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HTC Launches Desire 826 with Dual Front-Facing Stereo Speakers Priced at Rs. 25,990

Recently HTC brought to its Indian fans a much-awaited smartphone, the Desire 826. The device falls in mid-range category and comes at a price of Rs. 25,990. Launched in colour options White Birch, Blue Lagoon and more, the handset will be available with major retailers soon.

The overall look of the Desire 826 is no different than the other Desire series phones. With a weight of 183g, the smartphone boasts a 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display. The phone features two SIM card slots that supports 4G LTE network. Powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 clocked at 1.7GHz, the Desire 826 packs 2GB Of RAM and 16GB of internal storage space. There is an additional card slot to expand the memory of the phone up to 128GB. The phone runs on Android Lollipop.

Coming to its camera specifications, then HTC Desire 826 has a powerful 13MP rear camera with auto-focus and BSI sensor. The camera can record videos at 1080p. The front also flaunts an equally aggressive camera of 13MP that features auto-focus and a BSI sensor. HTC BoomSound with Dolby Audio Surround is fitted onto the device that gives a high quality sound environment. The handset is the first to boast dual front-facing stereo speakers.

The Desire 826 gets its juice from the 2600mAh Li-polymer battery, which is enough for a single day of usage. Connectivity options include stereo audio jack, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and micro-USB port. The sensors housing the device include Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Compass sensor and Magnetic sensor.

Here’s a quick look at its specifications:

Specs	HTC Desire 826
Display	5.5-inch Full HD 1080p
Processor	1.7GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
RAM	2GB
Internal Memory	16GB, 128GB expandable
Camera	13MP rear, 13MP front
Battery	2600mAh
Operating System	Android Lollipop
Price	Rs. 25,990

April 4, 2015

LG Confirms the G4 Will Come With a 5.5-inch Quad HD Display

Much has been spoken about LG’s next flagship, but till now they’ve only been rumours. However, an official confirmation has arrived from the display manufacturing unit of the company which confirms that a newly-developed Quad HD LCD panel will be fitted on to LG’s forthcoming flagship.

LG Display brought out a 5.5-inch QHD IPS panel that offers a resolution of 1440×2560 pixels. The pixel density stands same as LG G3, at 538ppi, but the company claims that the new display technology offers richer and more accurate colour quality. As compared to the 100 percent gamut of the latest available LG smartphone, the upcoming device display would have a 120 percent colour range.

Also, the contrast ratio of the next LG flagship is enhanced by 50 percent as compared to the standard QHD LCD panels, while brightness is upped by 30 percent. The modifications help users have a better view of the screen especially under bright sun. It should be noted that the display upgradations would not hamper the battery consumption at all, and users can experience better display with the conventional battery of the device.

More details about the LG G4 will unfold on its official launch on April 28. Keep checking back for updates.

April 4, 2015
Now Run Android Apps on Windows and Mac Using Google Chrome

Back in September, Google released a beta project ARC (App Runtime for Chrome) that allowed Android apps to run on Chrome OS. Now the news has surfaced that speaks of its compatibility on every desktop version of Chrome. This means any user running the latest Chrome browser can download and run the Android apps on different platforms like Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

As aforementioned, the project is in beta stage and is officially designed for developers only. But one can download the .apk file of any Android app and install it on their desktops. All you need to download is the ARC Welder tool where you can find the official .apk files of all the Android applications from Play Store.

The ARC project is a double benefit initiative targeted at customers and developers alike. Customers can port any Android-powered app to the desktops, developers can test any app by submitting it on ARC. The application to run softwares is based on Android 4.4 KitKat, giving users access to a range of standalone apps like Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and a wide variety games.

It’s a nice push by Google to make every laptop or Macbook running Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux its platform. Through the project, the internet giant has given folks an easy way to peek into the gigantic Android world and experience it.

April 3, 2015
Microsoft Brings Document Scanning App ‘Office Lens’ to Android and iOS

Microsoft’s last year release ‘Office Lens’ was a big hit in the Windows app arena – and for good reason. The mobile scanning app is a handy tool that lets users take picture of a document and convert it into a editable file format. The same application has now arrived for Android and iOS smartphones, as confirmed by Microsoft.

The hardware and software firm announced through its official blog post that it has released an Android Preview of the Office Lens on Google Play Store and a full-fledged version of the app for iOS users on the Apple Store. The app is free for download on both the platforms and one can start editing their pictures once the scanning tool is installed on the device.

