Looks like the next-gen tire is actually closer than we imagined. With Michelin already working on their concept of the Tweel, Bridgestone walks in with the air-free concept tires that use a tough and flexible thermoplastic spoke technology. These spokes remove any horizontal force and make the tire puncture free, since there is actually no air. The tire is currently suitable fro personal mobility and electric lightweight carts, each wheel holds upto 150Kg in weight. The company plans to use this technology for commercial users and eventually replace the traditional wheel. The only issue is the fact that items might get stuck in the spokes of the wheel making them prone to breakage. A full wheel with these spokes in the center would do, don’t you think so ?
Google employees are testing Ice Cream Goodness on the Nexus S and apparently it works great. This means that if you are rocking a Nexus S you are only weeks away from receiving an official update to the next delicious version. The company is also hoping to remove any and all kinks during this test process so that they can deliver a very stable bug free version for an update.
Since the smartphone market is really flooded with options ranging in all types of OS’s from iOS laden iPhone 4s to Windows Phone supremes, the Galaxy Note , Sensation XL and Android powerhouses alike, and dare we say the Blackberry OS 7 phones. Are you holding back on your smartphone purchase till the Galaxy Nexus Arrives?
The Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone to officially house Google’s next Android OS dubbed “Ice Cream Sandwich” or Android 4.0. The device will also feature a bump of specs including
Two phones, multiple battle grounds and various areas of testing. The Motorola Defy Plus in one corner and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active in the other, the two phones that appear superior in their fields. The true definition of a rugged phone is one that can withstand tortures of daily activities and more.
Build Quality & Design
Both the Xperia Active and the Defy + are made to withstand certain levels of torture, with rugged accents in both their constructions, both devices fared well in waterproof testing. The Motorola Defy + is more of a mans phone, with the industrial looks and design, the strength to withstand drops and scratches. The device is a step above the Active which is not designed to withstand drops as the backpanel scratches and withers easily . Both devices have a gorilla glass front, the Active however has a tuff display which comes preloaded with a impact sheet and a scratch protector. The Defy + has a true full feature gorilla display which does not even need a screen protector to prevent scratches or impacts.
We prefer the looks of the Defy + as a rugged phone, and the fact that it has a much larger display makes it a little bit more attractive. The Active has its own charm and can been seen as a pretty and small device, a possible option for the outgoing ladies.
Hardware and Specs
DEVICE
Sony Ericsson Xperia Active
Motorola Defy +
Availability
Announced on
June 2011
August 2011
Available
September 2011
October 2011
Battery
Capacity
1200mAh
1700 mAh
Standby Time
350 hours
384 hours
Talk Time
6 hours
7 hours
Type
Lithium Ion
Lithium Polymer
CPU
Speed
1GHz
1GHz
Type
Qualcomm MSM8255
TI OMAP 3620
Camera
Main
5mp (2592×1944)
5mp (2592×1944)
Video
720p
720p
Connectivity & Data
Bluetooth
2.1 + EDR
v2.1 A2DP EDR
EDGE
Class 32, 236.8 kbits
Class 12
GPRS
Class 32, 88 kbps
Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
GPS
yes
HSCSD
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
USB
2.0 microUSB
2.0 microUSB
Wireless
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; DLNA
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; DLNA
Display
Colors
16.8 million
16.8 million
Resolution
320×480 pixels
480×854 pixels
Size
3 inches
3.7 inches
Type
LCD capacitive touchscreen
TFT capacitive touchscreen
General
2G Network
GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
3G Network
HSDPA 900, 2100 OR HSDPA 850, 1900, 2100
HSDPA 900, 2100 OR HSDPA 850, 2100 OR HSDPA 850, 1900
Alias
ST17i, ST17a
Defy+
Form Factor
CandyBar
CandyBar
Price Range
Memory
Call record
Unlimited
Card Slot
microSD, up to 32 GB, 2 GB included
microSD, up to 32 GB, 2 GB included
Internal
320MB, 1GB ROM
2 GB
Phonebook
Unlimited entries
Ram
512MB
512MB
Operating System
Type
Android
Android
Version
2.3
2.3
Other Features
Misc Features
Wet finger tracking, ANT+, Water and dust resistant
Size and Weight
Width
55.0 mm (2.15 inches)
59.0 mm (2.30 inches)
Height
92.0 mm (3.59 inches)
107.0 mm (4.17 inches)
Depth
16.5 mm (0.64 inches)
13.4 mm (0.52 inches)
Weight
110 grams (3.9 ounces)
118 grams (4.1 ounces)
Multimedia and Camera
Both devices have a 5 MP camera with LED flash, both have 720p video quality with fairly decent and frame loss capture. The cameras are autofocus and the camera on the Xperia Active performs well, especially outdoors. Both devices come with their own variants on the camera app and the one on the Xperia outshines the one on the Defy. The defy + also lacks a front facing camera for video calls over Voip.
