Category: Android

Intex Unveils Aqua Power HD, Budget Smartphone With a 4000mAh Battery

It seems smartphones sporting beefier battery units is the new mantra for success, as Intex has brought out its new smartphone; the Intex Aqua Power HD which packs a massive 4000mAh battery. The company claims that the phone’s battery will provide a talk time of up to 20 hours along with a standby time of 500 hours.

Other specs on the phone include a 5-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM along with dual-SIM support. In terms of optics, it comes with a 13MP rear snapper along with a 5MP front cam. Under the hood, the Aqua Power HD is fuelled by a 1.4GHz octa-core chipset, and includes 16GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card slot, 3G compatibility and Android 4.4.2. The company also promises a Lollipop update sometime in the future, but hasn’t specified any time line.

The smartphone has been priced at Rs. 9,444 and is expected to go on sale shortly. The Intex Aqua Power HD will also be available in White, Black, Blue and Grey colour options.

February 3, 2015
Only 2% Android Devices are Running on Lollipop After Three Months of Launch

After 15 months of its release, KitKat has been running on 40% of the Android devices. But Android Lollipop, which has been released 3 months back, has been running on only 2% of the Android devices.

Google has updated its official version-by-version chart which displays the amount of Android market shares each release has. Android 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 (JellyBean) has the highest market share, with 44.5%, while the Android 4.4 (KitKat) is behind with 39.7%. The latest update, Android 5.0 (Lollipop) has managed to engage only 2% of its total users.

According to ZDNet, the slow pace of updates means the users of the older versions of Android are left vulnerable to malware and data theft due to bugs in the code not being patched.

If compared with iOS 8, which is nearly on 70% of the Apple devices, the rate of upgrading is particularly slow.

The positive side of this is that Google has distributed updates for apps built directly into Android, like Gmail, Google Maps, etc. The user can upgrade these apps without a full OS update, implying that the user won’t experience the new OS features like the looks or the security tweaks, but most of the apps would work out fine.

– Rishi Baruah

February 3, 2015
Here’s What Android Lollipop Looks Like on HTC One M8

HTC One (M8) owners can now rejoice as the Lollipop version of HTC’s Sense is rolling out. The roll out began today (28th January) and is likely to hit the majority of One (M8) users in the following days. We were lucky enough to get the update on our HTC device.

Weighing in at the hefty 780MB, the update will probably hit your device in the following hours. Among its more notable new features is the revamped notification drawer/quick toggle settings and the recent tasks switcher, which have been inspired by the Material Design guidelines

The majority of improvements make the UI more fluid and snappier than ever before. We are listing top changes in UI of HTC One (M8) with the Lollipop update.

1. Lock screen

First and foremost, your lockscreen is going to look more sleeker and polished with the Material Design-inspired UI. Just like in stock Android, swiping dismisses the notification and double-tapping it opens the corresponding app. Apart from the slightly dimmed lock screen wallpaper at the bottom, you are also treated to an estimate of how long it will approximately take before your phone’s battery gets drained. The lock screen shortcuts at the bottom are untouched.

2. New Camera Features and Weather app

The new update adds some camera features such as the Auto Selfie mode, along with some Zoey features as well. The HTC weather app has been removed and replaced with the AccuWeather app.

3. Notification drawer

The Lollipop update of Sense 6.0 has adopted a revamped stock Android notification centre. The One (M8) drops the separate side-by-side screens (one for your notifications and the other one housing your quick toggles) and now comes with a slightly revamped Lollipop drawer. A single swipe brings down your notifications, while an additional one reveals the quick toggles shade, which has got a prominent Material Design makeover.

4. Recent App Switcher and Menu

The app switcher has undergone the most drastic change. Instead of the more classic, Sense UI-like grid menu with your recent apps, you will get the carousel-like menu inspired by the Material Design guidelines.

