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OnePlus Goes Beyond Smartphones, Teases New Gaming Hardware

Recently, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 in Barcelona, Co-Founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei, hinted that it might be working on a new product category. Pei suggested that the new product may not fall under the category of a smartwatch or a tablet. Now, OnePlus has released a series of three images, which have been posted on the company’s website. Each of the images clearly indicate that the Chinese company is interested in playing games.

The posters come with the captions: ‘Start A New Game’, ‘For The Fun Of It’ and ‘You’re in Control.’

The first image shows a red circle with a tagline “Start a new game”, the second image shows a line depicting the logo of the company and reads, “For the fun of it”, whereas the last image portrays a pair of hands holding something which could be larger than a gaming controller and says, “You are in control.”

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Official OnePlus Forum Post”]

It’s been a little over a year since OnePlus was founded, and while we launched with our flagship killer smartphone, we have, and always will be, a technology company. Innovation and revolutionary ideas that shake up the industry are what OnePlus has built itself upon.

[/quote]

OnePlus shot to fame in 2014 when it released its flagship Android phone, the OnePlus One. This phone delivered all the specifications of top end flagships, only much cheaper. By the look of the three images, the best guess a person may make is of a gaming console.

Xiaomi has already stepped into the uncharted water of gaming with the release of the Mi Game Controller, a bluetooth-enabled game controller back in January. It seems like it is now time for OnePlus to follow the same path.

March 20, 2015
Samsung Bets On 128 GB Storage To Boost Sales of Affordable Devices

Samsung has been losing the interest of budget device buyers as its competition has been offering better specs and features to the customers. So how does Samsung take on this challenge? The Korean electronics giant decided to offer 128GB storage options to in its affordable smartphone line-up.

Samsung has already introduced 128 GB internal UFS storage on its latest flagship, the Galaxy S6. Now the company is planning to offer the huge internal storage in its phones and tablets that are lower in the price listings.

The new 128 GB 3-bit NAND-based eMMC 5.0 storage would adorn the future line of affordable devices from Samsung. It will also help in recording high-definition videos and multi-tasking in those smart-gadgets. This massive storage option will be a boon to multimedia hoarders who always have to depend on SD cards and Cloud storages for their content.

It is not sure as of yet as to when this technology would come to Samsung’s lower end devices. While Samsung figures out when it can bring the storage, it should also work towards bringing attractive devices that sell on their own merits, like many other devices in the affordable segment. That would help Samsung more in the long run instead of flaunting individual features.

March 20, 2015
Olympus Launches E -M5 Mark II Mirror-Less Camera For Rs.74,990

Japanese camera maker Olympus has brought a new mirrorless camera to the Indian market. The E-M5 Mark II is an interchangeable lens camera with a visually appealing retro styling.

The E-M5 Mark II uses a 16.1 Megapixels, 4/3 Live MOS Sensor system to capture the images. The sensor also comes with a 5-axis* sensor-shift image stabilisation so that the videos and images are steady and without shakes. The body and lens systems are dustproof and splashproof. Olympus says that the camera has fast autofocus to ensure that your images are always sharp and in focus.

There are also 14 art filters for the used to try out some fun snaps. There is also a feature called photo story that takes multiple images of the same scene and makes one image. It offers two HDR modes, and you can take tilt shift images through the keystone compensation.

The camera has built-in Wi-fi and allows the users top share their images with ease with Olympus Image Share. You can also control the camera with a computer based app called Olympus Capture.

The Olympus E-M5 Mark II is priced at Rs. 74,990. It’s good to see that in an attempt to be valid in the smartphone camera age, the camera makers are adding exciting features to their camera. But the market might soon discard one major electronic product, and it sure isn’t going to be the smartphones. But if the cameras keep looking as sexy as the Olympus E-M5 Mark II we might keep them around for a while.