The uses of Office Lens are varied. As mentioned above, the tool turns a phone into a scanner and scans the picture of the required document, such as menus, receipts or business cards. The cropping feature is pre-installed within the app through which users can cut the required image and discard the rest. The desired image then converts into an editable file which can be saved it in any format of your choice, i.e. Word, PowerPoint presentation or PDF.

Meanwhile, Android users have only received a preview of the app. Users can experience the amazing features of the app only when they join Microsoft Office Lens Android Preview community on Google+. However it’s easy to get the application, but the company could have shrinked the process to one-click download, as they have done for iOS users. For now, Android users have to follow these three steps: Join Community > Become a Tester > Download ‘Office Lens Preview’ from Play Store.

Microsoft has made Office Lens a cross-platform productivity tool from a Windows-only app. The company is well aware of the reach of the Android and iOS platforms and, hence, is pushing the largely appreciated feature from the minute share of the Windows market to the colossal app communities.

April 3, 2015
OnePlus is Building a Dedicated Customer Support Team, Says it Hears You Loud and Clear

OnePlus has emerged as one of the fastest growing companies in the tech domain. It’s first and only smartphone, the One, is a flagship decimator that provides aggressive performance at an affordable price point. The Chinese smartphone brand got rave reviews for the handset, but was criticized for not having an established Grievance Redressal unit. The company is now working on fixing the loophole by improving their support team.

The firm addressed in its official blog post they understand the need of a customer support team and are working to make the support experience amazing for every customer. OnePlus mentioned that it has expanded the customer service team and the department now employs the highest number of members in the company. The support team has increased by 4500% since the time of its launch. Meanwhile, social media like Twitter and Facebook will continue to be the main platforms to address customer complaints.

Agent expertise is the next segment where the company will have its major focus. The agents catering to customers feedback will undergo an intensive training through weekly workshops where they will learn soft skills, tech support, policy changes and more. This means, customer service executives will be trained to be as polite as they can.

Also, OnePlus shared one more update about the warranty and return policy of its products. The company remarked that from now on, all its accessories will come with an extended one year warranty, and a no-questions-asked return policy extends from 14 days to 15 days. In addition, OnePlus stated that it tries to respond to every request within the minimum time frame of 9 hours, which is faster than the average industry response time of 21.2 hours.

It’s nice to see that a company that is about a year old making efforts to maintain a healthy customer relationship. We hope that the smartphone label establishes a strong link with its customers and stays true to the promises it makes.

April 3, 2015
Lenovo to Bring the Affordable A7000 with Dolby Sound to India on 7th April

Looks like Lenovo is all set to bring its newest smartphone to the Indian market. The company is hosting a launch event for their latest gadget, the Lenovo A7000. This handset was first unveiled at the MWC 2015, and it will hit the Indian market on 7th April.

According to the price and spec ratio, it has been speculated that it can match against the Yu Yureka and Redmi Note. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz MediaTek True8Core Processor with 4G LTE and sports a 5.5-inch HD display. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expandable through microSD.

Measuring up to just 7.9mm thick and weighing 140g, it is easily one of the lightest phones to carry around. The smartphone runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. The camera specification offers an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front shooter. Specs aside, the main attraction of this phone is its Dolby Atmos sound. This technology will tweak the audio of the content to make it sound like it is coming from all directions. You will, of course, require a pair of headphones to get the true Atmos experience.

Lenovo A7000 will be priced at $169 (about Rs.10,500). Until now we don’t have a confirmation about its price or availability. We’ll make sure to update you about the same on 7th April.

April 3, 2015
New HTC One M9 Plus Leak Shows a Physical Home Button and a Textured Body

For a while now, rumours have been floating around about the much-anticipated Plus variant of HTC One M9. Earlier we reported that the bigger version of the One (M9) flagship will feature fingerprint scanner, and from the images leaked today, it is now becoming clear how the firm has designed the smartphone.

A new batch of pictures leaked hint at the Plus version of both the One E9 and the One M9. The alleged images of One M9 Plus depicts the presence of a physical home button on the device, much like the one Samsung follows on its S series line-up. The image has a magnified view of the home button which gives us a close look at the rectangular button with rounded edges.

The inclusion of a physical button, if the images are true, strongly hints at a presence of a fingerprint scanner.

The next image focuses on the other design element of the smartphone. The close-up above seems to highlight the controls of the phone, along with the textured metal shell.

