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LG Nexus 5X | Hands On

The latest devices by Google have finally arrived in India. Starting today at 2 PM, Amazon has begun pre-orders for Google Nexus 5X in the country. The smartphone will be finally available on the 21st of October.

The device was first introduced to us last month by Google in their official event, and is now marked at a price of Rs. 31,990 for the 16 GB variant and Rs. 35, 990 for the 32GB variant in India.

The Nexus 5X comes with a 5.2-inch FHD display, USB Type-C which allows almost 4 hours of battery post a 10-minute charging routine, and is available in three colours – Carbon black, Quartz white and Ice blue. The company will also be bringing in a range of covers to India, along with the handsets, priced at Rs. 2,800.

We checked out the Ice Blue variant. The back of the smartphone comes with a smooth matte finish. The size of the device feels just right in the hands.

On the camera front the smartphone comes equipped with a 12.3 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie camera. The smartphone is capable of capturing 4K and slow-motion videos, making this phone the most advanced multimedia Nexus device to date.

As opposed to the all-metal body of the Nexus 6P, 5X comes in a plastic body of size 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm, and weighs 136 g. The device also has Nexus Imprint, a fingerprint sensor located on the back of the body. A single touch of the sensor would power on and unlock Nexus 5X for usage.

It is further packed with a 2 GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and OS Android Marshmallow 6.0. The stock Android is seamless as always; Google has provided minimal bloatware – a move which will be appreciated.

That’s all for now, we will be bringing you an in-depth review of the device shortly.

The specs of Google Nexus 5X are as follows:

Specification	LG Nexus 5X
Display	5.2-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080 / 423ppi)
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
CPU	Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU	Adreno 418
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Front Camera	5 MP with F2.0 Aperture
Rear Camera	Up to 12.3 MP with F2.0 Aperture
Storage	16 or 32 GB eMMC ROM
Expandability	NA
Battery	2,700 mAh (embedded)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / Type-C USB
Operating System	Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Price	Rs. 31,990/ Rs. 35,990

October 13, 2015

iPhone 6s Tests Confirm ‘Batterygate’ Does Not Mean Trouble For The Device

We recently reported about the the difference in the battery performance of the new iPhones depending on their A9 chips. These chips are provided by two different manufacturers, Samsung and TSMC. When two iPhone 6s’ were put to use under similar conditions, it was observed that the one with the TSMC chip lasted longer, by adding two extra hours to the battery life.

What is now being touted as the ‘Batterygate’ controversy has raised questions about Apple’s newest devices. This also increases pressure on the company to maintain its position in the tech world, already having been through some turbulent waters in the recent past due to security and software issues. The difference in the performance of the two chips raised quality-related questions for Apple and made the position of the new iPhones shakier, already being panned by many for their steep price-tags.

However, Apple-haters would regret to know that ‘Batterygate’ isn’t as mired a situation as it initially seemed to be. Tests have confirmed the controversy is not too big a deal for the difference between the performance of the two chips isn’t too wide. A Samsung chip does not mean hours of battery shortage as compared to TSMC chips. Potential buyers can go ahead and not let the A9 chips be a deterrent in buying the new iPhones.

October 13, 2015
‘Overwatch’ is Blizzard’s First New Game Since ‘StarCraft’

It’s been a long, long time since Blizzard Entertainment of Diablo fame came out with an all new game (not taking into account the multiple sequels and spin-offs of StarCraft, Hearthstone and Warcraft). And now we’ll soon see them back in action with a new first-person shoot game, Overwatch.

Overwatch was first unveiled on November 7, 2014 at BlizzCon. It is a FPS that emphases on cooperative gameplay using a cast of ‘heroes’. The game is creating quite a buzz, and rightly so when you see what the trailer has to offer. It is a madhouse of continuous action and a variety of playable characters all with a unique skill set.

Overwatch is set in a near-future version of Earth, years after the resolution of the global-scale “Omnic Crisis”. This crisis put all of humanity under threat of the artificially intelligent “Omnic” robots. Overwatch is a task force that was formed to put an end to the Crisis and protect humanity.

It will be interesting to see how Overwatch plays out, with Diablo and World of Warcraft fans already aboard the hype train. Watch the gameplay trailer below and see if you can keep up with all the chaos that ensues.