March 20, 2015
Windows 10 Arrives for Xiaomi Mi 4 ‘Power Users’, Images Spotted Online

It was only yesterday that Microsoft made an announcement about the summer release of Windows 10 in 190 countries around the world. It was not the only news announced by the software major, and Microsoft surprised everyone with the announcement of its exclusive partnership with Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi. The multinational firm revealed the development of a Windows-based software (ROM) for Android devices that turn the Android run handsets into Windows phone, is underway.

Today, images of Xiaomi Mi 4 devices running on Windows have surfaced online. Since, Mi 4 is designed to run on Google’s Android platform, these fresh pictures speak of the Technical Preview of Windows 10 that Microsoft was talking about. The invention of a ROM that can swap the OS to Windows on Android devices is ground-breaking. However, it is uncertain how many of us would like to leave the cosmic Android arena to join the confined world of Windows on smartphones.

The new Windows 10 ROM doesn’t offer dual-boot feature and forces itself onto the installed device. Windows 10 then becomes the default OS of the smartphone. The basic idea behind the software is to give Android users an experience of Windows 10 user interface and apps.

The testing of Windows 10 ROM is limited to a selected group of Xiaomi Mi 4 users. Microsoft picked Xiaomi since it has a vast user base which provides constant feedback on their products. Microsoft aims to use Xiaomi’s already existing user base to receive suggestions by proving the latest version of Windows on their phones.

March 19, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Official India Launch Slated for 23rd March

Samsung is rolling out the sixth-generation flagship smartphones, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, to more countries of the world. The South Korean firm showcased the handsets in MWC 2015, and now we have learnt that Samsung will launch the devices in India on 23^rdof this month.

While the company will be holding a special event on the coming Monday, they will not go on sale until April 10, as earlier stated by the company. Along with Galaxy S6 and the curvy S6 Edge, the Samsung event is expected to see the release of accessories as well, which includes flip cases and covers.

Samsung may also launch the new virtual reality headset for Galaxy S6. This headset is different from the VR Gear released for Galaxy Note and is specially designed to fit the smaller screen of the S6.

As far as the pricing is concerned, the Galaxy S6 will cost somewhere around Rs. 52,999, while its curvy counterpart is likely to get a price tag of Rs. 61,999.

Both the Galaxy S6 and its curvy companion are power packs and feature almost similar specifications. Both the handsets sports 5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED with 577ppi resolution. The S6 is equipped with a 64-bit Exynos octa-core processor (1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A-53 and 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex A-57), while the edgier S6 is powered by the 2.5 GHz Exynos octa-core processor. The RAM of either of the devices stands same at 3GB, and both of them run on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.

Both S6 and S6 Edge come in three variants with inbuilt memory – 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The devices don’t have external memory support. Optics of the S6 and S6 Edge are identical at 16MP rear with F1.9 and 5MP front camera. In case you missed the hands-on video, check the video below:

March 19, 2015
About 40 Percent of iPhone Users Willing to Buy Apple Watch: Reuters Poll

Apple devoted a huge amount of time and thought to bring out a smartwatch that can outshine all other gadgets in the wearables category. The Apple Watch is a distinctive piece and sports many features like digital crown and Force Touch that are not found in any other smartwatch. But is it really getting the traction expected by the company? International news agency, Reuters, did a survey to find out the demand for the Watch and discovered that around 40 percent of the American iPhone users are interested in buying the Apple Watch.

The poll includes adult iPhone owners of the US of age 18 years and above. The primary reason to consider iPhone users in the first place was that Apple Watch requires iPhone for most of its functions. So, iPhone users automatically come into the picture to be the initial buyers of the product.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a survey between March 9 and March 17 in which a total of 2,469 American adults of 18 years and above took part. It was found that 24 percent of the participants showed interest in Apple Watch, out of which 10 percent described themselves as very interested. Another survey of 788 iPhone users across the globe by the same firm speaks of 39 percent interested buyers, out of which 17 percent are ‘very interested’ in the product.

