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Leaked : Press Images Of The New Nexus 7

Prolific leaker @evleaks has shared some press shots that give us a clear look at the front and rear of the new Nexus 7. The upcoming ASUS-made slate showed up in a BestBuy print catalogue as well.

According to a number of previous reports, the next Nexus 7 will sport 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 7-inch full HD display, wireless charging, 2/4GB of RAM, Android 4.3 and the aforementioned 5-megapixel rear camera and a 4000 mAH battery. We’ve also seen mentions of the upcoming tablet show up in a retailer’s inventory, so really all that’s left is for Google to make the device official.

Perhaps most tantalizing is the possibility that the Nexus 7 redux will offer up our first real glimpse of Android 4.3, unless you count those leaked builds that started trickling out soon after Google began selling its Google Play Edition Ones and S4s.

It would have been nice to see Google stick to the sub-$200 price point for the Nexus 7, however considering the spec sheet on this revised Nexus 7 it is actually a bit surprising that they are managing to hit $229. Safe bet we’ll be hearing more about the new Nexus 7 from Google this week so all will be revealed soon.

It’s also possible that the event will bring the official reveal of Android 4.3, which has been leaking quite frequently lately.

[Via]

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July 22, 2013
Ford Fiesta EcoBoost wins Women’s World Car of the Year 2013 award

The Ford Fiesta EcoBoost has bagged the 2013 Women’s World Car of the Year award. The Fiesta won the economy car category, and edged out other finalists Mazda CX5 and the Range Rover in the final round, to be announced as the Supreme winner.

Women pack powerful purchasing power, representing a huge market opportunity. The fact that a respected panel of published and specialist women motoring writers selected the Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost is a significant accolade as we work to design, develop and market our vehicles, technologies and services in a way that captures the attention of this very influential buying group.

– Craig Von Essen, product and communications manager, Ford, Asia-Pacific and Africa

Judges were also asked to nominate their ‘Dream Car’. This was won by the Aston Martin Vanquish, ahead of the Jaguar F-type.

According to Chief Judge, Sandy Myhre of New Zealand, the judging categories changed for 2013 and the three-tier voting system makes it hard for any car to be selected as a category finalist, let alone winning. Judges supply their own shortlist from 2013 model year cars they’ve tested. From there a shortlist is formed to determine the finalists and from the finalist list judges choose their supreme winner and the podium finishers.

The official results in each category are:

Family Car: 1st – Audi Allroad, 2nd – Volkswagen Golf, 3rd – BMW 3 Series

Luxury Car: 1st – Range Rover, 2nd – Mercedes Benz SL550, 3rd – BMW 6 Series

Sports Car: 1st – Porsche Boxster S, 2nd – Audi RS5, 3rd – Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ

SUV: 1st – Mazda CX5, 2nd – Hyundai Sante Fe, 3rd – Nissan Pathfinder

Economy Car: 1st – Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost, 2nd – Kia Forte, 3rd – Toyota Prius

July 21, 2013
Ashok Leyland Stile MPV Unveiled

Ashok Leyland has unveiled the production version of the Stile MPV. The Stile is a rebadged Nissan Evalia and is stripped down to be priced lower than the Nissan. The Stile is ‘styled’ differently to its Nissan equivalent. It also gets a lower-spec version of the 1.5-litre Renault-derived K9K turbo diesel engine, which produces 75 bhp and 185 Nm of torque. Compared to this, the Nissan Evalia produces 85 bhp and 200 Nm of torque.

The Stile is expected to gain a CNG powered variant with a petrol engine serving as the base. Ashok Leyland has many body styles in mind regarding the Stile’s usage. These include but are not limited to 7/8 seat options for the passenger variant, an ambulance and a panel van.

The Ashok Leyland Stile is expected to be launched in September and further details including pricing will be revealed at the same time. The MPV was unveiled by Carlos Ghosn, the global Chairman and CEO, of Nissan and Renault, when he was in Delhi for the unveiling of the Datsun Go. The Stile will be sold from Ashok Leyland’s dealerships but will be manufactured by Nissan at Oragadam.

July 20, 2013
Apple Acquires Transportation App HopStop
Apple, in a bid to improve its infamous mapping system, today acquired popular transportation app HopStop.

Apple confirmed the purchase late Friday afternoon, though did not go into detail about what it intends to do with the company.