The multimedia experience is somewhat of a dilemma, on one hand you have a larger display and a very loud speaker of the Defy+ and on the other hand you have a small display with a very vivid mobile Bravia engine and a good sounding speaker on the Xperia Active. The Defy+ also has a large resolution making the image and text quality on the device much better.
Both devices performed well in video streaming and playback and were able to sustain a good overall experience, Playing back almost all sorts of media files.
Phone and Networks
The Motorola Defy + and the Xperia Active both have solid phone capabilities, except we noticed that the Defy+ proved to be the strong one in this challenge, the network and call quality for the Defy +was excellent and there were no dropped calls whatsoever. The Defy + also showed off excellent WiFi strength compared to the weak WiFi on the Xperia Active.
The Xperia Active faced some dropped calls and intermittent connectivity issues, not enough to worry us. The WiFi was weak and the company claims that its due to the dual layer shielding on the Active.
Battery Life on the Devices :
Defy +
Xperia Active
Phone calls 2G
6 Hours
4.5 Hours
Phone calls 3G
4.5 Hours
3 – 3.5 Hours
Internet Surf over Wifi
9.5 Hours
7 Hours
Internet Surf over data
4 Hours
3.55 Hours
Video Playback
upto 7 Hours
upto 5 Hours
UI and Accessories
The Motorola Defy Plus comes with a custom UI on top of Android 2.3, called the MOTOBLUR it socializes your friends, pics, emails, messages, and Facebook, and Twitter happenings. MOTOBLUR syncs them all, with continuous updates and back ups. For Sony Ericsson its called TimeScape, a similar experience plus the good looks of the UI. The overview feature shows off a nice jiggly animation to look at all home screens. The device powers off with the old CRT-TV animation for Gingerbread. Where as, the icons and widgets on the MOTOBLUR are old looking and jagged, remind us of the days of the CRT TV.
The included accessories in the Xperia Active at first seem like a positive, but later out turn out to be meh!. The included extra cover is possibly the only great bit of accessory in the Active, the LiveView watch /clip is an added notification panel with a touchscreen that lets you control music and look at notifications. But guess what its not water resistant or dust proof, so much for outdoor activities. It does come with a host of straps and clips , but since the LiveView does not hold charge or connect properly to the device, you will ignore it more than use it. The Active also comes with a pre installed Screen Protector.
Conclusion
Well both phones have their plus points and downsides, We feel unless you really have a need for a rugged phone, getting some other device would be a better idea simply because of the specs that you would get. If you do need a rugged phone you need to decide between a larger screen or a smoother UI, a industrial vs a playful design. Included add-ons and goodies may or may not mean anything to you, they didn’t to us, especially because they weren’t useful.
We found the Defy Plus a better device, with better looks, battery backup, larger display and overall appeal as a rugged device- it screams Tough Book – Tough Phone!
Ever wondered what a Ferrari coffee table would look like? We have the right answers, and the wrong ones too. Folks over at Molinelli Designs found an ingenious way to turn a Rich mans sadness into happiness, depending on what you claim happiness is.
So taking their cue we tell you how to make this wonderful coffee table
The HTC Sensation XE is the first phone in India with the Beats Audio integration with HTC. The device is a standard HTC Sensation on heavy steroids. Watch our video below and stay tuned for the full review and comparison with industry standards.
The device is an easy way for the company to revive the dying sales of their flagship phones from companies like Samsung.
The Complete Spec List Includes :
Price
Rs. 35,500/-
CPU Processing Speed
1.5 GHz, dual core
Storage
Total storage : 4 GB
Available storage : up to 1 GB
RAM : 768 MB
Connectors
3.5 mm stereo audio jack
micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection
(Special cable required for HDMI connection.)
Sensors
Gyro sensor
G-Sensor
Digital compass
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Multimedia
Gallery, Music, and FM Radio
Beats Audio™
DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to your TV or computer
All reports point to plus , iGyaan reported back on october 25 that the iPhone 4s would come to India in November. Today we have confirmed reports that India will get the iPhone 4S on Nov 25 with preorders beginning 18th october on network resellers like Aircel and Airtel. What we need to see is whether the iPhone will be factory unlocked or tied to the networks.