These numbers from the survey might not look uplifting at this moment for Apple, but considering the 100 million active users of iPhone in the US, and nearly half a billion in the whole world, the resultant buyers may turn out to be a huge number. According to Reuters, Analyst Walter Piecyk of BTIG marketing firm considers the survey inspiring, “The survey was “pretty encouraging” for a product that has not been seen in shops, even if it was unclear how much of the interest would translate into purchases.”

It is yet uncertain how many interested buyers will convert into purchasers, as the price of the smartwatch is the major roadblock. Its price ranges from $350 for a regular edition to $17000 for the 18-karat gold edition, which makes it the most expensive smartwatch yet.

March 19, 2015
OnePlus One Price Hiked In Europe, Update For India To Follow Soon

On Wednesday, OnePlus announced a hike in the price for the One in the European market. The company cited the decline in value of the Euro as the reason for increase in the price of the handset. OnePlus also mentioned in its press statement there would soon be an announcement about the pricing strategy of the One in the Indian market.

At present, the pricing of the 16GB OnePlus One in Europe will be €299 (Rs 20,000), which currently is at €269 (Rs 18,000). The 64GB variant will be up for €349 (Rs 23,500) from the present €299 (Rs 21,999). The change in price will come in effect from 25th March onwards. Until that date, the handsets will be available at their current prices. The company stated that the instability of Euro is the biggest reason for the price hike. The company has been selling the products at a loss in Europe following the fall in the price of the Euro. In the light of the rate changes, OnePlus has hiked up the price in markets that use Euro as currency.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”OnePlus Blog”]

As you may know, the Euro is quite unstable at the moment. Last year, many other companies insured themselves against this volatility by launching devices with higher prices in Europe than in other markets. This is something that we opted not to do, as we are committed to maintaining razor-thin margins in order to give the most value back to our fans. Unfortunately, as the value of the Euro continued to drop, our razor-thin margins began to turn into 0 margins. Due to the current value of the Euro, we are now selling devices at a loss in the EU. In the light of these exchange rate shifts and trends, we will be making some changes to our pricing structure for the One in markets that use the Euro as currency

[/quote]

The OnePlus accessories won’t be affected by the hike and will be priced as before. The details on future pricing of the OnePlus handsets in India has not yet been released but the company asked to expect an announcement soon. To bring back to mind, the 16GB Silk White OnePlus One is presently selling in India at Rs. 18,999 while the 64GB variant is priced at Rs. 21,999.

March 19, 2015
Get Your New OnePlus One Without An Invite Between 1-2 PM Today

If you were looking forward to buying the OnePlus One but were finding it hard to score an invite, well today is your lucky day. Between 1.00 – 2.00 PM today you will get a chance to own the original flagship killer without an invite.

This is a part of Amazon India’s Happy Hour Deal today. Amazon India has recommended the interested buyers to be signed in before the start of the sale. The e-commerce site also asked the users to update their delivery address and payment details ready as the stocks are expected to fly off the shelves really fast.

The next Happy Hour Deal will take place on the 24th of March where you will be able to to buy the OnePlus One without an invite. So if you end up missing your chance today, there is still chance for you in the next sale. The 16 GB variant of the One is available for 18,999 while the 64GB variant comes at a price of Rs 21,999.

OnePlus has said that the smartphone will be getting an Android Lollipop update and the new Oxygen OS by the end of March. So if you were waiting for the right moment to buy the kickass device, well now is the best time to go for it.

March 19, 2015
TAG Heuer Collaborates with Google, Plots its Way Through the World of Smartwatches

Tag Heuer, the world renowned high-end watch making company, will soon be announcing that it is working on building its own smartwatch. Chief Executive Office, Jean-Claude Biver told Bloomsberg in an interview that the company will be officially making a statement tomorrow about its partnership with Google and Intel. As Switzerland lacks the necessary resources in technology, the partnership with Silicon Valley giants will only benefit the company.

