Category: Brands and Companies

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OnePlus Co-Founder : Lollipop-Based CM12S to Roll Out in the Next Few Days

The long overdue CyanogenMod12s based on Android Lollipop will soon arrive on Indian OnePlus One handsets. The Chinese consumer electronics company had earlier promised its release before March 31, but it failed to keep its word and blamed certification for the delay. The firm has now assured OnePlus fans with a statement on Twitter that CM12s will release “in the next few days”.

The co-founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei, took to Twitter to announce –

.@jorgepenteado CM12s just passed certification today. Thanks for the patience, expect rollout in the next few days.

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) April 10, 2015

While there will be a short delay in the roll out of CM12s, users can install the all-new custom ROM by the company. OxygenOS was recently made public a couple of days back. The new OS based on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop is built based on the “back to basics” approach. The interface is clean, bloat-free and is built to provide maximum performance and battery life.

Here’s a quick look at the cool features of OnePlus’ OxygenOS.

April 11, 2015
Due to Massive Demand, Shipping of the Apple Watch May Get Delayed to June

It seems customers pre-ordering the Apple smartwatch will have to wait for a month more before the delivery process kicks off. The watch that went up for pre-order with the promise of in-store pickups or home delivery starting 24th of April, have slipped to June for some models due to the massive demand.

The watch officially goes up for sale on 24th April through online portals and appointments in shops. But as soon as the online pre-orders opened up on Friday, Apple’s website listed June as the shipping month for some models and four-six weeks for the rest.

There are a total of 38 models of the Apple Watch set up for pre-ordering via the company’s official online stores in nine countries, namely, Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, USA and United Kingdom. Even the most expensive variant of the Apple Watch is listed as shipping in June – with some Edition models shown as ‘Out of Stock’.

Apple officially confirmed Apple Watch’s arrival last year in September, when the iPhone 6 was announced. To know more about the wearable, click here.

April 11, 2015
Foxconn is Gearing Up to Begin Manufacturing the Apple iPhone in India

Foxconn, one of the biggest contract manufacturing firms based in Taiwan, is most popular for being the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone. The company is now planning to set up manufacturing the Apple iPhones at its units in India.

It was reported by Economic Times that Foxconn will be manufacturing the Apple iPhone in India. The locations selected for setting up the manufacturing units include Gujarat, Noida, and a small trial unit in Andhra Pradesh. Foxconn had to previously suspend production at three units on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway due to the Microsoft-Nokia deal. The closure of those three plants resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs; about 1,700 employees were affected.

The new manufacturing units will mark the return of Foxconn in India. The company says that it wants to establish the units to take advantage of the present government’s ‘Make in India’ policy. The trial unit in Andhra will engage in research and development of new products.

India is the third biggest mobile market in the world and is expected to take over the USA by 2017, which is just two years away. Considering this massive market, the government needs to incentivize production, as well as designing of products in the country to give a boost to Indian entrepreneurship in the field.

April 11, 2015
Google is Reportedly Working on a Mysterious Battery Project

Google has joined forces to develop a more productive battery technology for its line of consumer devices and other hardware projects. The search behemoth reportedly has a small team of researchers who are working on future batteries and is devising measures to advance present batteries for better outcomes.

The report by Wall Street Journal suggests that the team working on future battery technology is headed by Apple’s former battery expert Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj. The four-member team is a part of Google X research lab, a facility dedicated to making major technological advancements like Project Loon and driver-less cars. Meanwhile, the battery research wing is working on enhancing lithium-ion and the advanced solid-state batteries for a range of consumer products like Google Glass and the contact lens that helps measure glucose level in blood.

Google is not a confined body limiting to consumer manufacturing electronics and offers its services to various industries like transportation, robotics, healthcare, and communications. Being in the hardware business, Google needs efficient batteries that can power their devices for a longer span of time.

Dr. Bhardwaj disclosed ideas in a February presentation of a new-age battery technology that can be equipped to wearables, and smartphones and can also be implanted in the human body. The internet supreme requires such a revolutionary technology that can give new life to its projects that got overshadowed because of shorter battery life, e.g. Google Glass.

The report said that other research teams are working in conjunction with the Chicago-based technology firm that can bring more potent batteries for four bigger projects including Project Loon. The internet-broadcasting plan to beam Internet down the earth is presently using traditional batteries and has to suffer high-temperature issues. The latest innovation is likely to resolve the current complexities along with being cost effective.