The new mapping software Apple debuted in September with the iPhone 5 has been faulted for getting users lost and for its lack of public transportation directions. HopStop shows users in more than 500 cities the fastest way to travel by foot, bike, subway and car; Locationary deploys real-time data from a variety of sources to help users find featured businesses.

The functionality is similar to the newly-acquired Waze, except it is for transit rather than automobile traffic.

HopStop’s App Store description reads :

Get detailed subway, bus, train, taxi, walking and biking directions, real-time transit information via “HopStop Live!”, as well as official transit maps, nearby station search, and station-to-station schedules in over 600 cities throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

In addition, you’ll benefit from our latest feature, HopStop Live!, which lets you see what other HopStop users are saying, in real-time, about the stations, trains, lines and buses you use most. HopStop Live! empowers our community of millions of transit riders to work together towards a common goal to get everyone to where they need to go, faster.

With HopStop Live! you can:
- Follow your favorite lines, stations or stops
- Report real-time delays and issues
- Contribute pictures of what you’re seeing on buses and trains
- Share to Facebook and Twitter
The app also supports these great features as well:
- Get directions from your current location
- Get schedules for hundreds of regional rails, subways, buses, ferries, light rails, streetcars, trams, trolleys & more
- Map a location & see nearby subway & bus stops
- Estimate travel time & cost for a taxi & call cab companies
- See a list of all possible routes with Smart Route
- Get biking directions in NYC, DC, Chicago, & SF
Earlier on Friday a report from All Things Digital noted that Apple had purchased Locationary, a location-based data company that blended data from multiple sources, including things like business listings and products and services.

[Via]
July 20, 2013
Report : Some Samsung Galaxy Note 2 And S3 Variants To Skip Android 4.2.2 For 4.3

Samsung Galaxy Note II users, along with Galaxy S3 owners, have been waiting rather impatiently for their turn to upgrade to Android 4.2.2, which came pre-installed on the flagship GS4.

Now, it seems as though the company may be moving away from releasing a version of the eight month-old software in favour of waiting for Google’s inevitable Android 4.3 release, which is slated to come to AOSP next week.

Telstra, an Australian network provider released a statement on their upgrade page claiming, “Samsung have elected globally to skip the 4.2.2 update for this device and will instead go to a newer version of Android. No schedule has been provided for this update.”

In some ways, this is a good move. Android 4.3 brings OpenGL ES 3.0 support along with standardized Bluetooth LE functionality and a host of other small improvements. Considering some devices, like the Nexus 7, actually dropped in performance from Android 4.1 to 4.2, Samsung may be waiting for Google to fix some underlying code issues before pushing the upgrade trigger.

While this is in no way an official report, the same would seem likely for the Galaxy S3, which is only waiting in limbo for some sort of upgrade news.

[Via]

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July 20, 2013
Hello Moto: Moto X Press Render Leaked

If you are actively following the news around the Moto X you will know that earlier today the launch date for the elusive Moto X was finalized. Now @eveleaks the notorious tipster for the mobile world has leaked press renders for the hardware.

The Moto X is expected to be a Mid Range handset and expected to be priced around 300-400 US $. The hardware expectations are running anywhere from a 4.7 inch to 5 inch HD display which may only run up to 1280 x 720 p screen. An 8 MP main camera and a 2.1 MP front facing camera will finish off the optics, and a Quad Core chipset will handle the processing needs of the Android 4.3 capable handset.

If you closely inspect the render it appears to have a carbon fibre weave on the back which sort of resembles the design of the Blackberry Q10, and the interface appears to be running stock Android with no tweaks or overlays as earlier expected.

Update July 22nd : White Render also leaked :

The color will be known as Unicorn White, and will be available alongside the black Moto X at launch unlike the Nexus 4. Although rumors of many other colors exist, no real confirmations have come forward.

July 20, 2013
Motorola will launch the new Moto X on August 1st

Motorola’s launch teaser for the new Moto X just went out and it seems the company is ready to launch the new phone on August 1st. While the leaks of the super-phone from the company have been a-plently what needs to be seen is whether this will be the next Nexus or not. Google’s Eric Schmidt who was allegedly already spied many times using the phone in the past has not been too secretive about the product.

No strict details are known, but the fibre like construction and slick curves are the beginning of a new design change at the Google-Motorola campus. The Moto X is expected to be a mid range smartphone and not something that’s all that jazz. The Handset will be targeting the mass market and may even go for free on contract with various US carriers. Despite the fact that Motorola shut down its campus in India, it is expected that the company will make a sharp return India side.