The beta version of the game is set to come out in the next few months. Like with all Blizzard games, Overwatch will be available only for PC, both Microsoft Windows and OS X.

October 13, 2015

Google Confirms Availability and Pricing of the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P

There’s brilliant news in store for Google fans out there – the new Nexus 5X goes on sale today at 2 PM on Amazon. The device was first introduced to us at a Google nexus event last month, along with Google Nexus 6P.

The LG Nexus 5X is priced at Rs 31,990 for the 16GB variant, and Rs 35,990 for the 32GB variant. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest news about Google Nexus devices. We also have the confirmed prices of the Huawei Nexus 6P which are Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB variant, and Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB variant.

Even the Nexus 6P will be available for pre-order on Flipkart starting right now, while the phone will go on sale by the 21st of October.

Find the specs of Google Nexus 5X below:

Specification	LG Nexus 5X
Display	5.2-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080 / 423ppi)
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
CPU	Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU	Adreno 418
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Front Camera	5 MP with F2.0 Aperture
Rear Camera	Up to 12.3 MP with F2.0 Aperture
Storage	16 or 32 GB eMMC ROM
Expandability	NA
Battery	2,700 mAh (embedded)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / Type-C USB
Operating System	Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Price	Rs. 31,900/ Rs. 35,900

Specs of Nexus 6P are as follows:

Specs	Nexus 6P
Display	5.7-inch QHD Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Resolution	2560 x 1440 pixels, 518 ppi
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core 810 v2.1
GPU	Adreno 430
RAM	3 GB
Storage	32 GB/ 64 GB/ 128 GB
Rear Camera	12.3 MP
Front Camera	8 MP
Expandability	N/A
Battery	3450mAh battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac; Wi-Fi MIOMO support; Bluetooth 4.0 LE; GSM bands 850/1900; 3G bands; GPS with AGPS; NFC, USB Type-C
OS	Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Price	Rs. 39,999/ 42,999

October 13, 2015

A 180 Year Old Law Makes Hoverboards Illegal In UK

In a very interesting twist of events, the Metropolitan Police (MPS) in the UK have declared riding of hoverboards in public illegal in accordance with a law issued in -brace yourself- 1835.

The law, which was passed 180 years ago and made taking a “horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle” on pavement illegal, has now also added a two-wheeled Segways to the list.

Users can now ride hoverboards only on private property with the landowner’s permission. The MPS Specials account tweeted on Sunday, declaring the “the self-balancing scooters,” banned from public pavements and parks.

Own one of these or thinking about getting one? They're illegal to ride in public! Info here: http://t.co/We85yLAzsU pic.twitter.com/vMm0hxNAjs

— MPSSpecials (@MPSSpecials) October 11, 2015

Using them in public would contravene section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 in England and Wales and section 129(5) of the Roads Act 1984 in Scotland.

Needless to say, there was a huge backlash against the ludicrous law, reminiscent of the pre-penny farthing years in Britain. From beef to hoverboards -the list of absurd bans in the contemporary world just don’t end.

October 13, 2015
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to Release Entire Campaign From the Start

Treyarch, the developer behind the Call of Duty franchise is doing something different this time around with the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. They are going the Netflix way and will release all campaign missions from the start. What this means is that you can choose to jump right to the final chapter without having to work your way up the game.

Netflix does this with shows like House of Cards and Daredevil, where it releases all the episodes at once. The reason behind Treyarch’s move is that it doesn’t really matter. People can choose to start from the end and reach the beginning, or jump from one level to a totally different one, or go the traditional chronological way. It’s totally up to the gamers.

Jason Blundell, director of the campaign and Zombies mode for Black Ops 3 told Eurogamer that,”It gives them the flexibility to consume the content how they want,” He also added that,”Consumers and game players in general are far more mature these days. There are so many things vying for our interests today. It’s about, how do they want to consume it? Maybe they put it down on level two, and then they’re in work the next day, and some guy says, ‘dude, you’ve got to check out level four!’ And he’s like, ‘okay, I’ll have a quick look.’ That’s totally fine. I think it’s their choice.”