Several companies are coming with battery prototypes that can charge mobile devices within half a minute, but there is no certainty if they will be inexpensive if produced in large numbers. If the report turns out to be true and Google succeeds in developing a super slim battery for flexible displays, it will be a landmark of the threshold of a new era. The batteries will make room for a new line of products that will be more compact and powerful.

April 11, 2015
After Selling its Mobile Unit, Nokia is Now Seeking Buyers for its Maps Business

Nokia, the Finnish equipment maker who recently sold its mobile business unit to Microsoft, is reportedly considering selling its maps business HERE. The move reflects its plan to boost the company’s core wireless network unit and push up the shares rating.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the company is in talks with potential buyers such as Uber Technologies and a number of private-equity firms, as stated by people familiar with the matter. The source revealed that some German carmakers have reached Nokia for the same and will bid for its maps service, expected to take place as soon as this month.

As per the source, Nokia has hired a finance adviser to explore the sale of the maps business. The official financial reports suggest that HERE (Nokia’s Map Business) is 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) worth, while Inderes Equity Research made different estimations about its current price. “We have estimated that HERE’s value is around EUR 3.3-4.8 billion, and in a possible deal the price should be more than that,” stated the research firm on Twitter.

If we evaluate Nokia’s mapping assets with the official report as a base, its value has seen a steep fall since its buyout in 2008, which cost the company a hefty $8.1 billion. The company might drop the plan to sell out its unit if they don’t get a price deemed sufficient.

Nokia’s HERE unit provides data to many tech and e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, along with some renowned names in the car manufacturing business. The maps division reported a net sale of 970 million euros and an operating loss of 1.24 billion euros, as per the report. In January, the company made public the Q4 results of its net income and sale, which were 443 million euros and 3.8 billion euros respectively.

Nokia presently holds three divisions; first one is the maps units, the other is research and development that licenses its patents, and the third one is the networks division that makes 90 percent of the total revenue.

Meanwhile, Nokia spokesperson has declined to comment on the report and there is no official word on the news. But it would be interesting to see if Nokia sells out its second major unit and becomes an entity focusing solely on network services.

April 11, 2015
Xiaomi’s New Teaser Hints at an All-New Product Line

Xiaomi is setting up new benchmarks for its contenders to follow now and then; whether it’s about record sales figures or being the no. 1 smartphone vendor. Lately, the Chinese electronics firm has set a world record by selling over 2 million smartphones in just 12 hours across the globe. It has restlessly expanded its product portfolio in its 5 years of existence and it now offers devices such as air purifier, power banks, TV’s and more. Xiaomi is now set to expand its portfolio again by stepping into yet another segment.

The company sent out a teaser image that speaks of a completely new product. The image reads April 15 as the launch date of the unknown forthcoming product.

The teaser image disseminates the information that Xiaomi is talking about two different poles. The ‘N’ and ‘S’ characters at the extreme sides likely represent North Pole and South Pole. Below mentioned is the name of a famous personal electric vehicle manufacturer Ninebot. The firm is known for making self-balancing electric robot.

The teaser seems to point out to a product that is entirely different from its current product portfolio. Since it has something to do with Ninebot, the next product is anticipated to be a smart vehicle, or it may be a GPS related product; since there is pole concept.

Xiaomi’s poster has raised our curiosity, and we are excited to see the next smart product in its kitty on April 15. Keep checking back for updates on iGyaan.

April 11, 2015
Xiaomi Announces ‘Global Mi Phone Premier’ to be Held in India

Unlike Apple, Xiaomi understands the potential the Indian market holds. In a first, Xiaomi announced it is all set to introduce its next smartphone to the world – by holding its premier in India. The Chinese startup has sent out invites for the premier of the global Mi Phone in India, which will be held in New Delhi on April 23. The company has updated its Mi India page with the launch information and also notified about the forthcoming product via its Twitter account –

i IS COMING. Register for our global Mi phone premiere in New Delhi on 23 April. http://t.co/H8GdKvulca #MiLaunch2015 pic.twitter.com/0pxgSe4Mu0

— Mi India (@MiIndiaOfficial) April 10, 2015

The media invite reveals that the premier event of the undisclosed smartphone will mark the presence of top managements of the company. Lei Jun (CEO & Founder), President & Co-Founder of the company Bin Lin, and Hugo Barra (VP Xiaomi Global) will be addressing the conference, where both the press and fans are cordially invited. Xiaomi fans can register for the premier on official Mi page here. The show will commence at 2pm.