Lets see what Google have up their sleeve for the July 25th conference and the 1st August unveiling of the Moto X. Read below Motorola’s Press Note

[toggle title=”PR”]Moto X: The First Smartphone Assembled in the USA

There are more than 130 million smartphones in use in the USA today and not one of them was assembled here…until now.

May 28, 2013 Danielle McNally

Today at the AllThingsD conference Dennis Woodside revealed how we are reinventing Motorola through a portfolio of products starting with Moto X, a new flagship smartphone that will be designed, engineered and assembled in the USA. We’re not talking about just a handful of units either — available this summer, every Moto X sold in the USA will be assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, making it the first smartphone ever assembled domestically.

There were a few reasons why we decided to do this. There are several business advantages to having our Illinois and California-based designers and engineers much closer to our factory. For instance, we’ll be able to iterate on design much faster, create a leaner supply chain, respond much more quickly to purchasing trends and demands, and deliver devices to people here much more quickly. And as a part of Google we’re being encouraged to take big bets on things that make a difference.

We still have a network of global operations, and that won’t change. Our global manufacturing partner remains Flextronics and we’ll continue to assemble devices locally in China and Brazil. But Flextronics is busy looking for people for the new Fort Worth facility now. If you’re interested, we encourage you to check the available positions and apply.

This is an incredibly exciting time to be in the mobile device industry. Our role in inventing the mobile phone is well known. We’re happy to be shaping its future as well.[/toggle]

July 20, 2013
Micromax Canvas 4 A210 Unboxing, Gaming, Specs and Features
We recently received a unit for the new Micromax Canvas 4 A210 Unboxing and the smartphone has some interesting elements inside the box. The phone is an upgrade to the Micromax Canvas HD A116 and changes a few hardware aspects but major aesthetics and inbox accessories have been changed.

Micromax Canvas 4 A210 Unboxing

The box of the new Micromax Canvas 4 will remind you Apple’s packaging of the iPod touch with the phone put on top and the a clear top cover, the design of the packaging is reminiscent of Apple design. Inside the box you will get:
First Impression

When we started the Micromax Canvas 4 A210 Unboxing we were surprised with the quality of inbox accessories, for once the company has truly focused on accessories that make the phone work. The USB cable is flat and tangle free so is easy to carry in the pocket and can be twisted and turned to result in its original form with little or no effort. The build quality of the Micromax Canvas 4 is far superior to any Micromax phone in the past, it is solid and robust with a steel shell and plastic back. The front is all glass with a 5 inch display with a now mediocre 1280 x 720p display (where most are promoting a 1080p display).

The form factor is very functional and handy, and not a lot of people will be impressed with Micromax’s software gimmicks like the Blow to Unlock feature. The Phone has a 13 MP camera which is now traditionally seen on flagships from Samsung and Sony, what is interesting here is the fact that the Micromax Canvas 4 has a 5 MP front camera which even major manufacturers neglect to feature. Micromax has also bundled several apps that allow for access to Micromax Services like MiZone and M! Security.

There is definitely some rattling sound in the unit we received and it comes from around the Sim Tray region. Check out our Micromax Canvas 4 A210 Unboxing video above and the Gaming Video below to get an initial idea of what the Device performs like.

Buy It Now

Gaming

[youtube id=”iQwaNj4ZgbU” width=”100%” height=”300px”]
July 19, 2013
Samsung’s New Exynos 5 Octa Coming Next Week

While U.S. Samsung Galaxy S4 owners received a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC in their handsets, some global variants, including Indian devices, were released with Samsung’s octa-core Exynos 5 Octa SoC.

Samsung took to Twitter today to announce an upgrade to their Exynos processors, claiming, “a new Exynos 5 Octa is coming next week!” While we are not sure what improvements have been made to the octa-core processor, Samsung claims that it will be “more powerful” and “enhanced” than the older version.

Speculation calls for the new chip to be the Samsung Exynos 5420 and will feature a higher clock speed along with improved optimization for the 8 integrated cores. Not technically a true octa-core chip, the Exynos 5 Octa is comprised of two sets of quad-cores with one set of Cortex-A15 chips doing the heavy lifting while the other set of quad-core Cortex-A7 chips takes care of the light housekeeping. Not all 8 cores can be used at once. When one set of quad-core chips are being used, the other cannot.

Looking at history, Samsung has always created an Exynos processor and improved it in some way soon after. Whether it be double the cores (in the case of the Exynos 4) or LTE capabilities, Samsung always steps up its game with the second version of its processors.