This would make giving away spoilers much easier, but Blundell is unconcerned by this, comparing the campaign to Netflix’s House of Cards. “If you see the end you’ll say, I need to understand this more,” Blundell said. “When Netflix release House of Cards with all the episodes, does everyone just jump to the end and go and play the last episode? Sure you can. But it’s about the journey, though, right?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is available for pre-order on Flipkart for PC, PS4, Xbox One. PS3 and Xbox 360 will not come with a campaign mode and will only feature an online mode.

October 13, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S7 To Come With Three CPU Variants

Over the past few weeks, rumours have been on overdrive regarding Samsung’s next flagship, the Galaxy S7. In our previous post regarding the rumoured S7 launch, we told you that the phone will come in two models, one featuring the new quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and the other having the octa-core Exynos.

There have been rumours in the past suggesting that three S7 devices will be launched instead of two, and that two of them will have the curved display (like the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+) while one will have a flat screen. These rumours, however, have been dismissed as of now. Latest speculation is that Samsung will have only two S7 versions, where one will be the ‘Edge’ version and the other will have a flat display.

However, it looks like the S7 will come in three CPU variants. If rumours are to be believed, the China and US model will receive the new Snapdragon 820 processor. Europe, Japan and South Korea will come with a Samsung Exynos 7990 processor and the final model, rumoured to have an Exynos 7422 will launch in India.

Samsung is looking to get ahead of its competition by having a January announcement and a February launch. The S7 will also likely be the first Android Marshmallow handset for the company. Follow this space for more on the Galaxy S7.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.phonearena.com/news/Report-Samsungs-one-curved-screen-phone-next-year-will-be-a-Galaxy-S7-model_id74620″]Phone Arena[/tw-button]

October 12, 2015
OnePlus to Start Local Production in India

In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, OnePlus will start local production of its smartphones in India by the end of 2015. OnePlus will set up shop through contract manufacturing at ‘Foxconn’s Rising Stars’ factory within the Sri City Integrated Business City in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

“We are excited to add another significant chapter in our India journey as we look forward to starting local production of our smartphones within a year of our launch in the country. Local production will not only make our operations more efficient in terms of cost and working capital requirements but also help us in making our products available for sale much faster than ever before,”Vikas Agarwal said at an official event in Bangalore that saw representatives of the Government of Andhra Pradesh today.

He futher added that, “Ever since OnePlus debuted in India, we have been deluged with requests for invites to buy our products, with more than 5 million registrations worldwide for our latest release – the OnePlus 2 – alone! With the best of our intentions of fastening up the availability process, we have been constrained by a few supply chain related challenges in meeting consumer demands. The local production will help to address this issue and better cater to the fast growing demands for OnePlus products in India.”

Local production of OnePlus’ upcoming devices will start by the end of this year at the 60,000 sq.ft facility at Foxconn’s Rising Stars factory. The facility is likely to produce up to 500,000 units per month to fulfill the growing demand for OnePlus’ smartphones in India.

October 12, 2015
Pepsi To Launch Its Own Smartphone This October

Rumours about a smartphone by the soft-drink company have been milling for a while now. Sources today suggest that there might be some truth to these rumours. Leaked specs of the smartphone, tentatively called Pepsi P1, are doing the rounds now.

The handset is expected to be unveiled on October 20th in Beijing and is expected to be priced at around $205. The specs of the device include a 5.5-inch screen and 1080 x 1920 FHD resolution. It’s powered by the MediaTek MT6592 SoC, and is equipped with a true octa-core 1.7GHz CPU. On the GPU front, the phone packs an ARM Mali-450 MP4. Internal storage is marked at 16 GB while the RAM is at 2GB of RAM. The main camera will be of 13 MP, with a 5 MP selfie camera. The phone will further have a 3,000 mAh battery with pre-installed Android 5.1 as its operating system.

It would be interesting to see if the company fares just as well in the tech world as it has been doing in the food industry so far. Only time will tell. So hold tight and let’s see where Pepsi takes us next.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://tech.sina.com.cn/t/2015-10-11/doc-ifxirmqc5014183.shtml”]tech.sina.com[/tw-button] translated by [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.phonearena.com/news/Rumored-specs-pricing-leak-for-the-Pepsi-P1-smartphone-handset-to-be-unveiled-October-20th_id74605″]PhoneArena[/tw-button]

October 12, 2015
Xiaomi India Launches PickMi Doorstep Service

Chinese mobile companies like Xiaomi have established a popular base in India and are doing really well. In fact, they seem to be doing better than most other established OEMs. One of the most important point of interest for electronic consumers is the after sale service. Knowing that there are plenty of service centres around for your device, among other things, is what drive customers towards that brand. So it’s even better when these brands come to your doorstep, take your phone, service it, and return it back to you at your doorstep.