Xiaomi has proved its remarks that India is an important marketplace for the electronics giant. It’s the first time the firm has announced a global product premier in India. This clearly signifies that the forthcoming device is entirely new, and we are anticipating that it can be the Mi 5. Lately, it came to light through Android Open Kang Project (popularly known as AOKP) that Xiaomi is working on the successor of Mi 4, and it is titled Mi 5. According to the AOKP blog post, the Mi 5 will debut with a new user interface MIUI 7 based on Android Lollipop.

However, things are uncertain, and we can only guess what it could be. For now, all the Mi fans need to underline the date and wait for the official unveiling of the next Mi Phone.

April 11, 2015
Sick of Spoilers on Social Media? Google Patents Tech to Protect You From Them

Spoilers are one of the most dreaded words for the makers of any new product, may it be a movie or a popular new consumer electronics launch. Companies take every precaution to prevent any information from leaking. But in the age of proactive snoopers on the internet, stopping a leak has become a futile task. Google seems to have taken up the challenge and has just received a patent that might put the brakes on leaks and spoilers on the web.

A patent titled “system and method for processing content spoilers” has been granted to Google. This new filter will let you block spoilers for content like TV shows, books and movies on social media. You can choose to turn off the filter when you have caught up with the content.

The system digs in deeper than just blocking spoiler posts related to the content. Using Google’s intrusive technology, the filter keeps a track of everything that the user has already seen and filters out content that you are yet to see. This will help you prevent getting bombarded with the spoilers for Game of Thrones (GoT) or House of Cards episodes that you are yet to watch.

A sample figure in the patent application.

There is no timeframe yet as to when this new technology will be inducted. Google has said that it holds many patents, and there are no immediate plans as of yet to introduce the technology. To be successful, Google will have to tie-up with social media companies that would require a lot of negotiations. They might also want to expand the field to include products like smartphones, which are one of the biggest victims of leaks. It is apparent that there are some creases that need to be ironed out before the spoiler-filter comes online.

The technology in itself looks interesting and is a kind of censorship that will be appreciated by all GoT fans who try to stay off social media after the telecast. Also, now that the cats out of the bag on the Google patent, we might see some copycat services who’ll offer similar features. Well only if this story about the leak filter could have used a leak filter.

April 10, 2015
Xiaomi to Open Warehouse in Bengaluru To Strengthen its Retail Might in India

Xiaomi is stressing on building a firm ground for itself in the Indian sub-continent. After planning to set up an India-centric Research and Development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru, the Chinese electronics giant is gearing up to open its warehouse in the country. Xiaomi is setting up its storage base in south Indian city’s industrial hub, Bommasandra.

Xiaomi’s India Operations Head, Manu Jain spoke on the news –

We are building the warehouse for the Mi Store (Xiaomi’s e-commerce store) that we will launch this year. We would not like to comment more about something that is not operational yet.

This step by China’s Apple is expected to give a push to its online retail business in India, conducted through the Mi.com website. It may also be considered as a move to boost its offline presence in the country by opening up a physical store.

The new warehouse will stuff all the products launched in India, and will gradually build to include more devices from Xioami’s global cataogue. Meanwhile, the devices present in its India product portfolio include Redmi 2, Mi 4, Redmi Note 4G, and Mi Pad. While the Mi Note is set to join the already existing offerings soon, the 49-inch 4K TV may arrive later this year. Other equipments expected to be launched in India include a range of connected devices, fitness band and air purifier.

According to Cyber Media Research, Xioami recorded a steep fall in sales in Q1 2015. OnePlus and Micromax’s YU gave tough competition to the Chinese brand, which lead to decline in sale units from nine lakh to six lakh units. Xiaomi has planned to recover the declined business and has reworked on its business proposals.

The company has made some alterations in its business plan and finished its exclusive partnership with Flipkart. The company will now sell its products through Snapdeal and Amazon, together with its old partner Flipkart. The company has also adopted the offline sale policy by selling its smartphones in collaboration with The Mobile Store.