As PhoneArena reports, a road map from low cost chip producer MediaTek showed off a true octa-core chip coming, manufactured using TSMC’s 28nm process. Mass production of this chip, the MT6592, is expected to start in November with the first handsets powered by the silicon to launch early next year. All 8 cores will be available for use at once.

We expect the next generation Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone to be powered by the new Exynos 5 Octa chip.

[Via]

July 19, 2013
Google Posts Profits But Misses Revenue Expectations

Google has released its Q2 2013 earnings today and, though they appear strong in absolutes, they missed analysts’ expectations by a fairly wide margin.

The company posted $14.1 billion in revenue, up slightly from last quarter and an improvement of 20% from the previous quarter last year, but analysts were expecting $14.4 billion. Net income was solid at $3.23 billion and $9.56 per share but, again, they were below expectations.

Motorola maintained its reputation as an anchor weighing down the otherwise-profitable Google, as the hardware division posted a quarterly loss of $342 million on revenue of $998 million. Revenue was down from the previous quarter, while the net loss was up, placing even higher expectations on Moto X, which is expected to debut at the end of the month.

Google’s average cost-per-click, which includes clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of its network members, decreased about 6% in the quarter compared with a year ago. Analysts had predicted prices would drop about 3% in the period.

“The shift from one screen to multiple screens and mobility creates tremendous opportunity for Google. With more devices, more information, and more activity online than ever, the potential to improve people’s lives even more is immense,” CEO Larry Page in a press release.

Google is expected to spend upwards of $500 million on advertising Moto X, which is rumoured to be customizable by colour, engraving and build material. The company is otherwise extremely healthy, with over $53 billion cash on hand.

[Via]

July 19, 2013
Apple 2013 MacBook Air Update Pushing Out To Fix WiFi Issue

A software update is now available for the recently launched 2013 MacBook Air. Apple describes it as follows:

This update fixes an issue that in rare instances may cause an intermittent loss in wireless connectivity, an issue with Adobe Photoshop which may cause occasional screen flickering, and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback.

News of the screen flickering issue emerged shortly after the release of the 2013 MacBook Air, when users began noticing display flickering when using Photoshop, especially when accessing the app’s larger brush tools. An Adobe representative noted that it was likely a driver or GPU issue.

Another problem cropped up last week when MacBook Air owners complained of uncontrollable volume fluctuations while playing video content in both first-party and third-party applications. This too has reportedly been solved with the latest Software Update 1.0.

Considering how many issues it’s meant to address, it’s a little surprising that the the MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update only takes up 3.35 MB. You can download it via Apple’s site. As AppleInsider notes, Apple even took advantage of the opportunity to update its Support downloads page so it’s more in line with the design shift seen throughout the rest of the site.

Apple is currently testing a larger 10.8.5 update to OS X, as well as the next major release of the operating system (10.9, also known as Mavericks).

July 19, 2013
HTC One Mini Officially Announced

HTC today officially unveiled the HTC One Mini, the smaller sibling of its successful flagship model.

In terms of specs, the HTC One Mini has a 4.3-inch 720p display, 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 1.6MP front cam and 4G connectivity wrapped in a mainly metallic body with a plastic frame keeping the front and back together.

That means it’s got a roughly similar look and feel to the HTC One, which is certainly a good thing in our book, and with vital statistics of 132 x 63.2 x 9.25mm and 122g it should fit nicely in your palm.

BlinkFeed also makes an appearance along with the new-look HTC Sense, the latest user-interface that HTC has skinned on top of Google’s Android operating system.

As with the flagship model, the HTC One Mini comes with dual front-facing speakers complete with BoomSound technology, plus there’s Dr Dre’s Beats Audio tech also embedded into the handset.

Storage, as mentioned above, is taken care of via 16GB (non-expandable) however for those worrying that might not be enough Dropbox, SkyDrive and other cloud storage solutions are all available via Google Play.

The Ultrapixel camera returns, but loses optical image stabilisation. However, it should still be capable of taking reasonable low-light images thanks to the sensor which is comprised of larger pixels than most smartphone cameras.

Mike Woodward, president of HTC North America, said customers have been asking for a smaller version of the HTC One since it launched in late April.

Release dates and pricing for the HTC One Mini will be announced closer to launch, but the phone will obviously cost less than the HTC One.

What do you guys think? Would you be open to buying this device? Let us know in the comments section below!