This is exactly what Xiaomi India is now providing. The company launched the PickMi service in India. It is a doorstep pick up and drop service for all Mi products at Rs. 189. According to a Facebook post, Xiaomi announced, “PickMi service across India! We bring our service to your doorstep. Call us on 1800-103-6286 and avail our pick up and drop service for all Mi products for just Rs. 189.”

Xiaomi has been busy expanding its services across India. The company has been tweeting and posting updates on Facebook about new service centers being introduced. Last week, Xiaomi opened two exclusive service centres in Rohini and Daryaganj, New Delhi. And just yesterday the company tweeted the launch of a centre in Ambala, Punjab.

With Mi, you never have to go far for help ! #MiService #Punjab pic.twitter.com/cmI7lXTlkg

— Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) October 11, 2015

Miezu is also getting into the doorstep service game. The company plans on providing the service once it launches around 40 customer care centres across 20 Indian cities.

The focus on customer service by these Chinese brands is providing the right push and the right image for them. Xiaomi is already off to a good start and must now keep up the pace and deliver the goods, quite literally.

October 12, 2015
Exciting Launch Offers For iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

If you’re all gung-ho about the new iPhones hitting the country soon, here’s some news to get you more excited. Vodafone is offering special offers with the purchase of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

Customers will be able to avail free data and voice benefits worth Rs 8,885 for six months on the purchase of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Vodafone said in an official statement:

“Existing or new Vodafone customers can buy a new iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus and get a fully built Vodafone RED 1,299 worry-free plan free for six months from the time of purchase.”

The highlights of the plan include 3GB mobile internet, 4,000 free local and STD minutes and 1,500 local and national SMS. Vodafone clarified further that charges above plan limits will be 50p/MB for data usage, 50p/SMS and 50p/min for voice calls. Roaming, international calling and VAS charges will be extra according to usage.

iPhone 6s Plus

The iPhones will be available in India from 16th October and are priced from Rs. 62,000 to Rs. 92,000. Click here for hands-on, unboxing, specs and all other details of the new gadgets.

October 12, 2015

Moto X Style and Moto X Play: Unboxing and Hands On

The newest Motorola device on the block, Moto X Style, was launched in the country last week, and is up for grabs starting 12 AM on 14th-15th October. The phone is mostly a style variant of the Moto X Play which was launched in India last month.

Moto X Play comes with changeable back covers available in different colours. This is a feature Moto X Style falls short of as its body is a single, non-detachable unit.The two phones are quite similar on the specs front with X Style not having much to add to X Play. If anything, Style is lower on the battery front with a 3,000 mAh bettery than Play at 3,630 mAh. Style is slightly bigger and heavier than Play and is priced much higher.

The cameras of both phones are marked at 21 MP. The main difference is in the front camera – Style comes equipped with a flash in the front camera as well while Play doesn’t.

The specs of the two phones are as follows:

Specification	Moto X Style	Moto X Play
Display	5.7 inch, TFT LCD, Corning Gorilla Glass 3	5.5 inch, Capacitive touchscreen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels (~520 ppi pixel density)	1080 x 1920 pixels (~403 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SOC	Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615
Processor	1.8 GHz Hexa-core	1.7 GHz Octa-core
CPU	Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53	Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Adreno 418	Adreno 405
RAM	3 GB	2 GB
Storage	16 GB/ 32 GB/ 64 GB	16 GB/ 32 GB
Expandability	128 GB with microSD card	128 GB with microSD card
Rear Camera	21 MP with an f/2.0 aperture	21 MP rear, auto-HDR, dual-LED flash
Front Camera	5 MP with flash	5 MP
Battery	3,000 mAh	3,630 mAh battery
Operating System	Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)	Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth v 4.10, GSM, 3G, 4G/ LTE	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-bandBluetooth v4.0, Micro USB v2.0
Price	Rs. 29,999 for 16 GB and Rs. 31,999 for 32 GB	Rs. 18,499 for 16 GB and Rs. 19,999 32 GB

October 12, 2015

Our Best Look at the HTC One A9 Yet

The rumored HTC event scheduled to take place on the 20th of October will see the launch of the HTC One ‘Aero’, also known as HTC One A9 smartphone. Leaked images from a couple of weeks ago suggested that the A9 will be an iPhone 6 doppelganger and is expected to come in six colours, one of which is quite similar to the iPhone 6s Rose Gold.