April 10, 2015
Samsung Confesses Galaxy S6 Edge to Face Supply Shortage

The most recent offering of Samsung, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, will be open from today for public across the globe. The South Korean smartphone behemoth expects record shipment of Galaxy S6 handsets, but it has to struggle to meet the demands of the curved screen smartphone. The news surfaced the day before when the company’s Mobile Chief J.K. Shin explained the problem in manufacturing Galaxy S6 Edge screens could lead to the limited supply of the curved edge version.

The statement by Shin about the S6 Edge reads, “We’re working hard to resolve the difficulty in supply” and that the problem could persist “for a while.” This is clearly not a good message by the company at a time when the curvy S6 Edge is ready to retail in different markets across the globe. The company might have to face the frenzy of the audience for not accomplishing its promise on time.

Samsung reported a record pre-order of 20 million Galaxy S6 series smartphones, out of which 15 million were for the standard Galaxy S6 and 5 million orders were placed for its edgier counterpart. The company might be facing a challenge to deliver the 5 million S6 Edge handsets that have already been pre-ordered.

The revolutionary design of the smartphone gave an ‘edge’ to the device. There have been reports by various analysts that potential hiccups in supply could prove to be a roadblock to the success of Samsung.

It would be interesting to observe how Samsung cope up with the manufacturing complexities. Meanwhile, you can watch our hands-on video below:

April 10, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 Comes to India But Where is the Apple Watch?

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S6 is set to hit the Indian and global stores today. The Korean electronic behemoth has grasped the importance of the Indian consumers for the future of the smartphone industry and has been bringing phones almost at the same time as the global market. But the other major force in the tech industry, Apple is still not close to giving India that priority, which is evident by the lack of the country’s name in the release locations for the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch is the company’s newest product family. The wearable is available from $349 for the basic model, the Watch Sport, and the line of offering goes up to $17,000 for the gold plated version called the Watch Edition. People looking forward to owning the device can pre-order it today in the countries where it is offered. But the only piece of information that the Indian Apple fans get is that the Watch will come to the country ‘sometime in 2015’.

Samsung brought the Note 4 to India at the same time as the US.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 was already up for pre-order in India and goes up for sale today. Samsung had also brought its last major launch, the Note 4 to India on 17th October, exactly the same time it came to the United States.

It’s not like Apple has a small market in India. Just in the space of October to December of last year, the company sold 500,000 devices in India, and the number keeps growing. Of course, it is just a tiny fraction of the global sales that have helped the company to have the most profitable quarter in history. A push for the massive Indian population can help the company take the profit higher.

Things do look brighter for the Indian consumers as Apple has plans to set up 500 stores across India. So maybe then the Indian fans would not have to wait impatient hours to buy Apple products.

April 10, 2015

Hands On | Lava Icon

Yesterday, Indian smartphone vendor Lava expanded its smartphone portfolio with the release of a new device – the Icon. With a price tag of Rs. 11,990, the device stands against some current offerings in the market like Micromax Canvas Nitro and Huawei Ascend P6. Meanwhile, we got an opportunity to get our hands on the latest device and here is our experience with the new smartphone.

The Icon is 7.7 mm thick and has a sleek finish. It touts a silver metal frame, while its back panel is a shiny black with a glass finish. The glass back does add to the aesthetic of the device, though we have to admit it seemed prone to scratches. The handset feels nice in hand, though we won’t vouch for its overall sturdiness.

The device features a 5-inch HD IPS 720p display with 550 Cd/m2 brightness, which the company claims is one of the highest in the industry. The display of the handset is protected with Asahi Dragon-Trail glass that offers resistance against scratches. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. The onboard storage space is 16GB, which can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot up to 32GB.

The front of the phone has an earpiece at the top, along with a 5MP camera. The front camera comes with Omni vision sensor and BSI-II sensor with blue glass filter, which is said to protect the image sensor against overexposure in the infrared wavelength range.

Lava Icon runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and has the company’s Star UI on top. The user interface provides a variety of customizable gesture controls. The back of the phone has 2500mAh battery, which is decent for a phone of this size and resolution. The primary camera is 13 MP with dual-LED flash and Sony Exmor sensor. We tried our hand at the camera, and were left unimpressed.