5. Settings and Battery Menu

The setting menu is untouched but with one very important addition – a search button in the upper right corner of Sense UI’s Settings. This probably may go unnoticed but adds the ease to search things in the Settings menu. Another noteworthy improvement can be found in the battery consumption menu of the Lollipop-based Sense UI. It’s pretty similar to the one in stock Android. It now provides you with a more in-depth breakdown of your battery usage. Apart from this, the Running Apps menu hidden in Settings has also been improved. It now displays a much more user-friendly breakdown of the current state of your 2GB of RAM, separating the system from the user-installed apps.

January 29, 2015
Xiaomi Invites Beta Testers to Try Out Lollipop-Based MIUI 6

According to a new post on the MIUI forum, Xiaomi has started the beta testing phase of the Lollipop-based MIUI 6. Hugo Barra (CEO) spoke about the company’s plans for Lollipop, making it clear that the beta testing will begin soon.

According to the post on the MIUI forum, Mi2/S/A users will be given a chance to try out the beta ROM soon, only if they meet a certain set of requirements. Users need to have ‘English forums credits over 50’ and they should be willing to report bugs to the forum. A total of 50 testers will be shortlisted by 30th of January 2015, hence only a handful of applicants would get access to try out the beta.

But why would Xiaomi choose an older device to run the beta? One possibility could be the fact that if the Mi2 runs without any major glitches, then getting the MIUI 6 on newer devices should be easier. But that’s just speculation.

Meanwhile, the company says it working hard to strike the right balance between MIUI skin and Google’s new material design elements in Android 5.0. For those of you interested in the beta, you can find more information on the MIUI forum.

January 27, 2015
XOLO One Confirmed to Receive Lollipop Update 16th January Onwards

Even though it has been a while since Google officially brought out the Android 5.0 Lollipop Update, barely 50% devices have received the update. Many smartphone manufacturers are still struggling to update their devices. Now XOLO has has made an announcement that its budget device XOLO One will be getting the Lollipop update. According to the company, the update will officially roll out on the 16^th of this month.

XOLO One flaunts a 4.5-inch LCD display and is powered by a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.3 GHz. In terms of memory, the device features 2 GB of RAM along with 8 GB of internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 32 GB via MicroSD card. It has a 5 MP rear camera and houses a 1700mAh battery.

XOLO One is priced for Rs. 6,599 in India. Motorola too announced of its devices getting the Lollipop update today. All the handsets released in 2013 and 2014 are said to get the upgrade really soon.

January 13, 2015
All 2013 and 2014 Motorola Devices to Get Lollipop Update Soon

There is finally some good news on the horizon for Motorola users. After a considerably long delay, Motorola has announced that it will be bringing out Android Lollipop updates for all its handsets released in 2013 and 2014.

In a post on Google Plus, Motorola Engineer Luciano Carvalho has said that the company is currently working hard to bring the update to its consumers. He has not specified the exact date and has just said that the updates will arrive “real soon”.

It is also mentioned in the post that the company has released an Android 5.0.3 update as a limited soak test. The reason cited for the delay is the bug ridden launch of the Android Lollipop. The post says that the team at Motorola are constantly finding bugs and fixing them, and they will reveal the update once it’s completely bug free.

Motorola is one of the best companies out there in terms of timely updates. The devices launched by the company are really popular and get proactive support from the company. So if you are a Motorola user, the wait for your Lollipop will soon come to an end.

January 13, 2015

iGyaan Spec Battle: Lenovo A6000 vs. Redmi Note 4G vs. Yu Yureka

At CES 2015, Lenovo introduced the A6000 capable of taking on the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note and the newly launched Yu Yureka. The phone has some good specs for the sub Rs.10,000 segment. But how does it rate against its competition?