New leaked images of a dummy HTC One A9 handset tweeted by @OnLeaks confirm that the phone will definetely be an iPhone 6 rip-off. There are some obvious aspects to the design of the A9 that reminds one of the iPhone 6. The curved edges, the raised camera hump at the back, the plastic strips at the top and bottom, the speaker grill and 3.5mm audio jack are all reminiscent of the iPhone 6. Though, one difference is that the camera hump is centered in the A9 whereas the iPhone 6 has it in the top left corner.

It also seems like HTC is ditching the front-facing speaker and is going for a sleeker look. The home button will also feature a fingerprint sensor. Again, apart from the oval shaped home button for the A9, the rest of the front design looks very much like the iPhone 6. Moreover, The HTC One A9 is said to be 7mm thick, which is around the same as the iPhone 6 (6.9 mm).

As for the specs of the A9, the smartphone will sport a 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 resolution and 441ppi, Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor and Adreno 405 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage. On the camera front the A9 will feature a 13MP rear camera with OIS and a 4MP Ultrapixel front. The HTC One A9 will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

We’ll give you the full monty on the A9 once the phone is officially out. We’ll also know just how much the phone is ‘inspired’ by the iPhone 6 once we get a better look at it.

Image Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://twitter.com/OnLeaks/status/652817150906880000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”]OnLeaks[/tw-button]

October 12, 2015
A Cheaper OnePlus Smartphone Expected To Be Announced Today

If rumours are to be believed, OnePlus may announce a OnePlus X smartphone in the country very soon. After OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 smartphones, the company might be gearing to introduce a device more affordable than its previous phones.

The Chinese company is hosting an event in Bangalore today and Pete Lau, the CEO of OnePlus will be present there. According to official reports, the event will be a corporate one but speculations about what else the company can announce tomorrow are endless. Keeping in mind the recent ‘Make in India’ announcements from brands like Xiaomi and Lenovo, OnePlus is also expected to follow their league.

Time to look at things a little differently. #PowerfullyBeautiful pic.twitter.com/Qjl0WhuJ6V

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) October 8, 2015

Adding to these speculations and rumours are the company’s social updates -one of them include the OnePlus India Twitter handle which put up a picture of the X with the words,“Time to look at things a little differently.” This had led many to believe about an imminent launch of a OnePlus X smartphone. Also, Lau himself posted on his official Weibo account about a fitness app saying, “Dissatisfied run a X.”

Along with the event in Bangalore, OnePlus 2 also goes on open sale today. It will be available for sale without invites for an hour between 12-1 PM. For more details of OnePlus 2, click here.

October 12, 2015
Twitter’s CEO Plans Layoffs This Week

After having recorded lowest rate of progress in the number of new users since its inception in 2013, Twitter is looking at re-structuring itself and work on new growth-oriented strategies. One of these involve firing a whole bunch of engineers from the company this week.

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter

The new CEO and co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey is laying off people throughout the company. New York times speculates that this decision can be put into action as early as 13th October to improve a “bloated” engineering team. Though multiple sources have mentioned these imminent layoffs, Twitter has refused to comment on it.

Over the last couple of months, the number of people appointed to Twitter and the new users to the social media platform has presented a skewed ratio, emphasising the need of a different modus operandi. This news comes in the wake of rumours suggesting that the expansion of San Francisco headquarters of the company are already being curbed and frozen in an attempt to cut costs.

In the past, Twitter has shied away from revealing the total number of its users, but that in no way means it’s not in the same league as platforms like Facebook and Instagram. At the same time, the company also has millions of ‘dark pool’ users -people who signed up for Twitter but now their accounts are inactive for various reasons.

Only time will tell if this new alleged strategy will help the social media website increase its influence in the virtual world.

October 11, 2015