The last image is of the screen that supposedly stresses on the QHD quality display. Along with these leaks, the pictures have confirmed one more thing, the launch date of the handset. All three images read – Beijing, April 8^th 2015.

Alongside these revelations, few more rumours came out that speak of its specifications. It was earlier leaked that the One M9 Plus would sport a 5.5inch 2k display together with snapdragon 810 and 3GB RAM. A dual camera of an unspecified MP will sit at the back of the phone. Rumours need to taken with a pinch of salt, the true picture of the phone will only come to light when the Taiwanese brand launches it officially.

April 2, 2015
Meet Nikon’s New Candidate in the Mirrorless Camera Market : The Nikon 1 J5

Nikon has launched their latest entrant in the compact mirrorless camera market, the Nikon 1 J5. This camera is a latest model of the 1 J ensemble. However, unlike the rest of the J-series cameras, this camera does not require a lot of menu diving to access basic settings.

The camera has a 20.8 MP, 1″ CX-format BSI sensor, added up along with EXSPEED 5A image processor and a 171 point contrast detect auto-focus system. As claimed by the company, the camera offers fast burst modes of 20fps at full auto-focused resolution and 60fps of fixed focus. The camera also boasts 4K video recording but can do so at only 15fps. Even though, if this does not work out, the camera also has an option of the 1080p at 30/60fps recording mode and 120fps 720p slow motion video mode.

On the other side is a 3-inch 1037k dot touchscreen display with an 180-degree tilt. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi and NFC. The camera is also compatible wth the entire NIKKOR 1 series lenses and the DX and FX mount NIKKOR lenses with FT-1 mount adapter. J5 can take up to 250 shots in a one time charge of the battery.

The camera is priced at $499.95 (approx Rs. 31, 116) with the NIKKOR 1 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom lens and $749.95 (Rs. 46,676 ) with both the 1 NIKKOR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom lens and 1 NIKKOR VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 lens. The camera comes in three colour variants, namely Silver-Black, Silver-WHite or all Black.

Nikon has not yet announced its release date in India, however the product will start rolling out in USA later this year.

April 2, 2015
Xiaomi’s Next Band to Embrace One-Touch Mobile Payment Technology

Xiaomi’s smartbands are assumed to be the next big thing by the tech world; much because they are rightly speculated to be cheaper than the present offerings by other brands. According to a recent disclosure by a Chinese online publication, the next-gen Xiaomi smartband will incorporate a mobile payment solution, providing users a safer, more convenient payment experience.

Huami, the Chinese start-up set to partner with Xiaomi for fitness wearables, declared that it has inked a strategic cooperation in AliPay. The tie-up is aimed at developing a wearable device that fits modern one-touch payment system. The idea is to speed up the payment process and eradicate the need of providing passwords at retail stores.

With this, whenever a user will come in the range of an AliPay client, the mechanism will activate automatically, establishing a link with the client. Through the technology, the payment will be done directly through the wristband.

The smartband works in conjunction with smartphone to function. The band gets connected to the handset through Bluetooth to verify the user’s identity, thereby acting as a channel to enable payments. Once the identity is established, the Xiaomi band then authorizes it to make payments via AliPay client.

Xiaomi smartband payment system

Xiaomi smartband payment system

The start-up further mentioned about the verification technology stating that it uses industry standard encryption measures to make the payments secure. In this, every user is provided with a unique identifier which verifies the status of users after eliminating the password link.

However, the mobile payment technology is not new and many big names in the technology sector have already embedded it to their devices. Though this will widen the reach of the technology. As Xiaomi offers products at a reasonable price, the forthcoming band is expected to become a common accessory and bring a larger change in the retail payment mode used in China.

April 2, 2015
HTC One M8s Unveiled : a Refreshed One (M8) with Enhanced Camera and Battery

Post the launch of the flagship M9 at MWC this year, HTC today brought out a tweaked version of its predecessor HTC One. Dubbed as HTC One M8s, the smartphone embraces the same all-metal body and trademark features of the One such as BoomSound front speakers, Duo camera, and more. The handset is launched at a price of GBP 379.99 (in Indian currency that translates to approx. Rs. 35,000).

With a full HD display of 5-inch (1080×1920 pixels), the screen of the One M8s comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating. The smartphone holds a tweaked 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, bundled with 2GB RAM. The internal storage option stands identical at 16GB, which is expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD card slot. The One M8s runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense 6.0 skin on top, while the One (M8) came with default Android 4.4. KitKat, upgradable to 5.0 Lollipop.