Here is a comparison of specs for you to decide:

Specs	Lenovo A6000	Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G	YU Yureka
Display	5 inch HD IPS	5.5 inch IPS LCD	5.5 inch HD
Processor	1.2 GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor	1.6 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400	1.5 GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615
RAM	1 GB	2 GB RAM	2 GB
Storage	8 GB	8 GB	16 GB
Expandable Upto	32 GB	64 GB	32 GB
Main Camera	8 MP	13 MP	13 MP
Front Camera	2 MP	5 MP	5 MP
Battery	2300 mAh	3100 mAh	2500mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4	Android 4.2	Cyanogen OS 11
Price	Below Rs. 10,000	Rs.9,999	Rs.8999

Overall it’s easy to come to the conclusion that Yureka’s spec sheet coupled with CyanogenMod and its attractive price give it an edge over the competition. Lenovo’s A6000 seems to lag a bit behind, but a competitive price tag might give it a chance to establish itself in the market. We just have to wait for the arrival of the A6000 to check out the final spec sheet and pricing for a final conclusion!

January 9, 2015

Android 5.0 Lollipop is Powering Less Than 0.1 % of Android Devices

Android Lollipop is one of the most significant releases from Google yet. It gave a redesigned look to Android that was long overdue. It also brought a barrage of new features including extended battery life. But even with such arduous effort that Google put into its latest mobile OS, it hasn’t found a lot of takers in the market.

According to data released by Google, Lollipop is running on less than 0.1% Android devices. Android’s last major release, the Android 4.4.4. Kitkat is on a growth path though, the operating system now runs on 39.1% of the devices. The operating system was running on 33.9% devices in December, so it grew by 5.2% in just over a month. One of the major reasons can be the boost in the number of lower-priced devices running Android Kitkat.

With less than 0.1% market share, Lollipop doesn’t even appear on the graph yet.

The leader of the Android corps of devices is still Jellybean, which accounts for different versions across the Android ecosystem. The good news, perhaps for Google is that the share of versions before Jellybean are fast disappearing from the market. In comparison to June, last year, the combined hold of OS’s before Jellybean (Froyo, Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich) has gone from 35.2% down to 14.9%.

One of the biggest headache for Google has been the massive segmentation of Android OS in the market, and it seems like Kitkat and Jellybean are fast bridging that gap. Google also launched the ‘Android One‘ line of low-cost devices, to have greater control over its OS in the lower segment of the market.

Lollipop’s launch was followed by reports of bugs and that initially deterred the users from switching to the new operating system. The slow rollout process can also be blamed for the low market share of new operating system. Android’s previous version such as KitKat have also faced a slow start but did manage to gain the ground later. So we might expect a growth spurt for Android Lollipop to arrive soon.

January 8, 2015
CES 2015 : Now Shoot Thermal Images With Any Smartphone

FLIR is the company which specialises in making thermal image sensors. The company works from consumer level all the way up to military defense. Last year they brought an innovative back cover for iPhones that let them take thermal images. But ever since Apple went ahead and stretched out the size of its iPhone line-up, it became evident that FLIR had to take a new course of action to revive its market.

So this year at CES, FLIR has come with a new gadget that works with just about any smartphone device. The FLIR One attachment can be plugged into a lighting port for Apple devices and the micro USB port for the Android devices. The variant seems more convenient than its previous generation as you have the option of using the device only when you need it.

The device comes with its own internal battery so it doesn’t suck in the precious juice from your smartphone. Thermal camera in itself is not capable of capturing detailed images and so FLIR One has two cameras. One called the Lepton camera which shoots thermal images while a standard camera that shoots a normal image. Then both the images are blended together to give a better thermal image output.

Thermal cameras let you see the world with a new perspective. This device is not just for educational and entertainment purpose but can also come handy in day to day life. You can use it to find the rodent or insects hiding inside your walls or even finding pets lost in the woods.

The new FLIR One is expected to come into the market by the mid-2015 and is expected to be priced close to its predecessor at $350.

January 7, 2015
CES 2015 : Sony Set to Roll Out Lollipop to Xperia Z3

During CES 2015 at Las Vegas, COO of Sony, Michael Fasulo, announced that the company is all set to roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop to its Xperia Z3 lineup starting next month. Sony had earlier revealed that Android 5.0 Lollipop would come to the “core” Xperia Z2 and Z3 lines in early 2015.