The dual-SIM handset offers connectivity options like 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB. Overall, we’d say it has a premium design, however it feels extremely delicate. Lava Icon is available at select retails stores in India and will also be available online via exclusive online partner Snapdeal.com. The e-commerce website is making the deal sweeter by offering a free selfie stick with Lava Icon.

Here’s a brief at its specs:

specs	lava icon
Display	5-inch HD IPS 720p
Processor	1.3GHz quad-core
RAM	2GB
Memory	16GB/32GB
Rear/Front Camera	13MP/5MP
Operating System	Android 4.4 KitKat
Battery	2500mAh
Price	Rs. 11,990

Have anything to add? Tweet to @igyaan

April 10, 2015

In 12 Hours, Xiaomi Sold Over 2 Million Smartphones Across Seven Asian Countries

On the occasion of completing five years on 8^th April, Xiaomi had decided to give the public something worthwhile. Hence, the Chinese firm staged a 12-hour ‘fan festival’ across seven Asian countries. This event saw a total sale of 2.12 million smartphones, more than 38,000 Mi TVs and over 770,000 smart appliances, amounting to a revenue of RMB 2.08 billion ($335 million).

In the words of Xiaomi, the company has truly established itself as an Internet company, with e-commerce proving to be the best way to reach its customers. In 2014 alone, Xiaomi sold over 61 million handsets worldwide and are aiming to complete a 100 million by the end of this year. This feat has landed them as the third largest mobile manufacturer in the world. The company has been on a tear lately, quadrupling its valuation while other established handset makers, including smartphone giant Samsung, have stumbled.

Xiaomi will soon be launching its Mi.com online store in US and Europe, although this store will only be selling accessories like the Mi band and the ridiculously cheap power banks.

Xiaomi has been grabbing headlines in the Indian market too with the release of the Red Mi, Mi Pad and many other products. You can read more about it here.

April 9, 2015
LAVA Launches the ‘Icon’ with 5-inch HD Display and 13MP Camera

Today, LAVA introduced a new smartphone in the Indian market. The latest offering, ‘Icon’ packs specifications to rival many present high-end handsets and comes at a price of Rs. 11,990.

LAVA Icon sports a premium metal look and holds a thickness of 7.7 mm. The homegrown smartphone firm says that it has been designed to provide comfortable handling, which makes it less prone to damage.

The device features a 5-inch HD IPS display with 550 Cd/m2 brightness, which the company claims is one of the highest in the industry. The display of the handset is protected with Asahi Dragon-Trail glass that offers resistance against scratches. A 1.3GHz quad-core processor powers the device along with 2GB RAM. It offers 16GB internal memory storage which can be expanded up to 32GB.

The Icon runs on LAVA’s Star OS built on Android platform, which provides users with a variety of customizable gesture controls. A 13MP rear camera with Sony Exmor sensor is installed on the handset that features a F2.0 aperture and 5P lens for low light photography. The front has a 5MP shooter with Omni vision sensor. A 2500mAh battery is equipped with the phone to keep it running all day long. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB and Bluetooth.

The phone is available at select retails stores in India and will also be available online via exclusive online partner Snapdeal.com. The e-commerce website is making the deal sweeter by offering a free selfie stick with LAVA Icon. The sale starts today from 1 pm onwards.

April 9, 2015
HTC One M9 is Arriving in India on 14th April

HTC launched its new flagship device at MWC this year with much fanfare. The company now seems to be ready to bring it to India. The company has sent out invites for the One M9 launch in India scheduled for the 14th April. It has been said that this device addresses all the shortfalls of the last HTC flagship, the One M8.

Throwing some light on its specifications – the HTC One M9 is powered by an all new Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, a 64 bit SOC, with an Octa core 2.0 GHz CPU. It offers 3GB of RAM and 32 GB storage which is expandable upto 128 GB. The company also provides 115 GB of Google Drive. The device runs Android Lollipop out of the box and is juiced up by a 2800 mAh battery. It also offers features like quick charge which improves the charge times.

The most stand out improvement of this device is the camera. This new handset offers a 20 MP shooter with a sapphire lens cover. And on the front, is the ultrapixel camera for your selfie needs.

So if you are a fan of HTC’s designing superiority and were waiting for the One M9 to make a landfall in India, well your wait is about to end. Read and watch our hands on review of the new HTC One M9 right here.

April 9, 2015

Category: Brands and Companies

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