The rear camera is the one feature which gets a major boost. The device now sports a 13-megapixel duo camera. The front camera is static at 5MP just as the previous iteration. Battery is also a noticeable change in the One M8s. A 2840mAh, just as the one fitted on to the One M9, powers the handset. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and NFC.

The smartphone will be available in the European market early April in three colour options – Glacial Silver, Gunmetal Gray, and Amber Gold. Meanwhile, there is no word about the device arriving in other countries.

April 2, 2015
Xiaomi is Currently Working on a Refreshed MIUI 7 That Will Debut on the Mi 5

The tussle to bring the finest product to the customers is getting meaner by the day. With many top-notch smartphones already present in the crowded market, there’s a need for every mobile brand to stand out of the pack. Xiaomi enjoys a large fan base in the world majorly because of its affordably priced devices and for the unique MIUI that makes the smartphones look different, not just externally. The Chinese brand is now considering giving its users a better experience with a brand new user interface.

The company is said to be working on the next instalment of MIUI which will debut with the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone Mi 5. The firm has teamed up with AOKP (Android Open Kang Project) to build the new UI. The latter company made public information about the new interface that gives us a fair idea of MIUI 7.

Minimalistic Look with subtle graphics.ith

According to the official AOKP blog, the forthcoming interface is codenamed MiKangy and will be based on Android 5.1 OS. It will be a whole new take on the Android UX and will combine the salient features of top ROMs like CM, PA, Omni and AOKP. MIUI 7 is stated to “create an experience which completely submerges the user in his own world.” The web page further reads that the UI will evolve with the user, and after a period of time, it will be different for every MI 5 user. Now that sounds innovative.

The market of custom ROMs and user interface has lately grown to become a sizeable industry. There was a time when smartphones were mostly about bumped up specifications and features. The brawl between Micromax and OnePlus on Cyanogen that pushed them to the court room is an example that the tech domain is growing in every sector, largely and rapidly. We hope MIUI 7 turns out to be as good as its description.

April 2, 2015
Motorola is Not Considering an Offline Sales Policy Anytime Soon: Moto India Head

At a time when most of the major tech giants are setting up their retail stores, slowly making the move from online to offline, Motorola wants to stick to their present sales model. The telecommunications firm revealed that it has no plans to sell smartphones through physical stores in India and will continue to retail handsets through their exclusive online partner Flipkart.

According to Times of India, the India Business Head of Motorola, Amit Boni spoke about the company’s plans, “It is important that when you take a strategic bet, you stand by it and make it work. That’s what we are doing with the Flipkart partnership. You need to look into other channels of sales only when your present channel is not sound enough.”

Recently, Motorola inaugurated its first bricks-and-mortar store Moto Care in India. It’s a one of a kind store at Jayanagar in Bengaluru where customers can walk-in to check the product portfolio. The store showcases smartphones and accessories and also provides repair services. Boni further elaborated his statement, “We believe that there’s a certain set of customers who wants to see the device before buying it. We are making sure that we are opening up to them too.” The Chicago-based firm plans to open more such stores across the country in the coming days.

Motorola’s Handcrafted Selfie Stick

It has also been learnt that Motorola is planning to expand its 4G portfolio of devices. The company is expected to launch a 4G version of Moto E in India. Recently, the firm came up with few new releases. The first in the list is the Moto Turbo, followed by Moto Selfie Stick, which the company showed off on April Fool’s day. The company claimed that the stick is a $140 handcrafted accessory to click self portraits and is compatible with Moto X. We almost fell for that one.

April 2, 2015
Micromax YU Invites its Followers to Help Them Name Their Next Device

We’ve known for a while that Micromax YU’s upcoming smartphone is in the pipeline. However very scarce details are known about the much-awaited device, which till date has been called ‘Project Caesar’. Now YU wants to give it a fixed name, and one which has been decided by its fans and followers.

The Indian smartphone brand announced the first ever crowdsourcing, where its devotees can suggest the company a name of the forthcoming Cyanogen-powered smartphone. The firm has announced a contest where the winner’s decided name will be the moniker of the next YU handset.

Interested users can submit their entries at all the social platforms of YUPLAYGOD with a caption ‘#YUNameIt’. The submissions should be made on or before April 2. Once the entries are closed, top 5 participants will make it to the voting stage, which will be held on March 3 and 4. The one with highest number of votes will be the chosen name for Project Caesar.