July 18, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Launched in India (Hands On)

Samsung today announced the introduction of the Galaxy Tab 3 311 (8-inch screen) and Galaxy Tab 3 211 (7-inch screen) in India. These tablets are a follow up to the popular Galaxy Tab 2 series. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 (7″) is priced at Rs. 17,745, Tab 3 311 (8″) at Rs. 25,725 and the Wi-Fi only Tab 3 310 (8″) at Rs. 21,945.

We went hands-on with the devices.

Specifications and Hardware :

The 7 inch Galaxy Tab 3 is powered by a 1.2 ghz dual core processor, supported with 1GB of RAM. The 7 inch screen has a 1024×600 panel with 169ppi density. There are 8GB and 16GB versions available, with a Micro SD card slot allowing additional storage up to 64GB. The tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The 8 inch Galaxy Tab 3 is more powerful, featuring a 1.5ghz dual core processor with 1.5GB of RAM. It has a 5 MP rear camera and a 1.3 MP front facing camera. The screen is of a higher resolution at 1280×800. There are 32GB and 64GB versions available with another 64GB offered via the microSD card. The tablet has a 4,450mAh battery and runs Jelly Bean 4.2 with Wifi only and 3G versions.

Initial Impressions

The first thing that you will notice when you see the tablets is that they’re, as usual, of the same Samsung style design. However, the tablets are really slim and lightweight. The 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has 7.4mm thickness and it really helps in somewhat easing one handed operation.

The design cues are the same though. Curved, rounded edges with a large display and a physical home button. Following the tradition, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 also has 2 touch capacitive buttons next to the home button.

You have a Galaxy S4 – type bezel running around the edge of the tablets, and the back panel has a glossy finish to it which, unfortunately, attracts finger prints.

The displays though, despite their low pixel densities are surprisingly clear. The colour reproductions and viewing angles are good as well. Samsung also touts the Reading Mode on these devices which adjusts the displays to make reading text easier on your eyes.

The software on these 2 tablets again has all the goodies that comes along with Samsung (TouchWiz) devices. Due to the large screen sizes, Multi-Window is relatively easier to use on these devices than on it’s smartphone siblings.

These devices are one of several Samsung has released with a Dropbox bonus of 50GB of cloud storage added on to your account – or added to a brand new account – for 2 years from the point at which you access said space.

Stay tuned for our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.

Images

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-Inch

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-Inch

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July 18, 2013
Watch The Launch of the two new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.0 Live on iGyaan

Samsung is all Set to Launch the Galaxy Tab 3.0 7 inch called the Tab 211 and the 8 inch called the tab 311 in India. The Galaxy Tab 3.0 211 comes with a Dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and 600 x 1024 pixels, 7.0 inch display. Whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.0 311 comes with a 1.5-GHz Exynos 4212 and an 8 inch 1280 x 800px display.

Get Live updates from the launch below

July 18, 2013
BMW M5 Nighthawk Limited Edition Unveiled

The BMW M5 has quite a reputation in the automotive world for being one of the best performance sedans in history. For some reason, BMW felt that it could do with even more power and now we have the very limited edition BMW M5 Nighthawk.

The Bavarian automaker’s high performance ‘M’ division has managed to squeeze 15 hp more than the ‘regular’ M5 and shave off 0.1 seconds from the time for the 0-100 km/h dash. Now, maximum power output from the 4.4-liter V8 M TwinPower Turbo engine stands at a ferocious 575 hp and the car goes from a standstill to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. The unit also produces 680Nm of torque and comes mated to a 7-speed M-DCT transmission.

The M5 Nighthawk seems to built for stealth with its ‘Frozen Black’ paintjob. Other visual treats distinguishing it from the base M5 are the dark chrome kidney grille, adaptive LED headlights and matte black 20-inch alloy wheels. Door handles, four exhaust pipes and side vents also get the ominous dark chrome treatment. On the inside, you can find two-tone Merino leather upholstery, carbon fiber trim and an individually-numbered badge.

The Nighthawk offers a special ‘Competition Package’ which includes special suspension and steering settings, a sports exhaust system, lane departure warning system and an M dynamic mode setting. M carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard.

Now for the bad news. Only ten of the BMW M5 Nighthawk cars will be made, and will be sold only in Japan. Unsurprisingly, they are rather expensive too at 18.2m yen (US $183k, INR 1.09Cr) for each. If there is more interest, BMW will run a lottery to find the lucky customer who gets one.

[Images source: BMW]

July 18, 2013