Intel has been signed to supply the processor, while there is no official word on how Google will be of help. It’s an easy assumption to make that the company would be incharge of providing a seamless OS experience, with Android Wear. Tag Heuer has taken us the mammoth responsibility of designing the watch-case and crown. Biver is also suggesting a Tag Heuer smart watch may come with dials, such as an analog watch.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Stéphane Linder” author_title=”CEO, TAG Heuer”]

I don’t see us taking a big risk unless we find a way to make luxury watches looking like real luxury watches that provide very easy-to-use, smart information that isn’t complicated—and don’t just replicate the mobile phone.

[/quote]

Tag Heuer stated that the craftsmanship of making this particular model will be very different than its traditional watches. Hence, the Research and the Development Business department has been split up into two.

In this age of Smartwatches, traditional Swiss Watch industries might be heading towards extinction. Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock has said that the Apple Watch might put a lot of pressure on traditional watchmakers in Switzerland, and he anticipates an ice age for the industry.

We could be looking at a luxury Android Wear smart watch. Its availability and price have not been revealed. We will have to wait till tomorrow to find out the answers of these questions.

March 19, 2015
Xiaomi’s E-Store Goes Live in India, Sells Accessories But Not Smartphones

Till date, Xiaomi was dependent on its exclusive online partner Flipkart to sell its products in India, but not anymore. The Chinese electronics producer has finally opened an official Mi Store in India from where one can order products. The online store grasps the absolute authority Flipkart used to enjoy over the large chunk of Xiaomi followers in the country.

As stated by the firm, Xiaomi will only sell accessories in India and not smartphones. The exclusive rights to sell Mi handsets still remain with the e-commerce website. Meanwhile, potential customers can grab protective cases, earphones and power banks; the last one being out remains out as of now.

However, the company hasn’t turned down the fact that other products may appear on the online store in the future. This means that more products by Xiaomi like Yi camera and Mi Band (fitness tracker) arrive in the Indian market in coming months.

In three short years Xiaomi has established itself as a tech beast. The electronics enterprise conquered China few months back as the biggest smartphone vendor and lately, it defeated Apple and Samsung in India and became the biggest seller of 4G devices for January. Its smartphones have done a total sale of over a million since July last year, and considering its affordable price policy, Xiaomi seems to be breaking all records.

The organization came out with Note series in January and launched Mi Note and Mi Note Pro. The latest addition to the series is the Bamboo edition of Mi Note. It is also heard that another flagship called Mi Note Plus is next in line to release.

March 19, 2015
The 6 Biggest Announcements Microsoft Made About Windows 10 Today

While smartphone brands are grabbing the spotlight with the launch of bigger and better smartphones, Microsoft is holding the attention of the audience with its latest Windows OS. Recently, the Redmond-based company publicized that it is releasing the premier operating system Windows 10 in 190 countries, and China will be the first one to receive it. The company made several other major announcements such as the introduction of Windows Hello, the Voice App and many other innovative features, which got overshadowed.

We have made an elaborate list of all the important announcements made by Microsoft today. We explain the new developments in detail below:

Software Pirates Included in Windows 10 Receivers’ List

No matter if you’re running pirated version of Windows 7 and 8, you will still be able to update to the latest legitimate version of Windows 10. The electronics manufacturer has given a nod to the users running dodgy softwares and said that the upgraded version will be sent directly. It’s still under wraps how the company will provide the latest iteration to people using pirated Windows copy.

The End of Passwords with Windows Hello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AsoSnOmhvU

Microsoft’s new feature is a cool new tool to personalised computing. It eliminates the need for passwords and secret codes and offers unlocking devices through your personal characteristics.

Windows Hello works on biometric authentication supported by the system. This means the new tool marks your personal features such as your face, iris, fingerprints as the password and gives you instant access to your device. No need to remember complicated alphanumeric arrangements. This subtracts the possibilities of hacking as well. In all, your Windows 10 devices are entirely safe with Windows Hello.