Not only this, YU will reward 5 randomly picked contributions with the next YU device. An additional number of them with receive Amazon Gift Cards worth Rs. 1 lakh.

Customers can submit their entries using the following links:

Click here or here to play.

April 1, 2015
Apple Might Bring Facial Recognition Technology to its iDevices, But With a Twist

We’ve seen Apple deliver some of the best and secure technologies to its customers. Its TouchID, a fingerprint recognition feature, has laid the path to create a feature which makes phone locks reliable. Now, the Cupertino-based firm has plans to embed a simpler but effective technology to its devices for the same purpose – it’s called face recognition.

According to a patent recently granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent Office, the new-found invention will lock the device if the user’s face is no longer present. The granted patent reads, “In the embodiment of the invention, a mobile device is configured to automatically lock based on determining that a user’s face is no longer present in the image captured by the device’s built-in camera.”

It’s evident from the statement that the device will keep snapping pictures at a definite interval of time to check if the owner is working on the device. If the user doesn’t appear in the pictures, the device will automatically lock. This means if your iPhone is kept motionless for a certain period, it will lock on its own.

The patent also mentions that with this technology, iOS device users don’t need to type in the password or touch the screen. The handset would unlock through a selfie. This also means that if your phone reaches in the wrong hands, the intruder would not be able to access your device’s content.

The innovation is already present in Android smartphones, but it doesn’t keep a tab on the user’s activity continuously. Apple’s facial recognition technology looks promising and might arrive in the new gen iPhone, iPad or even the rumoured Apple Car.

April 1, 2015

Hands On : Motorola Moto Turbo

Motorola’s first foray, after a really long while, into the premium handset domain was well thought out. The Moto Turbo launched in India for a price of Rs. 41,999 and comes after the moderate success of the newest gen of Nexus phone which was also manufactured by Motorola for Google.

The Moto Turbo is no lightweight contender in the battle of heavy weight champions, in fact it even looks the part. The body of the Moto Turbo is rugged and well built, a solid texture at the back adds copious amounts of good looks and grip. This texture also makes it less prone to scratches and damage.

Motorola has slyly hidden the sim tray behind the volume rocker, a tough guess location, especially if you don’t know where to look for it. The unibody design is appreciated, the large battery would be sufficient to warrant a non removable type design too.

The Moto Turbo is all about the grip; the buttons are robust and tactile with a sliced grip that you can feel on your skin. The glossy metallic bezel adds the upmarket feel and the overall package is a good mix of beauty and brawn.

A previous gen Gorilla Glass 3 protects the front display of the Moto Turbo, which incidentally is a brilliant 5.2 inch Quad-HD Super-AMOLED type with a 2560 X 1440 Pixel resolution giving it 565 ppi.

Running this monster is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset with a Quad Core CPU clocked at 2.7 GHz (Krait 450). The GPU is the new ADRENO 420 and all of this is managed with 3 GB of RAM and a fixed 64 GB of storage (for the Indian variant, internationally 32 GB options are available too)

The Moto Turbo supports LTE Cat 4 networks, which should suffice in most regions without network compatibility issues. You will also get mostly stock Android 5.0.2 to boot and some Moto apps like ‘Moto Alert’ and the ‘Moto’ app.

You also get quick actions, twist the device to launch camera, Moto Display activates on approach and you can wave to silence an incoming call.

Moto Voice can be enabled from anywhere, including the lock screen to ask arbitrary questions like “when is my next meeting” or “how far away is the moon”. Some of which may have been seen in the Moto X handsets.

The Moto Turbo is very fast and responsive. Its UI is a pure experience, the kinds that you would expect from a Motorola device.

The Main Camera is a whopping 21 MP shooter with adaptive autofocus, and dual LED flash. It will record 4k videos at 24fps and the front has a nimble 2MP snapper. The camera app is mostly basic and we do wish that they had worked on a better app. The depth of field is excellent and the camera has a burst mode which is decent.

Here’s a brief about its specifications:

Specs	Motorola Moto Turbo
Display	5.2-inch 2560x1440p resolution 565 ppi
Processor	2.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805
RAM	3GB
Storage	64GB, non-expandable
Operating System	Android 5.0.2
Main Camera	21MP
Front Camera	2MP
Price	Rs. 41,999

Check Out Our Hands On Video:

April 1, 2015

Category: Brands and Companies

Specs

HTC Desire 826