A fully Carrier independent version of the device will be available at Reliance iStores beginning December. A company spokesperson said that the stocks have already arrived in India and logistics and deliveries are being worked out.
“We are very excited about the iPhone 4S in India, we expect to move out large numbers especially hinting towards the Holiday season and New Year”
–Rahul Pradhan (iStore’s North India Marketing)
If you missed it the Original report can be found here along with our very own unboxing of the device here. Stay tuned for the Full review
Its been a blizzard of Artist branded earphones, from Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga , P Diddy and even Ludacris. These SL99 Soul by Ludacris earphones are not your everyday earphones, and thats why we liked them at first go. The come with a premium pouch to safely carry them around. The flat cable is highly tangle resistant and oxygen free. Gold plated tips and solid, heavy build make these earphones look, feel and sound good.
Motorola’s new Defy+ (Defy Plus) is the revision to their already popular Motorola Defy. The newer Device features an enhanced spec list and a better resistance to the elements. So lets take a look.
Sony has been going strong with its Xperia lineup this year. With over 5-8 models released this year does the company actually have what it takes to restructure the market with the right devices. Sony also Recently announced that it plans to buy-out the stake from Sony Ericsson (The Ericsson share) to call the company Sony mobile. The Neo V is an example of what Sony stands for, lets find out whether it delivers to the sony image or not.
Build Quality and Hardware
The Neo V is exceptionally well built with great overall hardware design, and brilliant paint finish. the device feels like a luxury car parked right in the palm of your hand. A curvaceous back and a glossy paint finish make you feel special that you hold this device. There is no shake or rattle from this device and it delivers a robust experience while you fiddle around with the tactile buttons and great structure.
In terms of Hardware the Neo V has a great set check out the total specs:
5 megapixel with upto 16x zooming; Front VGA camera
Flash
Yes
Ringtones
Polyphonic, MP3, Truetone
Music Player
Yes
GPS
Gps + aGPS
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Processor
1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255
Internet
Yes
Browser
HTML
Games
Yes
Battery
Talk time: Up to 7 hrs on 3G and 6hours 55 minutes on 2G, Standby time up to 430 hrs on 3G and 400 hrs on 2G
Multimedia, Display and Camera
The device has a brilliant display with a Mobile Bravia engine, which ensures super smooth video playback. The Device however has only a 1GHZ single core processor which is somewhat of a let down for the price bracket. Coming back to the screen which is a 3.7 inch 854 x 480 px display which offers superior ppi for the size of the display, that makes images and videos look good and text look crisp.
Video playback is well supported over almost all available formats and scrubbing through video does not pixellate or mismatch audio. Audio is loud and clear and the device performs well in all aspects of the Multimedia field.
The camera has a 5 MP XMOR R sensor, which makes images look good even in low light. We however found video to be jittery with 720p at 30fps underperforming the label. Images were also decent but poor compared to those from similar camera of competitors. Overall a decent camera with a bunch of effects and software camera shake reduction, which may or may not impress you depending on where you come from (previous device).
Phone Messaging and Internet
The phone quality and network stability were solid, no dropped calls in 2 weeks of testing. 3G however was not as stable as we wanted and kept jumping from H to 3G to E. The sound and volume of it were clear and loud and we were quite impressed with it. Internet can be bothersome on the go when you shift from tower to tower, the phone takes about a minute to reset the data connection. On wifi however there is no problem.
The onboard keyboard is stock and therefore can be replaced easily with many from the marketplace. The typing experience is great thanks to the highly responsive screen.
The Device also supports the Wifi Hotspot feature which allows you to make the device into a portable router. Which is a convenient feature available in most Androids today, the difference here lies that the Neo V does not drain out of its battery like a dripping plastic bag. It sustains power management within the Wifi hotspot mode and offers extended usage.
Battery
The battery life on the Neo V was impressive swell with a longer talk time than mentioned in the spec sheet we were impressed
9 Hours on 2G
7.5 Hours on 3G
8 Hours Wifi Browsing
4 hours 3G browsing
4 Hours Wifi Hotspot (3 devices connected)
24 Hours of Music Playback
5 Hours of Video
Conclusion
The device is an expensive representation of devices like the Xperia Mini Pro, but offer a different form factor with slightly different specs. The battery life was immense and we were happy with it. The power management is great and handles most features brilliantly. The sealed Bravia display is a delight for those with love for mobile video and multimedia. The speakers and sound is crisp and loud from all areas and impressive overall. The device is a great phone and a nice looking one at that
Motorola is all se to launch the new Droid RAZR and The Atrix 2 in India. With the Defy + already discretely launched the company is promising the RAZR on the 12th of November and the Atrix 2 by the 20th. This news comes confirmed from various sources in and around Motorola.