Windows 10 is coming to 190 Countries, this summer

The announcement that spread a smile among the Windows users across the world is the early arrival of the official release of Windows 10 this summer. The rollout will start with China and 189 will soon follow. All the nations will receive the update by summer, as per the company statement.

Microsoft will offer a one-year free subscription of the upgrade, which will be available to the customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. Users can choose from 111 language options for the new operating system.

New ROM to convert Android phones to Windows

A big revelation from Microsoft was testing of a new ROM based on Windows. The company has tied up with Xiaomi and is testing the new Windows 10 with a select group of Mi 4 ‘Power users’. The new concept is original and seems to be a budding effort to overtake Android ecosystem in one go.

The new ROM doesn’t offer dual-boot solution. Once installed, Windows 10 becomes the default OS of the smartphone. It is comparable to the CyanogenMod or any other custom ROM. The Windows-based ROM is designed to get Android users to try Windows 10 native user interface and the Windows-centric apps. Through this, Microsoft hopes to encourage users switch from Android to Windows OS.

New Windows Version for IoT Devices

Internet of Things (IoT) is the major revolution that the tech world is heading towards. A new version of Windows was introduced by Microsoft that comes free with Windows 10. The new version can go with a diverse IoT devices like ATMs, ultrasonic machines, gateways, and more. The company plans to connect with more machines and is in talks to collaborate with companies like the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Intel, Qualcomm and other tech organizations.

Compactness with Windows 10

Microsoft has opted for an approach to squeeze down Windows 10. The new Windows OS compresses files to provide more storage space on the device, offering more free space for music, photos, and videos.

The condensation of system files on Windows 10 is done through compression algorithm. It restores approximately 1.5GB of storage for 32-bit and 2.6GB of storage for 64-bit Windows. The same is applicable for the Windows phone as well.

March 18, 2015
LG Brings the World’s First 105-inch 5K Television to India at Rs. 59,99,900

Today, LG announced the nation-wide release of the world’s first 105-inch 5K television in India. This television beast was first showcased back at CES last year and comes at a price of Rs. 59,99,900. The device was showcased as a part of the company’s annual tech show in New Delhi.

The MD of LG Electronics India Soon Kwon stated India as one of the important market places and said –

India is a strategic market for LG. So we have been thinking in terms of a product mix based on global products as well as locally designed products. This is important to stay ahead.

Being 5K, the picture quality of the mammoth television is quite high. The gigantic screen offers a more realistic viewing experience. With a CinemaScope aspect ratio of 21:9, users can frame their movies with authentic cinema formatting and can remove the black bars from top and bottom.

Meticulous approach has been adopted to the audio quality of the 5K television. The 7.2 channel surround sound solution rated at 150W is equipped with the massive piece, designed by audio specialists Harman Kardon. The smart TV runs on Web OS and comes along with the Magic Remote. The curved display uses an IPS panel and incorporated LG’s True 4K Engine Pro. This allows the Smart TV to eliminate ‘visual error’ and even upscale low-res videos to almost HD level.

Apart from the 5K television, LG has announced the release of LG G Flex 2 in India.

March 18, 2015
Microsoft Developing a Windows 10 ROM For Android Devices

Microsoft has announced today that it will be bringing its premier operating system, Windows 10 to 190 countries around the world this summer. The company also hinted at plans to expand its market share in the portable devices market. Microsoft’s collaboration with Xiaomi also led to many speculations in the market as to how the Chinese smartphone powerhouse would play in Microsoft’s plan to expand its mobile market share. The details aren’t out yet, but it seems Microsoft is offering a ROM that will replace Android to make Windows 10 the primary OS of a smartphone.

Microsoft has announced that under its deal with Xiaomi, a select group of Mi 4 ‘Power users’ will get a chance to test the new Windows 10. Xiaomi made clear that it is not a partnership between the two companies, and Xiaomi is just “assisting” Microsoft in its efforts.

