the worries of a Power PC user. The processor manufacturing giant unveiled its first 8-core processed which comes with 16 threads. The new processor is called the Intel® Core i7-5960X processor Extreme Edition and was previously known as Haswell-E.

The Processor was previously called the Haswell-E

The processor has been specially developed for the folks who demand excruciating performance from their systems. Intel says the new processors offer the speed, cores, overclocking and platform capabilities that the users had been demanding from them. They say this is the beginning to the ‘reimagination of the desktop.’ These processors are expected to churn out faster speeds on cooler temperatures.”

As you must have probably realized by now, the Core i7-5960X is not light on specs. It is combined with the new Intel® X99 Chipset and is the first Intel desktop platform to support DDR4 memory. It offers a massive 16-thread performance and quad-channel memory for content creation, gaming and multitasking. That is some serious machinery right there.

One of the first systems going for this processor is the amazing and uniquely styled Alienware Area-51, which comes with some imposing exteriors that truly stands up to the Alienware brand. Alienware’s general manager Frank Azor said “It was an easy decision to work with Intel to bring its new eight-core extreme processor to our new flagship gaming desktop, the Alienware Area-51. Using new overclocking and monitoring features in Alienware Command Center 4.0, we’ve been able to really push the processors to the fullest extent and are seeing impressive overclocking headroom. This new Intel processor lineup is the perfect choice for gamers who demand the absolute best performance from their systems.”

Intel has been working with industry partners to take advantage of this new platform. Key OEMs, memory vendors, motherboard vendors and graphics partners will help grow this enthusiast centric ecosystem. These Extreme Edition-based systems are the ultimate dream-come-true for any enthusiast looking for a high def, lagless performance.

The X-99 chipset is capable of some insane performance delivery

Many of these new platforms based on the Intel X99 Chipset are also Thunderbolt Ready. When paired with a Thunderbolt 2 add-in card, a blazing-fast connection to your PC at 20 Gbps is enabled. Data intensive tasks such as 4K video editing, 3-D rendering and game development all strongly benefit from the performance of Thunderbolt 2.

Intel will launch three new SKUs that will be available next week ranging from six to eight cores and will be priced from $389 to $999. The processors are priced on the higher end which is a given considering its massive performance and the convenience it provides in undertaking high-intensity projects with ease. Hope we get our hands on this soon and go for some insane gaming weekends.

August 30, 2014
Oneplus to End the Invite System By October

It’s no secret that Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus is coming to India soon. Their phenomenal product, the OnePlus One is a flagship killer that brings top level specs in affordable pricing encased in eye appealing exteriors. The phones have been built in limited quantities because of the manufacturing restrictions of the company that led it to sell the phones through an invite system.

The invite system has been the company’s business strategy since they started. Customers who aspired for the products had to get the time limited invites to be able to buy the phones. But this system caused a lot of heartaches amongst the potential customers who couldn’t get an invite. (Play in our Invite Giveaway Here)

Interestingly OnePlus is going to do away with the invite system altogether. In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) the representative had this to say; “We are working on a pre-orders system, we were initially aiming for September but it’s been slightly delayed, hopefully we’ll be ready to launch it in October.”

Now they haven’t mentioned as to what this new pre-order system would look like, but it sure will make a lot of folks in India happy as the company plans to bring the One to India, most probably by the end of this year.

The phone will also offer some great back panels and accessories

OnePlus One’s specs help make it the only phone capable of taking on the Xiaomi Mi 3. Its interiors are made of Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPUs, 3 GB RAM and runs Android 4.4 based Cynogenmod. One the exteriors the device has a 5.5 inch full HD display with a 13 MP camera on the back and a 5 MP camera at the front. Not just that, the device also offers a good number of accessories like back panels and flip cases.

The fall of the invitation system will be rejoiced by the folks waiting to land the device for themselves. With its high specs, the phone is future proof for at least the immediate future. Considering its closest competitor, Xiaomi also facing stocks shortages; OnePlus is pretty safe in its market for now. Hopefully, the new pre-order system would cause a lot less heartburn and bring a powerful mobile experience to the folks who’ve been waiting for it for a long while.

August 30, 2014