We were also able to confirm this news from Motorola themselves. The Droid RAZR features the following specs:
ATRIX 2 Specifications:
You can expect a full featured iGyaan Unboxing Review and comparison as soon as they launch. Check out the Sidebar for booking details.
This is one of those moments that makes you feel proud. We got an exclusive hands on with the new upcoming Micromax A85 Super Phone, and we are happy to say the device is quite impressive. The overall specs mentioned in our earlier rumors match with the actual final device. The screen on the Micromax A85 is a Gorilla Glass coated, 3.8 inch 480×800 pixel display which has vivid color composition. The device also has a muti-touch surface and importantly is based on the Nvidia Tegra 2 Processor with 1GHz dual core chipset and a dedicated GPU (Geforce8). The overall interface of the device is quite smooth and Micromax for once has done some unique customizations to the Android Build.
Android on this device is still however 2.2 (froyo) but the company insider promises that the Android 2.3 build is already-ready and undergoing testing. We are keeping our fingers crossed with that. The interface has a unique mix of apps and widgets with an option of multiple launchers from the initial rom. The device also features Gesture control which can be seen in a limited number of inbuilt applications such as Email, messaging, contacts, etc. The gesture controls can be used to navigate through the picture gallery and play/pause and forward/rewind in the music /video players. The gestures main use will come into the phone app with which you can answer or silence incoming calls, and with the wave of your hand you can put the phone into Speakerphone mode while in a call.
The device scored well in our initial hands on, as we also got a chance to add some benchmark apps and run them to get mighty impressive scores, which you will be able to see in the upcoming video shortly. The device is Micromax’s first attempt in the Rs. 15,000+ handset market and it seems like Micromax choose the right device. The initial impressions with the speaker and the video playback were impressive. The “Intelligent Illumination” camera was also fast to focus and click pictures even in dim lighting. The price of the phone is expected around the 18-19K mark ,but we are hoping for a drop soon after launch.
Check out our flurry of first hands on images below, and stay tuned for the complete video after the break.
The Galaxy Note has been launched in India for a price of 34,990/- at market price and will go on sale starting today. The first 100,000 buyers will get a complementary leather pouch with their device. The device features the worlds first 1.4 GHz Dual core processor and also the worlds first 5.3″ display on a Smartphone. The device features a Smart Pen which lets you bring back the memories of olden days with a modern twist, the Pen can be used to live annotate and edit files, draw, sketch etc all on the Galaxy Note. The company is pitching it as a replacement for a Tablet and a Phone and unifying the market. The price seems a bit high and expect it to fall under 30K pretty soon. Check out the specs below and wait for our exclusive hands on video.
To sum it up we have a 5.3 inch display, a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 16GB storage, 32GB expandable a 8 megapixel camera at back and a 2MP in the front. We also get an impressive stylus and a beautiful screen and a 2500 mah battery pack .
We got our hands on the large size Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000 pre-launch in India. The event is about to begin and our initial impressions are mixed, the device is ver very big. The device is quite a middle point between a Tablet and a Smartphone and is pretty comfortable for its size. The display even though is 5.3 inches is very crisp with a Super Amoled screen. The device remains very slim and fares almost close to the iPhone 4S at just 9.65mm. The Note is possibly the first smartphone you will enjoy using a stylus on, the precision of the point is great. The Stylus is also a great sketch and edit instrument and you will actually use it a lot if you get this device.
The stylus does not work with other screens and not at all with the iPhone (trust us we tested). The device fits into the pockets of your denim in a very uncomfortable fashion, but would do well for a coat/blazer pocket (for those corporate types). Check out our hands on images below and stay tuned for the full hands on Video by the end of the day. The camera is a pretty good snapper and we have attached a bunch of samples we got from it including an indoor 1080p video which should go up by the end of the day.
To sum it up we have a 5.3 inch display, a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 16GB storage, 32GB expandable a 8 megapixel camera at back and a 2MP in the front. We also get an impressive stylus and a beautiful screen a 2500 mah battery pack . So far so good right.
Update : The price is now confirmed at an MRP of INR 34,990/-