The new ROM doesn’t offer dual-boot solution, and Windows 10 becomes the default OS of the smartphone. It is comparable to the CyanogenMod or any other custom ROM. The ROM is basically designed to get Android users to try Windows 10 native user interface and the Windows-centric apps. This, Microsoft hopes will encourage the users the to switch from Android to Windows OS.

At present, Microsoft is testing the ROM in China but it is definitely planning on expanding its reach to other countries. It has started with Xiaomi as the company has a proactive user base that constantly sends back feedback through the companies portal. Microsoft will find it easier to gather suggestions and feedbacks through Xiaomi’s already available infrastructure.

Microsoft is trying hard to find takers for its smartphone devices. According to the last IDC listing Android is a behemoth in the smartphone market which controls 82.3 percent of the global smartphone market followed by Apple’s iOS which holds 13.8 percent while Microsoft Windows Phone OS accounts for just 2.7 percent at present.

Microsoft has also talked about introducing advanced features which let users connect and work on their desktop and mobile devices seamlessly. If these features work in Microsoft’s favour, you can anticipate a rise in Microsoft’s smartphone market share because in the desktop OS space, Microsoft still rules with a comfortable majority. In fact, at present, the various Windows OS’s (Windows 7,8, 8.1) are running on over 69% of the computers while Windows XP accounts for about 19% of the global market. By offering unique interconnectivity features, Windows can attract its massive desktop user base to give its smartphone ecosystem a try.

March 18, 2015
OnePlus Assures Lollipop, OxygenOS Updates Arrive Before March End

OnePlus has put an end to the speculations. The Chinese company has provided a set release date for Lollipop updates on One devices, and it looks like the firm will not keep its huge fans waiting too long. Earlier, the Chinese electronics producer issued the upgrade launch date and had disappointed the customers by not delivering the same. But this time, OnePlus has spread a word through the official forum page of its website saying that Android Lollipop will be available on or before March 30.

The company declared the precise launch date of the update:

CM 12S: The official OTA update for the OnePlus One will be released on or before March 30, 2015

OxygenOS: The official release of our own Lollipop-based ROM will be available for download on or before March 27, 2015

The official forum page of OnePlus mentions the reasons behind the delayed Lollipop update roll out. The firm remarks that unforeseen complications like OS singing issue, instability of the camera module and many crucial driver flaws cropping in the new Lollipop version.

Not only this, to make its customers believe that they will release the new update unfailingly, OnePlus has made a bold statement of giving away five 64GB OnePlus One devices in case it misses either of the deadlines. Well, this shows how dedicated OnePlus is to keeping its promise.

March 18, 2015
Here’s Why the OnePlus Power Bank Hasn’t Arrived in India

OnePlus Powerbank, one of the most powerful devices by the company, was introduced in December last year. With a price tag of $14.99 (approx Rs. 950), the device delivers a massive power with 10,000 mAh. Enough to charge a OnePlus handset three times in a row.

Unfortunately the release date of 17th March (i.e. yesterday) was meant for US customers only. For potential buyers in Europe and India, the wait has been extended indefinitely.

OnePlus’ Compact and Powerful Power Bank

According to the company, the logistics are being ironed out for smooth processing. Due to the fact the OnePlus power banks are pure batteries (and not connected to any other product); they require special shipping requirements. Due to the safety concerns posed by the power banks in large numbers, the IATA (International Air Transport Association) have tightened the rules and regulations concerning the same and airlines enforcing these regulations more strictly.

Also keeping in mind the fact that administering battery certification is time-consuming. Different countries have different requirements and regulations. OnePlus’ hope of finalizing the certifications did not go as quickly as they had previously assumed.

From the above facts, the OnePlus Power bank may not be seen in the Indian market soon, but its clear that the company is working to get them here as soon as possible. Although we have a feeling, the fuel banks may be worth the wait.

March 18, 2015