The company confirmed the previous rumours in December, but the Japanese electronic giant hasn’t been too specific on exactly when this rollout will happen. However, Fasulo revealed that the update will begin rolling out to the Xperia Z3 next month.

Google released Android Lollipop 5.0.1 to the masses in December 2014 and the wait began as manufacturers optimised the code before pushing it out to their flagship devices. Till now handful of devices like Moto G (Gen 1 and 2), Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 have got the lollipop update.

Sony’s announcement follows the company’s promise last October to eventually deliver Lollipop to its entire Xperia Z range of devices.

January 6, 2015
Sony Xperia Z4 Teased With an Abstract New Video

January is the month when CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics trade show comes to town. CES 2015 is just a few weeks away, but the buzz around it is already heating up in this excruciating winter. Sony has put its foot forward and posted a new video which might be a teaser for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4.

Sony hasn’t had a good time with the market in the past couple of years, and they have seen their profits shrink year by year. The company is in a major re-invention period, and it is currently focusing on bringing itself back to profitability even if that means losing 25-30% of their market share in the smartphone business.

The video posted by the company is titled ” Welcome to the New World”. It shows a girl licking a lollipop that seems to signify that the device will run on Android Lollipop. There have also been rumours that the new flagship device from Sony will feature a Snapdragon 810 processor which would make it one of the first devices to feature this latest chipset. The company had previously launched the Xperia Z3 at IFA Berlin last September and keeping with its six months update schedule; the new flagship is ready for the world. The Xperia Z3 was appreciated for its design and features but was berated for being too pricey.

Have a look at the video right here:

December 23, 2014
Android Lollipop Captured in a Leaked Screenshot on LG G2

Mere weeks have passed since the roll out of Google’s Android 5.0 Lollipop, and all the smartphone manufacturers are doing everything to upgrade their devices with Google’s new OS. Countable number of devices have received the update so far and Nexus devices top the list for obvious reasons. The South Korean giant LG’s flagship, LG G2 has been recently caught with Lollipop on it.

An authentic Italian technology web portal unveiled a screenshot that shows Android 5.0.1 on the LG G2 with a build number LRX21Y. However, the leaked pictures of the update was of the LTE-Advanced version bound to South Africa only. It is believed that the global LG G2 users will soon witness the update on their devices. The leaked image itself is a pretty good sign that the company is working on it.

It is an impressive step by the firm to upgrade their 2013 released smartphone with Lollipop. Meanwhile, all G2 users can check out their devices for an OTA update.

The LG G2 features a 5.2-inch IPS display with 1080×1920 pixels along with Corning Glass 2 protection. Initially, the device ran on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS out of the box; but later it was upgraded to KitKat. Now it is said to support Lollipop as well. The phone is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and comes with 2 GB of RAM. It packs a 13MP primary camera and a 2.1MP secondary snapper that can take amazing selfies. The phone has 16 GB of internal storage capacity and comes with connectivity options like 4G LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB. The 3000 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery powers the device for a complete day usage.

With the incredible interface of Lollipop, the old G2 models will come to life. However, till the time LG makes an official announcement, global users will have to wait.

December 23, 2014
Second Wave of the Android One Initiative to Include Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Even though Google’s Android One initiative in India did not surpass expectations, the company has announced to take this endeavor to other emerging markets. The internet search giant announced on its official blog that it is expanding its reach, and will be soon launching the initiative in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The initiative was launched in India in September as a test pilot. Google partnered with local manufactures namely Micromax, Karbonn and Spice and released three Android One smartphones in the country.

Recently, Spice launched their second Android One handset called the Dream Uno H which was targeted at the Hindi speaking audience. Karbonn has also confirmed a new Android One handset which will debut during the first quarter of 2015. Additionally, it was also reported that all Android One smartphones will receive a Lollipop update sometime this month.

For the second wave of the Android One units, Google has partnered with a wide range of manufacturers and network partners such as Bangalink to sell Android One smartphones in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Along with India manufactures, Bangladesh’s own Symphony will launch their first Android One smartphone with Symphony Roar A50. The exact timeline for the launch in these countries is not mentioned, Google stated that the smartphones will go on sale ‘in the coming weeks.’

December 22, 2014
Motorola Rolls Out Android Lollipop Update for Moto X (Gen 2) in India
Here’s an announcement for which all Moto X (Gen 2) owners in India were eagerly waiting for. Motorola revealed that it has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Moto X (second generation) users in India. The company says that other Motorola devices will also be getting the update soon.

Lollipop, the latest version of the Android mobile operating system, was first released for Nexus 6. The update for the Moto X (2nd Gen) was first rolled out in Brazil, Mexico and the US.

Here are the steps to update the Moto X (Gen 2) to Lollipop:
1. Go to the app menu and select ‘Settings’ icon.
2. Select ‘About Phone’.
3. Select ‘System updates’.
4. Select ‘Download’.
5. Select ‘Install’ once the download is done.
6. Restart your phone once you have installed it.
With added fluidity through UI of the new Lollipop, users will now experience improved natural touch screen interactions. Along with that, the new Android update lets you have a look at the notifications on the lock screen itself and facilitates dismissing them without unlocking it.

With this announcement, the Schaumburg-based firm has fulfilled its commitment to offering its users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.
December 20, 2014
Facing Problems with Android Lollipop? Here is How You Can Fix Them
Android Lollipop arrived with a slew of exciting features; it has been said time and again that it is one of Google’s most significant updates. While you may be celebrating the entry of the Android Lollipop and its new features; this software update also comes with a few complaints.

We have compiled a list of the most common bugs and their fixes on the new Android Lollipop 5.0. Although the users have bee advised to wait for the software updates; however you can try some of these tricks in the meantime.

1. The Wi-Fi Connectivity

Some Android 5.0 users are reporting dropped internet connections, while others are unable connect at all. These bugs have generally been reported in the older devices.

The FIX :
- The old faithful factory reset has done the trick for some, but this is a bit of a pain to work through.
- Rebooting and troubleshooting is also a fix you may want to try.
- Changing the Wi-fi Channel in the “Advanced” option can also improve performance.
2. Low Battery Life

In theory Android 5.0 should give your device a better battery life. Although considered to be far better than KitKat, the Lollipop is still rumoured to have issues pertaining to battery life.

The FIX :
- Again the factory reset can help out some users.
- It may be possible that one of the older apps is clashing with the new software code causing the battery to drain unnecessarily; you may want to uninstall this app.
- It is also advisable to download any good battery saving app to kill running apps and software which drain battery life.
3. Lagging and Crashing

Several Android 5.0 Lollipop users have complained of a noticeable dip in performance since the update. Not just sluggishness, the affected devices also crash while running some very common apps.

The FIX :
- If one app seems to be at the root of the issue then the obvious next step is to uninstall it or check for an update
- We’ve seen reports that switching off some of the bells and whistles that come with Android — Google Now, OK Google support, live wallpapers, and so on — can improve the situation.
- If your device is completely unusable then going back to KitKat for a while is a potential option.
- At the risk of sounding repetitive, it’s worth mentioning the factory reset.
4. Video playback

One of the more specific problems to crop up on web forums is a video playback issue with the Wi-fi version of the 2013 Nexus 7. Users are reporting that Lollipop is unable to find the video player software when they want to watch a clip.

The FIX :
- Clearing the cache of one of the affected apps (such as YouTube) has helped a few users restore functionality.
- Other users have found success by enabling or disabling the NuPlayer from the Developer options page.
- Find ‘About phone’ from the Settings app and tap the ‘Build number’ seven times to activate the developer options screen. You can then try playing around with NuPlayer.
December 12, 2014